Page:The ancient interpretation of Leviticus XVIII. 18 - Marriage with a deceased wife's sister is lawful.djvu/28

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18

mortuâ licebat ducere alteram sororem in uxorem) sed propter pacem inter sorores."[1]

Sanctes Pagninus, whose Bible appeared in 1528, the first after Jerome who endeavoured to give a correct Latin translation, and devoted twenty-five years to the work, made many alterations, more agreeable to the original text, but here gives the same sense, in a more literal translation: "Uxorem cum sorore sua non accipies ad lacessendum, ad revelandum turpitudinem ejus super earn ipsâ vivente."[2]

Luther's translation of the Pentateuch appeared in 1523. The whole Bible, revised by himself, Melancthon, Cruciger, Justus Jonas, and Bugenhagen, was published in 1530. But however bent on reform, and opposed to Popery, they retained the translation common in the universal Church.

"Du sollst auch deines Weibes Schwester nicht nehmen neben ihr ihre Schaam zu entblössen ihr zuwider, weil sie noch lebet;"[3]and in his Tract on married life (vom ehelichen Leben) he says, "Gott hat diese Personen verboten, meines Vater's Bruder, meines Sohnes Weib, meine Stieff-tochter, meines Stieff-sohnes, oder Stieff-tochter Kind, meines Weibes Schwester, weil mein Weib lebet. Dieser Personen kann ich keine haben, die andere mag ich haben, und darff dennoch kein Geld drumb geben,

  1. "A marriage with two sisters is forbidden whilst both are alive..... Neither is marriage of this sort prohibited on account of affinity, because, one sister being dead, it was lawful to take the other as wife, but for the sake of peace between sisters."
  2. A wife with her sister thou shalt not take to provoke, to uncover her shame, whilst she is still living."
  3. "Thou shalt not take the sister of thy wife together with her to uncover her shame, in opposition to her as long as she is alive."