when did Roman catholic church ban the Bible reading for ordinary church goers?

Answer 1

How could the Catholic Church ban the Bible when it was the one who compiled and canonized it? Please read Christian history and the Bible before posting questions like this.

May the Lord's peace be with you!

Answer 2

You've asked this question twice, with slightly different phrasing, so my guess is that you aren't actually seeking a true answer but validation of whatever distortion you've been told about the Catholic church in this regard.

However. The ability of "ordinary church goers" to have and read their own Bible had nothing to do with whether or not it was "banned" (it was not, by the way, and never has been) and everything to do with two historical factors: Literacy, and the availability of printed material.

Widespread literacy is relatively recent, in terms of human history. For centuries, it was very rare for most common folks to know how to read and write. And even when they could, books were expensive and considered luxury items. It's not like there was a Barnes and Noble or Borders nearby, and even the good old King James version didn't suddenly change availability of the Scriptures and appear in every home right away.

As literacy spread and the printing process became less prohibitively expensive, the Bible was usually the first book (and sometimes the only book) purchased by a household. If that household also contained two or three additional books, it was considered well-off. This remained the case right up to the 19th century, for Protestants and Catholics alike.

In the meantime, Catholics heard the word of God read at Mass (albeit in Latin), and learned Bible stories through art -- stained glass windows, icons, etc. -- think of picture books for small children and you've got the idea. It was never a case of the church wanting to hoard the Bible and keep it away from the common folks. I don't think the very early Christians all had their own copies of Paul's letters to peruse, either.

As a contemporary Catholic, I own several Bibles and read them often. I can walk into a bookstore and purchase more, of any translation, in any language, at any time I choose. I can do all of this without fear of excommunication, because -- despite what some want to believe -- my church not only allows it, but encourages it. Many parishes in the US now have regularly scheduled Bible study groups. "Catholics don't read the Bible"? Nonsense.

Answer 3

The Catholic Church has never banned people from reading the Bible. This is an anti-Catholic myth.

Up until the printing press was invented, Bibles were copied by hand, were very rare, and were very valuable. There weren't even enough Bibles around for one to be in every church.

Also there were not many people who could read their own language much less the Latin in which almost all Bibles were written by hand.

This does not mean that Christians did not know the Bible. The average Christian of the tenth century may have known more about the Bible than the average Christian of today.

Catholics, in fact, are encouraged to read the Bible.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: The Church forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful to learn ‘the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ,' by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. ‘Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.'

Although some Catholics do not read the Bible on a regular basis, we all listen to the Word being proclaimed and explained in every Mass.

In every Sunday Mass there are at least four Bible readings
+ First Reading - usually from the Old Testament
+ A Psalm is prayed by all
+ Second Reading - usually from a New Testament Epistle
+ Gospel Reading
+ then the priest bring them all together and helps us apply them to our lives in the homily

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

Vatican officials say the secret files, dating between 1542 and 1902, will yield precious few juicy secrets -- the Church officially rehabilitated Galileo in 1992, for example. But the archives do contain some surprises. Opened on Thursday alongside the Inquisition archives 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 because the Church, whose official language was Latin, was suspicious of allowing the faithful access to sacred texts without ecclesiastical guidance.
http://withchrist.org/archives.htm

Answer 5

It was never banned. Most people were not able to read in the beginning of the time the bible was written. It was not until the bible was made using movable type and more people began to learn to read that the ordinary lay people started reading it. Before that the noble classes could read it. But the common man didn't because he could not read.

Answer 6

The Roman Catholic Church is an "extension" of the Roman Empire and always has been. Jerome, a pope wrote the first translations of the greek and hebrew manuscripts (the real ones) into Latin, (Latin Vulgate) to which he TOLD who the real father in heaven IS. Despite this FACT, Catholic leadership has refused these doctrines as true EVEN going as far as persecuting a translator of a later version in English in the 14th century. Wycliff. Long after his death the church had his body exhumed and burnt, having proclaimed his translation as heresay. In the 16th century they burnt Tyndale at the stake for his translation into english of the truth in the greek and hebrew manuscripts. All CHRISTIAN doctrines have their roots in the deception of the Catholic church and what it has ALLOWED for the world to read yet are UNTRUE for JESUS was not of the JEWISH FAITH but the EGYPTIAN FAITH and "it's" MESSIAH, foretold would come thousands of years before a HEBREW laid down their "prophesy." The Egyptian priest Nu of the Old Kingdom of Egypt's dynasties, prophesized of a "divine babe" or Son of God would one day be born (4600 years ago)...............As for BANNING the Bible, it was BANNED practically from the beginning for ANYONE outside the catholic leadership to know the TRUTH "of" who "God in heaven" IS. Take a hard look at how leaders of this religion "DRESS" and how they make "saints" of people. The practices are those of the Egyptians centuries BEFORE and the pope wears the miter just as the "Pharaohs" did in Egypt. An "act" of the chosen GOD ON EARTH, "though" a "false" one.......

Answer 7

They didn't "ban" it per se. They just made sure that the only people in the Middle Ages (Or the earlier part of that period called the Dark Ages) that could read were the priests, who could interpret the Bible in whichever way they chose. That way, they could tell the common man that they would go to hell if he didn't pay the church a thousand (random monetary unit) a month, they would go to hell.

The Middle Ages are commonly dated from the 5th century fall of the western Roman Empire until the end of the 15th century. These dates are approximate, and based upon nuanced arguments.

Answer 8

that assertion was and is a lie. in the older days not everyone could read, the vernacular language was mostly Latin. to prevent false leaders and interpretations the church simply protected the flock. from today we can see that everyone reading the bible leads to divisions of up to 28,000+. i am not saying everyone should not have a bible just that we can clearly see that we need a teaching body to clearly interpret the bible,what is it called...oh yeah the magisterium.

Answer 9

Control.

Answer 10

Many things that Priests say you have to do goes against the same Bible they suposably believe in. The problem is that Catholics do not know this because they don't read the Bible.