The Roman Index of Forbidden Books / Briefly Explained for Catholic Booklovers and Students

by Francis S. Betten

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[
]The Roman Index of
Forbidden Books

BRIEFLY EXPLAINED FOR CATHOLIC
BOOKLOVERS AND STUDENTS

BY
FRANCIS S. BETTEN, S.J.

WITH A SUMMARY OF THE INDEX

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SECOND EDITION

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ST. LOUIS, MO., 1909
Published by B. Herder
17 South Broadway

FREIBURG (BADEN)
B. HERDER

LONDON AND EDINBURGH
SANDS AND CO.

[ii]
]NIHIL OBSTAT.
St. Louis, die 1. Nov., 1908.

R.J. Meyer, S.J.
Praep. Pror. Missour

NIHIL OBSTAT.
St. Louis, 17 Nov., 1908.

F.G. Holweck.
Censor Librorum.

IMPRIMATUR.
St. Louis, 17 Nov., 1908.

O.J.S. Hoog, V.G.

Copyright, 1909, by Joseph Gummersbach.

—BECKTOLD—
PRINTING AND BOOK MFG. CO.
ST. LOUIS, MO.

[iii]
]NOTE

This short treatise was written for the benefit of those who cannot devote much time to the study of the Index. It appeared first in the “Catholic Union and Times,” Buffalo, N. Y., and was reprinted in the “Catholic Mind” series, Fordham University Press, New York, as numbers 23 and 24 of 1907.

Those who wish to make a deeper study of the subject are referred to the following books:

• Rev. Timothy Hurley.—A Commentary on the Present Index Legislation. Dublin, Brown and Nolan. New York, Benziger Bros. $1.35.
• Rev. Arthur Vermeersch, S.J.—De prohibitione et censura librorum. $0.85.
• Rev. Jos. Hilgers, S.J.—Der Index der verbotenen Bücher. St. Louis, Herder. $3.25.
• [iv]
  ]—Die Bücherverbote in Papstbriefen. St. Louis, Herder. $0.95.
• Rev. Jos. Hilgers, S.J.—The Roman Index and its Last Historian. A Critical Review of “The Censorship of the Church of Rome” by George Haven Putnam. Techny, Ill. Society of the Divine Word. 10 cents.

There is also a long article on “Censorship,” written by Rev. J. Hilgers, S.J., in vol. III of the Catholic Encyclopedia.

An English translation of the Constitution “Officiorum ac munerum” is contained in The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII, with Preface by Rev. John J. Wynne, S.J. New York, Benziger Bros. $2.25.

[v]
]CONTENTS

PAGE
Section I.—Commentary.
1.	[The Index]		[1]
2.	[The Power of the Church]		[4]
3.	[Book Prohibitions Antedating theRoman Index]		[7]
4.	[The Roman Index]		[11]
5.	[Books Forbidden by General or ParticularDecrees]		[13]
6.	[Duties Imposed by Law and by Nature]		[18]
7.	[Who Puts Books on the Index?]		[24]
8.	[The Method of Examination]		[28]
9.	[The Spirit of the Index Congregation]		[33]
10.	[Further Explanations]		[35]
	a.	[Why an Author is not Permittedto Defend His Book]	[35]
	b.	[The Index does not AdvertiseBad Books]	[37]
	c.	[Index Decisions not Omitted forFear of Apostasies]	[39]
	d.	[The “Good Catholic”]	[41]
	e.	[A Mortal Sin]	[43]
	[vi] ]f.	[The Galileo Case]	[44]
	g.	[Non-Catholic Book-Laws]	[46]
	h.	[Some Examples of Submission tothe Index]	[48]
Section II.—A Summary of the Index.
1.	[Our Duties in Relation to ForbiddenBooks]		[51]
2.	[Forbidden Books]		[53]
	a.	[Books Forbidden by General Decrees]	[54]
	b.	[Books Forbidden by ParticularDecrees]	[57]

[1]
]SECTION I
COMMENTARY