It teems with many errors.
It teems with many errors.
§ 515. (IV) It has many—in fact, almost countless—errors, from which we infer as follows: Whatever version has many and almost countless errors cannot be authentic. The Latin Vulgate version has many and almost countless errors. Therefore. The major premise is one of certain truth; the minor we prove by induction.
It has: (1) Scribal errors: Judg. 11:2: adultera mater [“adulterous mother”] for altera mater [“another mother”]. Luke 15:8: evertit domum [“overturns the house”] for everrit [“sweeps”]. (The Louvain theologians saw the error but did not correct it. The Glossa ordinaria translates this woman as “the Church, which overturns the house when she disturbs the consciences of people over their guilt.” Dionysius Carthusianus teaches that “the house is overturned when its contents are moved from place to place therein.”) Luke 15:14: consummasset [“had achieved”] for consumsisset [“had consumed”]. John 21:22: Sic eum volo manere [“Thus I want him to remain”] for Si eum volo manere [“If I want him to remain”]. (From this, some wanted to conclude that John had not yet died. According to Cornelius Jansenius, Conc. evang., some have said: “He was translated alive into paradise, accompanied by Enoch and Elijah, with whom he, being slain by the Antichrist, will also return at the coming of the Lord to preach Christ.” Others, according to Augustine, think that “John is lying still alive in his tomb and will sleep there until the Last Day.”) Heb. 12:8: Adulteri non filii estis [“You are adulterers, not sons”] for adulterini filii estis [“You are illegitimate sons”]. 1 Pet. 2:5: Superaedificamini domos spirituales [“You are being built up as spiritual houses”] for domus spiritualis [“a spiritual house”]. 2 Pet. 1:16: Christi virtutem et praescientiam [“Christ’s power and foreknowledge”] for praesentiam [“presence”].
(2) Errors that directly contradict the sources. Gen. 19:18: “I ask, my Lord” for “No, my Lord!” In Gen. 19:24 Jacob says of Joseph: “The arms of his hands are strengthened”; the Vulgate has the opposite: “The bonds of his hands and arms are weakened.” Acts [27]:42: “to kill the guards” for “to kill the prisoners.” 1 Cor. 15:51: “We will all rise again, but we will not all be changed” instead of “Not all of us will sleep, but we will all be changed.” 2 Cor. 7:8: “I do not regret it, even if I may regret it” for “I do not regret it, though I did regret it.” Philem. 9: “Because you are like Paul, an old man” for “Because I am such, namely, Paul, an old man.” Heb. 3:3: “inasmuch as the house has more honor” for “inasmuch as the builder of the house has more honor than the house.” 1 Pet. 2:23: “He committed himself to Him who judges unjustly” for “justly.” 2 Pet. 1:16: “We have not followed ignorantly devised fables” for “cleverly devised fables.” 1 John 5:16: “There is a sin that is to death” for “There is a sin that is not to death.”
(3) It has many errors of ellipsis. Gen. 1:12 lacks “all the green vegetation”; 4:16 lacks “he fled in the land”; 34:29 lacks “Finally, they destroyed whatever was in any house”; 40:5 lacks all these words: “the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison.” Matt. 6:4 lacks “openly”; “your Father knows” in 6:32 lacks “heavenly”; 15:31 lacks “the maimed to be whole”; 18:35 lacks “their trespasses”; 20:15 has “Am I not allowed to do what I want to do?” instead of “Am I not allowed to do what I want with my own possessions?” In Luke 2:40 where it reads “the boy grew and became strong,” it lacks “in the Spirit.” John 5:[18] lacks “And they were seeking to kill Him.” In Acts 10:30, after the words “four days ago about this hour,” there is lacking “I was fasting.” In the same chapter, v. 32 lacks “when He comes He will speak to you”;82 18:21 lacks “I must by all means keep this feast that is coming in Jerusalem”; 22:12 has “a man according to the Law” for “a devout man according to the Law.” Rom. 14:6 lacks “He who does not observe the day, he does not observe it to the Lord.” 1 Cor. 6:20 lacks “and in your spirit, which are of God”; 15:54 lacks “when this corruptible has put on incorruptibility.” “I have been a fool” in 2 Cor. 12:11 lacks “in boasting.” 1 Tim. 6:5 lacks “Depart from those who are like this.” In Heb. 1:3, where it reads “making purification for sins,” it lacks “through Himself.” 1 Pet. 4:14 lacks “As far as they are concerned, He is blasphemed; but as far as you are concerned, He is glorified.” Rev. 2:14 has “to eat and commit fornication” instead of “to eat food sacrificed to idols and commit fornication.”
(4) Errors of redundancy. Gen. 4:15 has the redundant “It shall never happen”; 5:22 has the superfluous “and Enoch lived”; 6:6 has the redundancy “taking heed for the future”; 27:33 has the superfluous “surprised beyond belief”; 31:32 has the redundant “Now, as for your accusing me of theft.” In Exod. 2:[22] there is the redundant: “He begat another son whom he called Eliezer, saying, ‘The God of my father has been my helper and has delivered me from the hand of Pharaoh,’ “though none of this is in the Hebrew. We run into many things of this sort everywhere.
(5) Chronological errors. Gen. 8:4 has “twenty-seven days” instead of “seventeen”; 11:13 has “303 years” instead of “403.” Matt. 3:2 has “the kingdom of heaven will draw near” instead of “has drawn near”; 26:61 has “after three days” instead of “in three days.” [Romans] 5:13 has “Sin was not imputed when the Law did not exist” instead of “Sin is not imputed when there is no Law.”
(6) Topographical errors. Gen. 2:8 has “God planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning” instead of “God planted a garden in Eden in the east.” In Gen. [14:10], that which should have been called “Siddim,” or “of a level field,” is called “a forested valley,” for unless it is a proper name, it means a ploughed rather than a forested field. Deut. 4:41, 46, 47, and 49 have “across the Jordan” instead of “on this side of the Jordan.”
(7) Historical errors. Gen. 8:7 has “The raven went out and did not return.” Here the Vulgate has followed the Septuagint. The Hebrew reads: “The raven went out and returned to the ark until the waters were dried up.” In Gen. 24:22 “two shekels” is read for “half a shekel.” Gen. 36:24 has “Anah is said to have found hot waters,” though he discovered mules. In Gen. 37:2, Joseph is said to have been sixteen, but the Hebrew reads that he was seventeen years old. Luke 9:14 has “There were about five thousand [quinque millia] men,” in the Greek, “about five thousands [quinquies millia].”
(8) Dogmatic errors. In Gen. 3:15 “she” will bruise the serpent’s head. (As a result, Mary, instead of Christ, was considered a partner in the work of redemption.) Gen. 4:13 reads: “My iniquity is too great for me to merit pardon.” (In the Hebrew there is nothing that has the slightest indication of merit, for it had to be translated “for me to attain pardon.”) Matt. 6:7 has “Do not say much in your prayers.” (The Greek has 
[“Do not use vain repetitions”], which is much different.) Rom. 12:19 has “not defending yourselves” instead of “not avenging yourselves.” Rom. 14:5 reads “Let each abound in his own meaning” instead of “Let each be fully certain in his own mind.” Gal. 3:24 reads “The Law was our teacher in Christ” instead of “unto Christ.”
(9) It separates some things that should be connected and connects some that should be kept separate. Luke 16:22 reads: “The rich man died and was buried in hell. He lifted up his eyes.” (It should be read: “The rich man died and was buried. In hell, he lifted up his eyes.” This corruption has caused many interpreters who have not looked closely at the Greek text to philosophize pleasantly about the burial of this rich man in hell.) Acts 2:42 has “and in the fellowship of the breaking of bread” instead of “and in the fellowship and in the breaking of bread.” Acts 10:30 has “Until this hour I was praying at the ninth hour” instead of “Until this hour I was fasting, and was praying at the ninth hour.” In Gal. 4:31 the words “with what freedom Christ has set us free” must be connected with the beginning of the following chapter. 2 Pet. 2:8 has “For in seeing and hearing he was righteous, living among them; day after day they vexed his righteous soul with their lawless deeds” instead of “For in seeing and hearing, that righteous man, living among them, day after day they vexed his righteous soul with their lawless deeds.”