Imprimatur
An imprimatur (sometimes abbreviated as impr., from
Catholic Church
 |
| Part of a series on the |
| Canon law of the Catholic Church |
|---|
|
Catholicism portal |
In the Catholic Church an imprimatur is an official declaration by a Church authority that a book or other printed work may be published;[2][3] it is usually only applied for and granted to books on religious topics from a Catholic perspective. Approval is given in accordance with canons 822 to 832 of the Code of Canon Law, which do not require the use of the word "imprimatur".[4]
The grant of imprimatur is normally preceded by a favourable declaration (known as a
An imprimatur is not an endorsement by the bishop of the contents of a book, not even of the religious opinions expressed in it, being merely a declaration about what is not in the book.[6] In the published work, the imprimatur is sometimes accompanied by a declaration of the following tenor:
The nihil obstat and imprimatur are declarations that a book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained therein that those who have granted the nihil obstat or imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions or statements expressed.[7]
The person empowered to issue the imprimatur is the
If further examination shows that a work is not free of doctrinal or moral error, the imprimatur granted for its publication can be withdrawn. This happened three times in the 1980s, when the Holy See judged that complaints made to it about religion textbooks for schools were well founded and ordered the bishop to revoke his approval.[9]
The imprimatur granted for a publication is not valid for later editions of the same work or for translations into another language. For these, new imprimaturs are required.[8]
The permission of the local ordinary is required for the publication of prayer books,[10] catechisms, and other catechetical texts[11] and for school textbooks on Scripture, theology, canon law, church history, or religious or moral subjects.[12] It is recommended, but without obligation, that books on the last-mentioned subjects not intended to be used as school textbooks and all books dealing especially with religious or moral subjects be submitted to the local ordinary for judgement.[13]
A Catholic Imprimatur is often accompanied by a Maltese Cross ✠ before the name of the Bishop.
In 2011, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades was the first bishop to grant an imprimatur to an iPhone application.[14]
English law
English laws of 1586, 1637, and 1662 required an official licence for printing books. The 1662 act required books, according to their subject, to receive the authorization, known as the imprimatur, of the Lord Chancellor, the Earl Marshall, a principal Secretary of State, the Archbishop of Canterbury, or the Bishop of London. This law finally expired in 1695.[15]
Other senses
In commercial printing the term is used, in line with the meaning of the Latin word, for final approval by a customer or his agent, perhaps after review of a test printing, for carrying out the printing job.
As a metaphor, the word "imprimatur" is used loosely of any form of approval or endorsement, especially by an official body or a person of importance,[2] as in the newspaper headline, "Protection of sources now has courts' imprimatur",[16] but also much more vaguely, and probably incorrectly, as in "Children, the final imprimatur to family life, are being borrowed, adopted, created by artificial insemination."[17]
Judaism
Haskama (approval, הַסְכָּמָה) is a rabbinic approval of a religious book concerning Judaism. It is written by a prominent rabbi in his own name, not in the name of a religious organization or hierarchy.
It is often in the form of a letter, possibly on stationery, and generally includes not only "approbation, recommendation, or endorsement" of the work, but also a blessing for the success of the author in this and other accomplishments.[18] As a result, at times a Haskama given to the author is printed, verbatim, in later works from the same author.[19][20][21]
An additional value for haskama letters, long ago, was to serve as a form of copyright, to protect the author or the printer from any unauthorized reproduction.[18]
Similar terms
- Digital imprimatur is a hypothetical system of Internet censorship.
- Imprimatur is also the name of a 2002 thriller novel by Francesco Sorti, with the castrato singer Atto Melanias a central character.
- In painting, the distinct term "imprimatura" is use of an underlying coat of paint.
- In the Doctor Who Virgin New Adventures book series, the Rassilonian Imprimatur is the equivalent of a university degree, given to Time Lords upon the conclusion of their education.
See also
- Imprimi permittitur
- Prior restraint
References
 | Constructs such as named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (August 2019) ) |
- ^ a b "Catholic Encyclopedia: Censorship of Books". Newadvent.org. Archived from the original on 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ^ a b "Word of the Day: imprimatur". Dictionary.reference.com. 2004-08-19. Archived from the original on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ^ a b "Code of Canon Law, canon 830 §3". Intratext.com. 2007-05-04. Archived from the original on 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ^ a b c d "Code of Canon Law - IntraText". vatican.va. Archived from the original on 2015-02-28. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
- ^ The America Heritage Dictionary, archived from the original on 2007-03-09, retrieved 2009-07-30
- ^ "Encyclopædia Britannica: imprimatur". Britannica.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-23. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ISBN 9780884898634. Archivedfrom the original on 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ^ a b "Code of Canon Law, canon 824". Intratext.com. 2007-05-04. Archived from the original on 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ^ National Catholic Reporter, 27 February 1998: Vatican orders bishop to remove imprimatur Archived 2007-11-30 at the Wayback Machine,
- ^ "Code of Canon Law, canon 826 §3". Intratext.com. 2007-05-04. Archived from the original on 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ^ Ibid., 827 §1.
- ^ Ibid., §2.
- ^ Ibid., §3.
- ^ "iPhone Confession App Receives Imprimatur". Zenit. 2011-02-02. Archived from the original on 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3), article imprimatur
- ^ "Protection of sources now has courts' imprimatur". Irish Times. 2010-02-02. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ^ Hall, Richard (1988-06-19). "New York Times, 19 June 1988, retrieved 27 February 2010". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ^ a b "Haskama Letters - Part I | Torah Musings". 2011-07-12. Archived from the original on 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
- ^ as evidenced by new works from major publishers including Haskamos (=plural of Haskama) from rabbinic scholars no longer in this world.
- ^ "Jewish books - How does one request a haskama (Approbation)? - Mi Yodeya". Archived from the original on 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
- ISBN 978-1-58330-969-8., a 4 volume set, says "(originally written for ... and included here with permission from ...)." The last is a 2-page "Blessings from the Author's Father."
| Page layout and typography |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Front and back covers | ||
| Endpapers | ||
| Front matter | ||
| Body matter | ||
| Back matter | ||
| Other elements |
| |