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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
]; 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
There were also within a few hundred years after CHRIST, translations 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.
THE TRANSLATING OF THE SCRIPTURE INTO THE VULGAR TONGUES
Now through the Church were thus furnished with Greek and Latin Translations, even before
the faith of CHRIST was generally embraced in the Empire; (for the learned know that even in S.
Jerome’s time, the Consul of Rome and his wife were both Ethnics, and about the same time the
greatest part of the Senate also) [S. Jerome. Marcell.Zosim] yet for all that the godly-learned were
not content to have the Scriptures in the Language which they themselves understood, Greek and
Latin, (as the good Lepers were not content to fare well themselves, but acquainted their neighbors
with the store that God had sent, that they also might provide for themselves)
] but
also for the behoof and edifying of the unlearned which hungered and thirsted after righteousness,
and had souls to be saved as well as they, they provided Translations into the vulgar for their
Countrymen, insomuch that most nations under heaven did shortly after their conversion, hear
CHRIST speaking unto them in their mother tongue, not by the voice of their Minister only, but
also by the written word translated. If any doubt hereof, he may be satisfied by examples enough,
if enough will serve the turn. First S. Jerome saith, Multarum gentium linguis Scriptura ante translata,
docet falsa esse quae addita sunt, etc. i.e. “The Scripture being translated before in the languages
of many Nations, doth show that those things that were added (by Lucian and Hesychius) are false.”
[S. Jerome. praef. in 4::Evangel.] So S. Jerome in that place. The same Jerome elsewhere affirmeth
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