INDEX (more fully IxnEx LIRRORUM PRO. . A catalogue published by Papal authority in the Roman Catholic Church of books the reading of which is prohibited to members of that Church, whether on doctrinal, moral, or religious grounds. A natural consequence of the claim of the Church to authority in matters of religion is the right or the duty of watching over the faith of its members. and of guarding it ngainst every danger of corruption front books believed to be injurious to faith or to morality. The earliest recorded exercise of this restrictive authority is the prohibition of the Thalia of Arius; and a council of Carthage, in the year 39s, issued. even for bishops. a similar tion of Gentile books, although it permitted to them the reading of the works of heretics. The earliest example of a prohibitory catalogue is found in the decree of a council held at Rome (491), under Pope Gelnsius, which, having merated the canonical books of Scripture and other approved works, recites also the apocryphal books, together with a long list of heretical thors. whose writings it prohibits. The Nal popes and councils pursued the same course as to the heterodox or dangerous writings of their respective periods, and the multiplication of such books after the invention of printing led to a more stringent as well as more systematic procedure. henry VIII. of England published a list of prohibited b-oks in 1526. and a larger one (containing 85 titles) in 1529, in which year Charles V. published for the Netherlands his most noteworthy edict against dangerous ing, with a long list, which was included in that issued by the university press of Louvain in 1546, and again in 1550. Similar lists appeared by authority at Venice. Paris, and Cologne, and Paul IV. issued in 1557 and 1559 what may be regarded as properly the first Boman Index. One of the gravest undertakings of the Council of Trent was a complete and authoritative tion of all those books the use of which it was expedient to prohibit to the faithful. A tee was appointed for the purpose and had made great progress in the work: but it was found possible to bring the examination of the hooks to an end before the close of the council. and all the papers of the committee were handed over by the council to the Pope. When the work was pleted. the result, known as the Tridentine Index, was issued with the bull Doniinici Grryis todiain, by Pius IV. in 156t. From this time the burning of dangerous books fell into disuse, and the Church contented herself with warning her children against their use, under penalty of purely ecclesiastical censure. Further additions
and certain modifications of the rules of this Index were made by Sixtus V., Clement VIII., Alexander VII., and Benedictine XIV. It was republished in 1595, and, with the addition of such books as from time to time it was deemed expedient to prohibit, in several subsequent edi tions, the must remarkable of which are those of Brasichelli ( Rome, 1607) ; Quiroga, Index Libro rani Expurgandorarn (Salamanca, 1601); and Sotoniayor, No•issinius Index (Madrid, In the intervals between the editions, the decrees which make further additions to the Index are published at Rome and (imitated in the Carious count ries. The iatest edition of the ',bx is by Leo XIII. (Turin, 1895).
The prohibitions of the Roman Index are of two classes, either and total, or partial and provisional. until the books shall have been corrected. The edition of Quiroga, ni•ntioned abine, gives a list of the latter class. known as Index Expurgatorius. The ground of the prohibi tion may be either the authorship of the work. or its subject, or both together. Under the first head are prohibited all the writings of her, si or-ells—i.e. the first founders of beresies—no mat• ter what may be the subject. Littler the second head are prohibited all books confessedly im moral, and all books on magic, necromancy, ete. Under the third are prohibited all hooks of heretical authorship treating on doctrinal sub jeets: all versions of the Bible by heretical au thors: and all books, no matter by whom written, which contain statements, doctrines, or iun-; prejudicial to the Catholic religion. The preparation of the Index, in the first instance, was committed to the care of the Congregation of the Inquisition in Bottle; but a special Con gregation of the Index was established by Pins V., and more fully organized by Sixtus V. This congregation consists of a prefect (who is always a cardinal). of consulters, and of examiners of books (qualificatorcs). Its proceedings are gov erned by rules which have been authoritatively laid down by several popes. especially by Bene dict. XIV., in a constitution issued July 10, 1753, which is the best and most authentic exposition of a subject on which much misconception exists. The edition of the fife.r. by Brasichelli was re printed. with an English preface, by Richard Gibbing.: (Dublin, 1837). By far the most elab orate study of its contents is by F. IL lleusch, Der Index der 1.ft-bah-nen Bucher (2 vols.. Bonn, 1883-85). The same author also reprinted all accessible indices of the sixteenth century in the Mbliothck des Stuttgarter littcrarischen Vcreins, vol. •lxxvi. (Stuttgart, 1s86),