Sources chretiennes
Encyclopedia
Sources Chrétiennes is a bilingual collection of patristic texts
founded in Lyon
in 1942 by the Jesuits Jean Daniélou, Claude Mondésert
, and Henri de Lubac
.
The collection is edited by the Institut des Sources Chrétiennes (current director: Bernard Meunier) and published in Paris
by Les Éditions du Cerf
. Each text is given in Greek or Latin, with the translation on the facing page.
Over 500 works by Greek
, Latin and occasionally Syriac
authors have been published. Other oriental Christian (e.g. Armenia
n) writers have been published only in translation. An early decision was made not to exclude subsequently condemned authors (such as Origen of Alexandria). Clement of Alexandria
, John Chrysostom
, and the Cappadocians (Basil of Caesarea
and Gregory of Nazianzus
especially) are strongly represented, but a section is also devoted to Western spiritual writers such as Bernard of Clairvaux
.
A parallel collection devoted to the works of Philo of Alexandria has developed as well.
The bilingual edition policy launched by Sources Chrétiennes
has been followed by the German language
series Fontes Christiani
, published initially by Herder
of Freiburg
, Germany
but now by Brepols
of Turnhout, Belgium
.
Many of the texts published bilingually by 'Sources Chrétiennes' have appeared recently in Italian
translation.
Sources Chrétiennes is also in charge of the BIBLINDEX project http://www.biblindex.mom.fr/index.php?lang=en, Index of Biblical Quotations and Allusions in Early Christian Literature.
Patristics
Patristics or Patrology is the study of Early Christian writers, known as the Church Fathers. The names derive from the Latin pater . The period is generally considered to run from the end of New Testament times or end of the Apostolic Age Patristics or Patrology is the study of Early Christian...
founded in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
in 1942 by the Jesuits Jean Daniélou, Claude Mondésert
Claude Mondésert
Claude Mondésert was a French Jesuit at Fourvière, Lyon and co-founder of the Sources Chrétiennes collection...
, and Henri de Lubac
Henri de Lubac
Henri-Marie de Lubac, SJ was a French Jesuit priest who became a Cardinal of the Catholic Church, and is considered to be one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century...
.
The collection is edited by the Institut des Sources Chrétiennes (current director: Bernard Meunier) and published in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
by Les Éditions du Cerf
Editions du Cerf
Éditions du Cerf is a French publishing house specializing in religious books. It was founded in 1929, and operated by the Dominican Order.The name is a reference to Psalm 42 :...
. Each text is given in Greek or Latin, with the translation on the facing page.
Over 500 works by Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Latin and occasionally Syriac
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
authors have been published. Other oriental Christian (e.g. Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n) writers have been published only in translation. An early decision was made not to exclude subsequently condemned authors (such as Origen of Alexandria). Clement of Alexandria
Clement of Alexandria
Titus Flavius Clemens , known as Clement of Alexandria , was a Christian theologian and the head of the noted Catechetical School of Alexandria. Clement is best remembered as the teacher of Origen...
, John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic...
, and the Cappadocians (Basil of Caesarea
Basil of Caesarea
Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great, was the bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor . He was an influential 4th century Christian theologian...
and Gregory of Nazianzus
Gregory of Nazianzus
Gregory of Nazianzus was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age...
especially) are strongly represented, but a section is also devoted to Western spiritual writers such as Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
.
A parallel collection devoted to the works of Philo of Alexandria has developed as well.
The bilingual edition policy launched by Sources Chrétiennes
has been followed by the German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
series Fontes Christiani
Fontes Christiani
Fontes Christiani is a widely-cited German bilingual collection of patristic and medieval Latin works with modern German translations. Published initially by Herder, a long-established German theological publisher beginning in 1988, it is now published by the Belgian company Brepols, a major...
, published initially by Herder
Herder publishers
Verlag Herder is a publishing company started by the Herders, a German family. The company focuses primarily on Catholic topics of ecclesiology, Christian mysticism, women's studies, and the development of younger Catholic theologians.-Bartholomäus Herder:...
of Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
, Germany
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...
but now by Brepols
Brepols
Brepols was once one of the largest printing companies of the world and one of the main employers in Turnhout . Besides its printing business, Brepols is also active as a publisher...
of Turnhout, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
Many of the texts published bilingually by 'Sources Chrétiennes' have appeared recently in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
translation.
Sources Chrétiennes is also in charge of the BIBLINDEX project http://www.biblindex.mom.fr/index.php?lang=en, Index of Biblical Quotations and Allusions in Early Christian Literature.