He prophesieth of heretics to come, 6 and noteth certain them also for such, bidding him to avoid them, 10 and (whatsoever persecution befall for it) to continue constant in the Catholic doctrine, both because of his Master (St. Paul himself) 15 and also because of his own knowledge in the Scriptures.He prophesieth of Heretikes to come, 6 and noteth certaine then also for such, bidding him to auoid them, 10 and (vvhat so euer persecution befall for it) to cõtinue constant in the Catholike doctrine, both because of his Maister (S. Paul him self) 15 and also because of his ovvne knovvledge in the Scriptures.✦
And this know thou, that in the last days shall approach perilous times.AND this knovv thou, that *in the last daies shal approche perilous times.✦Hoc autem scito, quod in novissimis diebus instabunt tempora periculosa :
2and men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, haughty, proud, blasphemous, not obedient to their parents, unkind, wicked,and men shal be louers of them selues, couetous, hautie, proud, blasphemous, not obedient to their parents, vnkinde, vvicked,¶✦erunt homines seipsos amantes, cupidi, elati, superbi, blasphemi, parentibus non obedientes, ingrati, scelesti,
3without affection, without peace, accusers, incontinentes: lacking self-restraint, intemperate (not the modern medical sense), unmerciful, without benignity,vvithout affection, vvithout peace, accusers, incontinent, vnmerciful, vvithout benignitie,✦sine affectione, sine pace, criminatores, incontinentes, immites, sine benignitate,
4traitors, stubborn, puffed up, and lovers of voluptatum: sensual pleasure more than of God:traitours, stubburne, puffed vp, and louers of voluptuousnes more then of God:✦proditores, protervi, tumidi, et voluptatum amatores magis quam Dei :
5having an appearance indeed of piety, but denying the virtutem: moral goodness; power, efficacy thereof. And these avoid.hauing an appearance in deede of pietie, but denying the vertue thereof. And these auoid.✦habentes speciem quidem pietatis, virtutem autem ejus abnegantes. Et hos devita :
6For of these be they that craftily enter into houses: and lead captive mulierculas: foolish, frivolous; weak, defenceless, hapless women laden with sins, which are led with divers desires:For of these be they that craftely enter into houses: and leade captiue seely vvomen loden vvith sinnes, vvhich are ledde vvith diuers desires:¶✦ex his enim sunt qui penetrant domos, et captivas ducunt mulierculas oneratas peccatis, quæ ducuntur variis desideriis :
7always learning, and never attaining to the knowledge of the truth.alvvaies learning, and neuer attaining to the knovvledge of the truth.✦semper discentes, et numquam ad scientiam veritatis pervenientes.
8But as Jannes and Mambres resisted Moyses, so these also resist the truth, men corrupted in mind, reprobi: an unprincipled person; rejected, disqualified concerning the faith.But as ∷Iannes & Mambres *resisted Moyses, so these also resist the truth, men corrupted in minde, reprobate cõcerning the faith.✦Quemadmodum autem Jannes et Mambres restiterunt Moysi : ita et hi resistunt veritati, homines corrupti mente, reprobi circa fidem ;
9But they shall prosper no further: for their folly shall be manifest to all, as theirs also was.But they shal prosper no further: for their folly shal be manifest to al, as theirs also vvas.¶✦sed ultra non proficient : insipientia enim eorum manifesta erit omnibus, sicut et illorum fuit.
10But thou hast attained to my doctrine, institutionem: an established organization; instruction, training in a manner of life, purpose, faith, longanimitatem: long-suffering, patient forbearance, love, patience,But thou hast attained to my doctrine, institution, purpose, faith, longanimitie, loue, patience,✦Tu autem assecutus es meam doctrinam, institutionem, propositum, fidem, longanimitatem, dilectionem, patientiam,
11persecutions, passiones: strong emotions; sufferings, things endured: what manner of things were done to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra: what manner of persecutions I sustained. And out of all our Lord delivered me.persecutions, passions: vvhat maner of things vvere done to me at Antioche, at Iconium, at Lystra: vvhat maner of persecutiõs I sustained. and out of al our Lord deliuered me.✦persecutiones, passiones : qualia mihi facta sunt Antiochiæ, Iconii, et Lystris : quales persecutiones sustinui, et ex omnibus eripuit me Dominus.
12And all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.And al that vvil liue godly in Christ IESVS, shal suffer persecution.¶✦Et omnes, qui pie volunt vivere in Christo Jesu, persecutionem patientur.
13But evil men and seductores: those who entice sexually; deceivers, those who lead astray shall proficient: advance, go forward, here to worse to the worse: erring, and driving into error.But euil men and seducers shal prosper to the vvorse: erring, and driuing into errour.¶✦Mali autem homines et seductores proficient in pejus, errantes, et in errorem mittentes.
14But thou, continue in those things which thou hast learned, and are committed to thee: knowing of whom thou hast learned:But thou, ∷continue in those things vvhich thou hast learned, and are committed to thee: knovving of vvhom thou hast learned:✦Tu vero permane in iis quæ didicisti, et credita sunt tibi : sciens a quo didiceris :
15and because from thine infancy thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which can instruct thee to salvation, by the faith that is in Christ Jesus.and because from thine infancie thou hast knovven the holy Scriptures, vvhich can instruct thee to saluation, by the faith that is in Christ IESVS.et quia ab infantia sacras litteras nosti, quæ te possunt instruere ad salutem, per fidem quæ est in Christo Jesu.
16All Scripture inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to ad arguendum: to quarrel or debate; to reprove, convince, refute, to correct, to instruct in justice:*Al Scripture inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to argue, to correct, to instruct in iustice:¶✦Omnis Scriptura divinitus inspirata utilis est ad docendum, ad arguendum, ad corripiendum, ad erudiendum in justitia :
17that the man of God may be perfect, instructed to every good work.that the man of God may be perfect, instructed to euery good vvorke.✦ut perfectus sit homo Dei, ad omne opus bonum instructus.
Annotationsfrom the original 1582 Rheims New Testament
2Men shall be. All these words St. Cyprian expoundeth of such as by pride and disobedience resist God's Priests. Let no faithful man, saith he, that keepeth in mind our Lords and the Apostle's admonition, marvel if he see in the later times some proud and stubborn fellows and the enemies of God's Priests, go out of the Church or impugn the same: when both our Lord and the Apostle foretold us that such should be. (Cyprian, ep. 55, n. 3.)Men shall be. All these words St. Cyprian expoundeth of such as by pride and disobedience resist God's Priests. Let no faithful man, saith he, that keepeth in mind our Lords and the Apostle's admonition, marvel if he see in the later times some proud and stubborn fellows and the enemies of God's Priests, go out of the Church or impugn the same: when both our Lord and the Apostle foretold us that such should be. (Cyprian, ep. 55, n. 3.)
6Women laden. Women laden with sins, are for such their deservings, and through the frailty of their sex, more subject to the heretics' deceits, than men: the enemy attempting (as he did in the fall of our first parents) by them to overthrow men. (See St. Jerome, upon the third chapter of Jeremiah, where he addeth that every heresy is first broached propter gulam et ventrem, for gluttony and belly-cheer.)Women laden. Women laden with sins, are for such their deservings, and through the frailty of their sex, more subject to the heretics' deceits, than men: the enemy attempting (as he did in the fall of our first parents) by them to overthrow men. (See St. Jerome, upon the third chapter of Jeremiah, where he addeth that every heresy is first broached propter gulam et ventrem, for gluttony and belly-cheer.)
9Folly manifest. All heretics in the beginning seem to have some show of truth, God for the just punishment of men's sins permitting them for some while in some persons and places to prevail: but in short time God detecteth them, and openeth the eyes of men to see their deceits: in so much that after the first brunt they be maintained by force only, all wise men in manner seeing their falsehood, though for troubling the state of such commonweals where unluckily they have been received, they cannot be so suddenly extirped.Folly manifest. All heretics in the beginning seem to have some show of truth, God for the just punishment of men's sins permitting them for some while in some persons and places to prevail: but in short time God detecteth them, and openeth the eyes of men to see their deceits: in so much that after the first brunt they be maintained by force only, all wise men in manner seeing their falsehood, though for troubling the state of such commonweals where unluckily they have been received, they cannot be so suddenly extirped.
12All that will live. All holy men suffer one kind of persecution or other, being grieved and molested by the wicked, one way or another: but not all that suffer persecution, be holy, as all malefactors. The Church and Catholic Princes persecute heretics, and be persecuted of them again, as St. Augustine often declareth. (See ep. 48.)All that will live. All holy men suffer one kind of persecution or other, being grieved and molested by the wicked, one way or another: but not all that suffer persecution, be holy, as all malefactors. The Church and Catholic Princes persecute heretics, and be persecuted of them again, as St. Augustine often declareth. (See ep. 48.)
13Prosper. Though heresies and the authors of them be after a while discovered and by little and little forsaken generally of the honest, discreet, and men careful of their own salvation, yet their authors and other great sinners proceed from one error and heresy to another, and finally to plain Atheism and all devilish disorder.Prosper. Though heresies and the authors of them be after a while discovered and by little and little forsaken generally of the honest, discreet, and men careful of their own salvation, yet their authors and other great sinners proceed from one error and heresy to another, and finally to plain Atheism and all devilish disorder.
16All Scripture. Besides the Apostle's teaching and tradition, the reading of holy Scriptures is a great defence and help of the faithful, and specially of a Bishop, not only to avoid and condemn all heresies, but to the guiding of a man in all justice, good life and the works. Which commendation is not here given to the books of the new Testament only (whereof he here speaketh not, as being yet for a great part not written) but to the Scripture of the old Testament also, yea and to every book of it. For there is not one of them, nor any part of them, but it is profitable to the end aforesaid, if it be read and understood according to the same Spirit wherewith it was written. The Heretics upon this commendation of holy Scriptures, pretend (very simply in good sooth) that therefore nothing is necessary to justice and salvation but Scriptures. As though everything that is profitable or necessary to any effect, excluded all other help, and were only enough to attain the same. By which reason a man might as well prove that the old Testament were enough, and so exclude the new: or any one piece of all the old, and thereby exclude the rest. For he affirmeth every Scripture to have the foresaid utilities; and they might see in the very next line before, that he requireth his constant perseverance in the doctrine which he had taught him over and above that he had learned out of the Scriptures of the old Testament, which he had read from his infancy, but could not thereby learn all the mysteries of Christian religion therein. Neither doth the Apostle affirm here that he had his knowledge of Scriptures, by reading only, without help of masters and teachers, as the Adversaries hereupon (to commit the holy Scriptures to every man's presumption) do gather: but affirmeth only that Timothy knew the Scriptures and therefore had studied them by hearing good readers and teachers, as St. Paul himself did of Gamaliel and the like, and as all Christian students do, that be trained up from their youth in Catholic universities in the study of Divinity.All Scripture. Besides the Apostle's teaching and tradition, the reading of holy Scriptures is a great defence and help of the faithful, and specially of a Bishop, not only to avoid and condemn all heresies, but to the guiding of a man in all justice, good life and the works. Which commendation is not here given to the books of the new Testament only (whereof he here speaketh not, as being yet for a great part not written) but to the Scripture of the old Testament also, yea and to every book of it. For there is not one of them, nor any part of them, but it is profitable to the end aforesaid, if it be read and understood according to the same Spirit wherewith it was written. The Heretics upon this commendation of holy Scriptures, pretend (very simply in good sooth) that therefore nothing is necessary to justice and salvation but Scriptures. As though everything that is profitable or necessary to any effect, excluded all other help, and were only enough to attain the same. By which reason a man might as well prove that the old Testament were enough, and so exclude the new: or any one piece of all the old, and thereby exclude the rest. For he affirmeth every Scripture to have the foresaid utilities; and they might see in the very next line before, that he requireth his constant perseverance in the doctrine which he had taught him over and above that he had learned out of the Scriptures of the old Testament, which he had read from his infancy, but could not thereby learn all the mysteries of Christian religion therein. Neither doth the Apostle affirm here that he had his knowledge of Scriptures, by reading only, without help of masters and teachers, as the Adversaries hereupon (to commit the holy Scriptures to every man's presumption) do gather: but affirmeth only that Timothy knew the Scriptures and therefore had studied them by hearing good readers and teachers, as St. Paul himself did of Gamaliel and the like, and as all Christian students do, that be trained up from their youth in Catholic universities in the study of Divinity.
The reading text follows the 1582 first edition. Facsimile available in two scans.