An Imprimatur is an official declaration from the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church that a literary or similar work is free from error in matters of Roman Catholic doctrine and morals, and hence acceptable reading for faithful Roman Catholics. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Roman Catholic Church... Doctrine, from Latin doctrina, (compare doctor), means a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system. ... Morality is a complex of principles based on cultural, religious, and philosophical concepts and beliefs, by which an individual determines whether his or her actions are right or wrong. ...

It is of greatest significance in works directly addressing Roman Catholic theology and doctrine, and was introduced as a measure to reduce exposure, particularly of the laity, to heresy. The presence of the imprimatur was at one time a matter of the greatest concern to many Roman Catholics. (In fact, in some officially Roman Catholic countries, nothing could be legally published without such an imprimatur. This was a form of prior restraint or censorship.) Today it is likely of concern only to more orthodox Roman Catholics. Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... In religious organizations, the laity comprises all lay persons collectively. ... Look up Heresy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Prior restraint is a legal term referring to a governments actions that prevent materials from being published. ... Censorship is defined as the removal and withholding of information from the public by a controlling group or body. ...

A Roman Catholic imprimatur can consist of up to three stamps, each followed by a signature (name and title): The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

• Imprimi potest (Latin, meaning "able to be printed") -- If the work is that of a member of a religious order, this stamp indicates that it has first been examined and approved by the religious superior or head of the religious order (or a duly appointed representative).

• Nihil obstat (Latin, meaning "nothing hinders") -- This stamp indicates that the work has been examined and approved by the censor of the diocese, and that he finds it free of doctrinal or moral error. The censor is often a scholarly priest appointed by the bishop, and it is his task to work back-and-forth with the author of the work to correct any inaccuracies or problems.

• Imprimatur (Latin, meaning "let it be printed") -- Finally, this stamp indicates that the work has been approved for printing by the bishop of the diocese, or other ecclesiastical authority.^[1]

See also www.fisheaters.com/imprimatur.html . Imprimi potest is an official approval by the religious superior (or their representative) of a Catholic religious order to publish a work. ... A Taoist monk playing an instrument. ... Nihil obstat is an LOOK AT ME!!!! official approval by a delegated censor of the Roman Catholic Church to publish a work dealing with faith or morals. ... Censorship is defined as the removal and withholding of information from the public by a controlling group or body. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      This article is about...

These "stamps" and "signatures" are simply rendered in plain type on a page at the front of the book (i.e. they are not literal stamps and hand-written signatures), and are often followed by the date and place of signing, as on legal documents.

Following this, some works may also include the following statement:

"The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are official 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 and the Imprimatur agree with the content, opinions or statements expressed."

(While at first glance this statement might seem contradictory, an example might be that of a Roman Catholic work that offered parenting advice -- the advice may not be morally wrong or contradict Roman Catholic doctrine, but it might not reflect the views on parenting of the censor or bishop.)

Imprimaturs are not automatically transferrable to later versions of a work. Any new edition also requires a new imprimatur to be obtained. In printmaking, an edition is a set of prints off one plate, composing a limited run of prints. ...

The imprimatur can be revoked if, upon further examination, any doctrinal or moral error is found to be contained in the work.

Other uses of the term

Newton's Principia, bearing the imprimatur of Samuel Pepys, then-President of the Royal Society

The term "imprimatur" is sometimes used in a broader sense to indicate official approval by whatever authorities are pertinent to the field in question (not necessarily the Catholic Church.) For example, a political work might be said to have the "imprimatur" of a certain politician or political party. This is typically meant in a figurative sense, although sometimes such works are directly endorsed in a manner similar to the Catholic Church process with a replica signature of endorsement or something similar. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1266x842, 646 KB)Isaac Newtons own first edition copy of his Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica with his handwritten corrections for the second edition. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1266x842, 646 KB)Isaac Newtons own first edition copy of his Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica with his handwritten corrections for the second edition. ... Sir Isaac Newton in Knellers portrait of 1689. ... Newtons own copy of his Principia, with handwritten corrections for the second edition. ... Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for his diary. ... The premises of The Royal Society in London (first four properties only). ...

This term is also often used in regular commercial printing process as an approval of customer's authorised person to finally sent the job to the print house, for example after a test copy has been reviewed and approved.

Another example of modern usage of the term outside of Catholicism is digital imprimatur. Digital imprimatur is a term widely associated with John Walker, due to his article of the same name. ...

Imprimatur is also the name of a thriller novel by the authors Rita Monaldi and Francesco Sorti (2002). The books deals with events in an inn in Rome from Sept. 11th to 25th 1683 when Innocentius XII was Pope and the Ottomans were in front of the gates of Vienna; the title Imprimatur refers to the use of imprimatur in the Roman Catholic Church as discussed above. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Francesco Sorti is an Italian journalist who, in collaboration with his wife Rita Monaldi, wrote a series of literary-historical books called Imprimatur, Secretum and Veritas. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

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