A TIME WHEN THE BIBLE WAS BANNED AND BURNED!

- By The Apostate Christian Church

Many people are unaware of the fact that there was a long period of time, when the Church ofChristendom - forbid the reading of the Bible.

Not only did she forbid the reading of the Bible,but she also forbid having posession of a Biblein one's own home.

These were called the "Dark Ages" for obvious reasons.  The Apostate Church of Christendom wasat the peak of her power, and was afraid that ifher subjects owned and read Bibles, that they mightquestion some of the Church's actions and teachings.

"During the Dark Ages (A.D. 500-1500),  Rome burned Bibles along with their owners."-The Baptist PillarCANADA'S ONLY TRUE BAPTIST PAPER  Published by Bible Baptist Church

This was a time, when not only was the Bible banned,but literacy in general was prohibited and frownedupon.  Very few people during this time knew how toread or write.  Again, the Apostate Church wasdetermined that the less knowledge that people had,the more easy it would be to rule them. 

"Only ten percent of people in the Roman Empire could read...and those were generally in the wealthy upper classes." -River of God, Gregory J. Riley, pp. 66

The Church admits this in her own Laws :

"Canon 14. We prohibit also that the laity should not be permitted to have the books of the Old or New Testament; we most strictly forbid their having any translation of these books."- The Church Council of Toulouse 1229 ADSource: Heresy and Authority in Medieval Europe,Scolar Press, London, Englandcopyright 1980 by Edward Peters,ISBN 0-85967-621-8, pp. 194-195

The Council of Tarragona of 1234, in its second canon, ruled that:

"No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments, and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days, so that they may be burned..."- The Church Council of Tarragona 1234 AD; 2nd Cannon - Source : D. Lortsch, Historie de la Bible en France, 1910, p.14.

"Opened on Thursday alongside the Inquisitionarchives was the infamous Index of Forbidden Books, which Roman Catholics were forbidden to read or possess on pain of excommunication. They showed that even "the Bible" was once on the blacklist. Translations of the holy book ended up on the bonfires along with other ``heretical'' works...The Indexof Forbidden Books and all excommunications relating to it were officially abolished in 1966. The Inquisitionitself was established by Pope Gregory IX in 1233...."-Vatican archives reveal Bible was once banned book    By Jude WebberROME, Jan 22, 1998 (Reuters)

"Canon 14.   We prohibit also that the laity should bepermitted to have the books of the Old or New Testament; ...we most strictly forbid their having any translation of these books."

- ITEM #2   COUNCIL OF TOULOUSE - 1229 A.D.   Heresy and Authority in Medieval Europe,  Edited with an introduction by Edward Peters,     Scolar Press, London, copyright 1980   by Edward Peters, ISBN 0-85967-621-8, pp. 194-195--After the death of Innocent III, the Synod of Toulouse directed in 1229 its fourteenth canon against the misuse of Sacred Scripture on the part of the athari: "prohibemus, ne libros Veteris et Novi Testamenti     laicis permittatur habere"  (Hefele, "Concilgesch", Freiburg, 1863, V, 875).

- ITEM #3   THE COUNCIL OF TARRAGONA - 1234 A.D.The Council of Tarragona of 1234, in its second canon, ruled that:"No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments in the Romance language, and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the localbishop within eight days after promulgation of this decree, so that they may be burned...."- D. Lortsch, Historie de la Bible en France, 1910, p.14.

ITEM #6  THE BIBLE PROHIBITED BY THE INDEX LIBRORUM PROHIBITORUM

Pope Pius IV had a list of the forbidden books compiledand officially prohibited them in the Index of Trent (Index

Librorum Prohibitorum) of 1559. This is an excerpt :

"Whoever reads or has such a translation in his possession... cannot be absolved from his sins until he has turned in these Bibles...Books in thevernacular dealing with the controversies betweenCatholics and the heretics of our time are not to be generally permitted, but are to be handled in the same way as Bible translations..."- Rule IV & Rule VI  Die Indices Librorum Prohibitorum des sechzehnten  Jahrhunderts (Tübingen, 1886), page 246f.Source: The Reformation, by Hans J. Hillerbrand, copyright 1964 by SCM Press Ltd and Harper and Row,Inc., Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 64-15480,     pages 474, 475.

History's Most Indestructable Book

Many dictators have attempted to wipe the Bible from existence. Yet it has withstood all these attacks, remaining the most popular book in the world. More copies of the Bible are sold every yearthan any other book, despite its image as being "out of date."

Christendom Becomes - An Enemy of the bible

Christendom - as a political power

Unfortunately, this ultimately led to persecution again as the church quickly became a powerful political force, used to control public opinion and political ambitions.

The Bible continued to be attacked, now from within the church. Bibles in common languages such as Greek were outlawed. The Latin Vulgate Bible was produced and carefully controlled, readable only by specially trained representatives of the church. Laws were issued making it illegal for any Christian to possess a Bible. Penalties included burning at the stake. During the Dark Ages even priests were unable to read the Scriptures for themselves. As a result, they were unable to compare the false doctrines sweeping through theRoman church against the doctrines of the Word of God. In Italy, it was still illegal to own a Bible until 1870!

Political ambitions led to such crimes as the Crusader Wars, purported to be in the name of Christ but having no relationship with any Christian doctrine. Christianity was primarily an excuse used to give them credibility. Since the people had no Bibles to check such things for themselves, they were at the mercy of the corrupt religiious leaders behind these efforts.

"The Roman Catholic Church has traditionally suppressed, opposed, and forbidden the open use of the Bible. It was first officially forbidden to the people and placed on the index of Forbidden Books List by the Council of Valencia in 1229 A.D. The Council of Trent (1545-63 A.D.) also prohibited its use and pronounced a curse upon anyone who would dare oppose this decree. Many popes have issued decrees forbidding Bible reading in the common language of the people, condemning Bible societies and banning its possession and translation under penalty of mortal sin and death. The Roman Catholic Church has openly burned Bibles and those who translated it or promoted its study, reading, and use.(John Hus, 1415 A.D.; William Tyndale, 1536 A.D.)"-Christian Equippers International, 2941 Lake Tahoe Blvd,  South Lake Tahoe 96150

1525: Six thousand copies of William Tyndale’s English translation of the New Testament were printed in Cologne, Germany, and smuggled into England—and then burned by the English church.

"Tyndale wrote that the Church authorities banned translation into the mother tongue “to keep the world still in darkness, to the intent they might sit through vain superstition and false doctrine, to satisfy their filthy lusts, their proud ambition, and insatiable covetousness, and to exalt their own honour... above God himself.” "--William Tyndale’s New Testament. Worms (Germany), 1526British Library C.188.a.17Copyright © The British Library BoardONLINE GALLERYLANDMARKS IN PRINTING

"Tyndale’s New Testament was the first to be printed in English. There are only two complete copies surviving from the 3,000 or more printed in 1526 by Peter Schoeffer in the German city of Worms. Tyndale’s translation was pronounced heretical in England, so his Bibles were smuggled into the country in bales of cloth. Those discovered owning them were punished. At first only the books were destroyed, but soon heretics (those found with the Bibles) would be burned too - including Tyndalehimself in 1536."-William Tyndale’s New Testament. Worms (Germany), 1526British Library C.188.a.17Copyright © The British Library BoardONLINE GALLERYLANDMARKS IN PRINTING

"For 600 years the Roman Catholic Church attempted to keep translations of the Bible out of the hands of the people. Bible-believingpeople were mercilessly persecuted and their Scriptures were destroyed. Those who possessed Bibles without a license were commanded to deliver them up to the Catholic authorities under threat of inquisition terrors. Booksellers were forbidden to sell any Bibles except to people who possessed a license from the Catholicchurch.  Huge quantities of Scriptures in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, and in other languages, were confiscated and destroyed throughout the 13th to the 19th centuries. Bible translators and distributors were imprisoned and burned. Even after the Catholic inquisition was outlawed in many lands in the 18th and 19th centuries, the popes continued to condemn the freedistribution of Scripture."-ROME AND THE BIBLE: TRACING THE HISTORY OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND ITS PERSECUTION OF THE BIBLE AND OF BIBLE BELIEVERS, by David W. Cloud, Way of Life Literature, copyright 1996.

"In Roman-dominated lands, the Bible was almost an unknown book among the common people. The Bible in Rome is a strange and rare book. Indeed very fewof the common people know what we mean by the Bible."-ROME AND THE BIBLE: TRACING THE HISTORY OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND ITS PERSECUTION OF THE BIBLE AND OF BIBLE BELIEVERS, by David W. Cloud, Way of Life Literature, copyright 1996.

"Book burnings which included Bibles were common after 1521. Sometimes the translators and publishers themselves were also burned. Possession of Bibles became criminal offenses and often resulted in the execution of the accused. There are cases on record of people executed by order of church for the "crime" teaching their children the Lord's Prayer or the Ten Commandments in their own native tongue."-What Happened this Day in Church HistoryJune 13, 1757 • The Bible in Many Tongues.Christian History Institute

"In the two decades after Wycliffe’s death, many Lollards were burned at the stake, some even with their Bibles hanging from their necks to be burned with them."-Ron Minton, The Making and Preservation of the Bible (n.p.; November, 2000) 216.

"By 1408 even reading the Bible in English was outlawed."- F. F. Bruce, PP 20-23History of the Bible in English, 3rd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1978)

"One of Wycliffe’s followers, John Hus, actively promoted Wycliffe’s ideas: that people should be permitted to read the Bible in their own language, and they should oppose the tyranny of the Roman church that threatened anyone possessing a Bible with execution. Hus was burned at the stake in 1415, with Wycliffe’s manuscript Bibles used as kindling for the fire. The Catholic Church excommunicated Hus in 1411 and burned him at the stake in Constance on July 6, 1415, having condemned him by the Council of Constance, in an unfair trial."-English Bible History; "John Hus"GREATSITE.COM; the online showroom of The Bible Museum, Inc. Since 1987

Burned at the Stake For Owning A Bible

Burned at the Stake For Owning A Bible

"During the Dark Ages (A.D. 500-1500),  Rome burned Bibles along with their owners."-The Baptist PillarCANADA'S ONLY TRUE BAPTIST PAPER  Published by Bible Baptist Church

"In the two decades after Wycliffe’s death, many Lollards were burned at the stake, some even with their Bibles hanging from their necks to be burned with them."-Ron Minton, The Making and Preservation of the Bible (n.p.; November, 2000) 216.

"October 6, 1998 marks 462 years since another Christian was burned at the stake for his translation and distribution of the English Bible."-The Bible Gateway; Topic : "William Tyndale"Bible.Org.comTom White and Steve Cleary,“The Smuggler,” The Voice of the Martyrs, October, 1998, pp. 3-4

"Owning a Bible in English,or even quoting Scripture in English, meant death for countless men and women of God."-1376-Indestructible Book: Story of the BibleBestselling Catholic Videos in English and Spanish Languages Largest Roman Catholic Marian Resource

"Many people died at the stake for owning a Bible, or for helping to translate one, or for distributingthem to others."- Sermon of Rev. Orland Wolfram (1912-1987) Pillar of Fire Church Missionary to Guatemala

"The principal accusation against those who are subject to... (the inquisition)is heresy...of such who read the Bible in the common language...Upon all occasions the inquisitors carry on their processes with the utmost severity, and punish those who offend them with the most unparalleled cruelty."-Fox's Book of Martyrs; Chapter 5   An Account of the Inquisition     Author: John Foxe (1516-1587)

Taking the Bible for Granted

Many people today, ridicule those who search the scriptures for truth.  And even many ofmy readers make fun of me and say that I shouldnot take the Bible so seriously.  I am toldto lighten up.  But I know that Jesus repliedto almost all of the questions that were presented to him, by quoting from the Bible'sOld Testament (Hebrew Scriptures).  I know too,that the apostles and early christians died fortheir belief in the Bible's laws and principals.

Through the centuries, courageous men and women have treasured the Scriptures and have struggled to preserve and disseminate them amid great opposition. Some, as we have seen, have even died to get the Bible into the hands of the common person. Their sacrifices should inspire us to a greater study and application of the Bible’s teachings. Yet many today take owning a Bible for granted. Nevertheless, surveys reveal that fewer than half of Americans can even name the first four books of the New Testament.

The words of the Bible are of no value as mere letters on paper. They must live in the minds of people through the Spirit of God.

The Bible is a precious heritage and a priceless gift. It reveals the true God and his Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of all humanity. Realizing that God inspired many dedicated Christians to great personal sacrifices should motivate us to value the precious heritage of the Bible. The once-forbidden book now lies open — to you!

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