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
SECOND EDITION
ST. LOUIS, MO., 1909
Published by B. Herder
17 South Broadway
FREIBURG (BADEN) | LONDON AND EDINBURGH
B. HERDER | SANDS AND CO.
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.
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.
—_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.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Section I.—Commentary.
1. The Index 1
2. The Power of the Church 4
3. Book Prohibitions Antedating the Roman Index 7
4. The Roman Index 11
5. Books Forbidden by General or Particular Decrees 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 Permitted to Defend His Book 35
b. The Index does not Advertise Bad Books 37
c. Index Decisions not Omitted for Fear of Apostasies 39
d. The “Good Catholic” 41
e. A Mortal Sin 43
f. The Galileo Case 44
g. Non-Catholic Book-Laws 46
h. Some Examples of Submission to the Index 48