to sound them otherwise than after the Greek declination, in which we find them. 22. Præfat. in Martin. When Zuinglius, your great patriarch, did read in Mun- MARTIN, ster's translation of the Old Testament Jehizkiahu, Jehezchel, Choresh, Darianesch, Beltzezzer, and the like, for Ezechias, Ezekiel, Isai. Cyrus, Darius, Baltasar; he called them barbarous voices, and uncivil speeches, and said the word of God was soiled and depraved by them. Know you not that proper names alter and change, and are written and sounded in every language diversely? Might not all antiquity, and the general custom both of reading and hearing the known names of Nabuchodonosor, and Michæas, and Ozias, suffice you, but you must needs invent other which the people never heard, rather for vain ostentation, to amaze and astonish them, than to edification and instruction? which is an old heretical fashion, noted by Eusebius, Lib. iv. c. 10, and by the author of the imperfect commentaries upon St Matthew, Ho. xliv., and by St Augustine, Lib. iii. c. 26., contra Cresconium. 22. Fulke. That Zuinglius is no patriarch of ours, you may FULKE, know by this, that we do freely dissent from him, when we are persuaded that he dissenteth from the truth. But where you charge us with "an heretical fashion" in sounding Hebrew names according to the truth of the Hebrew tongue, if your authors be well weighed, they will convince you of an heretical fashion in framing of new words, which are more apt "to amaze and astonish men, than to instruct or edify them;" and in using strange language in all your church service, and in that also divers Hebrew words. So did the Marcosians, of whom Eusebius out of Irenæus writeth, in baptizing. And the author of the imperfect work upon Matthew, though himself an heretic, yet truly saith of heretic priests, as you are, in the homily by you quoted, Sic et modo hæretici sacerdotes, &c. "Even so the heretic priests shut up the gate of truth for they know that if the truth were made manifest, their church should be forsaken," &c. For which cause, until this time, you have been utter enemies to the translation of the scripture. But now you see you cannot prevail against the translation, you have begun so to translate the scripture, as in many things it were as good not translated, for anything the people shall understand by it. For you have not explicated the fourth part of the feigned inkhorn terms that you have used. And that St Augustine MARTIN, 23. Jehovah. יהוה FULKE, 23. saith, Cresconius went fondly about to terrify him with the Greek word anticategoria, you do the like with parasceve, azymes, scandals, neophyte, yea, with the Latin words gratis, depositum, and such like, seek to bring the ignorant in great admiration of your deep knowledge, which is nothing else but "an heretical fashion," under strange terms to hide the poison of your pestilent doctrine. Martin. What shall I speak of your affectation of the word Jehovah (for so it pleaseth you to accent it) instead of Dominus, the "Lord?" whereas the ancient fathers in the very Hebrew text did read and sound it rather Adonai, as appeareth both by St Jerome's translation, and also his commentaries; and I would know of them the reason why in the Hebrew bible, whensoever this word is joined with Adonai, it is to be read Elohim, but only for avoiding Adonai twice together. This, I say, we might justly demand of these that take a pride in using this word Jehovah so often both in English and Latin, though otherwise we are not superstitious, but as occasion serveth, only in the Hebrew text we pronounce it and read it. Again we might ask them, why they use not as well Elohim instead of Deus, "God;" and so of the rest, changing all into Hebrew, that they may seem gay fellows, and the people may wonder at their wonderful and mystical divinity. Fulke. In our English translation, Jehovah is very seldom used in other speech; no wise man useth it oftener than there is good cause why. And when there is cause, we have no superstition in pronouncing it, as we are not curious in accenting it. Although, perhaps, you quarrel at our accent, because you cannot discern between time and time. The middle syllable we know to be long; whether it be to be elevated we make no question: we know where the accent is in the Hebrew; but we think not that all accents be sharp, and elevate that syllable in which they are. It is a great matter that you demand the reason why, joined to Adonai, it is to be read Elohim: you should rather demand why it is otherwise pointed, when it is joined with Adonai; for being pointed as it is, I see not why it should not be read according to the vowels, Adonai Jehovih. Many other questions might be moved about the names of God, in pronouncing or writing of which we know the Jews were reverent, even to superstition; and therefore in books that should come in all men's hands, made other alterations than you speak of, and yet retained in other authentical copies the true letters and points. If any desire vaingloriously to utter his skill in the tongues, when he should edify the people, of all them that be wise and learned he is misliked for so doing. 24. Martin. To conclude: are not your scholars, think you, much MARTIN, bound unto you, for giving them, instead of God's blessed word and his holy scriptures, such translations heretical, Judaical, profane, false, negligent, fantastical, new, naught, monstrous? God open their eyes to see, and mollify your hearts to repent of all your falsehood and treachery, both that which is manifestly convinced against you and cannot be denied, as also that which may by some shew of answer be shifted off in the sight of the ignorant, but in your consciences is as manifest as the other! Fulke. Happy and thrice happy hath our English na- FULKE, tion been, since God hath given learned translators, to ex- 24. press in our mother tongue the heavenly mysteries of his holy word, delivered to his church in the Hebrew and Greek languages. Who, although they have in some matters, of no importance unto salvation, as men, been deceived; yet have they faithfully delivered the whole substance of the heavenly doctrine, contained in the holy scriptures, without any heretical translations or wilful corruptions; and in the whole bible, among them all, have committed as few oversights for anything that you can bring, and of less importance, than you have done only in the New Testament; where, beside so many omissions, even out of your own vulgar Latin translation, you have taken upon you to alter that you found in your text, and translate that which is only in the margin, and is read but in few written copies : as for Italia you say Attalia, noted before Heb. xiii., for placuerunt you translate latuerunt, 2 Pet. ii., for coinquinationis, which is in the text, you translate coinquinationes, which was found but in one only copy by Hentenius, as the other but in one or two of thirty divers copies, most written. |