Chapter 36.—The Sixth Rule of Tichonius.

52.  The sixth rule Tichonius calls the recapitulation, which, with sufficient watchfulness, is discovered in difficult parts of Scripture.  For certain occurrences are so related, that the narrative appears to be following the order of time, or the continuity of events, when it really goes back without mentioning it to previous occurrences, which had been passed over in their proper place.  And we make mistakes if we do not understand this, from applying the rule here spoken of.  For example, in the book of Genesis we read, “And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.  And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food.”217    Gen. ii. 8, 9.  Now here it seems to be indicated that the events last mentioned took place after God had formed man and put him in the garden; whereas the fact is, that the two events having been briefly mentioned, viz., that God planted a garden, and there put the man whom He had formed, the narrative goes back, by way of recapitulation, to tell what had before been omitted, the way in which the garden was planted:  that out of the ground God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food.  Here there follows, “The tree of life also was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”  Next the river is mentioned which watered the garden, and which was parted into four heads, the sources of four streams; and all this has reference to the arrangements of the garden.  And when this is finished, there is a repetition of the fact which had been already told, but which in the strict order of events came after all this:  “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden.”218    Gen. ii. 15.  For it was after all these other things were done that man was put in the garden, as now appears from the order of the narrative itself:  it was not after man was put there that the other things were done, as the previous statement might be thought to imply, did we not accurately mark and understand the recapitulation by which the narrative reverts to what had previously been passed over.

53.  In the same book, again, when the generations of the sons of Noah are recounted, it is said:  “These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.”219    Gen. x. 20.  And, again, when the sons of Shem are enumerated:  “These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.”220    Gen. x. 31.  And it is added in reference to them all:  “These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations; and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.  And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.”221    Gen. x. 32; xi. 1.  Now the addition of this sentence, “And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech,” seems to indicate that at the time when the nations were scattered over the earth they had all one language in common; but this is evidently inconsistent with the previous words, “in their families, after their tongues.”  For each family or nation could not be said to have its own language if all had one language in common.  And so it is by way of recapitulation it is added, “And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech,” the narrative here going back, without indicating the change, to tell how it was, that from having one language in common, the nations were divided into a multitude of tongues.  And, accordingly, we are forthwith told of the building of the tower, and of this punishment being there laid upon them as the judgment of God upon their arrogance; and it was after this that they were scattered over the earth according to their tongues.

54.  This recapitulation is found in a still more obscure form; as, for example, our Lord says in the gospel:  “The same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire from heaven, and destroyed them all.  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.  In that day, he which shall be upon the house-top, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away; and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.  Remember Lot’s wife.”222    Luke xvii. 29–32.  Is it when our Lord shall have been revealed that men are to give heed to these sayings, and not to look behind them, that is, not to long after the past life which they have renounced?  Is not the present rather the time to give heed to them, that when the Lord shall have been revealed every man may receive his reward according to the things he has given heed to or despised?  And yet because Scripture says, “In that day,” the time of the revelation of the Lord will be thought the time for giving heed to these sayings, unless the reader be watchful and intelligent so as to understand the recapitulation, in which he will be assisted by that other passage of Scripture which even in the time of the apostles proclaimed:  “Little children, it is the last time.”223    1 John ii. 18.  The very time then when the gospel is preached, up to the time that the Lord shall be revealed, is the day in which men ought to give heed to these sayings:  for to the same day, which shall be brought to a close by a day of judgment, belongs that very revelation of the Lord here spoken of.224    Comp. Rom. ii. 5.

CAPUT XXXVI. Regula sexta Tichonii.

52. Sextam regulam Tichonius Recapitulationem vocat, in obscuritate Scripturarum satis vigilanter inventam. Sic enim dicuntur quaedam quasi sequantur in ordine temporis, vel rerum continuatione narrentur, cum ad priora quae praetermissa fuerant, latenter narratio revocetur: quod nisi ex hac regula intelligatur, erratur. Sicut in Genesi, Et plantavit, inquit, Dominus Deus paradisum in Eden ad orientem, et posuit ibi hominem quem formavit; et produxit Deus adhuc de 0087 terra omne lignum speciosum, et bonum in escam; ita videtur dictum tanquam id factum sit posteaquam factum posuit Deus hominem in paradiso: cum breviter utroque commemorato, id est, quod plantavit Deus paradisum, et posuit ibi hominem quem formavit, recapitulando redeat et dicat quod praetermiserat, quomodo scilicet paradisus fuerit plantatus, quia produxit Deus adhuc de terra omne lignum speciosum et bonum in escam. Denique secutus adjunxit: Et lignum vitae in medio paradisi, et lignum scientiae boni et mali. Deinde flumen, quo paradisus irrigaretur, divisum in quatuor principia fluviorum quatuor, explicatur; quod totum pertinet ad institutionem paradisi. Quod ubi terminavit, repetivit illud quod jam dixerat, et revera hoc sequebatur, atque ait: Et sumpsit Dominus Deus hominem quem finxit, et posuit eum in paradiso (Gen. II, 8, 9), etc. Post ista enim facta ibi est positus homo, sicut nunc ordo ipse demonstrat: non post hominem ibi positum facta sunt ista, sicut prius dictum putari potest, nisi recapitulatio illic vigilanter intelligatur, qua reditur ad ea quae fuerant praetermissa.

53. Itemque in eodem libro, cum commemorarentur generationes filiorum Noe, dictum est: Hi filii Cham in tribubus suis, secundum linguas suas in regionibus suis et in gentibus suis. Enumeratis quoque filiis Sem dicitur: Hi filii Sem in tribubus suis, secundum linguas suas in regionibus suis et in gentibus suis. Et annectitur de omnibus: Hae tribus filiorum Noe, secundum generationes eorum et secundum gentes eorum. Ab his dispersae sunt insulae gentium super terram post diluvium. Et erat omnis terra labium unum, et vox una omnibus (Id. X, 20, 31, 32, et XI, 1). Hoc itaque quod adjunctum est, Et erat omnis terra labium unum, et vox una omnibus, id est, una lingua omnium, ita dictum videtur tanquam eo jam tempore, quo dispersi fuerant super terram etiam secundum insulas gentium, una fuerit omnibus lingua communis; quod procul dubio repugnat superioribus verbis, ubi dictum est, In tribubus suis secundum linguas suas. Neque enim dicerentur habuisse jam linguas suas singulae tribus, quae gentes singulas fecerant, quando erat omnibus una communis. Ac per hoc recapitulando adjunctum est, Et erat omnis terra labium unum, et vox una omnibus, latenter narratione redeunte, ut diceretur quomodo factum sit, ut ex una omnium lingua fuerint divisi per multas: et continuo de illa turris aedificatione narratur, ubi haec eis judicio divino ingesta est poena superbiae; post quod factum dispersi sunt super terram secundum linguas suas.

54. Fit ista recapitulatio etiam obscurius: sicut in Evangelio Dominus dicit, Die quo exiit Loth a Sodomis, pluit ignem de coelo, et perdidit omnes: secundum haec erit dies Filii hominis, quo revelabitur. Illa hora, qui erit in tecto, et vasa ejus in domo, non descendat tollere illa; et qui in agro, similiter non revertatur retro: meminerit uxoris Loth (Luc. XVII, 29-32; Gen. XIX, 26). Numquid cum Dominus fuerit revelatus, 0088 tunc sunt ista servanda, ne quisque retro respiciat, id est, vitam praeteritam cui renuntiavit, inquirat; et non potius isto tempore, ut cum Dominus fuerit revelatus, retributionem pro eis quae quisque servavit vel contempsit, inveniat? Et tamen quia dictum est, In illa hora, tunc putantur ista servanda, cum fuerit Dominus revelatus, nisi ad intelligendam recapitulationem, sensus legentis invigilet, adjuvante alia Scriptura quae ipsorum Apostolorum adhuc tempore clamavit, Filii, novissima hora est (I Joan. II, 18). Tempus ergo ipsum quo Evangelium praedicatur, quousque Dominus reveletur, hora est in qua oportet ista servari; quia et ipsa revelatio Domini ad eamdem horam pertinet, quae die judicii terminabitur (Rom. II 5, et XIII, 11).