Complutensian Polyglot Bible

To our most holy and most clement lord, Lord Leo the Tenth, by divine providence Supreme Pontiff, from the most reverend father in Christ and lord, Lord Brother Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, Cardinal Priest of the Holy Roman Church under the title of Saint Balbina, Archbishop of Spain, of Toledo, and Archchancellor of the kingdoms of Castile, etc., regarding the books of the Old and New Testament printed in multiple languages.

Latin

Prologue ###

There are many things, most blessed Father, which incited us to print the original languages of the Sacred Scripture. And this above all: because each language has its own unique properties of words, the full force of which no translation—however perfect—can entirely express. This occurs most especially in that language through which the mouth of the Lord has spoken A reference to Hebrew, the "language of God" in the Old Testament.. Its letter might be considered dead and, as it were, "flesh" which profits nothing (for it is the spirit that gives life original: "spiritus est qui vivificat"; a reference to John 6:63), yet because Christ remains enclosed within its womb, veiled by figures of words, there is no doubt that it is filled with such admirable fertility and heaped with such an exuberant abundance of mysteries. Though it is always full and overflowing, "rivers of living water" flow from its belly, so that those to whom it is given to behold the glory of the Lord with "unveiled face" may be transformed into that same image and continually draw out the wondrous secrets of His divinity. Indeed, there can be no word and no connection of letters from which the most hidden meanings of celestial wisdom do not emerge and, as it were, sprout forth.

Since even the most learned translator can explain only one of these meanings, it is necessary that even after interpretation, the Scripture remains "pregnant" and full of various and sublime understandings, which cannot be known from anywhere else except from the very source of the original language. Furthermore, wherever there is variation among the Latin manuscripts, or a suspicion of a corrupted reading (which we see happening very frequently due to the ignorance and negligence of scribes), one must return to the original source of the Scripture, just as the blessed Jerome, Augustine, and other ecclesiastical commentators advise. Thus, the integrity of the books of the Old Testament must be examined against the "Hebrew Truth" original: "Hebraica veritate"; a term used by St. Jerome to argue for the priority of the Hebrew text, and the New Testament against the Greek manuscripts.

Therefore, so that any student of divine letters might have the originals at hand and not be content with mere streams, but might quench the thirst of his heart from the very spring of water "welling up to eternal life," we ordered the original languages of the Sacred Scripture to be committed to printing, joined with translations of various languages, and dedicated to the name of Your Holiness. And first of all, we took care to print the New Testament in the Greek and Latin speech, together with a Lexicon of all the Greek words that might occur to readers, so that we might assist to the best of our ability even those who have not attained a complete knowledge of the language.

Then, before we approached the Old Testament, we provided a Dictionary of the Hebrew and Chaldean original: "Chaldaicorum"; in the 16th century, this referred to Aramaic, specifically the Targums words of the entire Old Instrument original: "veteris instrumenti"; an early term for the Old Testament. There, not only is the multiple meaning of each word expressed, but (which we believe will be most useful to students) the passage of Scripture is cited as testimony for each meaning.

Again, since not only the "killing letter" of the outer bark original: "litterae occidentis cortex"; a metaphor for the literal surface of the text compared to its spiritual "nut" or core but the "spirit-giving" nucleus lurking within is what the student of divine Scripture must most seek—and a principal part of this depends on the interpretation of proper names—the imposition of these names, foreseen from eternity, brings incredible help in making known spiritual and hidden meanings and uncovering the secret mysteries which the Holy Spirit veiled under the shadow of the literal text itself. For this reason, we ordered the interpretations of proper names to be laboriously worked out with the greatest diligence by men excelling in the knowledge of languages, and added them to the Dictionary, arranged in alphabetical order.

Following these is an instruction for reading Hebrew characters and a Grammar of the same language, collected from many Hebrew authors of accepted trust and reduced to the norm of Latin grammatical art. With all these things completed as a sort of prelude, we turned ourselves to the printing of the various languages of the Old Testament, adding to each of them its own Latin translation.

In this matter, we can openly testify to your Blessedness, most holy Father, that the greatest part of our labor was spent especially on this: that we might use the works of those most eminent in the knowledge of rare languages, and that we might have the most corrected and ancient manuscripts of every part as our originals. Indeed, we sought out a manifold abundance of these—Hebrew, Greek, and Latin—from various places, not without the highest labor. And indeed, for the Greek ones, we are indebted to Your Holiness, who very kindly sent to us from that Apostolic Library the most ancient manuscripts of both the Old and New Testaments, which were of the greatest assistance to us in this vast business.

Thus, having finished the printing of the New Testament in Greek and Latin with its Lexicon, and having printed the Hebrew and Chaldean Dictionary (to which is added the Grammar with the interpretations of proper names), and moreover, having completed the annotations on the "differences" of the Old Testament—which, when Nicolaus de Lyra A 14th-century Franciscan whose literal commentary on the Bible was standard for scholars had published them not entirely finished, we caused to be added to in many places by men most skilled in languages—at last, by divine help, we caused the Old Testament to be printed in multiple languages.

All these things we now send to Your Holiness. For to whom rather should all our sleepless nights be dedicated than to that Apostolic See to which we owe everything? Or who should more gladly receive and embrace the sacred books of the Christian religion than the sacred Vicar of Christ? May Your Holiness, therefore, receive with a joyful countenance this small gift which we offer into the treasury of the Lord, so that the studies of divine letters, which have until now been nearly dead, may now at last begin to revive. We most earnestly beseech your Blessedness to examine these books, which now roll themselves as suppliants at those sacred feet, and call them back to the censorship of your most severe judgment; so that if they appear useful to the Christian commonwealth, they may receive the benefit of publication from Your Holiness. For we have held them back until now, intending to consult that sacred oracle of the Apostolic height. But now, enough of these things to your Blessedness. We now turn to instructing the reader concerning the craftsmanship of the work.