WE shall not repeat here the Authors whom we have been speaking of, who have put out Comments upon all the Scripture: Or, if we do, we shall but just name them; without being at all particular about them.
St. Austin has written Questions on the Pentateuch, or, rather, Heptateuch, that is to say, the Seven first Books of Scripture, viz. the five Books of Moses, Joshua, and Judges. They are in the third Tome of his Works, of the new Edition, p. 379. He calls this Piece Questions, because he has rather proposed Doubts than resolved them; plus quaesita quam inventa, as he himself says; though many of these Questions are answered by him: For he examines and explains principally the Ways of Speaking peculiar to the Sacred Authors, which are not usual in the Latin Tongue. St. Austin in general studies more the Dogmatical and Moral, than the Literal Sense of Scripture: But in the Questions we are now speaking of, he confines himself almost solely to the Literal Meaning. Sometimes he quotes the Greek Version.
St. Austin was born at Tagasta in Africk in 354, died in 430 at Hippo, whereof he was Bishop. If any one would be fully informed of what relates to this pious Doctor, he should consult the 13th Tome of M. Tillemont’s Memoirs, our Fathers, in the 10th Vol. of the 2d Edition, M. Godeau, &c.
St. Cyril of Alexandria has made a Comment on the Pentateuch, which he calls Glaphyra, that is to say, a Work in Sculpture, wrought with great Delicacy and Art. His Explanations are finely spun, are Allegorical, and of little Use, because he does not insist so much on the Literal as the Spiritual Meaning. His whole Aim is to discover Jesus Christ, and the Mysteries of our Religion, in the Old Testament, grounding his Expectations on this Maxim, That the Old Testament is only a Figure and Shadow of the New. His Glaphyra are printed in the first Tome of his Works. St. Cyril was of Alexandria, Nephew to the Patriarch Theophilus, whom he succeeded in 421, and died in 444. See M. de Tillemont, tom. 14.
Theodoret, Bishop of Cyr, has also written Questions on the Pentateuch, and the following Books as far as Esdras, wherein he proposes several Difficulties, which he very solidly and very judiciously resolves; comparing often the Version of the Septuagint with those of the old Greek Interpreters, in order to discover better the true Meaning of the Text. He keeps close to the Literal Sense, and cites even the Hebrew Text. His Questions are in the first Tome of Father Sirmond’s Edition. This Author was very much attached to the Doctrine of St. Chrysostom, and shews every where great Judgment, Solidity, and Piety.
Theodoret was of Antioch in Syria. As for some time he took Nestorius’s part, this render’d him suspected; for which reason he is very differently spoken of. See M. Tillemont’s Memoirs. He died in the Year 457.
Procopius the Sophist of Gaza, who lived in the sixth Age, about the Year 520, wrote a Comment, or a kind of Catena of the Passages and Opinions of the Greek and Latin Fathers, endeavouring to reconcile them; where there seems to be any Opposition between them. He makes use of the old Greek Interpreters Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, and even of St. Jerom’s Version, which Sophronius had translated into Greek; this Work has been translated out of Greek into Latin, and published in this last Language by Conrad Clauser, in fol. at Zurich, 1555.
This Catena is not only on the Pentateuch, but likewise upon Joshua, Judges; Kings, and Chronicles. We have only the Latin Version of his Greek Comment on the seven first, and the Greek and Latin of Lavater’s Translation on Kings and Chronicles, printed at Leyden, 1620, in 4to. with Corrections by Meursius, who procured this new Edition. There are besides other Catena’s, by Procopius, whereof we shall take notice hereafter.
Photius, who had read this Author in his original Language, says his Style is too florid for a Commentator. He follows particularly Theodoret in his Explanations. He often insists on Trifles, and expounds Terms which are sufficiently clear of themselves.
St. Isidore of Seville, who lived in the seventh Age, has written on the Pentateuch, Judges, the Books of Samuel and Kings, supposing it to be certain that every thing which is generally said to have been written by Isidore of Seville was really his; for F. le Long attributes a good part of his supposed Works to Isidore Bishop of Cordoua, called the Elder, who lived in the fifth Century, and died in 430. In his Preface he certainly declares that he has taken what he says from Origen, Victorinus, St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, Cassian, St. Austin, Fulgentius, and Gregory the Great, who lived at that Time, All that we can say in this Particular with most Assurance is, that they are not properly Comments, but Passages collected out of Ecclesiastical Authors: Quod enim ego loquor illi dicunt, & vox mea ipsorum est lingua, says one of the two in his Preface. Bede the Venerable, Rabanus Maurus, of whom we have before spoken, and Abbot Rupert, have all written upon the Pentateuch: The two former made a kind of Catena’s, or Abstracts of the ancient Fathers.
3 The Method of the latter is, first, to explain the Letter of Scripture in a plain Manner, without any Critical Observations; then to enlarge upon the Moral or Allegorical Meaning. There is Wit and Learning in his Comment, tho’ his Method is altogether singular. Maldonat recommends the reading of it, but wishes there were more Accuracy in it. We have other Works of his besides, which we shall hereafter speak of: We shall only mention in this Place the different Editions of them: One is of 1528, at Cologn, 3 Vols. fol. and at Paris, 1638, two Vols. in fol. We do not know exactly of what Country Abbot Rupert was, says D. Massuet in his Continuation of our Annals, tom. 5. p. 301. Valerius Andreas, who places him among the Writers of Flanders, says he entered early the Monastery of St. Laurence at Liege, which makes us conjecture that he was of this City, or thereabouts. Having afterwards been sent to the Monastery of Duits near Cologn, he was made Abbot of it, and died in 1135.
Bruno, born in the Diocese of Asti, whence he has the Sirname of Astensis, lived in the 11th Age, and died in 1120, or 1125. He is called also Bruno Segniensis, because he was made Bishop of Segni in Campania. He quitted this Dignity to be a Monk of Mount Cassin, whereof he was elected Abbot. At last, at the instance of Pope Paschal, he returned to Segni, and governed this Church till his Death. We have his Comments on the Pentateuch, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Canticles, and Revelations, printed in the Bibliotheca Patrum, Tome 20. p. 1294. He is thought to be the Author likewise of a Comment on St. Paul’s Epistles, and of some other Works which are published under the Name of Bruno Founder of the Carthusians. His Works have been collected into one Body by Maurus Marchesius, Dean of Mount Cassin, in 1651. This Author keeps principally to the Moral and Allegorical Interpretation.
Hugh of St. Victor, has also written short Annotations on the Pentateuch. They are sometimes Literal, and often Moral.
It may be proper to join Richard de St. Victor with Hugh, both these great Men having lived together. They were of the same Order, and wrote in the same manner; so that what belonged to one is frequently attributed to the other. Their Works were printed together at Rohan, 1648, and 1650. 4 Vols. in fol. non of St. Victor at Paris, and died in 1142, being not above 44 Years old. Richard, his Disciple, was a Scotchman: He recommended himself as well by his good Life as Learning. He died in a very advanced Age, in 1173.
Aplhonsus Tostatus has written four large Vols. in fol. on the Pentateuch. His Method is, to explain the Latin Text very succinctly, then to propose several Questions on the same Text, to treat them at length, to produce Proofs, pro and con, almost after the manner of the Schoolmen; and to resolve them, either by Arguments or Authorities. His Questions are often very foreign to his Subject, and of no Use. There is more a Shew of great Copiousness in them, and a Custom of disputing pro and con on all sorts of Subjects, than of solid Learning and good Taste. This was the Fault of his Age rather than of his Understanding. He is very diffuse indeed, but happy in Digressions. He abounds with Questions, which he proposes as his Text offers an occasion. The most compleat Edition of his Works is that of Cologn, 1613, in 13 Vols. fol. There are twelve upon the Scripture. Tostatus was born in Spain, in 1414, and studied at Salamanca; and in a little time made so much Progress in the Sciences, that he began to teach at the Age of two and twenty. He was at the Council of Basil, was made Bishop of Avila, and filled the first Employments of the Kingdom with great Honour. He died in 1454; being only forty Years of Age.
Santes Pagninus, besides his Translations of the Scripture which we have mentioned, wrote a Comment on the Pentateuch, with this Title, Catena argentea in Pentateuchum, printed at Lyons, 1536. F. le Long mentions neither the Edition nor the Form of it. He only refers to Altamura.
Thomas de Vio Cajetanus. See the Article above relating to him, among those who have made Comments on all the Scripture.
Augustinus Steuchus Eugubinus made learned Comments upon the Pentateuch, which were printed first at Paris for Sonnius, 1578, 3 Vols. in fol. with his other Works, the first whereof includes his Comments on the Scripture. He understood the Languages very well, and there is a great Mixture of Criticism in his Works. They are very concise, but I could wish they were a little more regular, methodical, and clear.
His Comment on the Pentateuch was printed separately at Venice, in 4to. 1529. and at Lyons, 1531, in 8vo. under this Title; Veteris Testamenti ad Hebraicam iritatem Hugh, born in Flanders towards the End of the eleventh Century, became Caritatem recognitio, five in Pentateuchum Annotationes.
He finds great fault with the Septuagint, and often without Cause, having but a moderate Knowledge of the Hebrew, says M. Simon. Erasmus, in the 34th Letter of his 26th Book, warns him to correct many things in his Work.
Steuchus, Canon-Regular of the Congregation of St. Saviour, flourished about the Year 1530. He was promoted to a Bishoprick in the Isle of Candia, and sent by Paul III. to the Council of Trent. He died in 1550. Possevin calls him the Ornament of Italy.
Nicholas Abram, a Jesuit of Louvain, was born in 1589, entered into the Society in 1606, made Profession of the Third Vow in 1623, and died in 1655. He has composed Works of several kinds; among others, Pharus veteris Testamenti, seu sacrarum quæstionum libri 15. Paris. 1648, in fol. This is well written, with a great deal of Solidity and Learning. The Questions are here fully treated of: But it is to be observed, that of these fifteen Books of Questions written by Abram on the Scripture, there are but eight on some Passages of Genesis, and the ninth upon Exodus, or the Sojourning of the Israelites in Egypt; those following are upon Judges, the transplanting the Israelites to Babylon, the Coming of the Messiah, and the Seventy Weeks. We shall speak of him in several Places. See his Title in the Index.
Jerom Olivier, or Hieronymus ab Oleastro, or Oleaster, has composed a learned Comment on the Pentateuch, printed at Lisbon, in four Vols. fol. 1556, 1558. and at Antwerp, 1569, fol. one Volume. He endeavours particularly to find the Signification of every Hebrew Word; but he is not always happy in the choice of his Interpretations.
Olivier was a Portuguese, turned Dominican in 1520. went to the Council of Trent in 1545, being sent by John III. King of Portugal, and died 1583.
Cornelius à Lapide on the Pentateuch is of good use. I have spoken of him in the first Article of this Part.
James Bonfrere, who has left an excellent Comment on the Pentateuch, printed at Antwerp in 1625, with very good Prolegomena. He keeps close to the literal Meaning. His Prolegomena, says Simon, deserve to be read, though they are not in the Perfection we could wish: For he might have omitted some Questions that seem useless. He would also have succeeded better in his Comment, if he had better understood the Oriental Languages.
Bonfrerius was born at Dinant, in 1573, and became a Jesuit in 1592; taught at Doway, and died in 1642 at Tournay. This Author had Judgment, Memory, and Learning, wrote easily and well.
Sacra Scriptura ubique sibi constans; seu difficiliores Scripturæ loci in Speciem sibi pugnantes conciliati, operâ Joan. Pontasii, Doctor. Paris. tom. I. qui est in Penteuachum. Parisiis, 1698, in 4to. This first and only Volume contains above three hundred and thirty Questions, with Answers supported by him with the Authority of the Fathers, and other most approved Commentators. He is not content with reconciling the seeming Contradictions of the Scripture; he further illustrates several Passages which seem to include Paradoxes, or appear contrary to the Christian Faith. Moreover there is herein an accurate Criticism of the different Readings in the Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, and other Versions. In a word, this Work is a kind of Library, including what otherwise we could not be acquainted with, unless we had abundance of Books. It were to be wished, that M. Pontas might continue his Design upon the rest of Scripture; or that some other would undertake to imitate his Zeal and Method.
Cornelius Jansenius, Bishop of Ipres, famous for the Disputes which since his Death have been occasioned by his Book entituled Augustinus, has composed a very good Comment on the Pentateuch. It is short, solid, and judicious, and was never charged with any Error, nor blemished by any Censure. It was printed at Paris in 1649, in 4to. There have been many other Editions of it.
Jansenius, born in 1585, took his Degree of Doctor in Divinity at Louvain in 1617, where he was Professor in the same Faculty. He was consecrated Bishop of Ipres in 1635, and died in 1638, at fifty-three Years of Age.
Francisci Sylvii in Genesim, Exod. Levit. & Numeros.
Sylvius’s two Comments on Genesis and Exodus were at first printed separately at Doway 1639, and 1649, in two Vols. in 4to. But F. D’Elbecque, who published his Posthumous Work, at Antwerp in 1678, two Vols. in fol. which make the fifth and sixth Volumes, had these two Comments printed together, and added two others, which hitherto had not appeared; one on Leviticus, and the other upon Numbers.
Notwithstanding he is short in his Explanations, he is learned, clear, and copious; for he had the Art of intermixing the Literal Sense with the Spiritual, Mystical and Moral, which he borrowed from the Fathers.
Sylvius was born at Braine le Compte, in Haynault, 1581. He applied himself early to study; was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Doway, and Dean of St. Amat in the same Place. He died in 1649, at 69 Years of Age.
Commentarius in Pentateuchum reddens sensum litteralem Anagogico-Allegorico- Symbolicum, 2 Vol. in fol. Coloniæ, 1713. This Comment by John-Laurence Helbig, a German, and Curate of Hissengen, is joined with his Pandesia Sacra, or Prolegomena upon the whole Scripture. There is nothing very singular in this Comment. The Author here relates, in few Words, the different Opinions of People, out of which he chuses one, gives us allegorical Explanations, and makes moral Reflections. It will however be useful to such as cannot read many Books, but unserviceable to those who would have their Knowledge at the first Hands.
Disquisitiones Biblicæ Frassenii in Pentateuchum, at Roan, 1705, in 4to. This Book which F. Frassen had published containing Prolegomena on the Sacred Writings in general, made it to be universally desired that particular Comments on the Scripture might come out by the same Hand. He had been hitherto satisfied, as he himself says, with entering the Porch of this august Temple: There is no one who would not be glad to follow so safe a Guide into the farthest and most respected Parts of it. To this Purpose the Work we have named may very much conduce, the Author herein proposing to himself four things particularly, with relation to every Book of the Pentateuch which is explained by him. First of all, he enquires into the Literal Sense of obscure and perplexed Passages: Then he reconciles the Texts which seem opposite to each other: In the third place, he discusses those Chronological and Geographical Questions upon which the Learned are most divided. Lastly, he unravels the Mysteries which are wrapped up within the Cover of the Letter. There are besides abundance of curious Questions, and the Answers are equally accurate and solid: The Style is clear and pure enough: The Analyses both of the Books and Chapters are exact and well digested.
Pentateuchus Mosis cum Notis quibus sensus litteralis exponitur. Paris. 1702. 2 Vol. in 8vo. It may be said that M. Dupin has avoided both the Length of great Comments, and the too concise Brevity of Scholia. He explains all those Places which may put a Reader to a stand, who is but moderately knowing in these Matters, and leaves no Difficulty without clearing it. In these he mentions the various Readings of the Text and Versions, and the Explanations of the Fathers, Rabbins, and Criticks. He makes several Remarks upon Chronology, Geography, and the Meaning of the Words. Here likewise we find Reflections, but short and literal. In the Margin he has inserted the principal Differences of the Hebrew Text, and the Years of the World. There is a Preface at the Beginning, wherein he treats at large of the Author of the Pentateuch, and the Subject of the five Books, whereof it is composed. This Work may be convenient for those who adhere to the literal Sense of Holy Scripture; because while they are reading this Treatise, they will find every thing in the Notes which is necessary to the understanding it perfectly, without having recourse to many large Volumes, which will not give them more Light into things. For this Reason it was hoped that the Author would continue to publish Annotations of the like Nature upon all the other Books of Scripture, as he has done on the Psalms: But Death, which spares no one, deprived him both of the Opportunity and Means of doing so.