The Constitutions of Oxford or ''Constitutiones Thomae Arundel'' were several resolutions of the 1407 university
convocation
A convocation (from the Latin ''wikt:convocare, convocare'' meaning "to call/come together", a translation of the Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:ἐκκλησία, ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') is a group of people formally assembled for a specia ...
intended to deal with the use of
Scripture
Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...
in lectures and sermons at
Oxford University
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
, following disturbances caused by the followers of the teachings of the late
John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe (; also spelled Wyclif, Wickliffe, and other variants; 1328 – 31 December 1384) was an English scholastic philosopher, Christianity, Christian reformer, Catholic priest, and a theology professor at the University of Oxfor ...
.
Soon afterwards they were extended to at least southern England by a 1408 council of the
Province of Canterbury
The Province of Canterbury, or less formally the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces which constitute the Church of England. The other is the Province of York (which consists of 12 dioceses).
Overview
The Province consi ...
.
Constitutions
The 1407 constitutions initially regulated Oxford University. Notable were:
[
* ''Similiter quia'' (no. 5) ruled that elementary courses should not include controversial or novel expositions of Scripture.
* ''Quia insuper'' (no. 6) banned teaching material by Wycliff or similar unless or until they had been approved.
* ''Periculosa'' (no. 7) said that no new vernacular translations should be made without prior permission, and even recent translations should be used only with the Bishop's or provincial council's approval.
The constitutions were extended to be in effect throughout at least the Catholic Province of Canterbury in 1409.
]
Interpretation
There have been a variety of interpretations of ''Periculosa'' in particular over the years.
* That it made the possession and use of vernacular scripture illegal. This is not found in the text. Nevertheless, it seems to have been the received wisdom by the 1500s. Protestant polemicist John Foxe
John Foxe (1516/1517 – 18 April 1587) was an English clergyman, theologian, and historian, notable for his martyrology '' Foxe's Book of Martyrs'', telling of Christian martyrs throughout Western history, but particularly the sufferings of En ...
was perplexed that there seemed to be no actual legal basis for prosecutions he was convinced had occurred.
* That reading or ownership did not require permission, just translation.
* That it required a layman who wanted to read newish vernacular scripture or translations to obtain permission from his bishop. This is the view held by leading Tudor lawyer Thomas More
Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, theologian, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VII ...
, who wrote of having seen older non-Wycliffean vernacular translations in the libraries of great houses.
* That publication required a bishop's permission, but perhaps not the act of translation itself. This is a view associated with William Tyndale
William Tyndale (; sometimes spelled ''Tynsdale'', ''Tindall'', ''Tindill'', ''Tyndall''; – October 1536) was an English Biblical scholar and linguist who became a leading figure in the Protestantism, Protestant Reformation in the year ...
by historian David Daniell.[
Another controversy is over the size of a text that would be deemed a new translation: some writers even claim that any translation of a single sentence would be banned; however, this would make sermons untenable. Historian Sarah James notes that Bishop Reginald Pecock, a man with enemies, continued to write vernacular works with his own renditions of scriptural verses yet faced no censure.]
References
{{Reflist
History of the University of Oxford