De heretico comburendo
Encyclopedia
The De heretico comburendo (2 Hen.4 c.15) was a law passed by King Henry IV of England
in 1401 punishing heretic
s with burning at the stake
. This law was one of the strictest religious censorship
statutes ever enacted in England.
The statute declared there were "...divers false and perverse people of a certain new sect...they make and write books, they do wickedly instruct and inform people...and commit subversion of the said catholic faith". The sect alluded to is the Lollards
, followers of John Wycliffe
.
De heretico comburendo urged "...that this wicked sect, preachings, doctrines, and opinions, should from henceforth cease and be utterly destroyed...", and declared "...that all and singular having such books or any writings of such wicked doctrine and opinions, shall really with effect deliver or cause to be delivered all such books and writings to the diocesan of the same place within forty days from the time of the proclamation of this ordinance and statute."
"And if any person...such books in the form aforesaid do not deliver, then the diocesan of the same place in his diocese such person or persons in this behalf defamed or evidently suspected and every of them may by the authority of the said ordinance and statute cause to be arrested...". If they failed to abjure their "heretical" beliefs, or relapsed after an initial abjuration, they
would "...be burnt, that such punishment may strike fear into the minds of others...".
It was repealed by section 6 of the Act of Supremacy (1 Eliz.1 c.1) (1559).
spelling (by the second century the diphthong ae had been changed in pronunciation from ai to [e]; most texts today use the spelling without the letter a). See Latin spelling and pronunciation
for more information.
had existed for hundreds of years, the Middle English
translation published under the direction of John Wycliffe
in the 1380s, known as Wycliffe's Bible, was the first to gain widespread acceptance and use. The Church authorities comdemned Wycliffe's translation because they deemed the commentary included with the work to be heretical, and because they believed any translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate
to be heretical.
Wycliffe was the inspiration for what would become the Lollard movement, which was considered heretical by the Church.
The Constitutions of Oxford, established in 1409 by Archbishop Thomas Arundel
, were further punitive measures intended to punish heresy in England that grew in large part out of the De heretico comburendo.
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
in 1401 punishing heretic
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
s with burning at the stake
Execution by burning
Death by burning is death brought about by combustion. As a form of capital punishment, burning has a long history as a method in crimes such as treason, heresy, and witchcraft....
. This law was one of the strictest religious censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
statutes ever enacted in England.
The statute declared there were "...divers false and perverse people of a certain new sect...they make and write books, they do wickedly instruct and inform people...and commit subversion of the said catholic faith". The sect alluded to is the Lollards
Lollardy
Lollardy was a political and religious movement that existed from the mid-14th century to the English Reformation. The term "Lollard" refers to the followers of John Wycliffe, a prominent theologian who was dismissed from the University of Oxford in 1381 for criticism of the Church, especially his...
, followers of John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe was an English Scholastic philosopher, theologian, lay preacher, translator, reformer and university teacher who was known as an early dissident in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. His followers were known as Lollards, a somewhat rebellious movement, which preached...
.
De heretico comburendo urged "...that this wicked sect, preachings, doctrines, and opinions, should from henceforth cease and be utterly destroyed...", and declared "...that all and singular having such books or any writings of such wicked doctrine and opinions, shall really with effect deliver or cause to be delivered all such books and writings to the diocesan of the same place within forty days from the time of the proclamation of this ordinance and statute."
"And if any person...such books in the form aforesaid do not deliver, then the diocesan of the same place in his diocese such person or persons in this behalf defamed or evidently suspected and every of them may by the authority of the said ordinance and statute cause to be arrested...". If they failed to abjure their "heretical" beliefs, or relapsed after an initial abjuration, they
would "...be burnt, that such punishment may strike fear into the minds of others...".
It was repealed by section 6 of the Act of Supremacy (1 Eliz.1 c.1) (1559).
Meaning and Linguistics
De heretico comburendo is a Latin phrase meaning "Regarding the heretic who is to be burnt", or perhaps more colloquially "Regarding the burning of heretics". An alternate spelling is De haeretico comburendo, reflecting the proper ancient and Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
spelling (by the second century the diphthong ae had been changed in pronunciation from ai to [e]; most texts today use the spelling without the letter a). See Latin spelling and pronunciation
Latin spelling and pronunciation
Latin spelling or orthography refers to the spelling of Latin words written in the scripts of all historical phases of Latin from Old Latin to the present. They all use some phase of the same alphabet even though conventional spellings may vary from phase to phase...
for more information.
History
Although English translations of the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
had existed for hundreds of years, the Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
translation published under the direction of John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe was an English Scholastic philosopher, theologian, lay preacher, translator, reformer and university teacher who was known as an early dissident in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. His followers were known as Lollards, a somewhat rebellious movement, which preached...
in the 1380s, known as Wycliffe's Bible, was the first to gain widespread acceptance and use. The Church authorities comdemned Wycliffe's translation because they deemed the commentary included with the work to be heretical, and because they believed any translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
to be heretical.
Wycliffe was the inspiration for what would become the Lollard movement, which was considered heretical by the Church.
The Constitutions of Oxford, established in 1409 by Archbishop Thomas Arundel
Thomas Arundel
Thomas Arundel was Archbishop of Canterbury in 1397 and from 1399 until his death, an outspoken opponent of the Lollards.-Family background:...
, were further punitive measures intended to punish heresy in England that grew in large part out of the De heretico comburendo.
See also
- HeresyHeresyHeresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
- Britain in the Middle AgesBritain in the Middle AgesEngland in the Middle Ages concerns the history of England during the Medieval period — from the end of Roman rule in Britain through to the Early Modern period...
- History of the English Bible
- John WycliffeJohn WycliffeJohn Wycliffe was an English Scholastic philosopher, theologian, lay preacher, translator, reformer and university teacher who was known as an early dissident in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. His followers were known as Lollards, a somewhat rebellious movement, which preached...
External links
- The text of the De heretico comburendo
- Annotated text, see (B) on the page