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Clementine Vulgate

Type Object Region Italy Time 1592–1979

The official Latin Vulgate promulgated by Clement VIII in 1592 to implement the Council of Trent's decree making the Vulgate authoritative, replacing…

Timeline

  1. 1546–1563Trent · Trentino-Alto AdigeThe council declared the long-used Latin Vulgate could not be set aside in doctrinal disputes while also requiring a reliable printed edition be produced as soon as possible, turning 'which Latin Bible' into an institutional project the papacy had to complete.
  2. 1590–1591Rome · RomeSixtus V forcefully intervened in the critical work and published the 1590 edition, but textual errors and procedural controversies made it unsustainable after the pope's death; the papacy immediately prepared a replacement, clearing the official position for the Clementine edition.
  3. 1592–1598Rome · RomeThe Latin Bible approved by Clement VIII was printed by the Apostolic Press, its title page still commemorating Sixtus V though in fact thoroughly revised; thereafter Catholic seminaries, the Mass, and catechesis were all bound to this official Latin text.
  4. 1598–1979Catholic world · ItalyFor nearly four centuries the Clementine edition was the Latin standard underlying Mass texts, theological citations, and Catholic Bible translations (including the Rheims-Douay tradition), until officially replaced by the Nova Vulgata completed in the 20th century.

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