Bible Heaven/Bible Heaven.iso/1611_kjv/msg-kjv.04

Text File | 1994-02-11 | 6KB | 94 lines

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  THE TRANSLATION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT OUT OF THE HEBREW INTO GREEK
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     While God would be known only in Jacob, and have his Name great in
Israel, and in none other place, while the dew lay on Gideon's fleece
only, and all the earth besides was dry; then for one and the same people,
which spake all of them the language of Canaan, that is, Hebrew, one and
the same original in Hebrew was sufficient. [S. August. lib 12 contra
Faust c32]  But, when the fulness of time drew near, that the Sun of
righteousness, the Son of God should come into the world, whom God
ordained to be a reconciliation through faith in his blood, not of the
Jew only, but also of the Greek, yea, of all them that were scattered
abroad; then lo, it pleased the Lord to stir up the spirit of a Greek
Prince (Greek for descent and language) even of Ptolemy Philadelph King
of Egypt, to procure the translating of the Book of God out of Hebrew
into Greek.  This is the translation of the Seventy Interpreters, com-
monly so called, which prepared the way for our Saviour among the Gen-
tiles by written preaching, as Saint John Baptist did among the Jews by
vocal.  For the Grecians being desirous of learning, were not wont to
suffer books of worth to lie moulding in Kings' libraries, but had many
of their servants, ready scribes, to copy them out, and so they were
dispersed and made common.  Again, the Greek tongue was well known and
made familiar to most inhabitants in Asia, by reason of the conquest
that there the Grecians had made, as also by the Colonies, which thither
they had sent. For the same causes also it was well understood in many
places of Europe, yea, and of Africa too.  Therefore the word of God
being set forth in Greek, becometh hereby like a candle set upon a
candlestick, which giveth light to all that are in the house, or like
a proclamation sounded forth in the market place, which most men
presently take knowledge of; and therefore that language was fittest
to contain the Scriptures, both for the first Preachers of the Gospel
to appeal unto for witness, and for the learners also of those times
to make search and trial by.  It is certain, that that Translation
was not so sound and so perfect, but it needed in many places correc-
tion; and who had been so sufficient for this work as the Apostles or
Apostolic men?  Yet it seemed good to the holy Ghost and to them, to
take that which they found, (the same being for the greatest part true
and sufficient) rather than making a new, in that new world and green
age of the Church, to expose themselves to many exceptions and cavil-
lations, as though they made a Translations to serve their own turn,
and therefore bearing a witness to themselves, their witness not to
be regarded.  This may be supposed to be some cause, why the Translation
of the Seventy was allowed to pass for current.  Notwithstanding, though
it was commended generally, yet it did not fully content the learned, no
not of the Jews.  For not long after Christ, Aquila fell in hand with a
new Translation, and after him Theodotion, and after him Symmachus; yea,
there was a fifth and a sixth edition, the Authors whereof were not
known. [Epiphan. de mensur. et ponderibus.]  These with the Seventy made
up the Hexapla and were worthily and to great purpose compiled together
by Origen.  Howbeit the Edition of the Seventy went away with the credit,
and therefore not only was placed in the midst by Origen (for the worth
and excellency thereof above the rest, as Epiphanius gathered) but also
was used by the Greek fathers for the ground and foundation of their
Commentaries.  Yea, Epiphanius above named doeth attribute so much unto
it, that he holdeth the Authors thereof not only for Interpreters, but
also for Prophets in some respect [S. August. 2::de dectrin. Christian
c. 15]; and Justinian the Emperor enjoining the Jews his subjects to
use especially the Translation of the Seventy, rendreth this reason
thereof, because they were as it were enlightened with prophetical
grace.  Yet for all that, as the Egyptians are said of the Prophet to
be men and not God, and their horses flesh and not spirit [Isa 31:3];
so it is evident, (and Saint Jerome affirmeth as much) [S. Jerome.
de optimo genere interpret.] that the Seventy were Interpreters, they
were not Prophets; they did many things well, as learned men; but yet
as men they stumbled and fell, one while through oversight, another
while through ignorance, yea, sometimes they may be noted to add to
the Original, and sometimes to take from it; which made the Apostles
to leave them many times, when they left the Hebrew, and to deliver
the sense thereof according to the truth of the word, as the spirit
gave them utterance.  This may suffice touching the Greek Translations
of the Old Testament.

          TRANSLATION OUT OF HEBREW AND GREEK INTO LATIN
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     There were also within a few hundred years after CHRIST, trans-
lations many into the Latin tongue: for this tongue also was very fit
to convey the Law and the Gospel by, because in those times very many
Countries of the West, yea of the South, East and North, spake or
understood Latin, being made Provinces to the Romans.  But now the
Latin Translations were too many to be all good, for they were infinite
(Latini Interprets nullo modo numerari possunt, saith S. Augustine.)
[S. Augustin. de doctr. Christ. lib 2 cap II].  Again they were not
out of the Hebrew fountain (we speak of the Latin Translations of the
Old Testament) but out of the Greek stream, therefore the Greek being
not altogether clear, the Latin derived from it must needs be muddy.
This moved S. Jerome a most learned father, and the best linguist
without controversy, of his age, or of any that went before him, to
undertake the translating of the Old Testament, out of the very
fountain with that evidence of great learning, judgment, industry,
and faithfulness, that he had forever bound the Church unto him, in
a debt of special remembrance and thankfulness.

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