One day in the early part of 1960 (I was then 17 years old), I found an old book, in Latin, in a used book store in downtown San Diego, California. It had belonged to the bishop of San Diego, Charles F. Buddy, before he was even ordained as a priest. The book was De Imitatione Christi, by Thomas à Kempis, written sometime before 1427. I didn't know it then, but it was a famous and influential devotional work, and had been translated into more languages than any other book except the Bible.
I can't speak for others, but the book had a strong influence on me.
The book is written in late-medieval Latin, which is quite a bit simpler than classical Latin, and rather close to Church Latin, with which I was very familiar.
I have carried this book around through many moves, for six decades. but had actually not read it for almost that long. I wondered how I would react to it now. The book must have made a strong impression on me, because I found that I still remembered Latin turns of phrase from more than sixty years ago.
That wasn't all I found. I found that there were differences between modern editions and fifteenth-century editions. I did not have to look far to find the first such difference.
Only half of the quote from John 8:12 is given in Bishop Buddy's book, which was published in 1881. But the earliest, fifteenth-century editions give the whole quote.
Above: 1489 Latin edition, attributed to Jean Gerson (1363-1429). Gerson was Chancellor of Paris, sometimes known as "John of Paris." I have a full pdf of this text which, in spite of many abbreviations, is the easiest to read.
Above: the last page of 1489 Latin edition, with the date on which the printing of the book was completed.
Above: John 1486 Latin edition, also attributed (without evidence) to Jean Gerson.
Above: 1498 Latin edition, also attributed to Jean Gerson, without evidence.
What are we talking about here? John 8:12 says (RSV), ". . . he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." This is in agreement with all of the early editions illustrated above. It is also in agreement with most or all Protestant editions from at least as late as 1832, and probably later. But, at least as early as 1730, Catholic editions were omitting the second half of the quotation.
Why would anyone intentionally leave out the words "but will have the light of life?" Well, here is one possible reason: these words give support to mysticism (the idea that one can have a direct connection to or communication with the Divine). The Catholic Church has always had a problem with mysticism, as we see in the lives of St. Teresa of Ávila, and St. John of the Cross. The root of this problem is that mystics undercut the hierarchical authority of the institutional Church.
That mystical notion is right at the heart of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ.
[I have leaned through further research that the completion of the biblical verse actually is an addition, and not part of the earliest manuscripts. More on this in the next post on this subject.]
Text and some images Copyright © 2021 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.
