SACRORUM ANTISTITUM
The Oath Against Modernism
Given by His Holiness St. Pius X September 1, 1910
To be sworn to by all clergy, pastors, confessors, preachers, religious
superiors, and professors in philosophical-theological seminaries.
Formula Jurisjurandi in Motu Proprio “Sacrorum Antistitum” a Summo Pontifice Pio X Præscripta:

Ego N. N. firmiter ampléctor ac recipio ômnia et singula, quæ ab
inerranti Ecclésia magistério definita, adsérta ac declarata sunt,
præsértim ea doctrinæ capita, quæ huius témporis erroribus dirécto
adversantur.
I . . . . firmly embrace and accept each and
every definition that has been set forth and
declared by the unerring teaching authority of
the Church, especially those principal truths
which are directly opposed to the errors of this
day.

Ac primum quidem Deum, rerum omnium principium et finem, naturali
ratiônis lûmine "per ea quæ facta sunt" hoc est, per visibilia
creationis ôpera, tamquam causam per efféctus, certo cognôsci, adeôque
demonstrari e tiam posse, profiteor.

And first of all, I profess that God, the origin
and end of all things, can be known with
certainty by the natural light of reason from
the created world (see Rom. 1:90), that is, from
the visible works of creation, as a cause from
its effects, and that, therefore, his existence
can also be demonstrated.
Secu Indo: extérna revelationis arguménta, hoc est facta divina, in
primisque miracula et prophetias admitto et agnosco tanquam signa
certissima divinitus ortæ christianæ religionis, eadémque te neo
ætatum o mnium atque hôminum, étiam hujus témporis, intellegéntiæ esse
maxime accommodata.
Secondly, I accept and acknowledge the external
proofs of revelation, that is, divine acts and
especially miracles and prophecies as the surest
signs of the divine origin of the Christian
religion and I hold that these same proofs are
well adapted to the understanding of all eras
and all men, even of this time.

Te rtio: firma pariter fide credo Ecclésiam, verbi revelati custôdem et
magistram, per ipsum verum atque historicum Christum, cum apud nos
dégeret, proximo ac dirécto institûtam eandémque super Petrum,
apostôlicæ hierarchiæ principem, ejùsque in ævum successores
ædificatam.
Thirdly, I believe with equally firm faith that
the Church, the guardian and teacher of the

revealed word, was personally instituted by the
real and historical Christ when he lived among
us, and that the Church was built upon Peter,
the prince of the apostolic hierarchy, and his
successors for the duration of time.
Quarto: fidei doctrinam ab Apostolis per orthodoxos Patres eodem sensu
eadémque semper senténtia ad nos usque transmissam, sincère recipio;
ideoque prorsus rejicio hæréticum comméntum evolutionis dogmatum, ab uno
in alium sensum transeûntium, divérsum ab eo, quem prius habuit
Ecclésia; paritérque damno errorem omnem, quo, divino deposito, Christi
Sponsae tradito ab Eâque fïdéliter custodiéndo, sufficitur philosophicum
invéntum, vel creatio humanae consciéntiae, hominum conatu sensim
efformâtae et in posterum indefinito progréssu perficiéndae.

Fourthly, I sincerely hold that the doctrine of
faith was handed down to us from the apostles
through the orthodox Fathers in exactly the same
meaning and always in the same purport.
Therefore, I entirely reject the heretical
misrepresentation that dogmas evolve and change
from one meaning to another different from the
one which the Church held previously. I also
condemn every error according to which, in place
of the divine deposit which has been given to
the spouse of Christ to be carefully guarded by
her, there is put a philosophical figment or
product of a human conscience that has gradually
been developed by human effort and will continue
to develop indefinitely.
Quinto: certissime téneo ac sincère profiteor, fidem non esse cæcum
sensum religionis e lâtrebis subconsciéntiæ erumpe Ontem, sub pressione
cordis et inflexionis voluntatis moraliter informatae, sed verum assénsum
intelléctus veritati extrinsecus accéptæ "ex auditu", quo nempe, quæ a
Deo personali, creatore ac Domino nostro dicta, testata et revelata
sunt, vera esse crédimus, propter Dei auctoritatem summe veracis.

Fifthly, I hold with certainty and sincerely
confess that faith is not a blind sentiment of
religion welling up from the depths of the
subconscious under the impulse of the heart and
the motion of a will trained to morality; but
faith is a genuine assent of the intellect to
truth received by hearing from an external
source. By this assent, because of the authority
of the supremely truthful God, we believe to be
true that which has been revealed and attested
to by a personal God, our creator and Lord.
Me étiam, qua par est, reveréntia subjicio totoque ânimo adhæDreo
damnatio Dnibus, declaratio Dnibus, præscriOptis oOmnibus, quæ in Ency Delicis
litteris "Pascéndi" et in Deere□ to "Lamenta□ bili" contineDntur, præseOrtim
circa eam quam histoOriam doDgmatum vocant.

Furthermore, with due reverence, I submit and

adhere with my whole heart to the condemnations,
declarations, and all the prescripts contained
in the encyclical Pascendi and in the decree
Lamentabili, especially those concerning what is
known as the history of dogmas.

Item re □ probo erro □ rem affirma ntium, propoD sitam ab EccleHsia fidem posse
histoOrias repugna□ re, et cathoDlica doDgmata, quo sensu nunc intelleguDntur,
cum verioOribus christiaOnæ religioOnis originibus compoOni non posse.
I also reject the error of those who say that
the faith held by the Church can contradict
history, and that Catholic dogmas, in the sense
in which they are now understood, are
irreconcilable with a more realistic view of the
origins of the Christian religion.

Damno quoque ac rejicio eorum sente Dntiam, qui dicunt christiaDnum hoD minem
eruditio □ rem indu □ ere perso □ nam duDplicem, aliam crede Dntis, aliam histoDrici,
quasi liceret histoOrico ea retinere, quæ credéntis fidei contradicant,
aut praemissas adstruDere, ex quibus consequantur, doDgmata esse aut falsa
aut duDbia, modo haec direDcto non denegeDntur.
Likewise, I reject that method of judging and
interpreting Sacred Scripture which, departing
from the tradition of the Church, the analogy
of faith, and the norms of the Apostolic See,
embraces the misrepresentations of the
rationalists and with no prudence or restraint
adopts textual criticism as the one and supreme
norm.

Re □ probo paDriter eam Scriptu Dræ sanctæ dijudica Dndæ atque interpreta Dndæ
ration nem, quæ, EccleDsiæ traditio One, analoDgia fidei et ApostôDlicæ
Sedis normis postha Obitis, rationalistaDrum come Dntis inhæDret, et criticem
textus velut uHnicam suprema Dmque re□ gulam haud minus lice Outer quam te □ mere
ample □ ctitur.
I also condemn and reject the opinion of those
who say that a well-educated Christian assumes a
dual personality-that of a believer and at the
same time of a historian, as if it were
permissible for a historian to hold things that
contradict the faith of the believer, or to
establish premises which, provided there be no
direct denial of dogmas, would lead to the
conclusion that dogmas are either false or
doubtful.

Sente Dntiam præteHrea illo Drum rejicio, qui tenent, docto H ri disciplinæ
histoDricæ theoloDgicæ tradeDndæ aut iis de rebus scribe □ ndi sepone Hndam
prius esse opinio H nem ante conceHptam sive de supematuraDli origine
cathoDlicæ traditio H nis, sive de promissa divinitus ope ad pereDnnem
conservatio H nem uniuscujuDsque revela H ti veri; deinde scripta Patrum
singulo H rum interpreta Π nda solis scieHntiæ principiis, sacra qualibet
auctoritaDte secluDsa, eaD que judicii liberta □ te, qua profaHna quævis

monume□ nta solent investiga ri.

Furthermore, I reject the opinion of those who
hold that a professor lecturing or writing on a
historico-theological subject should first put
aside any preconceived opinion about the
supernatural origin of Catholic tradition or
about the divine promise of help to preserve all
revealed truth forever; and that they should
then interpret the writings of each of the
Fathers solely by scientific principles,
excluding all sacred authority, and with the
same liberty of judgment that is common in the
investigation of all ordinary historical
documents.
In unive rsum de nique me alienissimum ab erro re profiteor, quo
modernistæ tenent in sacra traditio ne nihil ine sse divini, aut, quod
longe dete rius, pantheistico sensu illud admittunt, ita ut nihil jam
restet nisi nudum factum et simplex, commu nibus histo riæ factis
æqua ndum: ho minum nempe sua indu stria, sole rtia, inge nio scholam a
Christo eju sque Apo stolis inchoa tam per subseque ntes æta tes
continua ntium.

Finally, I declare that I am completely opposed
to the error of the modernists who hold that
there is nothing divine in sacred tradition; or
what is far worse, say that there is, but in a
pantheistic sense, with the result that there
would remain nothing but this plain simple factone to be put on a par with the ordinary facts
of history-the fact, namely, that a group of men
by their own labor, skill, and talent have
continued through subsequent ages a school begun
by Christ and his apostles.
Hæc o mnia spo ndeo me f ide liter, integre sinceréque servatu rum et
inviolabiliter custoditu rum, nusquam ab iis sive in doce ndo sive
quomodo libet verbis scriptisque deflecte ndo. Sic spo ndeo, sic ju ro, sic
me Deus a djuvet et hæc sancta Dei Evange lia.
I promise that I shall keep all these articles
faithfully, entirely, and sincerely, and guard
them inviolate, in no way deviating from them in
teaching or in any way in word or in writing.
Thus I promise, this I swear, so help me God,
and these holy Gospels of God which I touch with
my hand.