Folio 432

Leo XII, 1823-1829

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elders, as he said: "We speak wisdom . . . among the perfect" [I Cor. 2:6]; "for I judged not myself to know anything among you, but Jesus Christ and Him Crucified" [I Cor. 2:2]. For so great is the depth of Divine Scripture that not only the simple and the unlettered, but even the learned and prudent are not fully able to explore the understanding of it. Therefore, Scripture says that many "searching have failed in their search" [Ps. 63:7].

1606. "So it was rightly stated of old in the divine law, that even the beast which touched the mountain should be stoned" [Heb. 12:20; Exod. 19:12], lest, indeed, any simple and ignorant person should presume to reach the sublimity of Sacred Scripture, or to preach it to others. For it is written: Seek not the things that are too high for thee [Ecclus. 3:22]. Therefore, the Apostle warns "not to be more wise than it behooveth to be wise, but to be wise unto sobriety" [Rom. 12:3]. But, noteworthy are the Constitutions, not only of Innocent III, just mentioned, but also of Pius IV,1 Clement VIII,2 and Benedict XIV3 in which the precaution was laid down that, if Scripture should be easily open to all, it would perhaps become cheapened and be exposed to contempt, or, if poorly understood by the mediocre, would lead to error. But, what the mind of the Church is in regard to the reading and interpretation of Scripture, your fraternity may know very clearly from the excellent Constitution of another of Our predecessors, CLEMENT XI, "Unigenitus," in which those doctrines were thoroughly condemned in which it was asserted that it is useful and necessary to every age, to every place, to every type of person to know the mysteries of Sacred Scripture, the reading of which was to be open to all, and that it was harmful to withdraw Christian people from it, nay more, that the mouth of Christ was closed for the faithful when the New Testament was snatched from their hands [Propositions of Quesnel 79-85; n. 1429-1435].

LEO XII 1823-1829

The Versions of Sacred Scripture4

[From the Encyclical "Ubi primum," May 5, 1824]

1607. . . . The wickedness of our enemies is progressing to such a degree that, besides the flood of pernicious books hostile in themselves to

  1. The Letter, "Dominici gregis," March 24, 1564 [MBR (L) 2, 116 f.; Hrd X 205 A], in which are approved "Ten Rules about Prohibited Books" [Hrd X 207 ff. (Third and Fourth Rules about the Versions of Sacred Scripture)]. ↩

  2. The Letter, "Sacrosanctum catholicae fidei," where the rules of the Index of PIUS IV are confirmed (Oct. 17, 1595) [MBR (L) 3, 56 f.]. ↩

  3. The Constitution, "Sollicita ac provida," July 9, 1753 [MBR (L) 19, 59 ff.]. ↩

  4. BRC 16, 47 b f.; ASS 9 (ed. 1, 1876, ed. 2, 1885) 591 f.  ↩