Like as in com- requireth, the name of inferi is put in the scriptures, and 22. Annot. in Acts ii. 25, 27 Martin. And therefore Beza doth strangely abuse his reader more MARTIN, than in one place, saying that the Hebrew word doth properly signify "grave," being deduced of a verb that signifieth to crave or ask, because it craveth always new corses. As though the grave craved more xv. 55. than hell doth, or swallowed more, or were more hardly satisfied and Bib. 1579. [ Ωσεὶ πάχος γῆς διεῤῥάγη ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, διεσκορπίσθη τὰ ὀστᾶ ἡμῶν παρὰ τον ᾅδην, Psal. cxl. 7. "Sicut crassitudo terræ erupta est super terram, dissipata sunt ossa nostra secus infernum," Psal. cxli. 7. Vulg.] [ Καταπίωμεν δὲ αὐτὸν ὥσπερ ᾅδης ζῶντα, Prov. i. 12. " Deglutiamus eum sicut infernus viventem," Vulg. "We will swallow them up alive like a grave even whole," Geneva bible, 1560. "We shall swallow them up like the hell," Cranmer, 1562. "Let us swallow them up like the grave," Bishops' bible, 1584. Authorised version, 1611.] [* Αδης καὶ ἔρως γυναικός, Prov. xxx. 16. "Infernus et os vulvæ," Vulg. "The grave and the barren womb," Bishops' bible, 1560, Auhorised version. "The grave, a woman's womb," Cranmer, 1562.] and in 1 Cor. Prov. i. 122. 20. Bib. 1562. 1577. Prov. i. filled than hell; for in all such places they translate "grave." And Prov. xxvii. in one such place they say, "The grave and destruction can never be full1." Whereas themselves a little before translate the very same words Prov. xv. 11. "hell and destruction";" and therefore it might have pleased them to have said also, "hell and destruction can never be full," as their pewfellows do in their translation: and again, “We shall swallow them up like hell." "The devil," we read, "goeth about continually like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour:" who is called in the ApoRev. ix. 11. calypse "Abaddon," that is, "destruction." And so very aptly "hell" and "destruction" are joined together, and are truly said never to be filled. What madness and impudency is it then for Beza to write thus: "Who is ignorant that by the Hebrew word rather is signified a "grave," for that it seemeth after a sort to crave always new carcases ?" 1 Pet. v. Beza, before alleged. FULKE, 22. MARTIN, Annot. in Fulke. Beza doth not abuse his reader, to tell him that sheol is derived of a verb that signifieth "craving" or "asking;" but you do unhonestly abuse Beza, as you do every man, when you take in hand to affirm that he standeth only upon the etymology of sheol, to prove that it signifieth "the grave." Martin. And again, concerning our Saviour Christ's descending into hell, and delivering the fathers from thence, "it is marvel," saith Beza, "that the most part of the ancient fathers were in this error; whereas with the Hebrews the word sheol signifieth nothing else but "grave'." Before, he pleaded upon the etymology or nature of the word; now also he pleadeth upon the authority of the Hebrews themselves. If he were not known to be very impudent and obstinate, we "Infernus [' Αδης καὶ ἀπώλεια οὐκ ἐμπίμπλανται, Prov. xxvii. 20. et perditio nunquam implentur," Vulg. "The grave and destruction can never be full," Geneva, 1560. "Hell and destruction are never full," Cranmer, 1562. Bishops' bible, 1584. Authorised version.] [2 "Adŋs kai aлwλeia, Prov. xv. 11. "Infernus et perditio," Vulg. "Hell and destruction are before the Lord," Bishops' bible, 1584. Geneva, 1560. Authorised version. "Hell and perdition are known unto the Lord," Cranmer, 1562.] [3 Fateor tamen etiam de profundissimis illis subterraneis locis idem vocabulum interdum dici, quos alibi scriptura vocat abyssum, unde etiam portæ inferorum nominantur, Matt. xvi. 18. et dives ille apud inferos collocatur in summo cruciatu, Luc. xviii. 23. et rogant dæmones ne mittantur in abyssum, Luc. viii. 31. Sed quid quisque locus ferat, diligenter animadvertendum. Dico igitur (scheol) hoc in loco (Act. ii. 27.) propria significatione accipiendum pro sepulchro, et "animam meam" vel loco pronominis me accipi, sicut vulgo dicimus ma personne, etc. Nov. Test. Edit. Beza, 1582, pp. 415, 416.], would easily mistrust his skill in the Hebrew, saying that among the Hebrews the word signifieth "nothing else but grave." Nihil aliud. Fulke. Beza saith that the word sheol properly signi- FULKE, fieth nothing but "the grave:" nevertheless he saith it is 23. taken figuratively for "tribulation," which is near to extreme destruction, yea, and sometime for the "bottomless pit of hell." 24. Martin. I would gladly know what are those Hebrews. Doth not MARTIN, the Hebrew text of the holy scripture best tell us the use of this word? Do not themselves translate it "hell" very often? do not the Septuaginta always? If any Hebrew in the world were asked, how he would turn these words into Hebrew, Similes estis sepulchris dealbatis, "You are like to whited graves;" and, Sepulchrum ejus apud vos est, "His grave is among you": would any Hebrew, I say, translate it by this Hebrew word which Beza saith among the Hebrews signifieth Sheolim. nothing else but "grave"? Ask your Hebrew readers in this case, and see what they will answer. Sheol. Fulke. The best of the Hebrews, that either interpreted FULKE, scriptures, or made dictionaries, Jews or Christians, do ac- 24. knowledge that sheol doth properly signify "the grave." That the Septuaginta do always translate it adŋs, it proveth not that it always signifieth "hell;" for adns signifieth not always "hell," as in the place of Numb. xvi. As for the turning of Latin into Hebrew, is not our controversy, but of translating Hebrew into English: sheol may signify "the grave," "the hole," "the pit," as fovea, though it be not all one with the Latin word sepulchrum. And yet rabbi Salomon, whom you boldly cite in the 27th section, saith In Gen. plainly, that the true and proper interpretation of sheol is keber, which you say is as proper for "grave," as lac is for "milk." xxxvii. 25. pretation of Martin. What are those Hebrews then that Beza speaketh of? For- MARTIN, sooth, certain Jews or later rabbins, which, as they do falsely interThe protespret all the holy scriptures against our Saviour Christ in other points tants in interof our belief, as against his incarnation, death, and resurrection; so do scriptures they also falsely interpret the holy scriptures against his descending late Jews, into hell, which those Jewish rabbins deny, because they look for the ancient another Messias that shall not die at all, and consequently shall not apostolical after his death go down into hell, and deliver the fathers expecting his church. coming, as our Saviour Christ did. And therefore those Jewish rabbins hold, as the heretics do, that the fathers of the old testament were in rather than fathers and I Isai. vii. FULKE, 25. heaven before our Saviour's incarnation. And these rabbins are they which also pervert the Hebrew word to the signification of "grave,” in such places of the holy scriptures as speak either of our Saviour Christ's descending into hell, or of the fathers going down into hell; even in like manner as they pervert other Hebrew words of the holy scripture, as namely, alma to signify a young woman, not a virgin, against our Saviour's birth of the blessed Virgin Mary. Fulke. Beza speaketh of the holy men of God which did write the scriptures, and so use that word sheol, as it cannot be taken to signify any thing properly, but “the grave" or " pit." And as for the Jewish rabbins, what reason is there why we should not credit them in the interpretation of words of their own tongue, rather than any ancient Christians ignorant of the Hebrew tongue? And although they do sometimes frowardly contend about the signification of a word or two, against the truth of the gospel, that is no sufficient cause why they should be discredited in all words. But beside them, Beza hath also the best Hebricians that have been in this last age among the Christians, not only protestants, but papists also, namely Pagninus, and Masius, in their dictionaries. MARTIN, 26. Martin. And if these later rabbins be the Hebrews that Beza meaneth, and which these gay English translators follow, we lament that they join themselves with such companions, being the sworn enemies of our Saviour Christ. Surely the christian Hebrews in Rome and elsewhere, which of great rabbins are become zealous doctors of Christianity, and therefore honour every mystery and article of our christian faith concerning our Saviour Christ, they dispute as vehemently against those other rabbins as we do against the heretics; and 1 Sam. xxiii. among other things, they tell them that Saul said, "Raise me up Samuel;" and that the woman said, "I see gods ascending out of the earth," and, "An old man is ascended or come up ;" and that Samuel said, "Why hast thou disquieted me, that I should be raised up?" and, "To-morrow thou and thy sons shall be with me." And the book of Eccl. xlvi. 23. Ecclesiasticus saith, that Samuel died, and afterward "lifted up his voice out of the earth," &c. All which the holy scripture would never have thus expressed, whether it were Samuel indeed or not, if Saul and the Jews then had believed that their prophets and patriarchs had been in heaven above. And as for the Hebrew word, they make it, as every boy among the Jews doth well know, as proper a word for "hell, as panis is for "bread," and as unproper for a grave; though so it may be used by a figure of speech, as cymba Charontis is Latin for "death." 26. Fulke. If we followed the Jews in exposition of the FULKE, scriptures against Christ, we were not so much to be pitied as to be abhorred: but if we be content to learn the propriety of Hebrew words of the learned rabbins, as Jerome was glad to do of his rabbin, who (as it appeareth by his scholar in some places) was not excellently learned; there is no cause why any man should pity us, but them rather, that, to cloke their ignorance in the Hebrew tongue, pretend as if it were more unlawful to learn Hebrew of the Hebrew rabbins, than Latin of Quintilian or Priscian, and Greek of Gaza, Suidas, and such like. That you tell us of the Romish rabbins converted from Judaism to papistry, is not worth a straw. For their argument of Saul's and a witch's opinion, that the dead might be raised, proveth nothing in the world that they were in hell. And the son of Sirach sheweth himself not to be directed by the Spirit of God, which affirmeth Samuel did lift up his voice after his death out of the earth, contrary to the judgment of catholic doctors of the church. For that the scripture speaketh of Samuel raised by the witch, is meant of a wicked spirit counterfeiting the shape and similitude of Samuel. For the souls of the faithful, and holy prophets, be not at the commandments of witches, but at rest with God, where they cannot be disquieted. As for the authority of those unknown authors, that teach boys to say sheol is as proper for "hell," as panis for "bread," we may esteem it to be of as good credit as Charon's boat, Pluto's palace, and Cerberus's three heads, &c. de Trin. Martin. But what speak I of these? Do not the greatest and most MARTIN, ancient rabbins, (so to call them,) the Septuaginta, always translate the 27. Hebrew word by the Greek adŋs, which is properly "hell?" do not Geneb. lib. 3. the Talmudists, and Chaldee paraphrases, and rabbi Salomon Jarhi, handling these places of the psalms, "He will deliver my soul from the hand of sheol," interpret it by gehinum, that is, gehenna, "hell?" and yet the Calvinists bring this place for an example that it signifieth "grave." Likewise upon this place, "Let all sinners be turned into sheol," the aforesaid rabbins interpret it by gehinum, "hell." Insomuch that in the Proverbs, and in Job, it is joined with "Abaddon." Where Prov. xv. rabbi Levi, according to the opinion of the Hebrews, expoundeth sheol to be the lowest region of the world, a deep place opposite to heaven, whereof it is written, "If I descended into hell, thou art present:" and so doth rabbi Abraham expound the same word in chap. ii. Jona. Job xxvi FULKE, Fulke. Although the Septuaginta do always translate 27. |