A treatise of MELCHISEDEK prouing him to be SEM The father of all the sonnes of Heber the fyrst king and all kinges glory by the generall consent of his owne sonnes by the continuall iudgement of ages and by plentifull argumentes of scripture Heb. 7. 4. Now consider how great HE is Imprinted at London for Gabriel Simson and William White 1591. OMNE BONŪ SVPERNAE To the right Honorable Syr WILLIAM CECILL of the honorable order of the Garter Knight Lord Burghley Lord Treasurer of Englande grace and peace from the iust king of peace THe heauenly sayinges of Moses Right Honorable concerning Melchisedek Gen. 14 and the commaundement of consideryng howe great the party is Heb. 7. can not well take place in our hartes vnlesse the person be knowen that all spoken of hym may be taken in due sense For eyther we shall clymbe three steppes too hygh with Melchisedekians Hierax or yet Origen who make hym more then a mortall wight or we shall fall too low with the common Greekes who make hym eyther a Chanaanite or leaue hym to be an obscure man But when we find out certaynely who the person is then we may safely examine all that is spoken of hym And in my opinion that which is written of hym reacheth so farre both to the first Adam one way and to the seconde Adam an other way styll ouershynyng Aarons ceremonies that an errour in this matter wyll no lesse frette the webbe of holy Story then the worke of a VVeauer is hurt when many thriddes in one place are pulde away which reached through the whole peece In a matter of this weight I iudged my labours shoulde be well spent that I myght both shake off quite from all myndes which vse my paynes that which is to be reiected and helpe to settle better the ancient trueth To that ende I handle the chiefe diuersitie that haue been touching Melchisedek and speake for one opinion more at large which Hebrewes alwayes helde and Latines most commonly that Sem the father of all the sonnes of Heber must needes be the man Whereas many and great men thought otheryse but neyther the most ancient nor the most part nor onely of the best I leaue all to the Reader to iudge who yf he be of Learnyng wyll eyther as I trust folow the oldest opinion continued styll or without blame geue others leaue to folow it In chosing a particuler Iudge I finde your Lordshyp meete to geue a right censure in difficulties and I suppose you wyll delyght to heare what antiquity speaketh and the matter it selfe in this cause You shall finde this matter muche lyke that wherein once your L. bestowed long tyme in speach with me and many of the very same poyntes though to an other conclusion wyll here offer them selues As the other in my mynde were of profite to be knowen so by these I trust the student in Diuinitie wyll thinke hym selfe somewhat holpen And that both may come togeather yf it be not a trouble to your leasure to remember it wylbe a benefite to Scholers for to marke how some Counsellers looke into theyr studies and teach by sodayne demaundes what poyntes experience of whole kingdomes require to be playnely taught in the worlde which the common sort lytle thynke of and for want of indgement rashly dispise Fiue yeeres ago your L. requested me to repayre to the Court concernyng the Greeke translation of the Hebrew Prophetes presented to you and concernyng perusing of the Englysh to haue more integrity and playnnesse accordyng to the Hebrew and the Apostles Greeke Then you afforded most wyllingly three houres spech for matters of chiefe and generall vse and of great hardnesse in such sort that I was amazed how you shoulde haue eyther such leysure to be ready in them from your politicall affayres and studies or so right and profounde a iudgement for the bones in the body of Scripture as Diuines skant thinke of tyll great errours driue them to consider Beginnyng from the Greeke you demaunded why the 70. should not be more accompted then the Hebrew seeing the Apostles folow it Reason beyng rendred that they were to folow it because Heathen commonly knew no other Bible You further examined how farre they folowed and in eache kinde tryed out the matter Their strangenesse of imitation was in that they refused not bare faultes of Grammer as often appeareth to teach vs not to fight for wordes Secondly they folowed the 70. where they hid their mynde as in Kenan Gen. 11. and Luk. 3. and in Seuentie and fiue soules for Seuentie Gen 46. Acte 7. or deale as Paraphrastes or abridgers which often they do Thirdly in some rare vse of a worde One example of that offered it selfe Heb. 10. which mystaken by Translaters putteth all men to a plundge For it is sayd No further offeryng remayneth for sinne yf we after knowledge of the trueth sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whiche ought not there to be translated willingly rather of pretended malice from Exo 21. 13. where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in Hebrew Zadah insidiatus lying in wayte or iazid 14 wylfull or malicious spitefull And so the disputation was playne agaynst the Iewes wylfully faythles and no further griefe to distresse the conscience of any This was examined as a thyrd kinde of the 70. folowed You examined likewise turning to your Bible the 70. Translations refused when a chiefe matter was weakened by the 70. therefore Paule sayde for this cause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I raysed vp not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou hast been suffered aliue because he woulde expresse the Hebrewe more playnely Moreouer for heauenly eloquence how the Apostles departed from the Translation namely Heb. 1. 3. that your L. diligently tryed by Esay 4. and other places Neither was the Hebrew left vntryed with the 70. for a rare text or in some vse an onely VVhy we say Psalm 2. Kisse the Sonne where the Latin hath after the Greeke Amplectimini eruditionem The openyng of that drewe more matter I answered that by both Translations it myght appeare that the Hebrew worde was Bar. Now the Hebrew worde Barar To teach might by proportion of language haue Bar for doctrine though so in vse any where it commeth not but for a sonne it doth in the Prouerbes 31. 2. Bar and Dan. 3. Bar and in the new Testament Actes 4. Bar-nabas was expounded Sonne of consolation This text litigious for the wryting amongst the Romistes for the meanyng with Iewes folowyng the 70. your L. mooued to be expounded For the Translaters I gessed that eyther they feared to translate for Heathen vngrounded vpon the Trinitie a distinct saying of one person The Sonne least Heathen shoulde turne it to a wrong meanyng or they marked it not As in Daniel they knew not how to translate Iccaret◠Messiah Messiah shalbe killed because they vnderstoode not the matter or they feared to publyshe it in a playne phrase and in Greeke Vpon mention
perticular person both the Apostle meant and the Hebrewes knewe to be spoken of And why then shoulde men draw the matter otherwyse then euer the Hebrewes woulde suffer it to be drawen Sickerles the Apostle woulde reason as the Iewes might vnderstand and neuer woulde his argument which must be playne bring more entanglementes then all religion had But the Iewes shoulde haue been more entangled by a doctrine making any then alyue greater then Abraham but such as had the promise of Christ before Therefore the Apostle would neuer go about to thrust an opinion vpon them for one greater then Abraham but woulde talke accordyng to their meanyng Let none thereon frame a godlyer modesty vnto him selfe then the whole sway of Hebrewes touching an Hebrew poynt wil suffer and the Apostle writing to them expounded by their continuall iudgement Neyther let any euer thinke that God would forbid searching of the Scripture for a matter of storie as the kinred of a man is but rather charge vs to marke al poyntes the first and the later that in all Gods playne constancie of blessing myght appeare in a man whom wicked Canaan knew to be glorious but no more regarded his state or knew his kinred byrth or death then yf he had them not at all Yet might haue knowen yf their Fathers had delyuered the memorie of Noes blessing from age to age vntyll theyr tyme and had taught them who dwelt at Salem borne before the worlde now not of their kinred nor lyke to ende his lyfe in theyr dayes by reason of lusty strength An higher poynt Melchisedek resembled to which the proper* storie woulde bring by degrees whiche to knowe we are bounde The ignorance of that bred the Melchisedekians The confuting of them I trust shall not be needefull in this age but so farre as men somewhat touch them in mistaking the spech without father without mother c. 2 There sprang another opinion that was somwhat holden of some olde Latines otherwyse the best learned But Epiphanius fathereth it vpon Hierax which taught earnestly that Melchisedek was the holy Ghost because he was tearmed to be lykened to the Sonne of God and applyeth these wordes Abydeth a Sacrificer continually to that which the Apostle sayd The spirite maketh intercession with groninges vnspeakable But Hierax hath mist extreamely For the Holy spirite neuer tooke flesh Wherefore he coulde not be a king of Salem and a sacrificer of one certaine place For euery high Sacrificer is taken from men Some pardon must be geuen to them that helde this errour more then to the former by reason that of two other opinions which haue had some stroke neyther coulde greatly please the Grekes Vntyll this day as shal appeare by the discourse Also amongst the Latines S. Augustine was a mighty wrestler for y e defence of Hierax minde styrred Vp by y e fondnes of that one opinion which Greekes somwhat liked of either not knowing or not considering cleerely the Chronicle and storie fortifiyng the other These two opinions agree in one poynt that Melchisedek was a king of a smal kingdome in Chanaan Or as one translateth Tremelius a lytle Chanaanite King for as the Iewes language is called in Esay 19 The speech of Chanaan so any one dwelling there might as well be of Tremelius called Chananeus Now by both sides who holde this opinion Melchisedek cannot be any spirite but one that hath Adam and Noe to his father and doubteles to his mother Eue namely and had both beginning of dayes and ende of lyfe in proprietie and lyueth not continually on the earth nor can abyde a Sacrificer for euer otherwyse then by the description of Melchisedek Gen. 14. Vnto which onely the Apostle woulde haue vs to referre those speaches seeing the rest of Scriptnre woulde teach otherwyse of the very man which we must marke vnlesse we be dull of hearyng to know who by many degrees shoulde be greater then Abraham From this one stocke of this king in Chanaan growe two branches one beareth vp them who make him to be of Chanaans seede an other holde they who say that he is Sem the sonne of Noe. The first the Greekes brought in who helde that Sem could not then be alyue The other helde the Hebrewes A discourse touching the Greeke translation I Will separate these two from the former by a discourse touching the Greke translation and that the Grekes case and iudgement may better be knowen I wyll here enterlace a long discourse to shew how Gen. 5. 11. the Greke translation differeth from the true grounde and infallible the Hebrew text wherof from Ezras age euery letter in the Hebrew was reckoned I wyl lay downe the vsual translation accordyng to the Hebrew and also that of the Greeke from the Septuaginta Whose translation though we haue not sincere but for many sentences patched of sundry other translations a sentence being repeated sundry wayes and tymes where the Hebrew hath but one saying yet for the body of the worke it is the Septuagint as may be gathered For the newe Testament writeth many hundredes of proper names accordyng to the common Translation which is called the Septuagint as Ar not Har Mageddon not Megiddo Sadduc in Sadducees as Sadoc is Sadduc Ez. 7. and many such But these examples I bring to shewe that the Greeke copies are not as some write in those wordes corrupted Such also are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hope Ruth 1. 12. Heb. 3. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to oppresse Iob. 35. Luk. 3. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pro. 3 6. 2. Tim. 2. 15. to settle a ryght 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psa 53. Eph 6. 6. And as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for vnreligious or robbe Altar Act. 17. cannot wel be expounded but by Demostines frō his oration for Ctesiphon as Vlpian expoundeth him and agayne as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 22. 25. cannot be expounded so well as from the same orator making a difference thereby betweene the equall voyces in Attens gouernement and the sole principalitie of a kingdome where all passeth by one voyce and commander so many places of seuerall common wordes vsed by the Apostles and also hundredes of phrases may and must be referred for examination to the Greeke translation whith we haue now though so much mangled and differing in sundry copies that some tymes it woulde seeme a seuerall worke by diuersitie of copies And this I dare affirme that who so is not acquainted with it vnderstandeth not fully the Greeke of the new Testament That being so as the common vse helde we may holde that the common Greke translation though in some poyntes compounded of others fiue or sixe which Athanasius Epiphanius reckon and wholly is an other for the booke of Daniel yet that for farre the greater part it is the olde Septuagint That also appeareth by the Greekes citations Doubtles the Romistes thynke the Edition of
Now Iubilees continued not beyonde our Lord his death but the last fell out in the same yeere that Holy yere the acceptable time when he brought vs into our Rest For particuler declaration of that an other tyme must be taken and for Moses further meanyng to be opened For y e present matter touching dulnesse of hearing it was spoken doubtles of not vnderstandyng Melchisedek representing the Some of God which representation how woulde that Nation euer haue looked for in a Chanaanite whereas in Sem graunted by them to figuer Christ and in most manifest Scriptures they woulde rather stop their cares then heare that poynt Thus all that is spoken of Melchisedek shineth in Sems cause and it can not be that any other then alyue shoulde be thought equall in the kinde Sem is the honour of Kinges for antiquity and iustice ended his dwelling at Salem whence Religion sprang to our Fathers was the worthiest Sacrificer to his God was vnborne in the worlde now vndead in the memory of most that saw him blesse Abraham undying in description of his age besides the maner of spech before vsed to the astonyshment of men Sem onely coulde tell Abraham and Isaak the storyes of Adam from the mouth of Lamech and his father Methuselah onely by the lewes graunt agaynst the Iewes can be brought a keeper of the worlde from Tobu by his owne eares testimony as knowing the law of Fayth before Abraham Sem onely had before a promyse wherein the learned Iewes woulde be dull of hearyng and was meete to be lykened to the Sonne of God in his case then And neuer was any King more strengthened to a Kingdome by Warriers then Sem is by argumentes to be Melchisedek This I had to speake of Melchisedek styred vp first to defence by spech of a Learned brother who taught the same and of some was blamed Afterwardes I wrote in fewe lynes the effect of all this sufficient as I supposed to stay the vnstayed and so I founde that in many it tooke place One Learned man otherwayes mynded wrote what he thought good to an other conclusion His and myne I willingly commende to the iudgement of the Godly that the trueth may take place to common agreement in buyldyng the kingdome of Iustice in Peace FINIS Hebrew Rabbines or Rabbine workes cited in this booke for Sem or Melchisedek whose whole workes from Venice or Francfurt Studentes may haue 1. Aben Ezra 2. Abrabbaneel 3. Abraham Ben Isaak in Nauath Salom. 4. Abraham Zakuto autor Sepher Iuchasim 5. Abraham Perizol 6. Baal Aruch 7. Baal Hatturim 8. Dauid Kimchi 9. Elias Mizrachi 10. Isaak Ben Arama 11. Leui Ben Gerson 12. Menachem vpon Moses 13. Midras Bereshith 14. Midras Tillin 15. Moses ben Maymon or Rambam 16. Moses ben Nachaman or Ramban 17. Perush col millah Kasha that is an exposition vppon euery hard worde 18. Salomob Iarchi 19. Seder Olam Rabbah 20. Symeon ben Iochai he is cited in the Babylonian Talmud but is farre elder in Zakuto in Sepher Iuchasin as of S. Pauls age 21. Talmud BabyloniaÌ„ printed at Basil and from Sucha Nedarin Sanedrin 22. Tanchumaâ— Rom. 9. 17. Exod. 9. 16. Epiphanius book 2. her 55 The first Opinion * In saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in the most manifest sort ‡ Heb. 7. Gene. 3. Iob. 13. 7. â™ By S. Augustnes leaue Heb. 7. Heb. 6. Gen. 14. 18. 2. Pet. 3 7. Conferre Gen. 9. 11. 14. The seconde opinion Rom. Heb. 5. 1. ‡ That Melchisedeck was a Cananite by kinred Epiph. in Here. 55. oecum vpon Heb. 7. § That he was no farther a Chananite then by place A discourse touching the Septuagint ‡ Rabbi Sadaias hath made a Treatise of that which Elias hath ioyned to his Hammasoreth * Apocal. 17. Mat. 3. Mar. 12 Luk. 20. Act. 5 * Aquilas Symmachus Theodotion and two without the Authors names These ioyned made Hexaplun that is a sixfold worke the Hebrewes both in Hebrew letters also in Greke letters but Hebrewe wordes made vp Octaplun the eyghtfolde worke The translation of Lucian the martyr that of Sophronius though not from the Hebrew were of good accompt Moses of late dayes is set foorth in a Greeke translation but in Hebrew letters by a wicked Iew to deface the Greke now vsed R. Abraham Ben-Dauid in Kabala 1 Homer Plato in Timaeo 2 Hesiod in Pandora 3 Nicander Ther. * Alexander polyhistor 4 Clem. 1. Strom. 5 Ioseph out of Hesiod and Diod. Sic Ouid. 1. Metam Herod 2. Euseb 1. praep ‡ Manethus Molus Estiaeus Ecataeus Ellanicus Acousilaus Ephorus Sibylla § Berossus Chaldeus Hieronymus aegiptius Ni colaus Damascenus Mnaseas ♓ Eupolemus Euseb 9. prap Diog Laer. in his Proaem In Egypt the learned were called Hiereis and Propheâ— ae thence the Septuagint borowed these two termes to translate Cohenim and Nebyir Th' Apostles in Greeke reteine the Septuagint termes and for Cohenim put Hiereis but neuer for oâ—e vnder the Gospel that is seruant in the worde and Sacramentes Wisedome woulde thinke their termes the best but custome will rule * Baal Aruch 〈◊〉 lachnai or Iannes who also citeth the Talmud and Numenius in Euseb Praep. 9. Obseruations * In the former tymes some noteâ— as it appeareth yet very badly and blasphemosly that Moses omitted an huÌ„dred yeres So at the fyrst they woulde deface all his authoritie What wyll they say for his later summe hauing more theÌ„ the Greeke hath by â—n hundreth yeeres and yet the whole summâ— in most equall in all sauing Lamech * In him the Greeke translation altereth nothyng her in Noah * So he should be a Father twenty yeres sooner then he was in the Hebrew trueth And of 955. yere old at the Flood wherfore the rest of his age he must be 14. yeres somwhere Some woulde beleeue that he was with Henoch tyll the Flood was past rather then beleeue y e Hebrew text Aug. Ciuit. 15. Cha. 11. As though al the lewes would or could corrupt the Hebrew text cited so muche in Commentaries and founde vniforme yet By this impossibilitie the Septuagint would haue the worlde to knowe that they for a closer purpose woulde not communicate the trueth of the Fathers ages with prophane Heathen It is a pittifull thing to see how tyl this day men are bent to imagine vntruethes agaynst the Hebrewe trueth to disanul the holines of the worde Moses in the Hebrew omitteth mention of Sems death to stay the reader in expectation of some rare dignitie of his person and that men shoulde not thinke that he died before the blessing was fastened vpon Abraham as in trueth he lyued after Terahs death or the promyse seuentie fiue yeeres vnto the fiftieth yeere of Isaaks age by the Ebrew vnfallible Here the Greekes enterlaced that fayned sentence And Caâ—nan liued c. that neuer was and he died And here a man mayseâ— that they did but dally with the Heathen by this fained name
of Daniel your L. requested an opening of the whole Booke and examined the particulers what tymes or yeeres it conteyned what Empires and how the Image legges which were to be made dust before the Stone was made a Mountayne myght not be taken for the Romans For so we shoulde conclude with Iewes that Christ is not yet come as also by the fourth Beast yf we made it the Romanes And for the golden text of Daniels Seauens your L. had read some that I then had not of great accompt It woulde be too long to runne now through all I coulde not faster runne then through any part of myne owne studies then you pursued in demaundes for the chiefe matter Your shortnesse in propounding questions readinesse in conceyuing a full answere diligence in trying Scriptures dexteritie in replying vpon colour of doubt quicknesse in trying what confidence I had in myne assertions and lastly singuler gentlenes of encouraging my studies with entreatie to repaire often to you these partes do assure me of a Iudge fitte for wyll and skyll VVherefore I willingly reuiue the memory of your Lordshyps spech to liue through all memory and to ende as I began to your Lordshyppes protection I commit this Treatise to finde intertaynement but so farre as trueth shall be seene to require Your Lordshyps to commaunde HVGH BROVGHTON Scapes in printing at which if the Reader stagger let him reade thus sickerly for sickerles A ii line 33. Sixtus for Pius at A 4. line 12. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for from from Vr from Vr. blunter beastes read brestes For moueth vs to fayth meeteth vs by fayth F. b. i. the fourth side line 13. for Ramban read Rambam H i. b. in the margent reade Psal 48. for 180. D ii a. line 14. F iii. b. reade that in a Politicall Gen. 11. not 12. F. iii. the thirde page lyne 33. A treatise touching the sundry opinions concerning Melchisedek who he shoulde be wherein is enterlaced a discourse of the olde Greke translatours hiding their mynde for Gen. 5. and 11. SVndry opinions hath Epiphanius of Melchisedek what or who that person shoulde be But time hath vanquished part of them froÌ„ defence of y e learned by writing though in phantasies of men they be quicke Part haue yet their defenders of sundry sortes vntyll this day Of suche as are vanquished a short speeche may suffise of the others more shalbe spoken to settle one true 1 The Melchisedekians framing a deadly heresie as Epiphanius doth recorde helde Melchisedek to be a certaine wight dwelling in some place which none can tell of being a wight greater then CHRIST Forsooth they woulde stablishe that opinion from Psal 110. 4. Thou art a Sacrificer for euer after the order of Melchisedek as though Christe must therefore be inferiour and needing the order of the other And of Melcisedek they holde it to be properly spoken that he is without father without mother without kinred going about to proue that from the Epistle to the Hebrewes Now from the same wordes they may be confuted As Dauid prophecying of the LORD sayd that he shoulde be a Sacrifiâ—er after the order of Mâ—lchi-sedek by the very same Scripture sheweth the Apostle That euen Christ should be that Sacrificer who is Lord in Dauid Psal 110. and aboue all to be praysed for euer Rom. 9. Of Melchisedek speaketh the Apostle in the same place that he likened to the Sonne of God continueth a Sacrificer for euer Now if he be but likened to the sonne of God he is not equall to the sonne of God For how can the seruant be equal to y e maister Now Melchisedek was a man That Epiphanius proueth afterwardes And that VVithout father without mother is not sayd as though he had not father and mother but because they are not in most manifest sort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 named in the Scripture How many others haue not their kinred in y e most manifest sort as Daniel Sidrac Misac and Elias This much for the Melchesedekians out of the Greeke Father Epiphanius wherein I coulde wyshe some to marke how grauely and truely the learned father expoundeth the wordes without father without mother For whereas he maketh the relation to be only to Gen. 14. they do not wel that stretch it further as though the holy Ghost had sayde in all the Scripture a father or mother for him can not be founde So they might as wel say that by al the Scripture it coulde not be proued that he had beginning of dayes and ende of lyfe Whereas the Apostle expresly teacheth That it is ordeyned that all men once shall die Now of Melchisedek it is as wel affyrmed that he lyueth as that he is without father and mother But by the Scripture we may gather that he dyed therefore as well that he had father and mother Wherefore it is not properly spoken Let none thinke that the spirite of God is controlled by seeking his name and parentage Iob woulde tell vs that it is not good to defend Gods cause with an errour pretending a religion Neyther is the Figure hereby destroyed For it is not spoken simply but in relation And euery wyse man wyl graunt that he had both father and mother And why shoulde the Figure be more defaced by a certayne father taught vs by sundry argumentes by Moses when he wrote then by obscure fathers The Apostle disputeth of Melchisedekes case as in Abrahams tyme he was knowen when he was alyue and actually a figure of Christ not medlyng with that certayntie whiche is euident since Moses wrote a Comment vpon that case shewyng what man was then alyue at Salem greater then Abraham And without the story of Sem I thinke we shall hardly performe this charge Consider how great this man is or vnderstande this Of him we haue many thinges to be spoken hard to be vttered because ye are dull of hearing Folow then the Apostle and marke his wordes and know both the reason of Moses silence Gen. 14. and his vndoubted proper meaning from Gen. 9. what man he must needes be who then was king of Salem It is a frowarde modestie which wyll not search when God biddeth and the stopping of the eares is Serpentlike when God blameth for dulnes of hearing The Apostle in deede from the silence of Moses testifieth that he was a figure of the Messias But how large may we expounde his silence to be ouer his whole lawe or in the phrase touching Melchisedek Doubtles touching the open and present story of Melchisedek For to whom doth he testifie that but to the Hebrwees which so holde it vnto this day as the Apostles speach doth handle it who both consider the Figure representing one more then a man also can playnely proue in historical kinde by Moses from other places who helde Salem then and who then alyue might be holden greater then Abraham whereby it might well be knowen what
of the story but in proper spech helde him to be Sem. With the learned Doctor I wyll ioyne their commendation who in Tables ioyned to the Bible or explaning the names vsed in Scripture in the worde Melchisedek shewe the simplest that he is commonly thought to be Sem that they should not mistake the Apostles wordes Thus for the weakenes of our simple soules I cite our Countreymen agaynst Iewes I bring Rabbines to Antiquaries in Latine fathers I bring Ierome by Romistes I perswade Remistes by Melanthon and Luther with others of their opinion I deale for the best religious For the Greekes I must take some more paynes who to this day mistaking their Translations meaning make lesse accompt of the constant Hebrew trueth holden certayne of all other sydes but that a few leaue all Learnyng to folow them For them now wyll I returne to the Grecians that such as folowed Epiphanius may be knowne to haue missed of his meanyng First I wyll proue that Epiphanius did but dally being content to shake off Melchisedekians and Hierax c. Secondly I wyll shew great reasons that mooued Epiphanius to dispute agaynst his meanyng but so that one skilfull in the cause myght vnderstande what he woulde haue to stade For the first thus I reason Yf Epiphanius leaneth in appearance vpon that which custome helde and he knew to be most vntrue he folowed custome and would not simply be thought of that iudgement but he is euident in sundry places to folow for custome that which was not true therfore he might also here be expounded to meane no otherwyse then as a bearer with custome agaynst propri etie of trueth One place prouing this kinde of dealyng and dallying he hath Page 8. where from Adam to the Floodde he counteth yeres 2226. folowyng the Greeke translation whereas he knewe the Hebrew to haue lesse euen 1656. and knewe also that the Hebrew was most true and neuer blamed For being so cunning in Hebrew affayres as his workes shew he coulde not be ignoraunt of the Massorites miraculous diligence for preseruation of euery letter in the Prophetes how many they were in all which was the middle letter of all Moses which wordes were written with other Characters then their felowes What wordes had prickes ouer their heades and such other things which being handled in Zoar and some by S. Ierom were doubtles well knowen in his age and coulde not be hid from him Wherefore I may well conclude that for the Greekes weakenes he bare with the Greeke translation and in trueth thought as Ierome did that not it but the Hebrew had the trueth euen as well for them betwixt Sem and Abraham as for the former ages Now yf you maruayle not at Iosephus hiding his minde for the same ages folowyng the Greekes and in Salomons age commyng to the Hebrew accompt striuing with hym selfe marueyle neyther at Epiphanius Moreouer in bringing a Kenan betweene Arphaxad and Selah whoÌ„ some times he leaueth out it is manifest that he regarded custome S. Luke was his warrant in this poynt who amongst our Lord his fathers bringeth in the same Kenan least the Grecians that vnderstode not y â— minde of the 70. Translatoures should take offence if he had left it out Also in that Epiphanius maketh Iacob the two twentith from Adam where he nameth the foresaid Kenan he reckoneth him not for one of that number yf he had Iacob should haue been the three and twentith Moreouer he so handling the ages of Noahs sonnes as to make Sem the* eldest Cham the next and Iapheth the youngest as the phrase at the first woulde seeme to teach therein declareth that he had a mynde to folowe custome for quictnes agaynst the trueth amongst such as woulde not soone vnderstande the depth of the matter Notwithstanding he knewe that Iapheth was the eldest and in the Greeke Gen. 10. 21. compared with Sem is called the elder and Gen. 9. 24. Cham in comparison with both is said to be the younger Moreouer seeing Noah at 500. yeers was a father and Sem was not 100. yeeres olde at the Flood when Noah was 600. yeres but two yeres after Epiphanius could not be ignorant that Sem must be younger by two yeeres then some of his brethren Yet he folowed common custome though Iapheth was holden eldest by the custome of exact trueth amongst the Rabbines as D. Kimchi recordeth in the Roote Gadal and many Hebrewes that comment vpon Genesis thought some take the spech as it lyeth at the fyrst syght Of both Abraham Sem the Rabbines of Epiphanius age from whom came the Talmud in Masse Sanad in page 69. b. write many thinges wherein the Iewes sharped their Schollers which should fall to great obsurdities yf they tooke not good heede to the Scripture phrases by the matter to examine them Marke the Hebrewes well and you shall better vnderstande this matter Terah begatâ— Abraham Nachor and Haran So Abrabam is elder then nachor an yeere and Nachor elder then Haran an yeere Abraham is founde two yeeres elder then Haran Also it is written Abraham and Nachor toke the wyues c. R. Isaak sayd Ischa she is Sarah Now how much was Abraham elder then Sarah tenne yeeres and elder then her father two yeeres So it is founde that Haran begate Sarah at eyght yeeres In deede Abraham is younger then the brother But by a mystery of theyr art thus they reckoned Know that this their reckonyng they call a mystery of their art by this And Noah was fiue hundreth yeeres when he begate Sem Cham and Iapheth Sem being elder then Cham by one yeere and Cham elder then Iapheth by one yeere Sem shoulde be founde elder then Iapheth two yeeres But now agayne Noah was sixe hundreth yeeres olde when the deluge of waters was vppon the earth And agayne Sem was a hundreth yeeres olde two yeeres after the deluge and begate Arphaxad So he is at once an hundreth yeres an hundreth and one and an hundreth and two Nay it is a mysterie of art as they reckon heere VVhat is that mysterie of art that so it is reckoned heere Rab Cehuneb spake of a tradition before Rab Zebed of Nahardea he sayth Ye are taught from that place Gen. 5. we are taught from an other Gen. 10. Sem also had issue he was father to all the sonnes of Heber and brother to Iapheth the eldest the eldest of the brethren Thus farre the Talmud in this kinde speaeth the ignoraâ—nce whereof bred a false translation in Latin to make Sem eldest whereas Moses wordes should styrre the Iewes to an other consideration how they were chosen of the younger house through fauour Also that they shoulde not despise the Greekes and Iapheths sonnes who commyng of a good father the eldest brother in tyme when the Iewes shoulde kill and deny Christ they shoulde obteyne theyr dignitie in the High Ierusalem and doctrine of the kingdome