§ 61. Emendation of the Latin version by Jerome. Jerome, in order to remedy the confusion introduced by this multiplicity of versions, undertook to alter the common version, or Italic, to a conformity with the Alexandrine. This he did at first in a hasty manner, as he says, Præf. ad Psalt., in the Psalter: but afterwards he corrected it more accurately according to the Hexaplar text, adding also the obelisks and asterisks used in that edition. The first of these corrections he undertook at Rome, the other in Gaul; and hence the Roman and Gallican Psalters have descended. Both have been published by Faber Stapulensis in his Psalterium quintuplex, at Paris, in 1509; and by Joseph Maria a Caro or Thomasius, in 1683, at Rome. Jerome corrected the other books of the Old Testament by the Hexaplar text in a similar manner, but published only those to which we have his double prefaces prefixed, namely, Chronicles, Ecclesiastes, Canticles, Proverbs, and Job: the copy of the rest he lost, as he writes to Augustin, Ep. 64, by the treachery of some individual.

§ 62. Translation of Jerome.

Before the completion of his correction of the old version, or Italic, Jerome began to translate the Hebrew text itself into Latin, "in order that he might make known to persons acquainted only with the Latin language, who might become engaged in controversies with the Jews, the true sense of the Hebrew text." HIERON. ad Sophron. T. I. Opp. col. 835., ad Augustin. T. IV. Opp. col. 627. Præf. in Jes. His translations of the several books were made in the order in which they were requested of him by his friends: Præf. in Paralip., in Ezr. et Neh., and in Pentat. He did not invariably give what he himself believed to be the best translation of the original, but occasionally, as he confesses, Præf. ad Com. in Eccles., and Præf. in Pent., followed the Greek translators, although he was aware that they had often erred through negligence, because he was apprehensive of giving umbrage to his readers by too wide a departure from the established version: and therefore we find that in his commentaries he sometimes corrects his own translation. Sometimes, too, he has substituted a worse in place of the old translation.

Nevertheless, he far surpassed all his predecessors, and would cer tainly have succeeded still better, if he had not translated with so much haste: Comp. HIERON. Præf. in Libros Salom., and Præf. in Tobiam.

§ 63. The reception which the Translation of Jerome met with. This version, however excellent, found adversaries in every place, of whom Jerome complains in almost all his prefaces, and in many epistles. Comp. AUGUSTIN. Ep. 10. ad Hieron. RUFFIN. T. IV. p. 424, 448, 450. HIERON. Præf. I. et II. in Job, in Ezr. et Neh., and Apolog. II. Posterity, with a more equitable judgment, approved of the version, and in time introduced it into all the Latin churches, so that as early as the close of the 6th century it prevailed, and in the 7th century was the only one in public use. Comp. GREGOR. MAG. Præf. ad Moral. in Job, and ISIDOR. L. I. offic. 12.

§ 64. History of the Version of Jerome.

The universal admission of this version throughout the vast extent of the Latin church multiplied the copies of it; in the transcription of which it became corrupted with many errors: and there were some who introduced erroneous alterations from the old Italic, or took the liberty of adding passages from the liturgical books, and even from Flavius Josephus. Examples of this are adduced, not only by Martianay in his remarks on the books of Kings and Proverbs in the Divina Bibliotheca of Jerome, but also in the Correctoria Bibliorum.Toward the close of the 8th or beginning of the 9th century, it was, at the command of Charlemagne, corrected by Alcuin e vetustioribus ac verioribus fontibus, that is, as Hopy, De textibus Bibliorum originalibus, p. 407, 410, has discovered, from the Hebrew text. This recension was either not widely propagated, or was again infected with errors; for which reason Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, who died A. 1089, caused some copies to be again corrected. Nevertheless about the middle of the 12th century, Cardinal Nicholas found tot exemplaria quot codices, as many copies as manuscripts, and therefore prepared a corrected edition.

About this time the Parisian theologians began their savo powrn, or Correctorium Parisiense seu Sorbonicum. This was followed by the Correctorium of Hugo a S. Caro, which was continued by the Dominicans from the year 1240. They published two Correctoria of small value, which are slightingly noticed by Roger Bacon in an epistle written to Pope Clement IV. between 1264 and 1268. In these critical works we meet with many more various readings than are found in later copies of this version; hence it appears that they at least produced the effect of preventing the transcribers from taking such gross liberties, and of causing them to transcribe with greater care. Comp. SIMON. Hist. Crit. du Nouv. Test. T. II. p. 114. ss. HODY, de Text. Bibl. Orig. p. 420, 429. ss. Correctorium Bibliæ, per Jac. Gaudensem, 1500, Colon. 4to.; and DOEDERLEIN, in Literarischen Museum, Altdorf, 1777, 1778. I. B. I. St. S. 14. ff. II. St. S. 197. ff.

§ 65. Decree of the Council of Trent concerning the Version

of Jerome.

This version, then known under the name of the Vulgate, being banished from the churches in the 16th century by the Protestants, the Council of Trent in its 4th session published the following decree: "The same holy council, considering that it may be of no small utility to the church of GOD, to point out which among all the Latin editions of the sacred books that are spread abroad, ought to be esteemed authentic; declares and ordains, that the same old and Vulgate edition, which has been approved by the church by the long use of it during so many centuries, is to be esteemed authentic in public reading of the Scriptures, in disputes, in preaching and in ex pounding, and that no one shall dare to reject it under any pretext whatsoever."* This decree, although in itself plain, has yet given

* "Insuper eadem sacrosancta Synodus considerans non parum utilitatis accedere posse ecclesiae Dei, si ex omnibus Latinis editionibus, quae circumferuntur, sacrorum librorum, quaenam pro authentica sit habenda, innotescat; statuit et declarat, ut haec ipsa vetus et vulgata editio, quae longo tot seculorum usu in ipsa ecclesia probata est, in publicis lectionibus, disputationibus, praedicationibus et. expositionibus pro authentica habeatur, et nemo illam rejicere quovis praetextu audeat." [Conc. Trid. cum declarat. &c., recog. J. Gallemart, Col. Ag. 1722, p. 9. Tr.l

:

rise to controversies of no small importance, some contending that by it the Hebrew text is rejected, while others of more learning assert the contrary. And with propriety for, 1) The Council speaks only of the Latin editions which were at that time spread abroad, nor does it make any mention of the original sources, as Bellarmine has already observed, and Salmero (Proleg. 3.), and Vega (L. XX. c. 2.) who was, with Bellarmine, present at the Council, expressly testify.-2) The Council declares the Vulgate version to be authentic in the same sense in which the word is used by lawyers, who call a document, whether it be a transcript, or a translation into another language, authentic, when it is free from any important error relating to the substance of the affair, and is therefore worthy of credit; nor do errors of lesser moment prevent a document from being called authentic. That the Council is to be understood in this sense, has been declared, as Andradius mentions, Defens. p. 361, by Cardinal a S. Cruce, Papal legate in the Council, and afterwards Pope under the name of Marcellus II. This has also been acknowledged by Pius IV. and V., Sixtus V., Gregory XIV., and Clement VIII., who took pains to have corrected editions of this version published. The more learned Catholics have never denied the existence of errors in the Vulgate; on the contrary, Isidore Clarius collected 80,000.- -3) The Council did indeed decree that this version should be used in all public reading of the Scriptures, disputes, preaching, and expounding, and that no one should dare to reject it under any pretext whatsoever; but this is to be taken with reference to what precedes it, as it has always been understood by all learned Catholics, namely, as forbidding that any of the other Latin versions which were in common use, should be substituted for the Vulgate. So the Greek Catholics use the Alexandrine version; the Syrians, the Syriac; and those who speak Arabic, the Arabic; and the learned Latin Catholics, at every period since the Council, have used the original text, being of opinion that the decree of the Council relates only to those who are ignorant of the original languages. Comp. DU PIN, Diss. Prel. L. I. c. vii. § 3. p. 204–209. [On the Canon, pp. 197-203.]

§ 66. Correction of the Vulgate.

'The Council of Trent in its Session IV. commanded that this version should be printed as correctly as possible. As early as the beginning of the 16th century, Adrian Gummelli, Albert Castellan, and the editors of the Complutensian Polyglot, had given corrected editions, and Robert Stephens not only printed, in 1523, the Vulgate corrected from ancient MSS., but also, in 1540, published an edition with the various readings of three editions and fourteen MSS. This again was compared by Hentenius with many other MSS. and editions, and he added the various readings to an edition published at Louvain, in 1547. This edition was frequently reprinted, and was published at Antwerp in 1580, and again in 1585, enriched with many more various readings, obtained from a new collation of MSS. by the divines of Louvain.- -In the meantime Pius IV. ordered some Roman theologians to collect the most ancient MSS. from every quarter, and collate them; this collation was continued under Pius V., who in addition, caused the original text to be consulted. Under Gregory XIII. the work was at a stand, but was resumed and completed under the auspices of Sixtus V. This edition appeared in 1590, and its use was enjoined upon the whole Latin church by a constitution of perpetual obligation, (constitutio perpetuo valitura,) while at the same time the future publication of the Vulgate with various readings was prohibited, whereby the critical examination of this important version would be obstructed. Sixtus V. dying soon after, his edition was found to abound in errors, and under Gregory XIV. it was corrected in nearly 2000 places from MSS., citations of the Fathers, and even from the original texts; yet most of the corrections were derived from the Louvain edition. This new edition, in the preface of which the errors of the Sixtine are imputed to the printer, appeared under Clement VIII., in 1592, and has been followed by every other which has since been published. It appears from the preface that the correction was conducted according to the rules of criticism, except in this one respect, that some passages have been altered from the original text, whereas the only question should have been, how Jerome translated it, and this should have been determined from ancient copies of his version. Nevertheless it is certain,