From the Council of Trent, sess. 4 (April 8, 1546)
Decree concerning the canonical Scriptures
The most holy ecumenical and general Synod of Trent, legitimately assembled in the Holy Spirit, with the presidents in the same three ambassadors of the Apostolic See, constantly setting this before their eyes, so that, when errors are removed, the very purity of the Gospel may be preserved in the Church: that which was promised before through the prophets in the holy Scriptures, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, first proclaimed it with his own mouth, and then commanded it to be preached to all creatures as the source of all and saving truth and moral instruction through his apostles. : and seeing that this truth and discipline are contained in written books and unwritten traditions, which received from the mouth of Christ himself by the apostles, or by the apostles themselves dictating by the Holy Spirit, as if handed down by hands, have come down to us: following the examples of the orthodox Fathers, all the books so of the Old Testament as well as of the New Testament, since the same God is the author of both, and not only the traditions themselves, both concerning faith and manners, as if they were dictated either orally by Christ or by the Holy Spirit, and continued preserved by succession in the Catholic Church, it receives and venerates with equal piety and reverence.
But he decided that a list of sacred books should be added to this decree, so that no doubt might arise as to what they are, which are accepted by the Synod itself. They are written below:
The Old Testament: the five of Moses, that is, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; Joshua, Judges, Ruth, four Kings, two Chronicles, the first and second Esdras, which is called Nehemiah, Tobias, Judith, Esther, Job, Davidic Psalter one hundred and fifty psalms, Parables, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Isaiah, Jeremiah with Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, twelve lesser prophets, that is: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi; two of the Maccabees, the first and the second.
New Testament: four Gospels, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; The Acts of the Apostles written by Luke the Evangelist; fourteen epistles of Paul the Apostle: to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Colossians, two to the Thessalonians, two to Timothy, to Titus, to Philemon, to the Hebrews; Peter the Apostle two; John the Apostle three; James the Apostle one; Jude the Apostle together with the Apocalypse of John the Apostle.
But if anyone has not received the books themselves, complete with all their parts, as they are accustomed to read in the Catholic Church, and they are held in the old Vulgate Latin edition, as sacred and canonical, and has knowingly and prudently despised the aforesaid traditions, let him be anathema.
Decree concerning the publication and use of sacred books
Moreover, the same sacrosanct Synod, considering that it would be of no small benefit to the Church of God, if it were to identify from among all the Latin editions of the sacred books which are around, which are to be regarded as authentic: it decrees and declares that this very old and Vulgate edition, which for so many centuries it has been proven by use in the Church itself, in public lectures, debates, sermons and expositions, it is to be considered as authentic, so that no one dares to reject it under any pretext or presume
Furthermore, he decides to restrain the capriciousness of tempers, so that no one, relying on his own prudence, in matters of faith and morals pertaining to the edification of Christian doctrine, twists the sacred Scriptures to his own senses, contrary to that sense which the holy mother Church held and holds, whose right it is to judge of the true sense and by the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, or even against the unanimous consent of the Fathers, he dares to interpret the Holy Scripture itself, even though such interpretations have never been made at any time they would be brought into the light. Those who contravene it shall be declared by the Ordinary, and shall be punished with the penalties established by law.
But also desiring to impose a method in this part on the printers, who are already without a method, that is, thinking that they may do whatever they like, without the permission of the superiors of the ecclesiastics, the very books of the sacred Scriptures, and the annotations and expositions of each of them indifferently, often in silence , often also with a false press, and what is more serious, they print without the name of the author, they also have elsewhere printed books of this kind for sale at random: he decides and establishes that from now on the sacred Scriptures, and above all this very old and Vulgate edition, which is most accurately printed, and no one is permitted to print, or cause to be printed, any books on sacred matters without the name of the author, nor to sell them in the future, or even to keep them with him, unless they have first been examined and approved by the Ordinary, under penalty of anathema and fines in the canon of the last Lateran Council. And if they are regular, beyond the examination and proof of this kind, they must also obtain a license from their superiors, having the books reviewed by them, according to the form of their regulations. But those who communicate them in writing, or publish them, unless they have previously been examined and approved, shall be subject to the same penalties as the printers. And those who had them or read them, unless they betrayed the author, should be considered as the authors. But the proof of books of this kind itself is given in writings, and therefore appears authentically in the front of the book, either written or printed; and all this, that is, both the proof and the examination, should be done gratuitously, that they may be proved by being proved, and rejected by being disproved.
After this, wanting to repress that recklessness, by which the words and sentences of the sacred Scriptures are turned and twisted into profane things, namely, into scurrilous, mythical, vain, flattery, detractions, superstitions, impious and devilish incantations, divinations, lots, even famous pamphlets, he commands and enjoins , in order to remove this kind of irreverence and contempt, and that no one should in any way dare to usurp the words of the sacred Scriptures for these and the like, that all men of this kind, reckless and violators of the word of God, of law and discretion, should be punished by the bishops. (Read the whole Document)
Latin Version
Decretum de canonicis Scripturis
Sacrosancta ลcumenica et generalis Tridentina Synodus, in Spiritu Sancto legitime congregata, prรฆsidentibus in ea eisdem tribus Apostolicรฆ Sedis legatis, hoc sibi perpetuo ante oculos proponens, ut, sublatis erroribus, puritas ipsa Evangelii in Ecclesia conserveturย : quod promissum ante per prophetas in Scripturis sanctis, Dominus noster Jesus Christus, Dei Filius, proprio ore primum promulgavit, deinde per suos apostolos, tamquam fontem omnis et salutaris veritatis et morum disciplinรฆ, omni creaturรฆ prรฆdicari jussitย : perspiciensque hanc veritatem et disciplinam contineri in libris scriptis et sine scripto traditionibus, quรฆ ab ipsius Christi ore ab apostolis acceptรฆ, aut ab ipsis apostolis Spiritu Sancto dictante, quasi per manus traditรฆ, ad nos usque perveneruntย : orthodoxorum Patrum exempla secuta, omnes libros tam Veteris quam Novi Testamenti, cum utriusque unus Deus sit auctor, nec non traditiones ipsas, tum ad fidem, tum ad mores pertinentes, tamquam vel oretenus a Christo, vel a Spiritu Sancto dictatas, et continua successione in Ecclesia catholica conservatas, pari pietatis affectu ac reverentia suscipit ac veneratur.
Sacrorum vero librorum indicem huic decreto ascribendum censuit, ne cui dubitatio suboriri possit, quinam sint, qui ab ipsa Synodo suscipiuntur. Sunt vero infrascripti :
Testamenti Veterisย : quinque Moysi, id est Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numeri, Deuteronomiumย ; Josue, Judicum, Ruth, quatuor Regum, duo Paralipomenon, Esdrรฆ primus et secundus, qui dicitur Nehemias, Tobias, Judith, Esther, Job, Psalterium Davidicum centum quinquaginta psalmorum, Parabolรฆ, Ecclesiastes, Canticum Canticorum, Sapientia, Ecclesiasticus, Isaias, Jeremias cum Baruch, Ezechiel, Daniel, duodecim prophetรฆ minores, id estย : Osee, Joรซl, Amos, Abdias, Jonas, Michรฆas, Nahum, Habacuc, Sophonias, Aggรฆus, Zacharias, Malachiasย ; duo Machabรฆorum, primus et secundus.
Testamenti Noviย : quatuor Evangelia, secundum Matthรฆum, Marcum, Lucam, Joannemย ; Actus Apostolorum a Luca Evangelista conscriptiย ; quatuordecim epistolรฆ Pauli Apostoliย : ad Romanos, duรฆ ad Corinthios, ad Galatas, ad Ephesios, ad Philippenses, ad Colossenses, duรฆ ad Thessalonicenses, duรฆ ad Timotheum, ad Titum, ad Philemonem, ad Hebrรฆosย ; Petri Apostoli duรฆย ; Joannis Apostoli tresย ; Jacobi Apostoli unaย ; Judรฆ Apostoli una et Apocalypsis Joannis Apostoli.
Si quis autem libros ipsos integros cum omnibus suis partibus, prout in Ecclesia catholica legi consueverunt, et in veteri Vulgata latina editione habentur, pro sacris et canonicis non susceperit, et traditiones prรฆdictas sciens et prudens contempserit, anathema sit.
Decretum de editione et usu sacrorum librorum
Insuper eadem sacrosancta Synodus, considerans non parum utilitatis accedere posse Ecclesiรฆ Dei, si ex omnibus latinis editionibus, quรฆ circumferuntur sacrorum librorum, quรฆ nam pro authentica habenda sit, innotescat : statuit et declarat, ut hรฆc ipsa vetus et Vulgata editio, quรฆ longo tot sรฆculorum usu in ipsa Ecclesia probata est, in publicis lectionibus, disputationibus, prรฆdicationibus et expositionibus pro authentica habeatur, ut nemo illam rejicere quovis prรฆtextu audeat vel prรฆsumat.
Prรฆterea ad coรซrcenda petulantia ingenia decernit, ut nemo, suรฆ prudentiรฆ innixus, in rebus fidei et morum ad รฆdificationem doctrinรฆ christianรฆ pertinentium, sacram Scripturam ad suos sensus contorquens, contra eum sensum, quem tenuit et tenet sancta mater Ecclesia, cujus est judicare de vero sensu et interpretatione Scripturarum sanctarum, aut etiam contra unanimen consensum Patrum, ipsam Scripturam sacram interpretari audeat, etiamsi hujusmodi interpretationes nullo umquam tempore in lucem edendรฆ forent. Qui contravenerint, per Ordinarios declarentur, et pลnis a jure statutis puniantur.
Sed et impressoribus modum in hac parte, ut par est, imponere volens, qui jam sine modo, hoc est putantes sibi licere, quidquid libet, sine licentia superiorum ecclesiasticorum, ipsos sacrรฆ Scripturรฆ libros, et super illis annotationes et expositiones quorumlibet indifferenter, sรฆpe tacito, sรฆpe etiam ementito prelo, et quod gravius est, sine nomine auctoris imprimunt, alibi etiam impressos libros hujusmodi temere venales habent : decernit et statuit, ut posthac sacra Scriptura, potissimum vero hรฆc ipsa vetus et Vulgata editio, quam emendatissime imprimatur, nullique liceat imprimere, vel imprimi facere, quosvis libros de rebus sacris sine nomine auctoris, neque illos in futurum vendere, aut etiam apud se retinere, nisi primum examinati probatique fuerint ab Ordinario, sub pลna anathematis et pecuniรฆ in canone Concilii novissimi Lateranensis apposita. Et si regulares fuerint, ultra examinationem et probationem hujusmodi, licentiam quoque a suis superioribus impetrare teneantur, recognitis per eos libris, juxta formam suarum ordinationum. Qui autem scripto eos communicant, vel evulgant, nisi antea examinati probatique fuerint, eisdem pลnis subjaceant, quibus impressores. Et qui eos habuerint vel legerint, nisi prodiderint auctorem, pro auctoribus habeantur. Ipsa vero hujusmodi librorum probatio in scriptis detur, atque ideo in fronte libri vel scripti vel impressi authentice appareat ; idque totum, hoc est, et probatio et examen, gratis fiat, ut probanda probentur et reprobentur improbanda.
Post hรฆc temeritatem illam reprimere volens, qua ad profana quรฆque convertuntur et torquentur verba et sententiรฆ sacrรฆ Scripturรฆ, ad scurrilia scilicet, fabulosa, vana, adulationes, detractiones, superstitiones, impias et diabolicas incantationes, divinationes, sortes, libellos etiam famosos, mandat et prรฆcipit, ad tollendam hujusmodi irreverentiam et contemptum, et ne de cetero quisquam quomodolibet verba Scripturรฆ sacrรฆ ad hรฆc et similia audeat usurpare, ut omnes hujus generis homines, temeratores et violatores verbi Dei, juris et arbitrii pลnis per Episcopos coรซrceantur.
