Joseph Ratzinger (The Future Pope Benedict XVI): Private reading of Scripture played no important role and even for meditation and for preaching was not considered of prime importance. …It is fair to say that Catholic piety has still largely to discover the Bible properly… (Joseph Ratzinger, “Chapter VI: Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church;” In: Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II: Volume III, gen. ed. Herbert Vorgrimler, [New York: Herder and Herder, 1969], p. 270. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: John M. T. Barton, S. T. D., L. S. S., Censor. Imprimatur: + Patrick Casey, Vic. Gen., Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, Westminster, 5th August 1968.)
Cf. A Catholic Dictionary: There was a far more extensive and continuous use of Scripture in the public services of the early Church than there is among us. Usually speaking, our people only hear the Gospel and Epistle read in the Mass, with the psalms and the little chapter (scarcely more than a verse or two), usually from the Epistle, at vespers and compline on Sundays or great feasts. In the primitive Church it was very different. (William. E. Addis, Thomas Arnold, A Catholic Dictionary, [New York: The Catholic Publication Society Co., 1884], “Lection or Lesson,” p. 509. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat. Eduardus S. Keogh, Cong. Orat., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur. Henricus Eduardus, Card. Aechiep. Westmonast. Die 18 Dec., 1883. Imprimatur. John Card. McLoskey, Archbishop of New York, Feb 14. 1884.)
Pope Gregory VII (1080 A.D.):
In reply to the request of Your Excellency that we would sanction the celebration of the sacred offices in your country in the Slavie tongue, let it be known that we cannot in any way grant this petition. It is evident to those who consider the matter carefully that it has pleased God to make Holy Scripture obscure in certain places lest, if it were perfectly clear to all, it might be vulgarized and subjected to disrespect or be so misunderstood by people of limited intelligence as to lead them into error. Nor can it be said in excuse that some pious persons have yielded patiently to this demand of simple souls or let it go without reproof, since the primitive church passed over many things which later, when Christianity had become established and religious observances had increased, were corrected by the holy fathers after close examination.
We, therefore, by authority of St. Peter, forbid this practice unwisely requested by your people and command you to oppose this foolish rashness by every possible means.
(Pope Gregory VII, Letter [To Wratislaw, Duke of Bohemia, Forbidding Use of the Vernacular in Divine Service, Book VII, 11, p. 474. Jan. 2, 1080, Paragraph 2]; trans. The Correspondence of Pope Gregory VII: Selected Letters from the Registrum, trans. Ephraim Emerton, [New York: Octagon Books, 1979], p. 148.)
Cf. John M. Todd (Roman Catholic Historian):
Here then in a clear Roman letter we have an enunciation of a formal ecclesiastical policy of protecting the faithful from the erroneous ideas which might arise in their minds if they were allowed free access to Scripture without scholarly doctrinal guidance. …The Roman policy lingered on into the first part of the twentieth century in the practice of Roman Catholic episcopal authority not to grant approbation, the “imprimatur” (“it may be printed”) to translations from the Bible which had no guiding notes published with them.
(John M. Todd, Reformation, [Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1971], p. 29.)
Philip Schaff:
…the charge of darkness and ambiguity is brought against these scriptures; whence tradition is held to be necessary for their interpretation; and it is counselled that the laity should not read them, except in cases of special qualification, of which the bishop is to be the judge. …The symbols, it is true, are silent on the point, and in all times there have been Catholics who have earnestly recommended the study of the bible. (Comp. Extracts on the necessity and use of bible reading, from the fathers and other catholic writings, by Leander v. Ess, 2nd ed. Sulzbach 1816). But in strict Roman catholic lands, such as Italy and Spain, the people are fearfully ignorant of the bible, and the priests oppose every effort of the protestants to circulate it, frequently indeed have committed large numbers of bibles to the flames. It is a fact farther, that the reading of the scriptures has been prohibited to the laity by several popes, from Gregory VII. down to our own time, and also by several provincial councils; as the C. Tolosanum a. 1229. (can. 14. Prohibemus etiam, ne libros Vet. T. aut N. laici permittantur habere, nisi forte Psalterium vel Breviarium pro divinis officiis aut horas B. Mariae aliquis ex devotione habere velit. Sed ne praemissos libros habeant in vulgari translatos, arctissime inhibemus); so the C. Tarraconense a. 1234. In any case, according to the whole system of the Church, the reading of the scriptures is not regarded as necessary, and the people are referred to the priests as a nearer and surer fountain of instruction.
(Philip Schaff, The Principle of Protestantism: As Related to the Present State of the Church, trans. John W. Nevin, [Chambersburg: Publication Office of the German Reformed Church, 1845], pp. 73, 73-74.)
Pope Innocent III (1199 A.D.): (Innocent III, quoted by Pius VII)
In truth the secret mysteries of faith are not to be exposed to all everywhere, since they cannot be understood by all everywhere, but only by those who can grasp them with the intellect of faith. Therefore, to the more simple the Apostle says “I gave you milk to drink as unto little ones in Christ, not meat” [I Cor. 3:2]. For solid food is for the elders, as he said: “We speak wisdom . . . among the perfect” [I Cor. 2:6]; “for I judged not myself to know anything among you, but Jesus Christ and Him Crucified” [I Cor. 2:2]. For so great is the depth of Divine Scripture that not only the simple and the unlettered, but even the learned and the prudent are not fully able to explore the understanding of it. Therefore, Scripture says that many “searching have failed in their search” [Ps. 63:7].
“So it was rightly stated of old in the divine law, that even the beast which touched the mountain should be stoned” [Heb. 12:20; Exod. 19:12], lest, indeed, any simple and ignorant person should presume to reach the sublimity of Sacred Scripture, or to preach it to others. For it is written: Seek not the things that are too high for thee [Ecclus. 3:22]. Therefore the Apostle warns “not to be more wise than it behooveth to be wise, but to be wise unto sobriety” [Rom. 12:3].
(Henry Denzinger, The Sources of Catholic Dogma, trans. Roy J. Deferrari, [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1957], ##1605-1606, pp. 399-400. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Dominic Hughes, O.P. Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: April 25, 1955, Patric A. O’Boyle, Archbishop of Washington, April 25, 1955.)
Cf. Pope Innocent III (1199 A.D.):
Arcana vero fidei sacramenta non sunt passim omnibus exponenda, cum non passim ab omnibus possint intelligi, sed eis tantum qui ea fideli possunt concipere intellectu. Propter quod simplicioribus inquit Apostolus: Quasi parvulis in Christo lac potum dedi vobis, non escam (I Cor. III, 2). Majorum est enim solidus cibus, sicut aliis ipse dicebat: Sapientiam loquimur inter perfectos; inter vos autem nihil judicavi me scire nisi Jesum Christum, et hunc crucifixum (I Cor. II, 2). Tanta est enim divinæ Scripturæ profunditas, ut non solum simplices et illitterati, sed etiam prudentes et docti non plene sufficiant ad ipsius intelligentiam indagandam. Propter quod dicit Scriptura: Quia multi defecerunt scrutantes scrutinio (Psal. LXIII, 7). Unde recte fuit olim in lege divina statutum ut bestia, quæ montem tetigerit, lapidetur; ne videlicet simplex aliquis et indoctus præsumat ad sublimitatem Scripturæ sacræ pertingere, vel eam aliis prædicare. Scriptum est enim: Altiora te ne quæsieris (Eccli. III, 22). Propter quod dicit Apostolus: Non plus sapere quam oporteat sapere, sed sapere ad sobrietatem (Rom. XII, 3).
(Innocentii III, Romani Pontificis Regestorum Sive Epistolarum, Lib. II, CXLI, PL, 214:696. Cf. Innocentii III, Prima Collectio Decretalium: Titulus XIII: De Hæreticis et Eis Qui Eos Receptant; PL, 216:1211.)
Council of Toulouse (1229 A.D.), Canon XIV:
We prohibit the permission of the books of the Old and New Testament to laymen, except perhaps they might desire to have the Psalter, or some Breviary for the divine service, or the Hounrs of the blessed Virgin Mary, for devotion; expressly forbidding their having the other parts of the Bible translated into the vulgar tongue.
(Council of Toulouse, Canon 14; trans. Pierre Allix, Remarks Upon the Ecclesiastical History of Ancient Churches of the Albigenses: A New Edition, [Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, 1821], p. 213.)
Cf. Council of Toulouse (1229 A.D.), Canon XIV:
Prohibemus etiam, ne libros veteris testamenti aut novi, laici permittantur habere: nisi forte psalterium, vel breviarium pro divinis officiis, aut horas beatæ Mariæ, aliquis ex devotione habere velit. Sed ne præmissos libros habeat in vulgari translatos, arctissime inhibemus.
(Concilium Tolosanum, Can. XIV; In: S. R. Maitland, Facts and Documents Illustrative of the History, Doctrine and Rites, of the Ancient Albigenses & Waldenses, [London: C. J. G. and F. Rivington, 1832], p. 501. Cf. John C. L. Gieseler, A Text-Book of Church History: Vol. II, trans. Samuel Davidson & John Winstanly Hull, ed. Henry B. Smith, [New York: Harper & Brothers, 1871], p. 571.)
Cf. A Catholic Dictionary:
In early times, the Bible was read freely by the lay people, and the Fathers constantly encourage them to do so, although they also insist on the obscurity of the sacred text. No prohibitions were issued against the popular reading of the Bible. New dangers came during the Middle Ages. When the heresy of the Albigenses arose there was a danger from corrupt translations, and also from the fact that the heretics tried to make the faithful judge the Church by their own interpretation of the Bible. To meet these evils, the Council of Toulouse (1229) and Tarragona (1234) forbade the laity to read the vernacular translations of the Bible. Pius IV required the bishops to refuse lay persons leave to read even Catholic versions of the Scripture, unless their confessors or parish priests judged that such readings was likely to prove beneficial.
(William. E. Addis, Thomas Arnold, A Catholic Dictionary, [New York: The Catholic Publication Society Co., 1884], “Bible,” p. 82. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat. Eduardus S. Keogh, Cong. Orat., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur. Henricus Eduardus, Card. Aechiep. Westmonast. Die 18 Dec., 1883. Imprimatur. John Card. McLoskey, Archbishop of New York, Feb 14. 1884.)
Benson Bobrick:
The first question ever asked by an Inquisitor of a “heretic” was whether he knew any part of the Bible in his own tongue. It was asked in 1233 of a man who belonged to a dissident religious sect known as the Waldensians, which emphasized Bible study and lay preaching; and it would be asked again of thousands of others before the course of history would render its dark implications null and void.
(Benson Bobrick, Wide as the Waters: The Story of the English Bible and the Revolution it Inspired, [New York: Penguin Books, 2002], p. 11.)
Council of Tarragona (1234 A.D.), Canon II:
Also we decree that no one shall have in his possession any books of the Old or New Testament in Romanic (i.e., vernacular). And if anyone has them, within eight days after the publication of such constitution from the time of the sentence, let him give them over to the Bishop of the place that they may be burned: and unless he shall do this, be he clergyman or layman, let him be esteemed suspected of heresy, until he shall have cleared himself.
(Council of Tarragona, Canon II; trans. “Does the Roman Catholic Clergy Discourage the Reading of the Bible by the Laity;” In: The Christian World: Volume XXVI.—January to December 1875, ed. Henry M. Baird, [New York: Published by the American and Foreign Christian Union, 1875], p. 43. Alt. Trans. Joseph Frederick Berg, Lectures on Romanism, [Philadelphia: D. Weidner, 1840], p. 281.)
Cf. Council of Tarragona (1234 A.D.), Canon II:
Item statuimus, ne aliquis libros veteris vel novi Testamenti in Romancio habeat. Et si aliquis habeat, infra octo dies post publicationem hujusmodi constitutionis a tempore sententiae, tradat eos loci Episcopo comburendos: Quod nisi fecerit, sive clericus fuerit, sive laicus, tamquam suspectus de haeresi, quousque se purgaverit, habeatur.
(Concilium Tarraconense, Can. 2; In: John C. L. Gieseler, A Text-Book of Church History: Vol. II, trans. Samuel Davidson & John Winstanly Hull, ed. Henry B. Smith, [New York: Harper & Brothers, 1871], p. 571. Cf. K. R. Hagenbach, A History of Christian Doctrines: Vol. II, trans. E. H. Plumptre, [Edinburg: T. & T. Clark, 1880], p. 173.)
Cf. The Catholic Encyclopedia:
After the death of Innocent III, the Synod of Toulouse directed in 1229 its fourteenth canon against the misuse of Sacred Scripture on the part of the Cathari: “prohibemus, ne libros Veteris et Novi Testamenti laicis permittatur habere” (Hefele, “Concilgesch”, Freiburg, 1863, V, 875). In 1233 the Synod of Tarragona issued a similar prohibition in its second canon, but both these laws are intended only for the countries subject to the jurisdiction of the respective synods (Hefele, ibid., 918).
(A. J. Maas, S.J., “Scripture;” In: The Catholic Encyclopedia: Special Edition: Volume XIII, [New York: The Encyclopedia Press, Inc., 1913], p. 640. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat, February 1, 1912, Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur, John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.)
Synod of Béziers [Concilium Biterrense] (1246 A.D.), Canon XXXVI:
Concerning theological books not to be held in possession by laymen in Latin, and neither by them nor by clergymen in the vulgar tongue.
(Synod of Béziers, Canon 36; trans. “Does the Roman Catholic Clergy Discourage the Reading of the Bible by the Laity;” In: The Christian World: Volume XXVI.—January to December 1875, ed. Henry M. Baird, [New York: Published by the American and Foreign Christian Union, 1875], p. 43. Alt. Trans. Joseph Frederick Berg, Lectures on Romanism, [Philadelphia: D. Weidner, 1840], p. 280.)
Cf. Synod of Béziers [Concilium Biterrense] (1246 A.D.), Canon XXXVI:
De libris theologicis non tenendis etiam a laicis in Latino, et neque ab ipsis neque a clericis in vulgari.
(Concilium Biterrense, Can. 36 [Mansi. XXIII. 724]; In: John C. L. Gieseler, A Text-Book of Church History: Vol. II, trans. Samuel Davidson & John Winstanly Hull, ed. Henry B. Smith, [New York: Harper & Brothers, 1871], p. 571.)
Reinerius [An Inquisitor] (c. 13th Century A.D.):
A third cause of heresy is that they have translated the old and new Testaments into the language of the people and so they teach and learn. I have heard and seen some rustic private person who recited Job word for word, and many who knew perfectly the entire New Testament.
(Reinerius Saccho, De Causis Hæreseon, Cap. III; trans. “Does the Roman Catholic Clergy Discourage the Reading of the Bible by the Laity;” In: The Christian World: Volume XXVI.—January to December 1875, ed. Henry M. Baird, [New York: Published by the American and Foreign Christian Union, 1875], p. 43.)
Cf. Reinerius [An Inquisitor] (c. 13th Century A.D.):
Tertia causa hæresis est, quia novum et vetus testamentum vulgariter transtulerunt; et sic docent et discunt. Audivi, et vidi quendam rusticam idiotam, qui Job recitavit de verbo ad verbum; plures, qui totum novum testamentum perfecte sciverunt.
(Reinerius Saccho, De Causis Hæreseon, Cap. III; In: Samuel Roffey Maitland, Facts and Documents Illustrative of the History, Doctrine and Rites, of the Ancient Albigenses & Waldenses, [London: Rivington, 1832], p. 526. Cf. John C. L. Gieseler, A Text-Book of Church History: Vol. II, trans. Samuel Davidson & John Winstanly Hull, ed. Henry B. Smith, [New York: Harper & Brothers, 1871], Pseudo-Rainerii Summa, Cap. 3 [In Bibl. PP. Lugd. xxv. 263.], p. 574.)
Reinerius [An Inquisitor] (c. 13th Century A.D.):
And because they are laymen and private persons, they expound the scriptures falsely and corruptly.
(Reinerius Saccho, De Causis Hæreseon, Cap. III; trans. “Does the Roman Catholic Clergy Discourage the Reading of the Bible by the Laity;” In: The Christian World: Volume XXVI.—January to December 1875, ed. Henry M. Baird, [New York: Published by the American and Foreign Christian Union, 1875], p. 43.)
Cf. Reinerius [An Inquisitor] (c. 13th Century A.D.):
Et, quia sunt laici idiotae, false et corrupte Scripturam exponunt…
(Reinerius Saccho, De Causis Hæreseon, Cap. III; In: Samuel Roffey Maitland, Facts and Documents Illustrative of the History, Doctrine and Rites, of the Ancient Albigenses & Waldenses, [London: Rivington, 1832], p. 526.)
Archbishop Thomas Arundel’s Constitutions Against the Lollards (1408 A.D.):
6. The translation of the text of Holy Scripture out of one tongue into another is a dangerous thing, as blessed Hierome testifies, because it is not easy to make the sense in all respects the same; as the same blessed Hierome confesses that he made frequent mistakes in this business, although he was inspired: therefore we enact and ordain that no one henceforth do by his own authority translate any text of Holy Scripture into the English tongue or any other by way of book or treatise. Nor let any such book or treatise now lately composed in the time of John Wicklif aforesaid, or since, or hereafter to be composed, be read in whole or in part, in public or in private, under pain of the greater excommunication, till that translation have been approved by the diocesan of the place, or if occasion shall require, by a provincial council. Let him that transgresseth be punished as a fautor of heresy and error.
(Archbishop Thomas Arundel’s Constitutions Against the Lollards [1408 A.D.], §. 6 [§. 7 in Wilkins]; trans. A Collection of the Laws and Canons of the Church of England, from Its First Foundation to the Conquest: A New Edition: Vol. II, trans. John Johnson, [Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1851], pp. 466-467.)
Cf. Archbishop Thomas Arundel’s Constitutions Against the Lollards (1408 A.D.):
Periculosa quoque res est, testante beato Jeronymo, textum sacrae scripturae de uno in aliud idioma transferre, eo quod in ipsis translationibus non de facili idem in omnibus sensus retinetur, prout idem beatus Jeronymus, etsi inspiratus fuisset, se in hoc saepius fatetur errasse; statuimus igitur et ordinamus, ut nemo deinceps aliquem textum sacrae scripturae auctoritate sua in linguam Anglicanam, vel aliam transferat, per viam libri, libelli, aut tractatus, nec legatur aliquis hujusmodi liber, libellus, aut tractatus jam noviter tempore dicti Johannis Wycliff, sive citra, compositus, aut inposterum componendus, in parte vel in toto, publice, vel occulte, sub majoris excommunicationis poena, quousque per loci dioecesanum, seu si res exegerit, per concilium provinciale ipsa translatio fuerit approbata: qui contra fecerit, ut fautor haeresis et erroris similiter puniatur.
(Archbishop Thomas Arundel’s Constitutions Against the Lollards [1408 A.D.], §. 7 [§. 6 in Johnson]; In: David Wilkins, Concilia Magnae Britanniae et Hiberniae, ab Anno MCCCL ad Annum MDXLV: Volumen Tertium, [Londini: R. Gosling, 1737], p. 317.)
A Banned Books List (1531 A.D.):
Memorandum of a proclamation made at Paul’s Cross on the first Sunday in Advent, 1531, against the buying, selling or reading of the following books:
The disputation betwixt the father and the son.
The supplication of beggars.
The revelation of AntiChrist.
Liber qui de veteri et novicio Deo inscribitur.
Precaciones.
Economica christiana.
The burying of the mass, in English rhyme.
An exposition into the VII chapter of the Corinthians.
The matrimony of Tyndal.
A B C against the clergy.
Ortulus animae, in English.
A book against Saint Thomas of Canterbury.
A book made by Friar Reye against the seven sacraments.
An answer of Tyndal to Sir Thomas More’s dialogue, in English.
A disputation of purgatory, made by John Frythe.
The first book of Moses, called Genesis.
A prologue in the second book of Moses, called Exodus.
A prologue in the third book of Moses, called Leviticus.
A prologue in the fourth book of Moses, called Numeri.
A prologue in the fifth book of Moses, called Deuteronomy.
The practice of prelates.
The New Testament in English, with an introduction to the epistle to the Romans.
The parable of the wicked Mammon.
The obedience of a Christian man.
The book of Thorpe or of John Oldecastell.
The sum of scripture.
The primer in English.
The psalter in English.
A dialogue betwixt the gentlemen and the plowman.
Jonas in English.
(Calendar of State Papers, Henry VIII, Vol. V, App. no 18; In: Fr. Heinrich Reusch, Bibliothek des Literarischen Vereins in Stuttgart: CLXXVI: Die Indices Librorum Prohibitorum des Sechzehnten Jahrhunderts, [Tübingen: Gedruckt Für Den Litterarischen Verein In Stuttgart, 1886], pp. 11-12. Cf. Hans Joachim Hillerbrand, The Reformation: A Narrative History Related by Contemporary Observers and Participants, [New York: Harper & Row, 1964], Calendar of State Papers, V.18, p. 473.)
Council of Trent (1563 A.D.), Session XXV, Ten Rules Concerning Prohibited Books Drawn Up by The Fathers Chosen by the Council of Trent and Approved by Pope Pius, §. III:
The translations of writers, also ecclesiastical, which have till now been edited by condemned authors, are permitted provided they contain nothing contrary to sound doctrine. Translations of the books of the Old Testament may in the judgment of the bishop be permitted to learned and pious men only, provided such translations are used only as elucidations of the Vulgate Edition for the understanding of the Holy Scriptures and not as the sound text. Translations of the New Testament made by authors of the first class of this list shall be permitted to no one, since great danger and little usefulness usually results to readers from their perusal. But if with such translations as are permitted or with the Vulgate Edition some annotations are circulated, these may also, after the suspected passages have been expunged by the theological faculty of some Catholic university or by the general inquisition, be permitted to those to whom the translations are permitted. Under these circumstances the entire volume of the Sacred Books, which is commonly called the biblia Vatabli, or parts of it, may be permitted to pious and learned men. From the Bibles of Isidore Clarius of Brescia, however, the preface and introduction are to be removed, and no one shall regard its text as the text of the Vulgate Edition.
(Council of Trent, Session XXV, Ten Rules Concerning Prohibited Books Drawn Up by The Fathers Chosen by the Council of Trent and Approved by Pope Pius, §. 3; trans. Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent: Original Text With English Translation, trans. H. J. Schroeder, O.P., [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1960], p. 274. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Fr. Humbertus Kane, O.P., Fr. Alexius Driscoll, O.P. Imprimi Potest: Fr. Petrus O’Brien, O.P., Prior Provincialis. Nihil Obstat: Sti. Ludovici, die 5. Septembris, 1941, A. A. Esswin, Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: Sti. Ludovici, die 5. Septembris, 1941, Joannes J. Glennon, Archiepiscopus.)
Council of Trent (1563 A.D.), Session XXV, Ten Rules Concerning Prohibited Books Drawn Up by The Fathers Chosen by the Council of Trent and Approved by Pope Pius, §. IV:
Since it is clear from experience that if the Sacred Books are permitted everywhere and without discrimination in the vernacular, there will by reason of the boldness of men arise therefrom more harm than good, the matter is in this respect left to the judgment of the bishop or inquisitor, who may with the advice of the pastor or confessor permit the reading of the Sacred Books translated into the vernacular by Catholic authors to those who they know will derive from such reading no harm but rather an increase of faith and piety, which permission they must have in writing. Those, however, who presume to read or possess them without such permission may not receive absolution from their sins till they have handed them over to the ordinary. Bookdealers who sell or in any other way supply Bibles written in the vernacular to anyone who has not this permission, shall lose the price of the books, which is to be applied by the bishop to pious purposes, and in keeping with the nature of the crime they shall be subject to other penalties which are left to the judgment of the same bishop. Regulars who have not the permission of their superiors may not read or purchase them.
(Council of Trent, Session XXV, Ten Rules Concerning Prohibited Books Drawn Up by The Fathers Chosen by the Council of Trent and Approved by Pope Pius, §. 4; trans. Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent: Original Text With English Translation, trans. H. J. Schroeder, O.P., [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1960], pp. 274-275. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Fr. Humbertus Kane, O.P., Fr. Alexius Driscoll, O.P. Imprimi Potest: Fr. Petrus O’Brien, O.P., Prior Provincialis. Nihil Obstat: Sti. Ludovici, die 5. Septembris, 1941, A. A. Esswin, Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: Sti. Ludovici, die 5. Septembris, 1941, Joannes J. Glennon, Archiepiscopus.)
Council of Trent (1563 A.D.), Session XXV, Ten Rules Concerning Prohibited Books Drawn Up by The Fathers Chosen by the Council of Trent and Approved by Pope Pius, §. VI:
Books which deal in the vernacular with the controversies between Catholics and heretics of our time may not be permitted indiscriminately, but the same is to be observed with regard to them what has been decreed concerning Bibles written in the vernacular. There is no reason, however, why those should be prohibited which have been written in the vernacular for the purpose of pointing out the right way to live, to contemplate, to confess, and similar purposes, if they contain sound doctrine, just as popular sermons in the vernacular are not prohibited. But if hitherto in some kingdom or province certain books have been prohibited because they contained matter the reading of which would be of no benefit to all indiscriminately, these may, if their authors are Catholic, be permitted by the bishop and inquisitor after they have been corrected.
(Council of Trent, Session XXV, Ten Rules Concerning Prohibited Books Drawn Up by The Fathers Chosen by the Council of Trent and Approved by Pope Pius, §. 6; trans. Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent: Original Text With English Translation, trans. H. J. Schroeder, O.P., [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1960], p. 275. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Fr. Humbertus Kane, O.P., Fr. Alexius Driscoll, O.P. Imprimi Potest: Fr. Petrus O’Brien, O.P., Prior Provincialis. Nihil Obstat: Sti. Ludovici, die 5. Septembris, 1941, A. A. Esswin, Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: Sti. Ludovici, die 5. Septembris, 1941, Joannes J. Glennon, Archiepiscopus.)
Cf. J. A. Wylie:
The Latin Vulgate is the authorized standard in the Church of Rome, and that to the disparagement of the original Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. These are omitted in the decree, and a translation is substituted. All Protestant translations, such as our authorized English version, Luther’s translation, &c. are prohibited.
(J. A. Wylie, The Papacy: Its History, Dogmas, Genius and Prospects, [Edinburg: Johnstone and Hunter, 1852], p. 181 fn. *.)
Pope Clement XI (1713 A.D.), Unigenitus:
79. It is useful and necessary at all times, in all places, and for every kind of person, to study and to know the spirit, the piety, and the mysteries of Sacred Scripture.
80. The reading of Sacred Scripture is for all.
81. The sacred obscurity of the Word of God is no reason for the laity to dispense themselves from reading it.
82. The Lord’s Day ought to be sanctified by Christians with readings of pious works and above all of the Holy Scriptures. It is harmful for a Christian to wish to withdraw from this reading.
83. It is an illusion to persuade oneself that knowledge of the mysteries of religion should not be communicated to women by the reading of Sacred Scriptures. Not from the simplicity of women, but from the proud knowledge of men has arisen the abuse of the Scriptures and have heresies been born.
84. To snatch away from the hands of Christians the New Testament, or to hold it closed against them by taking away from them the means of understanding it, is to close for them the mouth of Christ.
85. To forbid Christians to read Sacred Scripture, especially the Gospels, is to forbid the use of light to the sons of light, and to cause them to suffer a kind of excommunication.
…Declared and condemned as false, captious, evil-sounding, offensive to pious ears, scandalous, pernicious, rash, injurious to the Church and her practice, insulting not only to the Church but also the secular powers seditious, impious, blasphemous, suspected of heresy, and smacking of heresy itself, and, besides, favoring heretics and heresies, and also schisms, erroneous, close to heresy, many times condemned, and finally heretical, clearly renewing many heresies respectively and most especially those which are contained in the infamous propositions of Jansen, and indeed accepted in that sense in which these have been condemned.
Innocent XIII 1721-1724; Benedict XIII 1724-1730; Clement XII 1730-1740
(Pope Clement XI, “Unigenitus,” Sept. 8, 1713, Errors of Paschasius Quesnel; trans. Henry Denzinger, The Sources of Catholic Dogma, trans. Roy J. Deferrari, [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1957], ##1429-1435, 1451, pp. 352, 354. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Dominic Hughes, O.P. Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: April 25, 1955, Patric A. O’Boyle, Archbishop of Washington, April 25, 1955.)
Pope Pius VI (1794 A.D.), Auctorem Fidei:
67. The doctrine asserting that “only a true impotence excuses” from the reading of the Sacred Scriptures, adding, moreover, that there is produced the obscurity which arises from a neglect of this precept in regard to the primary truths of religion,—false, rash, disturbing to the peace of souls, condemned elsewhere in Quesnel [sec. 1429ff.].
(Pope Pius VI, “Auctorem Fidei,” Aug. 28, 1794, Errors of the Synod of Pistoia, §. 67; trans. Henry Denzinger, The Sources of Catholic Dogma, trans. Roy J. Deferrari, [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1957], #1567, p. 390. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Dominic Hughes, O.P. Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: April 25, 1955, Patric A. O’Boyle, Archbishop of Washington, April 25, 1955.)
Pope Leo XII (1824 A.D.), Ubi Primum:
17. You have noticed a society, commonly called the Bible society, boldly spreading throughout the whole world. Rejecting the traditions of the holy Fathers and infringing the well-known decree of the Council of Trent, it works by every means to have the holy Bible translated, or rather mistranslated, into the ordinary languages of every nation. There are good reasons for fear that (as has already happened in some of their commentaries and in other respects by a distorted interpretation of Christ’s gospel) they will produce a gospel of men, or what is worse, a gospel of the devil!
18. To prevent this evil, Our predecessors published many constitutions. Most recently Pius VII wrote two briefs, one to Ignatius, Archbishop of Gniezno, the other to Stanislaus, Archbishop of Mohileu, quoting carefully and wisely many passages from the sacred writings and from the tradition to show how harmful to faith and morals this wretched undertaking is.
19. In virtue of Our apostolic office, We too exhort you to try every means of keeping your flock from those deadly pastures. Do everything possible to see that the faithful observe strictly the rules of our Congregation of the Index. Convince them that to allow holy Bibles in the ordinary language, wholesale and without distinction, would on account of human rashness cause more harm than good.
(Pope Leo XII, “Ubi Primum,” Encyclical of Pope Leo XII on His Assuming the Pontificate, May 5, 1824, §§. 17-19; In: The Papal Encyclicals 1740-1878, trans. Claudia Carlen, I.H.M., [McGrath Publishing Company, 1981], pp. 201-202. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: James E. McSweeney, V.G. Imprimatur: F. Joseph Grossman, Bishop of Raleigh, Raleigh, October 30, 1981.)
Pope Pius VIII (1829 A.D.), Traditi Humilitati:
5. We must also be wary of those who publish the Bible with new interpretations contrary to the Church’s laws. They skillfully distort the meaning by their own interpretation. They print the Bibles in the vernacular and, absorbing an incredible expense, offer them free even to the uneducated. Furthermore, the Bibles are rarely without perverse little inserts to insure that the reader imbibes their lethal poison instead of the saving water of salvation. Long ago the Apostolic See warned about this serious hazard to the faith and drew up a list of the authors of these pernicious notions. The rules of this Index were published by the Council of Trent; the ordinance required that translations of the Bible into the vernacular not be permitted without the approval of the Apostolic See and further required that they be published with commentaries from the Fathers. The sacred Synod of Trent had decreed in order to restrain impudent characters, that no one, relying on his own prudence in matters of faith and of conduct which concerns Christian doctrine, might twist the sacred Scriptures to his own opinion, or to an opinion contrary to that of the Church or the popes. Though such machinations against the Catholic faith had been assailed long ago by these canonical proscriptions, Our recent predecessors made a special effort to check these spreading evils. With these arms may you too strive to fight the battles of the Lord which endanger the sacred teachings, lest this deadly virus spread in your flock.
(Pope Pius VIII, “Traditi Humilitati,” Encyclical of Pope Pius VIII on His Program for His Pontificate, May 24, 1829, §. 5; In: The Papal Encyclicals 1740-1878, trans. Claudia Carlen, I.H.M., [McGrath Publishing Company, 1981], p. 222. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: James E. McSweeney, V.G. Imprimatur: F. Joseph Grossman, Bishop of Raleigh, Raleigh, October 30, 1981.)
Pope Gregory XVI (1844 A.D.), Inter Praecipuas:
1. Among the special schemes with which non-Catholics plot against the adherents of Catholic truth to turn their minds away from the faith, the biblical societies are prominent. They were first established in England and have spread far and wide so that We now see them as an army on the march, conspiring to publish in great numbers copies of the books of divine Scripture. These are translated into all kinds of vernacular languages for dissemination without discrimination among both Christians and infidels.Then the biblical societies invite everyone to read them unguided. Therefore it is just as Jerome complained in his day: they make the art of understanding the Scriptures without a teacher”common to babbling old women and crazy old men and verbose sophists,” and to anyone who can read, no matter what his status. Indeed, what is even more absurd and almost unheard of, they do not exclude the common people of the infidels from sharing this kind of a knowledge.
(Pope Gregory XVI, “Inter Praecipuas,” Encyclical of Pope Gregory XVI on Biblical Societies, May 8, 1844, §. 1; In: The Papal Encyclicals 1740-1878, trans. Claudia Carlen, I.H.M., [McGrath Publishing Company, 1981], p. 267. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: James E. McSweeney, V.G. Imprimatur: F. Joseph Grossman, Bishop of Raleigh, Raleigh, October 30, 1981.)
Pope Gregory XVI (1844 A.D.), Inter Praecipuas:
4. Moreover, regarding the translation of the Bible into the vernacular, even many centuries ago bishops in various places have at times had to exercise greater vigilance when they became aware that such translations were being read in secret gatherings or were being distributed by heretics. Innocent III issued warnings concerning the secret gatherings of laymen and women, under the pretext of piety, for the reading of Scripture in the diocese of Metz. There was also a special prohibition of Scripture translations promulgated either in Gaul a little later[fn. 13: Council of Toulouse (1229), can. 14.] or in Spain before the sixteenth century. [fn. 14: From the statement of Cardinal Pacecco at the Council of Trent (in Pallavicinus, Storia del Concil. di Trento, bk. 6, chap. 12).]
(Pope Gregory XVI, “Inter Praecipuas,” Encyclical of Pope Gregory XVI on Biblical Societies, May 8, 1844, §. 4; In: The Papal Encyclicals 1740-1878, trans. Claudia Carlen, I.H.M., [McGrath Publishing Company, 1981], p. 268. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: James E. McSweeney, V.G. Imprimatur: F. Joseph Grossman, Bishop of Raleigh, Raleigh, October 30, 1981.)
Pope Gregory XVI (1844 A.D.), Inter Praecipuas:
11. Therefore, taking counsel with a number of Cardinals, and weighing the whole matter seriously and in good time, We have decided to send this letter to all of you. We again condemn all the above-mentioned biblical societies of which our predecessors disapproved. We specifically condemn the new one called Christian League founded last year in New York and other societies of the same kind, if they have already joined with it or do so in the future. Therefore let it be known to all that anyone who joins one of these societies, or aids it, or favors it in any way will be guilty of a grievous crime. Besides We confirm and renew by Our apostolic authority the prescriptions listed and published long ago concerning the publication, dissemination, reading, and possession of vernacular translations of sacred Scriptures. Concerning other works of any writer We repeat that all must abide by the general rules and decrees of Our predecessors which are found in the Index of forbidden books, and indeed not only for those books specifically listed, but also for others to which the aforementioned prohibitions apply.
(Pope Gregory XVI, “Inter Praecipuas,” Encyclical of Pope Gregory XVI on Biblical Societies, May 8, 1844, §. 11; In: The Papal Encyclicals 1740-1878, trans. Claudia Carlen, I.H.M., [McGrath Publishing Company, 1981], p. 270. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: James E. McSweeney, V.G. Imprimatur: F. Joseph Grossman, Bishop of Raleigh, Raleigh, October 30, 1981.)
Pope Gregory XVI (1844 A.D.), Inter Praecipuas:
12. Thus, We emphatically exhort you to announce these Our commands to the people accredited to your pastoral care; explain them in the proper place and time, and strive mightily to keep the faithful sheep away from the Christian League and other biblical societies, as well as away from their followers. Also take from the faithful both the vernacular Bibles which have been published contrary to the sanctions of the Roman Pontiffs and all other books which are proscribed and condemned. In this way see that the faithful themselves by your warnings and authority are taught that they ought to consider what kind of food is healthful for them, and what is noxious and deadly.” Meanwhile be more zealous each day to preach the word of God, both through yourselves and through the individual pastors in each diocese, and through other ecclesiastical men fit for the task. In particular, watch more carefully over those who are assigned to give public readings of holy scripture, so that they function diligently in their office within the comprehension of the audience; under no pretext whatsoever should they dare to explain and interpret the divine writings contrary to the tradition of the Fathers or the interpretation of the Catholic Church. . . .
(Pope Gregory XVI, “Inter Praecipuas,” Encyclical of Pope Gregory XVI on Biblical Societies, May 8, 1844, §. 12; In: The Papal Encyclicals 1740-1878, trans. Claudia Carlen, I.H.M., [McGrath Publishing Company, 1981], p. 270. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: James E. McSweeney, V.G. Imprimatur: F. Joseph Grossman, Bishop of Raleigh, Raleigh, October 30, 1981.)
Pope Pius IX (1846 A.D.), Qui Pluribus:
13. You already know well, venerable brothers, the other portentous errors and deceits by which the sons of this world try most bitterly to attack the Catholic religion and the divine authority of the Church and its laws. They would even trample underfoot the rights both of the sacred and of the civil power. For this is the goal of the lawless activities against this Roman See in which Christ placed the impregnable foundation of His Church. This is the goal of those secret sects who have come forth from the darkness to destroy and desolate both the sacred and the civil commonwealth. These have been condemned with repeated anathema in the Apostolic letters of the Roman Pontiffs who preceded Us We now confirm these with the fullness of Our Apostolic power and command that they be most carefully observed.
14. This is the goal too of the crafty Bible Societies which renew the old skill of the heretics and ceaselessly force on people of all kinds, even the uneducated, gifts of the Bible. They issue these in large numbers and at great cost, in vernacular translations, which infringe the holy rules of the Church. The commentaries which are included often contain perverse explanations; so, having rejected divine tradition, the doctrine of the Fathers and the authority of the Catholic Church, they all interpret the words of the Lord by their own private judgment, thereby perverting their meaning. As a result, they fall into the greatest errors. Gregory XVI of happy memory, Our superior predecessor, followed the lead of his own predecessors in rejecting these societies in his apostolic letters. It is Our will to condemn them likewise.
(Pope Pius IX, “Qui Pluribus,” Encyclical of Pope Pius IX on Faith and Religion, November 9, 1846, §§. 13-14; In: The Papal Encyclicals 1740-1878, trans. Claudia Carlen, I.H.M., [McGrath Publishing Company, 1981], p. 280. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: James E. McSweeney, V.G. Imprimatur: F. Joseph Grossman, Bishop of Raleigh, Raleigh, October 30, 1981.)
Pope Pius IX (1849 A.D.), Nostis et Nobiscum:
14. The crafty enemies of the Church and human society attempt to seduce the people in many ways. One of their chief methods is the misuse of the new technique of book-production. They are wholly absorbed in the ceaseless daily publication and proliferation of impious pamphlets, newspapers and leaflets which are full of lies, calumnies and seduction. Furthermore, under the protection of the Bible Societies which have long since been condemned by this Holy See, they distribute to the faithful under the pretext of religion, the holy bible in vernacular translations. Since these infringe the Church’s rules, they are consequently subverted and most daringly twisted to yield a vile meaning. So you realize very well what vigilant and careful efforts you must make to inspire in your faithful people an utter horror of reading these pestilential books. Remind them explicitly with regard to divine scripture that no man, relying on his own wisdom, is able to claim the privilege of rashly twisting the scriptures to his own meaning in opposition to the meaning which holy mother Church holds and has held. It was the Church alone that Christ commissioned to guard the deposit of the faith and to decide the true meaning and interpretation of the divine pronouncements.
(Pope Pius IX, “Nostis et Nobiscum,” Encyclical of Pope Pius IX on the Church in the Pontifical States, December 8, 1849, §. 14; In: The Papal Encyclicals 1740-1878, trans. Claudia Carlen, I.H.M., [McGrath Publishing Company, 1981], p. 298. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: James E. McSweeney, V.G. Imprimatur: F. Joseph Grossman, Bishop of Raleigh, Raleigh, October 30, 1981.)
Leo XIII (1897 A.D), Officiorum ac Munerum:
5. Editions of the original text and of the ancient Catholic versions of Holy Scripture, as well as those of the Eastern Church, if published by non-Catholics, even though apparently edited in a faithful and complete manner, are allowed only to those engaged in theological and biblical studies, provided also that the dogmas of Catholic faith are not impugned in the prolegomena or annotations.
6. In the same manner, and under the same conditions, other versions of the Holy Bible, whether in Latin or in any other dead language, published by non-Catholics, are permitted.
(Leo XIII, “Officiorum ac Munerum,” Jan. 25, 1897, The Prohibition and Censorship of Books, Article 1, Chapter 2, §§. 5-6; In: The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII, trans. John J. Wynne, S.J., [New York: Benzinger Brothers, 1903], p. 412. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Remigius Lafort, S.T.L., Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: Jno. M. Farley, Archbishop of New York, New York, August 4, 1903.)
Leo XIII (1897 A.D), Officiorum ac Munerum:
7. As it has been clearly shown by experience that, if the holy Bible in the vernacular is generally permitted without any distinction, more harm than utility is thereby caused, owing to human temerity: all versions in the vernacular, even by Catholics, are altogether prohibited, unless approved by the Holy See, or published, under the vigilant care of the bishops, with annotations taken from the Fathers of the Church and learned Catholic writers.
8. All versions of the Holy Bible, in any vernacular language, made by non-Catholics are prohibited; and especially those published by the Bible societies, which have been more than once condemned by the Roman Pontiffs, because in them the wise laws of the Church concerning the Publication of sacred books are entirely disregarded.
Nevertheless, these versions are permitted to students of theological or biblical science, under the conditions laid down above (No. 5).
(Leo XIII, “Officiorum ac Munerum,” Jan. 25, 1897, The Prohibition and Censorship of Books, Article 1, Chapter 3, §§. 7-8; In: The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII, trans. John J. Wynne, S.J., [New York: Benzinger Brothers, 1903], pp. 412-413. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Remigius Lafort, S.T.L., Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: Jno. M. Farley, Archbishop of New York, New York, August 4, 1903.)
The 1918 Code of Canon Law on Censorship and Prohibiting Books:
1227. The Church has the right to rule that Catholics shall not publish any books unless they have first been subjected to the approval of the Church, and to forbid for a good reason the faithful to read certain books, no matter by whom they are published.
The rules of this title concerning books are to be applied also to daily papers, periodicals, and any other publication, unless the contrary is clear from the Canons. (Canon 1384).
(Rev. Stanislaus Woywod, O.F.M., The New Canon Law: A Commentary and Summary of the New Code of Canon Law: Third Edition, [New York: Joseph F. Wagner (Inc.), 1918], Title XXIII: Censorship and Prohibition of Books, p. 285. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Fr. Benedict Boeing, O.F.M., Fr. Benevenutus Ryan, O.M.F. Imprimi Potest: Fr. Edward Blecke, O.F.M., Minister Provincialis. Nihil Obstat: Arthur J. Scanlan, S.T.D., Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York, New York, July 3, 1918.)
The 1918 Code of Canon Law on Censorship and Prohibiting Books:
1128. Without previous ecclesiastical approval even laymen are not allowed to publish:
1. the books of Holy Scripture, or annotations and commentaries of the same;
2. books treating of Sacred Scripture, theology, Church history, Canon Law, natural theology, ethics, and other sciences concerning religion and morals. Furthermore, prayer books, pamphlets and books of devotion, of religious teaching, either moral, ascetic, or mystic, and any writing in general in which there is anything that has a special bearing on religion or morality;
3. sacred images reproduced in any manner, either with or without prayers.
The permission to publish books and images spoken of in this Canon may be given either by the proper Ordinary of the author, or by the Ordinary of the place where they are published, or by the Ordinary of the place where they are printed; if, however, any one of the Ordinaries who has a right to give approval refuses it, the author cannot ask of another unless he informs him of the refusal of the Ordinary first requested.
The religious must, moreover, first obtain permission from their major superior. (Canon 1385.)
…1234. Translations of the Holy Scriptures in the vernacular languages may not be published unless they are either approved by the Holy See, or they are published, under the the supervision of the bishop, with annotations chiefly taken from the holy Fathers of the Church and learned Catholic writers. (Canon 1391.)
(Rev. Stanislaus Woywod, O.F.M., The New Canon Law: A Commentary and Summary of the New Code of Canon Law: Third Edition, [New York: Joseph F. Wagner (Inc.), 1918], Title XXIII: Censorship and Prohibition of Books, Chapter I: Censorship of Books, pp. 285, 286. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Fr. Benedict Boeing, O.F.M., Fr. Benevenutus Ryan, O.M.F. Imprimi Potest: Fr. Edward Blecke, O.F.M., Minister Provincialis. Nihil Obstat: Arthur J. Scanlan, S.T.D., Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York, New York, July 3, 1918.)
The 1918 Code of Canon Law on Censorship and Prohibiting Books:
1241. The prohibition of books has this effect that the forbidden books may not without permission be published, read, retained, sold, nor translated into another language, nor made known to others in any way.
The book which has in any way been forbidden may not again be published except after the demanded corrections have been made and the authority which forbade the book, or his superior, or successor, has given permission. (Canon 1398.)
1242. By the very law are forbidden:
1. editions of the original text, or of ancient Catholic versions, of the Sacred Scriptures, also of the Oriental Church, published by non-Catholics; likewise any translation in any language made or published by them;
2. books of any writers defending heresy or schism, or tending in any way to undermine the foundations of religion;
3. books which purposely fight against religion and good morals;
4. books of any non-Catholic treating professedly of religion unless it is certain that nothing is contained therein against the Catholic faith;
5. books on the holy Scriptures or on religious subjects which have been published without the permission required by Canons 1385, § 1, nn. 1, and 1391; books and leaflets which bring an account of new apparitions, revelations, visions, prophecies, miracles, or introduce new devotions even though under the pretext that they are private; if these books, etc., are published against the rules of the Canons;
6. books which attack or ridicule any of the Catholic dogmas, books which defend errors condemned by the Holy See, or which disparage Divine worship, or tend to undermine ecclesiastical discipline, or which purposely insult the ecclesiastical hierarchy, or the clerical and religious states; . . . (Canon 1399.)
(Rev. Stanislaus Woywod, O.F.M., The New Canon Law: A Commentary and Summary of the New Code of Canon Law: Third Edition, [New York: Joseph F. Wagner (Inc.), 1918], Title XXIII: Censorship and Prohibition of Books, Chapter II: Prohibition of Books, pp. 288-289. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Fr. Benedict Boeing, O.F.M., Fr. Benevenutus Ryan, O.M.F. Imprimi Potest: Fr. Edward Blecke, O.F.M., Minister Provincialis. Nihil Obstat: Arthur J. Scanlan, S.T.D., Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York, New York, July 3, 1918.)
The Index of Prohibited Books of 1930:
What many, indeed fail to appreciate, and what, moreover non-Catholics consider a grave abuse—as they put it of the Roman Curia, is the action of the Church in hindering the printing and circulation of Holy Writ in the vernacular. Fundamentally however, this accusation is based on calumny. During the first twelve centuries Christians were highly familiar with the text of Holy Scripture, as is evident from the homilies of the Fathers and the sermons of the mediaeval preachers; nor did the ecclesiastical authorities ever intervene to prevent this. It was only in consequence of heretical abuses, introduced particularly by the Waldenses, the Albigenses, the followers of Wyclif, and by Protestants broadly speaking (who with sacrilegious mutilations of Scripture and arbitrary interpretations vainly sought to justify themselves in the eyes of the people; twisting the text of the Bible to support erroneous doctrines condemned by the whole history of the Church) that the Pontiffs and the Councils were obliged on more than one occasion to control and sometimes even forbid the use of the Bible in the vernacular.
…Those who would put the Scriptures indiscriminately into the hands of the people are the believers always in private interpretation—a fallacy both absurd in itself and pregnant with disastrous consequences. These counterfeit champions of the inspired book hold the Bible to be the sole source of Divine Revelation and cover with abuse and trite sarcasm the Catholic and Roman Church.
(Cardinal Merry del Val, “Forward;” In: Index of Prohibited Books: Revised and Published by Order of His Holiness Pope Pius XI: New Edition, [Vatican City: Vatican Polyglot Press, 1930], pp. ix-x, xi. Ecclesiastical approbation: Imprimatur: +Fr. Aug. Zampini, Ep. Porphyreonen. Vic. Gen. Civit. Vaticanae.)
Current Code of Canon Law on Vernacular Bibles (1983 A.D.):
Can. 825 — §1. Books of the Sacred Scriptures cannot be published unless they have been approved either by the Apostolic See or by the conference of bishops; for their vernacular translations to be published it is required that they likewise be approved by the same authority and also annotated with necessary and sufficient explanations.
§2. With the permission of the conference of bishops Catholic members of the Christian faithful can collaborate with separated brothers and sisters in preparing and publishing translations of the Sacred Scriptures annotated with appropriate explanations.
(Code of Canon Law: Latin English Edition, [Washington, D.C.: Canon Law Society of America, 1983], Book III. The Teaching Function Of The Church Liber Iii. De Ecclesiae Munere Docendi. Title IV. Instruments Of Social Communication And Books In Particular, Canon 825, §§. 1-2, p. 309. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: +Anthony J. Bevilacqua, J.C.D., Chairman N.C.C.B., Canonical Affairs Committee. Imprimatur: Rev. Msgr. John F. Donoghue, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Washington, Washington, DC, October 3, 1983.)
Appendix A: The reading of Scripture During the Patristic and Middle Ages.
The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge:
I. The ancient Church: It is indisputable that in Apostolic times the Old Testament was commonly read (John v, 47; Acts viii, 28; xvii, 11; II Tim. iii, 15). Roman Catholics admit that this reading was not restricted in the first centuries, in spite of its abuse by Gnostics and other heretics. On the contrary, the reading of Scripture was urged (Justin Martyr, xliv, ANF, i, 177-178; Jerome, Adv. libros Rufini, i, 9, NPNF, 2d ser., iii, 487); and Pamphilus, the friend of Eusebius, kept copies of Scripture to furnish to those who desired them. Chrysostom attached considerable importance to the reading of Scripture on the part of the laity and denounced the error that it was to be permitted only to monks and priests (De Lazaro concio, iii, MPG, xlviii, 992; Hom. ii in Matt., MPG, lvii, 30, NPNF, 2d ser., x, 13). He insisted upon access being given to the entire Bible, or at least to the New Testament (Hom. ix in Col., MPG, lxii, 361, NPNF, xiii, 301). The women also, who were always at home, were diligently to read the Bible (Hom. xxxv on Gen. xii, MPG, liii, 323). Jerome recommended the reading and studying of Scripture on the part of the women (Epist., cxxviii, 3, MPL, xxii, 1098, NPNF, 2d ser., vi, 259; Epist., lxxix, 9, MPG, xxii, 730-731, NPNF, 2d ser., vi, 167). The translations of the Bible, Augustine considered a blessed means of propagating the Word of God among the nations (De doctr. christ., ii, 5, NPNF, 1st ser., ii, 536); Gregory I recommended the reading of the Bible without placing any limitations on it (Hom. iii in Ezek., MPL, lxxvi, 968).
(Georg Rietschel, “Bible Reading by the Laity, Restrictions On,” In: The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge: Volume II, ed. Samuel Macauley Jackson, [New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1908], p. 85.)
Cf. A Catholic Dictionary:
There was a far more extensive and continuous use of Scripture in the public services of the early Church than there is among us. Usually speaking, our people only hear the Gospel and Epistle read in the Mass, with the psalms and the little chapter (scarcely more than a verse or two), usually from the Epistle, at vespers and compline on Sundays or great feasts. In the primitive Church it was very different.
(William. E. Addis, Thomas Arnold, A Catholic Dictionary, [New York: The Catholic Publication Society Co., 1884], “Lection or Lesson,” p. 509. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat. Eduardus S. Keogh, Cong. Orat., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur. Henricus Eduardus, Card. Aechiep. Westmonast. Die 18 Dec., 1883. Imprimatur. John Card. McLoskey, Archbishop of New York, Feb 14. 1884.)
The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge:
II. The Middle Ages: ...the people were anxious to have the divine service and the Scripture lessons read in the vernacular. John VIII in 880 permitted, after the reading of the Latin gospel, a translation into Slavonic; but Gregory VII, in a letter to Duke Vratislav of Bohemia in 1080 characterized the custom as unwise, bold, and forbidden (Epist., vii, 11; P. Jaffé, BRG, ii, 392 sqq.). This was a formal prohibition, not of Bible reading in general, but of divine service in the vernacular.
With the appearance, in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, of the Albigenses and Waldenses, who appealed to the Bible in all their disputes with the Church, the hierarchy was furnished with a reason for shutting up the Word of God. The Synod of Toulouse in 1229 forbade the laity to have in their possession any copy of the books of the Old and the New Testament except the Psalter and such other portions as are contained in the Breviary or the Hours of the Blessed Mary. “We most strictly forbid these works in the vulgar tongue” (Harduin, Concilia, xii, 178; Mansi, Concilia, xxiii, 194). The Synod of Tarragona (1234) ordered all vernacular versions to be brought to the bishop to be burned. James I renewed this decision of the Tarragona synod in 1276. The synod held there in 1317 under Archbishop Ximenes prohibited to Beghards, Beguines, and tertiaries of the Franciscans the possession of theological books in the vernacular (Mansi, Concilia, xxv, 627). The order of James I was renewed by later kings and confirmed by Paul II (1464-71). Ferdinand and Isabella (1474-1516) prohibited the translation of the Bible into the vernacular or the possession of such translations (F. H. Reusch, Index der verbotenen Bücher, i, Bonn, 1883, 44).
(Georg Rietschel, “Bible Reading by the Laity, Restrictions On,” In: The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge: Volume II, ed. Samuel Macauley Jackson, [New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1908], pp. 85-86.)
καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν ~ Soli Deo Gloria