the understanding of Scripture, if only readers were not care-
44 ox CIIRISTIAX DOCTRINf:. [BOOK II.
Chap. xi. — Knov:h:dgc of languages, lApeclaUy of Greek and Hebrew, necessary to remove ignorance of signs.
IG. The groat remedy for ignorance of proper signs is knowledge of languages. And men who speak the Latin tongue, of whom are those I have undertaken to instruct, need two other languages for the knowledge of Scripture, Hebrew and Greek, that they may have recourse to the original texts if the endless diversity of the Latin translators throw them into doubt. Although, indeed, we often find Hebrew words untranslated in the books, as for example, Amen, Halleluia,
Ptaclia, llosanua, and others of the same kind. Some of these, although they could have been translated, have been preserved in their original form on account of the more sacred authority that attaches to it, as for example. Amen and Halleluia. Some of them, again, are said to be untranslatable into another tongue, of which the other two I have mentioned are examples.
For in some languages there are words that cannot be translated into the idiom of another language. And this happens chiefly in the case of interjections, which are words that express rather an emotion of the mind than any part of a thought we have in our mind. And the two given above are said to be of this kind, Piacha expressing the cry of an angry man, Hosanna that of a joyful man. But the knowledge of these languages is necessary, not for the sake of a few words like these which it is very easy to mark and to ask about, but, as has been said, on account of the diversities among translators.
For the translations of the Scriptures from Hebrew into Greek can be counted, but the Latin translators are out of all number.
For in the early days of the faith every man who happened to get his hands upon a Greek manuscript, and who thought he had any knowledge, were it ever so little, of the two languages, ventured upon the work of translation.
Chat. xii.—A diversity of interpretations is usifid. Errors arising fro77i ambiguous words.
17. And this circumstance would assist rather than hinder the understanding of Scripture, if only readers were not careless. For the examination of a number of texts has often thrown light upon some of the more obscure passages ; for
CHAP. XII.] COMPARISON OF Tr.xVNSLATIONS. 45' example, in that passage of the prophet Isaiah/ one translator reads : " And do not despise the domestics of thy seed ; " another reads : "And do not despise thine own flesh." ^ Each of these in turn confirms the other. For the one is explained by the other ; because " flesh " may be taken in its literal sense, so that a man may understand that he is admonished not to despise his own body ; and " the domestics of thy seed" may be understood figuratively of Christians, because they are spiritually born of the same seed as ourselves, namely, the Word. When now the meaning of the two translators is compared, a more likely sense of the words suggests itself, viz.
that the command is not to despise our kinsmen, because when one brings the expression " domestics of thy seed" into relation with " flesh," kinsmen most naturally occur to one's mijQd. Whence, I think, that expression of the apostle, when he says, " If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them ;" * that is, that through emulation of those who had believed, some of them might believe too. And he calls the Jews liis "flesh," on account of the relationship of blood. Again, that passage from the same prophet Isaiah : ^ "If ye will not believe, ye shall not understand,"^ another has translated : " If ye will not believe, ye shall not abide." ^ Now which of these is the literal translation cannot be ascertained without reference to the text in the original tongue. And yet to those who read with knowledge, a great truth is to be found in each. For it is difiicult for interpreters to differ so widely as not to touch at some point. Accordingly here, as understanding consists in sight, and is abiding, but faith feeds us as babes, upon milk, in the cradles of temporal things (for now we walk by faith, not by sight) ;^ as, moreover, unless we walk by faith, we shall not attain to sight, which does not pass away, but abides, our understanding being purified by holding to the truth ;—for these
1 Isa. Iviii. 7, "And that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh" (A. V.).
^ Et domesticos seminis tui ne despexeris.
Et carnem tuam ne despexeris. * Rom. xi. 14.
fi Isa. vii. 9, "If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established "
Nisi credideritis, non intelligetis. ^ j^isi credideritis, non permanobitis.
8 2 Cor. V. 7.