Chapter 70 The Vatican's Index of Prohibited Books

The Vatican's Index of Prohibited Books In the history of banned books in Europe in the Middle Ages, there is an extremely important document, that is, when the "Religious Inquisition" In the era of the most powerful power, the "Index of Prohibited Books" promulgated by Pope Clement VIII of the Vatican in Rome Librarum Prohibitrum).The publication of this list of banned books, although from a religious standpoint, It is to prevent the spread of heresy, but in fact it is equivalent to the control of the freedom of the press of general thought and speech. The "Religious Inquisition" power originated in Spain and spread to Italy in the 13th century.

Venice stood its ground.This dark religious spy organization has power beyond the political power at that time Special powers to use all kinds of torture and terror to kill Jews and non-Catholics everywhere pagan.In the sixteenth century, they went a step further, and also used the The terror policy of the "Inquisition".Originally, in Spain, which suffered the worst disaster from the "Inquisition", Only ordinary people suffered, but once it spread to Italy, because of the "Renaissance" movement, it has sprouted. Bud, Italy at that time was the cradle of new European thoughts and new civilizations, so the culture suffered a lot.

Great harm. Pope Clement's VIII-century Index of Prohibited Books, published in 1596.John Aden Don Simmondes said in his "History of the Italian Renaissance" that Venice at that time was the Since the promulgation of the list of banned books, according to the official report at the time, only a few months In a short period of time, the number of publishers in Venice dropped from one hundred and twenty-five to forty.printer pair Because new and old books are not dared to print, so the publishing industry has also shrunk because there are no books to publish.what Venice suffered

The impact is like this, and other Italian cities can be imagined.Simmondes says that in the early seventeenth century many The works of Italian genius had to take refuge in Paris to find their publisher. Originally, in the dark ages of the Middle Ages, for all works considered to be "heretical", to In the past, they were burned at will.Bishops, colleges, and judges of the Inquisition, have this privilege.In the era when printing had not yet been invented and books were still copied from manuscripts, the burning of a manuscript It is tantamount to the end of the life of this work.Sometimes entire libraries were destroyed under such charges.

For example, Torka Mada, the president of the famous "Religious Inquisition" in history, used the charge of "witchcraft" to In 1490, in Salamanga, Spain, a library containing 6,000 volumes was burned down.but Since the typography invented by Gothenburg in the middle of the fifteenth century, books have been printed and burned The effectiveness of the policy will be reduced a lot.At the same time, Protestant and pagan writings also benefited from this new invention. Get a lot of convenience.So Pope Sixtus IV for the first time made a publishing control decree, and those who did not teach

Books that are not licensed by the society authorities are not allowed to be published.In 1501, Pope Alexander VI This measure was recognized by edict, and bishops and "inquisitions" were appointed to carry out the inspection of books. The first such thing as a catalog of forbidden books was ordered by Charles IV in 1546 to the University of Leuven Compiled, this is entirely for the convenience of carrying out the inspection work, so that according to this list, what Which books should be banned entirely, and which books should be partially abridged.In 1551, the Spanish "Zong

The Headquarters of the "Teacher" has expanded based on this bibliography, adding some Spanish texts drawn up by themselves. and Latin works, and a new batch of bibliographies has been published. These bibliographies were later officially published for the first time in 1564 by Pope Pius IV. It became the basis of the famous "Index of Prohibited Books" compiled by Clement VIII. In the catalog published by Paul IV in 1559, sixty-one publishers were punished. All their publications, not a single one left, were banned; moreover, anyone who ever published a volume of heretical works

Any publications published by him in the future shall be similarly prohibited.Sharby said Good: "There is not a single book left to read!" The most exhaustive Index of Forbidden Books published by Clement VIII in 1596, except for the bibliography In addition, some regulations on banned books were announced.These regulations, and many so-called democratic and free countries today The regulations on reviewing books and newspapers are not inferior in comparison.It can also be said that many inspectors today, Their views were no more enlightened than those of the "Inquisition" judges of the Dark Ages of the Middle Ages.

These regulations are completely against the religious reformers and Protestants such as Martin Road, Zhiwen Gekan, and Calvin. of the writings of the disciples.As early as 1539, Charles V clearly stipulated that within his jurisdiction, all private Anyone who hid or read Luther's writings was punished with death.Now on this catalog to reiterate such a prohibition, strictly Warn all religious organizations, as well as colleges and private persons, whoever possesses or reads such books, whether priests Or ordinary people, regardless of their status, are likely to be accused of heresy by the "Inquisition".books

Merchants, publishers, merchants in general, and tax collectors, are especially warned that if they Covering up or smuggling such books will be punished equally severely. The first item of the regulations stipulates that all works that have been designated as Protestant heresies, such as Luther, Zhiwen Gurley and others, whether in the original or in translation, are absolutely and unreservedly prohibited.second section It is stipulated that, in addition to the published scriptures of the Bible, other individual translations, regardless of chapter or chapter Sentences must be approved by the bishop before they can be used for academic research, but they are not allowed to be used at any time.

The translation is regarded as the official scripture. Regarding dictionaries and dictionaries compiled by pagans, they must also be abridged and revised by reviewers. This prohibition also applies to discussions of Catholic and Protestant texts.Second, where Works that are obscene and obscene are also strictly prohibited, but for some classic classics, because The value of the article can be tolerated, but it must not be read to young people; other articles about alchemy, alchemy, Works of magic, witchcraft, prophecy, psychic arts, etc., are all prohibited.But about farming, sailing, Books on medicine, etc., if they are practical for human beings, can be exceptions. The above are within the scope of absolute prohibition, as for other general works, if the content involves Those with heresy or superstitious tendencies must be examined by Catholic theological experts appointed by the "Inquisition". The scope of review includes the main text, preface and postscript, as well as notes and citations.All books printed in Rome must It is submitted to the pope's representative for review in advance, and in other provinces, the bishops of the dioceses, together with the "inquisition" The judge is in charge.Books had to be censored before they were printed, and printing without censorship was illegal. The executors of the "Inquisition" patrol the printing houses and bookstores at any time in order to search and destroy such illegal books.Booksellers entering abroad, heirs with books in their inheritance, private bibliophiles, editors People and general booksellers are also governed by this law, and must have bibliographies at all times and be allowed to sell, Documents for transportation, storage, and safekeeping of these books. The deletion and modification of the contents of the books are presided over by bishops and "inquisition" judges.he They appointed three reviewers to review the content of each book and decide on necessary revisions or deletions.According to inspector's The report, after the bishop and the "inquisition" judges have deemed it satisfactory, will then be published license.According to the law, reviewers should pay attention not only to the text, but also to notes, eyebrows, summaries, Prefaces, dedications, and indexes are carefully purged to prevent poisonous thoughts from lurking in them. Anyone who tends to sympathize with heresy, doubts any laws and etiquette of the archbishop, and writes strangely, makes a new sentence Strange, distorting scriptures, intercepting classic words out of context for improper interpretation, promoting superstition and witchcraft, Discuss fate and future events, mock religious ceremonies and the personal dignity of priests, oppose established laws, or Obscene wording and obscene pictures, all of these must be deleted or modified, otherwise publication is prohibited. The law also stipulates that the author's real name and his nationality must be printed on the first page of the book.like If this work has good reasons and must be published anonymously, it must be printed on the first page. The name of the reviewer who published.Publishers must strictly pay attention to the fact that the typesetting text is completely consistent with the approved The originals match, and attention should be paid to whether all relevant procedures have been completed.Instructions of the Prosecutor, Bishop and The license of the Inquisition judges must be printed on the front page of every book.For this matter the publisher, Sworn before a bishop or "inquisition" judge, willing to obey all the rules of the "Forbidden Books Index" law. What's more, any work of a writer who has been banned can be published after deletion and revision. However, under the author's name on the first page, the prohibition about his past must still be noted, so as to indicate that only this work It can be published after correction, and the author himself is still an illegal author.They made one like this An example of: "Library Science, by Konrat Gisnel, who was punished for his inappropriate thinking, before this book It was banned at the time of publication, but now it has been deleted and revised and approved for publication by the authorities. " The censorship regulations attached to the Index of Prohibited Books are so strict and cumbersome, coupled with the fact that the appointed prosecutors Readers are all stubborn or simply ignorant people, I don't know how to get a publishing license After some difficulty, many orthodox writers who are considered legitimate, their works have to After infinite delays, let alone other problematic authors or writings that need to be deleted and revised.According to Simon Des said that at that time, a Catholic priest who lived there wrote a letter to Cardinal Searle, saying that there was a The published works have been inspected three times, first in Rome, then in Venice, and finally Then it was sent to Rome again, and had already obtained the pope's permission, but the license for reprinting has never been issued. Down. These inspectors are all voluntary, the work is cumbersome, and the responsibility is heavy, and some of them are appointed Not suitable for this job at all.Therefore, some people in the church itself expressed dissatisfaction, such as Philip II's imperial court. The priest Bartolomeo ter Valferti expressed dissatisfaction with the situation in a private letter: "Unfamiliar with literature, they prohibit everything they do not understand as a duty Methods.With no knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, and a prejudiced hostility to all writers If they don't like it, they take the simple method of prohibiting everything that they are not able to judge.This In the same way, the writings of many sages, and the commentaries of the Jews, which are useful to the holy religion, are thus forbidden up. " Some abstruse technical works, after deletion and modification, become illogical or full of vulgar words, caused these writers to refuse to have their manuscripts published, or to have their names withdrawn from the books, or to recognized as his own work.These writers originally supported the Vatican, and they did not object to the Citation" and the review system, but the confusion of the reviewers and the methods they used finally prevented them from I have to protest. Under this system, a new and sad thing has appeared, that is, some ignorant prosecutors Readers and priests who do not abide by the rules often take the opportunity of the review to blackmail or inform the writers. Needless to say, writers who are generally not approved by the Holy See are some famous Catholic writers who are influenced by the Vatican. What Tigang specially protects and subsidizes is also often obstructed secretly.Simondes in "Italian Literature and Art" History of the Revival, discussing the persecution of the Italian literary movement by the "Inquisition" and book censorship, citing A letter written by the famous writer Ladini from Rome to Maes was used.The letter said: "Haven't you heard of this crisis that threatens the existence of books? What are you dreaming of? Woolen cloth?Are you planning to write new books today when all published books are banned?here, by In my opinion, in the last few years, no one has dared to write anything except for business or for distant places. outside of friends.A batch of bibliographies have been announced, and no one is allowed to collect these books, otherwise they will be punished. Possibility of delisting.There are so many of them that there is very little left to show us , especially those published in Germany.It will probably also stop the production of books in your place, and make the editors Raise your vigilance.My good friend, please sit down and look at your bookcase, but don't open the door, and beware This sound will provoke the poison of the forbidden fruit of wisdom to shoot at you. " Another evil effect of such a strict ban on all books was that some religious scholars at that time simply Unable to continue research work, pagan works are difficult to obtain, and collecting such works is sometimes in danger of accidents. risk.But without the writings of these men, especially those of Erasmus et al., biblical studies would not be possible at all. Cannot proceed.The colleges have endeavored to demand, at a minimum, that the worthy and unobtrusive writings of the heathen Works should also be approved for publication after revision.But such redactions, including corrections of their arguments, Cut out the author's name, smear out the approval of the heretics, replace the quoted words, so that from the beginning to the end It will take a lot of time to remodel the tail, so this requirement cannot be met. Rigorous searches at border checkpoints made it impossible for foreign publications to be imported.At the same time, for the "inquisition" Most businessmen dare not smuggle books with their hands tied.It is said that the Protestant publications at that time were originally Smuggled through the Alps in cotton bales or other cargo.In Salby's correspondence, He once warned his friends not to smuggle such books among the goods, thinking that they would be taxed Close is detected. Public libraries are subject to searches from time to time, and private collections are not immune.To this day, there are many Ancient books handed down from the Renaissance, some of which were painted over with ink, and some of which were not used The transparent paper sticks to it, all of which are the political achievements left by the inspectors of the "Religious Inquisition".come by chance You may be accused of being a private book collector when a visitor leaves your residence. And a family with a bookcase must submit a bibliography to the "Religious Inquisition" stating all the books in the cabinet. Have.Bookstores and bookstores are also ready to be inspected.Simmondes said that there is still a man of his time in Rome Letter to Cardinal Selritus, reporting that he had seen a copy of the forbidden book, requiring him to perform his duties and prohibiting him. The funny thing is that after the death of the cardinal, his collection of books was publicly auctioned. By prying eyes, it was found that among the Greek and Latin books in manuscripts and printed copies, thirty-nine kinds were found in the Famous on the Index of Forbidden Books.Well-meaning people explained that the Bishop kept the books for the convenience of for review. The regulations appended to the Index of Prohibited Books, although they also include prohibitions on obscene books, In practice, however, the implementation of this regulation is limited.First, there were many satirical State-of-the-art works are condoned under the cover of literature and art, and secondly, the attention of the Holy See is to bishops, priests, etc. I don't pay much attention to the mockery of people's private virtues, the description of the aristocratic palace and the filth of ordinary people. There are many obscene novels in which the characters described in them, such as obscene monks and nuns, are changed by monks and nuns. For ordinary businessmen and women, they can still pass.The most widely circulated Boccaccio at that time Full of mockery of the private virtues of monks, although banned, it was published by Gregory in 1573. It was deleted and revised by the imperial decree of Li XIII.It was approved for publication by the Inquisition.Boccaccio's after deletion , in which words sympathetic to the new teachings were deleted, words mocking monks and priests, and The titles of saints involved, such as the metaphor of the devil's hell, are gone; all the "bad people" in the book, Everything related to the church has been changed to general business students and so on.This book went through several times later censored, but the obscene parts irrelevant to religion are always preserved, and only those related to religion are noted Partial only. All these efforts of the Vatican, the promulgation of the Index of Prohibited Books and the Regulations on Review, are aimed at maintaining the The absolute dominance of the body is not only in power, but also in thought, and the second new force is not allowed to invade enter.In order to deal with the Reformation, they launched the "abnormal reformation movement".step up destruction new The writings of Christianity and paganism were intended to stop the free voice of the Renaissance movement at that time.because only the Only by hindering the growth of new teachings can we protect the conservative old teachings and consolidate our superior position. Only then can the "counter-reform movement" win.In support of this policy, they fought against revival sports.Supporting this policy is not only the huge political forces under the control of the "religious inquisition", but also the There are the feudal forces of the small princes everywhere, because they also feel that the emerging revival movement is a threat to them. threat. Independent views were severely ostracized in colleges and academic forums.new educational methods and Textbooks were also banned.Only classical works recognized on the Index of Prohibited Books may be used in the pulpit use.The Greek classics were forbidden to be taught, and even Plato was not allowed to study. With the work of academic research so entangled in religion, it is natural for students to have no idea of ​​the subjects they study. I don't pay attention to it anymore.A professor in Rome said that while he was lecturing, his students were running around the classroom walk around.Sometimes they doze off again.The professor said humorously that he has no objection to them sleeping, As long as they don't snore, it's a pity they can't even do that.He said he had long since quit his job The place is regarded as a school.He thought he was just a donkey going to the mill. In terms of political thought, the Vatican also does not allow the existence of theories that ignore the supremacy of religion, for example It is said that the works of Machiafelli, who advocated "hegemony", had already been listed in the "Social Sciences" published in 1559. In "Introduction", in 1610, a citizen of Northern Saxony was found to have his works in his collection. This was tortured by the "Inquisition", and the Vatican later wanted to release the abridged Machiafelli's work. He published it anonymously, but his descendants wisely refused. The "Index of Prohibited Books" published in the sixteenth century is divided into two volumes, one volume is the title of the banned books, and the other volume It is the title of the book that should be deleted or amended, and the part that should be deleted or amended is indicated.For the continuous increase of new books, This index has been repeatedly revised and expanded. According to Durbeffili in "The Spanish Inquisition", Six editions were published from 1612 to 1790, and the last edition was all banned titles, none There are those writings that need to be abridged.