Augustine of Hippo, Letters

1. Never since I began to write to you, and to long for your writing in return, have I met with a better opportunity for our exchanging communications than now, when my letter is to be carried to you by a most faithful servant and minister of God, who is also a very dear friend of mine, namely, our son Cyprian, deacon. Through him I expect to receive a letter from you with all the certainty which is in a matter of this kind possible. For the son whom I have named will not be found wanting in respect of zeal in asking, or persuasive influence in obtaining a reply from you; nor will he fail in diligently keeping, promptly bearing, and faithfully delivering the same. I only pray that if I be in any way worthy of this, the Lord may give His help and favour to your heart and to my desire, so that no higher will may hinder that which your brotherly goodwill inclines you to do.

2. As I have sent you two letters already to which I have received no reply, I have resolved to send you at this time copies of both of them, for I suppose that they never reached you. If they did reach you, and your replies have failed, as may be the case, to reach me, send me a second time the same as you sent before, if you have copies of them preserved: if you have not, dictate again what I may read, and do not refuse to send to these former letters the answer for which I have been waiting so long. My first letter to you, which I had prepared while I was a presbyter, was to be delivered to you by a brother of ours, Profuturus, who afterwards became my colleague in the episcopate, and has since then departed from this life; but he could not then bear it to you in person, because at the very time when he intended to begin his journey, he was prevented by his ordination to the weighty office of bishop, and shortly afterwards he died. This letter I have resolved also to send at this time, that you may know how long I have cherished a burning desire for conversation with you, and with what reluctance I submit to the remote separation which prevents my mind from having access to yours through our bodily senses, my brother, most amiable and honoured among the members of the Lord.

Chap. II.

3. In this letter I have further to say, that I have since heard that you have translated Job out of the original Hebrew, although in your own translation of the same prophet from the Greek tongue we had already a version of that book. In that earlier version you marked with asterisks the words found in the Hebrew but wanting in the Greek, and with obelisks the words found in the Greek but wanting in the Hebrew; and this was done with such astonishing exactness, that in some places we have every word distinguished by a separate asterisk, as a sign that these words are in the Hebrew, but not in the Greek. Now, however, in this more recent version from the Hebrew, there is not the same scrupulous fidelity as to the words; and it perplexes any thoughtful reader to understand either what was the reason for marking the asterisks in the former version with so much care that they indicate the absence from the Greek version of even the smallest grammatical particles which have not been rendered from the Hebrew, or what is the reason for so much less care having been taken in this recent version from the Hebrew to secure that these same particles be found in their own places. I would have put down here an extract or two in illustration of this criticism; but at present I have not access to the Ms. of the translation from the Hebrew. Since, however, your quick discernment anticipates and goes beyond not only what I have said, but also what I meant to say, you already understand, I think, enough to be able, by giving the reason for the plan which you have adopted, to explain what perplexes me.

4. For my part, I would much rather that you would furnish us with a translation of the Greek version of the canonical Scriptures known as the work of the Seventy translators. For if your translation begins to be more generally read in many churches, it will be a grievous thing that, in the reading of Scripture, differences must arise between the Latin Churches and the Greek Churches, especially seeing that the discrepancy is easily condemned in a Latin version by the production of the original in Greek, which is a language very widely known; whereas, if any one has been disturbed by the occurrence of something to which he was not accustomed in the translation taken from the Hebrew, and alleges that the new translation is wrong, it will be found difficult, if not impossible, to get at the Hebrew documents by which the version to which exception is taken may be defended. And when they are obtained, who will submit to have so many Latin and Greek authorities pronounced to be in the wrong? Besides all this, Jews, if consulted as to the meaning of the Hebrew text, may give a different opinion from yours: in which case it will seem as if your presence were indispensable, as being the only one who could refute their view; and it would be a miracle if one could be found capable of acting as arbiter between you and them.

Chap. III.

5. A certain bishop, one of our brethren, having introduced in the church over which he presides the reading of your version, came upon a word in the book of the prophet Jonah, of which you have given a very different rendering from that which had been of old familiar to the senses and memory of all the worshippers, and had been chanted for so many generations in the church.450 Jonah iv. 6. Thereupon arose such a tumult in the congregation, especially among the Greeks, correcting what had been read, and denouncing the translation as false, that the bishop was compelled to ask the testimony of the Jewish residents (it was in the town of Oea). These, whether from ignorance or from spite, answered that the words in the Hebrew Mss. were correctly rendered in the Greek version, and in the Latin one taken from it. What further need I say? The man was compelled to correct your version in that passage as if it had been falsely translated, as he desired not to be left without a congregation,—a calamity which he narrowly escaped. From this case we also are led to think that you may be occasionally mistaken. You will also observe how great must have been the difficulty if this had occurred in those writings which cannot be explained by comparing the testimony of languages now in use.

Chap. IV.

6. At the same time, we are in no small measure thankful to God for the work in which you have translated the Gospels from the original Greek, because in almost every passage we have found nothing to object to, when we compared it with the Greek Scriptures. By this work, any disputant who supports an old false translation is either convinced or confuted with the utmost ease by the production and collation of Mss. And if, as indeed very rarely happens, something be found to which exception may be taken, who would be so unreasonable as not to excuse it readily in a work so useful that it cannot be too highly praised? I wish you would have the kindness to open up to me what you think to be the reason of the frequent discrepancies between the text supported by the Hebrew codices and the Greek Septuagint version. For the latter has no mean authority, seeing that it has obtained so wide circulation, and was the one which the apostles used, as is not only proved by looking to the text itself, but has also been, as I remember, affirmed by yourself. You would therefore confer upon us a much greater boon if you gave an exact Latin translation of the Greek Septuagint version: for the variations found in the different codices of the Latin text are intolerably numerous; and it is so justly open to suspicion as possibly different from what is to be found in the Greek, that one has no confidence in either quoting it or proving anything by its help.

I thought that this letter was to be a short one, but it has somehow been as pleasant to me to go on with it as if I were talking with you. I conclude with entreating you by the Lord kindly to send me a full reply, and thus give me, so far as is in your power, the pleasure of your presence.

EPISTOLA LXXI . Augustinus Hieronymo, dehortans a libris Testamenti veteris ex hebraeo vertendis, et exhortans ut Septuaginta versionem mire depravatam ac variantem reddat suae veritati. Novum Testamentum ab eo castigatum probat.

Domino venerabili, et desiderabili sancto fratri, et compresbytero HIERONYMO AUGUSTINUS, in Domino salutem.

CAP. PRIMUM.

1. Ex quo coepi ad te scribere ac tua scripta desiderare, nunquam mihi melior occurrit occasio, quam ut per Dei servum ac ministrum fidelissimum, mihique charissimum mea tibi afferretur epistola, qualis est filius noster Cyprianus diaconus. Per hunc certe ita spero litteras tuas, ut certius in hoc rerum genere quidquam sperare non possim. Nam nec studium in petendis rescriptis memorato filio nostro deerit, nec gratia in promerendis, nec diligentia in custodiendis, nec alacritas in perferendis, nec fides in reddendis: tantum si aliquo modo merear, adjuvet Dominus, et adsit cordi tuo et desiderio meo, ut fraternam voluntatem nulla major voluntas impediat.

2. Quia ergo duas jam epistolas misi, nullam autem tuam postea recepi, easdem ipsas rursus mittere volui, credens eas non pervenisse. Quae etsi pervenerunt, ac fortasse tuae potius ad me pervenire minime potuerunt, ea ipsa scripta quae jam misisti, iterum mitte, si forte reservata sunt; sin minus, rursus dicta quod legam, dum tamen his respondere ne graveris, quod jam diu est ut exspecto. Primas etiam quas ad te adhuc presbyter litteras praeparaveram mittendas per quemdam fratrem nostrum Profuturum, qui postea collega nobis factus, jam ex hac vita migravit, nec eas tunc ipse perferre potuit, quia continuo dum 0242 proficisci disponit, episcopatus sarcina detentus, ac deinde in brevi defunctus est, etiam nunc mittere volui; ut scias in tua colloquia quam olim inardescam, et quam vim patiar, quod a me tam longe absunt sensus corporis tui, per quos adire possit ad animum tuum animus meus, mi frater dulcissime, et in Domini membris honorande.

CAPUT II.

3. In hac autem epistola hoc addo, quod postea didicimus, Job ex hebraeo a te interpretatum, cum jam quamdam haberemus interpretationem, tuam ejusdem prophetae ex graeco eloquio versam in latinum: ubi tamen asteriscis notasti quae in hebraeo sunt, et in graeco desunt; obeliscis autem quae in graeco inveniuntur, et in hebraeo non sunt, tam mirabili diligentia, ut quibusdam in locis ad verba singula, singulas stellas videamus, significantes eadem verba esse in hebraeo, in graeco autem non esse. Porro in hac posteriore interpretatione, quae versa est ex hebraeo, non eadem verborum fides occurrit, nec parum turbat cogitantem, vel cur in illa prima tanta diligentia figantur asterisci, ut minimas etiam particulas orationis indicent deesse codicibus graecis, quae sunt in hebraeis; vel cur in hac altera quae ex hebraeis est, negligentius hoc curatum sit, ut hae eaedem particulae locis suis invenirentur. Aliquid inde, exempli gratia, volui ponere; sed mihi ad horam codex defuit, qui ex hebraeo est. Verumtamen quia praevolas ingenio, non solum quid dixerim, verum etiam quid dicere voluerim, satis, ut opinor, intelligis, ut, causa reddita, quod movet edisseras.

4. Ego sane te mallem graecas potius canonicas nobis interpretari Scripturas, quae Septuaginta interpretum perhibentur. Perdurum erit enim, si tua interpretatio per multas ecclesias frequentius coeperit lectitari, quod a graecis ecclesiis latinae ecclesiae dissonabunt, maxime quia facile contradictor convincitur graeco prolato libro, id est linguae notissimae. Quisquis autem in eo quod ex hebraeo translatum est, aliquo insolito permotus fuerit, et falsi crimen intenderit, vix aut nunquam ad hebraea testimonia pervenietur, quibus defendatur objectum. Quod si etiam perventum fuerit, tot latinas et graecas auctoritates damnari quis ferat? Huc accedit quia etiam consulti Hebraei possunt aliud respondere: ut tu solus necessarius videaris, qui etiam ipsos possis convincere; sed tamen quo judice mirum si potueris invenire.

CAPUT III.

5. Nam quidam frater noster episcopus, cum lectitari instituisset in ecclesia cui praeest, interpretationem tuam, movit quiddam longe aliter abs te positum apud Jonam prophetam (Jonae IV, 6), quam erat omnium sensibus memoriaeque inveteratum, et tot aetatum successionibus decantatum. Factus est tantus tumultus in plebe maxime graecis arguentibus et inclamantibus calumniam falsitatis, ut cogeretur episcopus (Oëa quippe civitas erat) Judaeorum 0243 testimonium flagitare. Utrum autem illi imperitia an malitia, hoc esse in hebraeis codicibus responderunt, quod et graeci et latini habebant atque dicebant. Quid plura? Coactus est homo velut mendositatem corrigere, volens, post magnum periculum, non remanere sine plebe. Unde etiam nobis videtur, aliquando te quoque in nonnullis falli potuisse. Et vide hoc quale sit, in eis litteris quae non possunt collatis usitatarum linguarum testimoniis emendari.

CAPUT IV.

6. Proinde non parvas Deo gratias agimus de opere tuo, quo Evangelium ex graeco interpretatus es, quia pene in omnibus nulla offensio est, cum Scripturam graecam contulerimus. Unde, si quisquam veteri falsitati contentiosus faverit, prolatis collatisque codicibus, vel docetur facillime, vel refellitur. Et si quaedam rarissima merito movent, quis tam durus est, qui labori tam utili non facile ignoscat, cui vicem laudis referre non sufficit? Quid tibi autem videatur, cur in multis aliter se habeat hebraeorum codicum auctoritas, aliter graecorum quae dicitur Septuaginta, vellem dignareris aperire. Neque enim parvum pondus habet illa quae sic meruit diffamari, et qua usos Apostolos, non solum res ipsa indicat, sed etiam te attestatum esse memini. Ac per hoc plurimum profueris, si eam graecam Scripturam, quam Septuaginta operati sunt, latinae veritati reddideris: quae in diversis codicibus ita varia est, ut tolerari vix possit; et ita suspecta, ne in graeco aliud inveniatur, ut inde aliquid proferri aut probari dubitetur. Brevem putabam futuram hanc epistolam; sed nescio quomodo ita mihi dulce factum est in ea progredi, ac si tecum loquerer. Sed obsecro te per Dominum, ne te pigeat ad omnia respondere, et praestare mihi, quantum potueris, praesentiam tuam.