Augustin Bea
Encyclopedia
Augustin Bea, SJ
(May 28, 1881 – November 16, 1968) was a German
scholar at the Gregorian University specializing in biblical studies and biblical archeology. He was confessor of Pope Pius XII
. In 1959, Pope John XXIII
made him cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as the first President of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity
from 1960 until his death. Bea was a leading biblical scholar
and ecumenist
, who greatly influenced relations to other Christians and Jews during the Second Vatican Council
in Nostra Aetate
. Bea published several books, mostly in Latin, and 430 articles.
, Baden-Württemberg
; his father was a carpenter
. He studied at the Universities of Freiburg
, Innsbruck, Berlin, and at Valkenburg
, the Jesuit
house of studies in the Netherlands
. On April 18, 1902, he joined the Society of Jesus
, as he "was much inclined to the scholarly life". Bea was ordained
a priest
on August 25, 1912, and finished his studies in 1914. He then served as Superior
of the Jesuit residence in Aachen
until 1917, at which time he began teaching Scripture
at Valkenburg. From 1921 to 1924, Bea was the provincial superior
of Germany. Superior General
Wlodimir Ledochowski
then sent him to Rome
, where he worked as the Superior of the Biennial House of Formation (1924–1928), professor at the Pontifical Biblical Institute
(1924–1949), and rector
of the Institute of Superior Ecclesiastical Studies (1924–1930). In 1930, Bea was named rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, a post in which he remained for nineteen years.
Raised to the rank of cardinal
before his episcopal consecration
, Bea was created Cardinal-Deacon
of S. Saba by Pope John XXIII
in the consistory
of December 14, 1959. On June 6, 1960, he was appointed the first president of the newly formed Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity
, a Curial
organization charged with ecumenical affairs
. It was not until two years later that, on April 5, 1962, Cardinal Bea was appointed a bishop
: the Titular Archbishop
of Germania in Numidia. He received his consecration on the following April 19 from John XXIII himself, with Cardinals Giuseppe Pizzardo
and Benedetto Aloisi Masella
serving as co-consecrators
, in the Lateran Basilica
. He resigned his post as titular archbishop in 1963, one year after the Second Vatican Council
was convened.
The Cardinal was one of the electors
in the 1963 papal conclave
, which selected Pope Paul VI
, and was confirmed as the President of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity
(renamed as the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity by Pope John Paul II
on June 28, 1988) on January 3, 1966.
Bea died from a bronchial
infection
in Rome, at age 87. He was buried in the apse
of the parish church
of St. Genesius
in his native Riedböhringen, where there also exists a museum dedicated to his honor.
, which repudiated anti-Semitism. John Borelli, a Vatican II historian, has observed that, “It took the will of John XXIII and the perseverance of Cardinal Bea to impose the declaration on the Council”. During a session of the Central Preparatory Commission
, he also rejected the proposition that the Council Fathers take an oath composed of the Nicene Creed and the Anti-Modernist Oath
. After Alfredo Ottaviani, the heavily conservative
head of the Holy Office, presented his draft of the schema on the sources of Divine Revelation
, Bea claimed that it "would close the door to intellectual Europe and the outstretched hands of friendship in the old and new world". He served on numerous ecumenical bodies and was the author of nine works, including The Church and the Jewish People (New York: Harper & Row, 1966).
Divino Afflante Spiritu
, along with Jacques-Marie Voste, O.P. (secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission).
Pius XII wanted to elevate Bea to the College of Cardinals
in 1946, but Superior General Jean-Baptiste Janssens
urged the Pope against the idea, as many already saw the Vatican
as showing preferential treatment to the Jesuits.
, Bea was instrumental in bypassing the Vatican hierarchy to help Father Corrado Berti deliver a copy of the book Poem of the Man God
to Pope Pius XII
when Father Berti approached both Bea and Mnsgr Alphonso Carinci
with a typed copy of the manuscript of Maria Valtorta
's writings in 1947.
Bea was impressed with the book and later wrote that he found the Poem of the Man God
"not only interesting and pleasing, but truly edifying". With his assistance the manuscript was thus delivered to Pius XII and Father Berti and Father Migliorini were granted a papal audience. in which Pius XII reportedly gave his verbal approval for the book's publication.
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
(May 28, 1881 – November 16, 1968) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
scholar at the Gregorian University specializing in biblical studies and biblical archeology. He was confessor of Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. In 1959, Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
made him cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as the first President of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity origins are associated with the Second Vatican Council which met intermittently from 1962–1965.Pope John XXIII wanted the Catholic Church to engage in the contemporary ecumenical movement...
from 1960 until his death. Bea was a leading biblical scholar
Biblical Theology
Biblical theology is a discipline within Christian theology which studies the Bible from the perspective of understanding the progressive history of God revealing Himself to humanity following the Fall and throughout the Old Testament and New Testament...
and ecumenist
Catholic Church and ecumenism
The Catholic Church has been heavily involved in the ecumenical movement since the Second Vatican Council .- Before the Second Vatican Council :...
, who greatly influenced relations to other Christians and Jews during the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
in Nostra Aetate
Nostra Aetate
Nostra Aetate is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated on October 28, 1965, by Pope Paul VI.The first draft, entitled "Decretum de...
. Bea published several books, mostly in Latin, and 430 articles.
Biography
Augustin Bea was born in Riedböhringen, today a part of BlumbergBlumberg
Blumberg is a municipality situated in the Schwarzwald-Baar region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, 19 kilometres south of Donaueschingen, on the southern edge of the Schwarzwald, The Black Forest and lying directly on the border with Switzerland’s Canton of Schaffhausen.-History:The town of Blumberg...
, Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
; his father was a carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
. He studied at the Universities of Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
, Innsbruck, Berlin, and at Valkenburg
Valkenburg aan de Geul
Valkenburg aan de Geul is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands.-History:Siege and conquest were characteristic of the history of Valkenburg. Each event is withheld, followed by subsequent restorations. This most definitely holds for the castle perched atop of a hill in the middle of the...
, the Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
house of studies in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. On April 18, 1902, he joined the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
, as he "was much inclined to the scholarly life". Bea was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
on August 25, 1912, and finished his studies in 1914. He then served as Superior
Superior (hierarchy)
In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at a higher level in the hierarchy than another , and thus closer to the apex. It is often used in business terminology to refer to people who are supervisors and in the military to people who are higher in the...
of the Jesuit residence in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
until 1917, at which time he began teaching Scripture
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
at Valkenburg. From 1921 to 1924, Bea was the provincial superior
Provincial superior
A Provincial Superior is a major superior of a religious order acting under the order's Superior General and exercising a general supervision over all the members of that order in a territorial division of the order called a province--similar to but not to be confused with an ecclesiastical...
of Germany. Superior General
Superior General of the Society of Jesus
The Superior General of the Society of Jesus is the official title of the leader of the Society of Jesus—the Roman Catholic religious order, also known as the Jesuits. He is generally addressed as Father General. The position carries the nickname of Black Pope, after his simple black priest's...
Wlodimir Ledochowski
Wlodimir Ledochowski
Wlodimir Ledóchowski, S.J. was the 26th Superior-General of the Society of Jesus.He was born on the family estate, Sitzenthal, in Loosdorf, near St. Pölten , the son of Count Antoni Halka Ledóchowski...
then sent him to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he worked as the Superior of the Biennial House of Formation (1924–1928), professor at the Pontifical Biblical Institute
Pontifical Biblical Institute
The Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, Italy is an institution of the Holy See run by the Jesuits that offers instruction at the university level...
(1924–1949), and rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the Institute of Superior Ecclesiastical Studies (1924–1930). In 1930, Bea was named rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, a post in which he remained for nineteen years.
Raised to the rank of cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
before his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
, Bea was created Cardinal-Deacon
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of S. Saba by Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
in the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of December 14, 1959. On June 6, 1960, he was appointed the first president of the newly formed Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity origins are associated with the Second Vatican Council which met intermittently from 1962–1965.Pope John XXIII wanted the Catholic Church to engage in the contemporary ecumenical movement...
, a Curial
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
organization charged with ecumenical affairs
Catholic Church and ecumenism
The Catholic Church has been heavily involved in the ecumenical movement since the Second Vatican Council .- Before the Second Vatican Council :...
. It was not until two years later that, on April 5, 1962, Cardinal Bea was appointed a bishop
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
: the Titular Archbishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Germania in Numidia. He received his consecration on the following April 19 from John XXIII himself, with Cardinals Giuseppe Pizzardo
Giuseppe Pizzardo
Giuseppe Pizzardo was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation for Seminaries and Universities from 1939 to 1968, and Secretary of the Holy Office from 1951 to 1959...
and Benedetto Aloisi Masella
Benedetto Aloisi Masella
Benedetto Aloisi Masella was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Discipline of the Sacraments from 1954 to 1968, and as Chamberlain of the Roman Church from 1958 until his death...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
, in the Lateran Basilica
Basilica of St. John Lateran
The Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran , commonly known as St. John Lateran's Archbasilica and St. John Lateran's Basilica, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope...
. He resigned his post as titular archbishop in 1963, one year after the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
was convened.
The Cardinal was one of the electors
Cardinal electors in Papal conclave, 1963
The following were the cardinal electors in the 1963 papal conclave. Arranged by region , and within each alphabetically . Only two out of the eighty electors did not participate in the conclave: József Mindszenty The following were the cardinal electors in the 1963 papal conclave. Arranged by...
in the 1963 papal conclave
Papal conclave, 1963
The Papal conclave of 1963 was convoked following the death of Pope John XXIII on June 3 of that same year in the Apostolic Palace. After the cardinal electors assembled in Rome, the conclave to elect John's successor began on June 19 and ended two days later, on June 21, after six ballots. The...
, which selected Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
, and was confirmed as the President of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity origins are associated with the Second Vatican Council which met intermittently from 1962–1965.Pope John XXIII wanted the Catholic Church to engage in the contemporary ecumenical movement...
(renamed as the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
on June 28, 1988) on January 3, 1966.
Bronchiole
The bronchioles or bronchioli are the first airway branches that no longer contain cartilage or glands in their submucosa. They are branches of the bronchi.The bronchioles terminate by entering the circular sacs called alveoli.- Structure :...
infection
Infection
An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...
in Rome, at age 87. He was buried in the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
of the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of St. Genesius
Saint Genesius
Saint Genesius may refer to:*Genesius of Arles, martyred under Maximianus in 303 or 308*Genesius, Bishop of Clermont , French saint and bishop*Genesius, Count of Clermont , noble of Gaul and reputed miracle worker...
in his native Riedböhringen, where there also exists a museum dedicated to his honor.
Vatican II
Bea was highly influential at the Vatican II Council in the 1960s, being a decisive force in the drafting of Nostra AetateNostra Aetate
Nostra Aetate is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated on October 28, 1965, by Pope Paul VI.The first draft, entitled "Decretum de...
, which repudiated anti-Semitism. John Borelli, a Vatican II historian, has observed that, “It took the will of John XXIII and the perseverance of Cardinal Bea to impose the declaration on the Council”. During a session of the Central Preparatory Commission
Central Preparatory Commission
The Central Preparatory Commission was the body that co-ordinated the preparation of the schemas for the Second Vatican Council. It was established by Pope John XXIII on June 5, 1960...
, he also rejected the proposition that the Council Fathers take an oath composed of the Nicene Creed and the Anti-Modernist Oath
Oath Against Modernism
The Oath against Modernism was issued by the Roman Catholic Pope, Saint Pius X, on September 1, 1910, and mandated that "all clergy, pastors, confessors, preachers, religious superiors, and professors in philosophical-theological seminaries" should swear to it....
. After Alfredo Ottaviani, the heavily conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
head of the Holy Office, presented his draft of the schema on the sources of Divine Revelation
Revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, through active or passive communication with a supernatural or a divine entity...
, Bea claimed that it "would close the door to intellectual Europe and the outstretched hands of friendship in the old and new world". He served on numerous ecumenical bodies and was the author of nine works, including The Church and the Jewish People (New York: Harper & Row, 1966).
Pope Pius XII
Bea was, for a short interval, a confessor to Pope Pius XII. He had immense impact on the composition and publication of the encyclicalEncyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop...
Divino Afflante Spiritu
Divino Afflante Spiritu
Divino Afflante Spiritu is an encyclical letter issued by Pope Pius XII on September 30, 1943. It inaugurated the modern period of Roman Catholic Bible studies by permitting the limited use of modern methods of biblical criticism. The Catholic bible scholar Raymond E...
, along with Jacques-Marie Voste, O.P. (secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission).
Pius XII wanted to elevate Bea to the College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
in 1946, but Superior General Jean-Baptiste Janssens
Jean-Baptiste Janssens
Jean-Baptiste Janssens was the twenty-seventh Superior General of the Society of Jesus. He was born in Mechelen, Belgium.-Early Life and schooling:...
urged the Pope against the idea, as many already saw the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
as showing preferential treatment to the Jesuits.
Poem of the Man God
As confessor to Pope Pius XIIPope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
, Bea was instrumental in bypassing the Vatican hierarchy to help Father Corrado Berti deliver a copy of the book Poem of the Man God
Poem of the Man God
The Poem of the Man God is a multi volume book of about four thousand pages on the life of Jesus Christ written by the Italian mystic Maria Valtorta...
to Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
when Father Berti approached both Bea and Mnsgr Alphonso Carinci
Alphonso Carinci
Alphonso Carinci was a Roman Catholic Archbishop. He served as titular Archbishop of Selucia, in Isauria, from 1945 until his death at the age of 101....
with a typed copy of the manuscript of Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta was a Roman Catholic Italian writer and poet, considered by many to be a mystic. Her work centers on Catholic Christian themes...
's writings in 1947.
Bea was impressed with the book and later wrote that he found the Poem of the Man God
Poem of the Man God
The Poem of the Man God is a multi volume book of about four thousand pages on the life of Jesus Christ written by the Italian mystic Maria Valtorta...
"not only interesting and pleasing, but truly edifying". With his assistance the manuscript was thus delivered to Pius XII and Father Berti and Father Migliorini were granted a papal audience. in which Pius XII reportedly gave his verbal approval for the book's publication.
Trivia
- His personal assistantPersonal assistantA personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....
was fellow Jesuit, Fr. Malachi MartinMalachi MartinMalachi Brendan Martin Ph.D. was a Catholic priest, theologian, writer on the Catholic Church, and professor at the Vatican's Pontifical Biblical Institute. He held three doctorates and was the sole author of sixteen books covering religious and geopolitical topics, which were published in eight...
. - Among the other offices he once held during his priestly career, Bea was consultor to several Roman congregationsCongregation (Roman Curia)A congregation is a type of dicastery of the Roman Curia, the central administrative organism of the Catholic Church....
. - During intense debate concerning the adoption of the draft text of Nostra Aetate on the Church's relations with the Jews, Cardinal Bea was denounced by one prelate as being of Jewish descent: his family name was claimed to have been, originally, "Behar." The question is still controverted in some quarters.
Books about Augustin Bea
- Malachi Martin, Three Popes and the Cardinal, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1972, ISBN 0374276757
- Stephan Schmidt, Der Mensch Bea Aufzeichnungen des Cardinals, transl: Augustin Cardinal Bea, Spiritual Profile, Chapman, London, 1971
- Stephan Schmidt, Augustin Bea, Cardinal der Einheit, Köln, 1989; transl: Augustin Bea, The Cardinal of Unity, New City Press, 1992
Books published by Augustin Bea
- Mariology:
- Maria in der Offenbarung Katholische Marienkunde Bd. I Hugo Rahner, Augustin Bea, Schöningh, Paderborn, 1947
- Imagen de Maria en la Antigua Alianza, Buenos Aires, Revista Biblica,1954
- De Pentateucho Institutiones Biblicaa Scholis Accomodatae, Romae, 1933
- De Inspiratione Sacrae Scripturae, Romae, 1935
- Archeologica biblica, Romae, 1939
- La nuova traduzione Latina del Salterio, RomaE 1946
- Liber Ecclesiasticae qui ab Hebraeis appelatur Qohelet, Romae, 1950
- Canticum Canticorum Salamonis, Romae, 1953
- Cor Jesu Commentationes in Litteras encyclicas Pii Papae XII Haurietis Aquas, Herder Freiburg 1959
- Die Kirche und das judische Volk, (German Translation of La Chiesa e il popolo ebraico) Herder Frieburg 1966
Articles published by Augustin Bea
- Augustin Bea published 430 articles in the years 1918–1968. They dealt with archeological issues, exegesis of old testament texts, mariology, papal encyclicals, the unity of Christians, anti-semitism, Vatican II, relations to Protestantism and the eastern Orthodox Churches, and ecumenicism.
Awards
- 1954 Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Grand Cross of the French Legion of Honour
- Grand Cross of the Greek Order of George IOrder of George IThe Royal Order of George I is a defunct order of Greece.- History :The order was founded in 1915 by King Constantine I in honor of his father, George I. It was only the second Greek order to be created after the Order of the Redeemer in 1833, and remained the second senior award of the Greek...
- 1960 Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 1965 International Prize for the brotherhood of the Fellowship Commission (International Fellowship Award), Philadelphia, Pa. / USA
- 1966 Peace Prize of the German Book TradePeace Prize of the German Book TradeThe Peace Prize of the German Book Trade is an international peace prize given yearly at the Frankfurt Book Fair in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt am Main, Germany...
, along with Visser 't Hooft - 1967 Human Relations Award for the Society for Family of Man (New York)
Biography
- Martin, Malachi B. 1972. Three Popes and the Cardinal: The Church of Pius, John and Paul in its Encounter with Human History. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374276757.