Late punctuation is absurd: doubtful sense; confessors, reason, and examples; authentic versus private Bibles
(7) It is absurd. For if the novelty of the points stands, the sense of Scripture is most doubtful — which fights against the truth, simplicity, and immutability of the speaking God, and foists on one simple saying of sacred Scripture several literal senses, and therefore doubtful ones. This is proved in three ways.
First, by the confession of those who defend the novelty of the points. The author of the Arcanum of revealed punctuation (book 2, chapter 22) says: If some places of Scripture are brought forward in which varying pointing begets a varying sense, yet each true, fitting, apt, not badly cohereing with what goes before and after, and not against the analogy of faith — what danger will there be if here one embraces this pointing and with it this sense, another another pointing and another sense with it? Or what danger even if both senses that rise from it? None, he says. And Rabbi Bechai on Numbers 11:15: Consonants, he says, without vowel points have various and ornate understandings; for which cause we have a precept not to add vowels to the book of the Law, because they would then have only one sense — whereas without them they admit various and wonderful significations.
Second, by reason. For as from the determination of subject and predicate by the copula one statement is made, so from the pointing of the words of the Hebrew text there is a determination to one sense, which, that pointing omitted, is often doubtful. Hence Münster: He who does not heed what is written above and below in the books perverts the words of the living God. And from Recanati: It is certain that when a letter is not pointed it can be read in various ways; but when points are added it bears only one sense, according to the form of the pointing. Therefore either the points together with the twenty-two letters are from the Author at once, or else Scripture was once flexible like soft wax, now this way, now that. And if the points were invented by men, it necessarily follows that Scripture in this our time has authority that is not divine — which is most absurd.
Third, by examples, which see in Engelbert's preface to Schindler's Pentaglot Lexicon. For the rest, one must distinguish between authentic and public Bibles and private ones. That the former were of old unpointed has not yet been firmly enough proved; that the latter were not all pointed we grant. For as difficulty made these lack points, so necessity of religion made those not lack them — witness Franciscus Junius in his Animadversions on Bellarmine.
Latin
7. Absurda est: quia, stante punctorum novitate, sensus Scripturae maxime dubius est, id quod cum Dei loquentis veritate, simplicitate & immutabilitate pugnat & uni simplici sacrae Scripturae dicto plures literales sensus, ac proinde dubios, affingit, id quod tribus modis probatur. 1. Confessione eorum, qui punctorum novitatem defendunt. Auctor Arcani revel. punct. l. 2. cap. 22. Si, inquit, proferantur nonnulla Scripturae loca, in quibus varia punctatio varium quidem gignit sensum, sed utrumque verum, commodum, aptum, antecedentibus & consequentibus non male cohaerentem, analogiae fidei non repugnantem, quid hic erit periculi, si hic hanc punctuationem & cum punctuatione sensum, alius aliam punctuationem & alium cum punctuatione sensum amplectatur? Aut quid periculi etiam fuerit, si utrumque qui ex ea exsurgit sensum? Nullum equidem. Et Rabi Bechai super Num. 11.15. Consone, ait, sine punctis vocalibus varias & ornatas intelligentias habent, qua de causa praeceptum habemus de non addendis vocalibus libro legis, quod unicum duntaxat sensum haberent: sine ipsis vero varias & miras significationes admittunt. 2. Ratione. Sicut enim ex determinatione subjecti & praedicati per copulam fit unum enunciatum: ita ex punctuatione vocum textus Hebraici fit ad unum sensum determinatio, quae, omissa illa, saepe dubia est. Hinc Münsterus: Qui non advertit quod supra infraque in libris scribitur, is pervertit verba Dei viventis. Et ex Racanati: Certum est, quando litera non punctatur, posse vario legi modo; quando vero habent puncta adjecta, unum duntaxat prae se ferunt sensum, juxta punctuationis formam. Quare puncta una cum 22. literis ab auctore simul, aut Scriptura olim cerei instar mollis nunc in hanc partem, nunc in illam fuit flexibilis. Et si puncta ab hominibus sunt inventa, sequitur necessario, Scripturam hoc nostro tempore auctoritatem habere, non divinam, id quod absurdissimum est. 3. Exemplis, quae vide apud Engelbertum praefatione in Lexicon pentaglottum Schindleri. Cetera, distinguendum est inter authentica & publica Biblia & privata. Illa antiquitus non fuisse punctata, nondum firmiter satis probatum est: haec non omnia esse punctata concedimus. Ut enim haec punctis carerent, fecit rei difficultas: ut illa non carerent, fecit religionis necessitas, teste Franc. Junio in animadv. Bellarm.