The Pontifical Biblical Institute (also known as Biblicum) is a research and postgraduate teaching institution specialised in biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies located in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. Founded in 1909 by

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

, it is an

institution An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...

of the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

entrusted to the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

(Jesuits). Since 1927, the Institute has had a branch in the city of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. Along with the Pontifical Oriental Institute, the Pontifical Biblical Institute was incorporated into the Pontifical Gregorian University under a single rector when the new statutes of the Gregorian took effect on 19 May 2024.

History

The Pontifical Biblical Institute, along with the Pontifical Biblical Institute Library, was founded by

in the apostolic letter ''Vinea Electa'' in 1909 as a centre of advanced studies in Holy Scripture. At first, the Institute prepared students for exams at the Pontifical Biblical Commission. In 1916, it was licensed by Pope Benedict XV to grant academic degrees in the name of the commission. In 1928, it was licensed by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

to grant doctorates in affiliation with the Pontifical Gregorian University, independently of the commission. A branch was opened in

by Alexis Mallon in 1927 and received the mummy of Iret-hor-iru as a gift from Jesuits in Alexandria in 1928. In 1932, the Oriental Faculty was founded.

Rectors

All of its rectors have been Jesuit priests. Cardinal Bea is particularly noteworthy for having defended the university against charges of

Modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

before the Second Vatican Council.

Alumni

Among the prominent alumni of the Biblicum, the following were elevated to the episcopate and/or the cardinalate:

References

External links

Apostolic Letter - ''Vinea Electa'', Pope Pius X, 7 May 1909, Vatican website
(Latin) {{Authority control 1909 establishments in Italy Biblical studies organizations Catholic universities and colleges in Italy Educational institutions established in 1909 Jesuit universities and colleges Pontifical Gregorian University Properties of the Holy See

History

Rectors

Alumni

See also

References

External links