Path: christian Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian From: HALSALL@MURRAY.FORDHAM.EDU Subject: Catholic Document Sources [For Posting on Soc.Religion Christian] Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu I have redone the document I posted a few days ago, making corrections as suggested, updating some documents' publication information, and adding new information about sources of papal documents and canon law texts. As far as I am I am concerned, this will be the final edition. If anyone has corrections, please contacts me. I will simply place any later version on the Catholic fileserver at the gopher/ftp site LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Paul Halsall halsall@murray.fordham.edu FREE CATHOLIC TEXTS [Version 2. Revised 2/21/1994] Most of the texts we argue about on the FREE CATHOLIC LIST here are fairly easily obtainable. The important thing is always to consult the *full* text rather than books of excerpts. This document is an attempt to provide a guide to the various documents, where the documents are located, and how to get them. For American scholars an excellent source for books such as those listed below is:- Christian Book Distributors PO Box 7000, Peabody MA 01961 1-508-977-5000 The prices I have given are the ones from their current catalogue. They will send the catalogue free to anyone who requests it. THE BIBLE FREE CATHOLIC subscribers seem to use various Bible texts, but none of us is obsessed, as one sometimes finds on general Christian lists, with the King James Version of the Bible. The *standard* Catholic Bible is the current Latin version, known as the _New Vulgate_. This is the:- _Nova Vulgata Bibliorum Sacrorum editio_., Editio typica altera. (Civitas Vaticana: Libreria editrice vaticana, 1986) See also:- _Biblia Sacra Vulgata_, 4th edition, (Stuttgart: GBS; New York: American Bible Society, 1990) $54.95 The standard edition of the *Jewish Scriptures*, or *Old Testament*, in Hebrew is:- _Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia_, ed., K. Elliger (Stuttgart: GBS; New York: American Bible Society; 1977) $48.95 The standard *New Testament* comes in two versions, both identical in text:- _Novum Testamentum Graece_, ed. Nestle-Aland, 27th edition, (Stuttgart: GBS; New York: American Bible Society, 1994 {check date}) $21.95 -this contains the textual varients for every variant reading, but does not give all sources for variations. _New Testament in Greek_, 4th Ed., (New York: United Bible Societies, 1993), various formats, e.g. standard with dictionary $32.95 -this contains variant readings for fewer texts, but gives the sources in much more detail for the varients it does give. It is directed towards translators. If you know some Greek (enough to understand the phrase "aorist participle", for example), even if you cannot remember very much, there is an excellent word by word grammatical analysis of the New Testament available, which can help you avoid simple grammer mistakes:- Max Zerwick and Mary Grosvenor, _A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament_, unabridged 4th ed., (Rome: Editrice Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 1993) For those interested in the "majority text", which is at the base of the King James Version, there is:- _New Testament in Original Greek According to the Byzantine/Majority Textform_, ed. Maurice Robinson and William Pierpont, (1991), $18.95 The standard Greek Version of the *Old Testament and Apocrypha*, which is some cases is preferable to the Hebrew text, is:- _Septuginta_, ed., Alfred Rahlfs, (New York: American Bible Society, reprint of 1935 ed.) $47.95 An older version, but with a side by side English translation is:- _Septuagint with Apocrypha_, trans. Sir Lancelot Brenton, (Hendrikson, reprint of 1851 edition) $24.95 BIBLE TRANSLATIONS As far as I am aware there is no current translation of the modern Vulgate [Latin] version. This is because since the publication of the encyclical _Divino afflante Spiritu_ in 1942 Rome has encouraged Catholic translations to derive from the *original* languages. For those who want a translation of the *older* Vulgate versions [not the current Vulgate, which is based on modern critical texts in the same was as modern English translations], the only real option is:- _The Douay-Rheims Bible_. (NT in Rheims 1582, OT 1609 - but largely redone by the 18th-century English Roman Catholic leader, Bishop Challoner, in 1738 and 1749-52] - this is often available in second hand bookstores, but is also available in reprint from the traditionalist Catholic publisher, TAN Books with the following pub. information:- _The Holy Bible, translated from the Latin Vulgate; diligently compared with the Hebrew, Greek, and other editions in divers languages_, (Rockford, Ill.: Tan Books and Publishers, 1989). with the note that "This Bible has been photographically reproduced from the 1899 edition of the John Murphy Company, Baltimore, Maryland..." But do not ignore:- _The King James Version_. (1611) [known as the _Authorised Version_ in British usage] - this is still widely available, primarily because of the beauty of some of its translations, because of its central importance as a work of *English* literature, and because of the insistance of some English-speaking Evangelicals that it is a uniquely authoratative translation. Although originally printed with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books, such editions are rare now. Unlike the Douay-Rheims, which is a translation of the Latin, the King James Version was from the original languages. Although modern scholarship has led to vastly improved Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic versions of these texts, the King James, more than any other commonly read version, preserves the exact wording and structure of the underlying text. Modern Catholic Biblical scholarship is represented in two main modern translations: _The New Jerusalem Bible_. (1985)- an English language utilization of the work of French scholars. This is widely used in Britain, Ireland and the former British Empire [!]. Some prefer the older _Jerusalem Bible_ (1966) but the "New" version incorporates more recent scholarship. Famous for its use of "Yahweh" to refer to God. _The New American Bible_ (1970) [with revised New Testament 1989] - a translation by American Catholic scholars to replace the mixed origin _Confraternity Bible_ of the 1950s. The second edition of the New Testament attempts some "inclusivity" in its language. In my opinion the NAB has raised banality to a translation principle! Trustworthy ecumenical versions [Catholics should always make sure to buy versions with the "Apocrypha" or "Deutero-canonical books"] include:- _The Revised English Bible_. (1989) - a recent revision of the _New English Bible_ (NT 1961, Complete 1970). Basically a British version in modern serious English. This sounds well when read out loud. _The New Revised Standard Version_. (1990) - the latest incarnation of the King James tradition. It is a redoing of the _Revised Standard Version_ (NT 1946, OT 1952, Apoc. 1957) [probably the most cited of all modern versions], which itself was a revision of several earlier revisions. The NRSV adopts a very moderate "inclusive" language approach - it translates "masculine" words that unequivocally include males and females [such as St. Paul's "Brothers" as more inclusive English, for instance "Brothers and sisters"], but does not go out of its way to avoid "patriarchal" words, such as "kingdom" or "father", where these are used in the original. This is the current standard Bible for scholarly citation. _The New International Version_. (NT 1973, Complete 1978) Basically a Bible for Evangelical Christians who do not obsess on the King James Version [i.e. the vast majority]. Trustworthy, but willing to use Protestant theological buzz words. _The Tanakh_ (1985). This is a translation by the Jewish Publication Society of the _*T*orah_ (1962) [the Law], the _*N*evi'm_ (1978) [the Prophets], and the _*K*ethuvim_ (1982)[The Writings]. Useful as a Jewish translation of what are, after all, Jewish Holy Books. This replaces the earlier 1917 JPS translation. Serious students should avoid, in my opinion, the following versions:- _The Good News Bible_. (NT 1966, OT 1976, Apoc 1979) - this translation is fun to read, but simplifies some underlying text, This is fine for telling a story but not for dogmatic discussion. _The Living Bible_. (1971) - an admitted "paraphrase", redolent of middle class American sensibilities. Great for teenagers but that is all. I suppose the high point is its translation of I Samuel 24:3: the King James Version has Saul go into the cave to "cover his feet" [as so often in the KJV, the exact Hebrew words], the RSV has Saul go into the cave to "relieve himself". The Living Bible has Saul go into the cave to "use the bathroom". Avoid. _The New World Translation_. (1961) - a Jehovah's Witness denominational translation, subtly done to support JW ideas, such as polytheism. BIBLE COMMENTARIES I make no attempt to list sets of commentaries. The following are often referred to in Catholic discussions. _The New Jerome Biblical Commentary_, eds. Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, Roland E. Murphy, (Englewood Cliffs, NJ : Prentice-Hall, c1990) -this replaces the earlier _Jerome Biblical Commentary_ of of 1968. It is an essentially moderate approach, definitely not literalist, and takes account of modern scholarship. _The Navarre Bible_, (Dublin: Four Courts Press, various dates). -This is a translation of a Spanish commentary done at the Opus Dei University of Navarre. It contains, with each book of the Bible in a separate volume, the New Vulgate Latin text, the Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition, translation (which had about 70 changes in the New Testament from the standard RSV), and an extremely conservative commentary. _The Oxford Companion to The Bible_, ed. Bruce M. Metzger and Michael D. Coogan, (New York: Oxford university Press, 1993) -not really a commentary, but contains lots of information, more easily available than elsewhere. EARLY COUNCILS [Accepted by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians] There are a number of sources for Church Council degrees. The standard Latin reference for Roman Catholics is:- _Conciliorum oecumenicorum decreta_, ed. Josepho Alberigo et al, 3rd edition, (Bologna: Istituto per le scienze religiose, 1973) -this covers all Ecumenical councils including Vatican II. The older 1962 edition is useful for the councils before this. For an English language version there is: _Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils_, 2 Volumes, edited by Norman P. Tanner., (London : Sheed & Ward ; Washington, DC : Georgetown University Press, 1990). v. 1. Nicaea I to Lateran V -- v. 2. Trent to Vatican II. -includes the documents in the original text, a reproduction of _Conciliorum oecumenicorum decreta_, and English translations. Some libraries may not have this yet, in which case the much older Schroeder edition may be used:- _Disciplinary Decrees of the General Councils, Text, Translation, and Commentary_, by Rev. H. J. Schroeder, O.P., (St. Louis, Mo.: London: B. Herder, 1937) -this gives the Greek and Latin texts and should be available in any Catholic university library, but may be a little hard to find elsewhere. An *easily available*, and trustworthy, English translation of the various canons and decrees of the first seven councils usually called "ecumenical", along with the full texts of a number of other important early councils is available in:- Henry R. Percival, ed., _The Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Unidivided Church, their canons and dogmatic decrees, together with the canons of all the local synods which have received ecumenical acceptance_, in _Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers_ 2nd Series, Vol. XIV, general editor Philip Schaff, (Edinburgh: T&T Clark; Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, repr. 1988) -despite its long title and citation this book is easily available at a very reasonable $24.95, sometimes less. -The following councils' documents are included:- "ECUMENICAL" "LOCAL" 1. Nicea I 325AD Ancyra 314AD Neocaesarea c. 315AD Gangra c.325-381AD Antioch in Encaenis 341AD Laodicea c.343-383AD 2. Constantinople I 381AD 3. Ephesus 431AD -- these three only accepted by the "monophysite" churches 4. Chalcedon 451AD -- these four accepted by Anglicans [?] 5. Constantinople II 553AD 6. Constantinople III 680-681AD *Council in Trullo/Quinisext 692AD -This supplies canons missing from the 5th and 6th councils. Its decrees were accepted at the 7th, and form the basis of Orthodox canon law. Not strictly an "ecumenical" or "local" council. Sardica 343 or 344AD Code of African Church/ Carthage 419AD Constantinople 394AD Carthage 257AD [Canons received by Quinsext and Ratified by Nicea II] Canon 2 of the Quinsext also accepted disciplinary rulings of a number of fathers - these also are printed. 7. Nicea II 787AD LATER COUNCILS [Only accepted by Roman Catholics] See the references for all councils above. Specific standard sources are:- For Lateran Councils I, II, III, IV, there is a very important French source:- Raymond Foreville, _Latran I, II, III et Latran IV_, Vol 6 in _Histoire des Conciles Oecume'niques_, ed. G. Dumiege, (Paris: 1965) For the 4th Lateran Council [the most important Medieval council]:- _English Historical Documents_ Vol III, (1189-1327), ed. D.C. Douglas (general editor), H. Rothwell (Vol III), Pages 643-676 For the Council of Trent _The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent_, trans. H.J. Schroeder, (Rockford IL: TAN, 1978) [the original 1941 edition, published by B. Herder contained Latin and English texts sided by side. For the Second Vatican Council, there are two main versions, each with different virtues: _The Documents of Vatican II, with Notes and Comments by Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Authorities_, edited by Walter M. Abbott and Joseph Gallagher, (New York: Guild Press, 1966) -The introductions are very informative about the background of each of the documents, including voting manoevres. _Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents_, edited by Austin Flannery, (Dublin: Dominican Publications, 1975) [A second edition has come out recently] -This contains not only the documents but the various documents issued in later years which attempted to put the decress into effect. There is no real commentary though. Some concerns have been raised about the translation of _Gaudium et Spes_ in the area of marriage teaching. All the Vatican II main documents are available on the Internet at the ftp/gopher site LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU The Vatican II documents, with English title, (Latin title) and date of issue [and main discussion points for FREE CATHOLIC members - the documents marked with a * are MOST commonly read], are:_ *Constitution on Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium) 12/4/1963 [Did or did not the Council mandate the liturgical reforms that have transformed Roman Catholic worship since 1965] Decree on Means of Social Communication (Inter Mirifica) 12/4/1963 *Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) 12/4/1963 [position of bishops with respect to the pope. Nature of Church authority, and religious obedience. Final chapter addresses place of Mary in the Church] Decree on the Churches of the Eastern Rite (Orientalium Ecclesiarum) 11/21/1964 *Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratio) 11/21/1965 [Makes an explicit statement about a "heirarchy of truths"] Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops (Christus Dominus) 10/28/1965 Decree on Renewal of Religious Life (Perfectae Caritatis) 10/28/1965 [Position of members of religious orders in the Church: are sisters "laity" for instance?] Decree on Priestly Training (Optatum Totius) 10/28/1965 Declaration on Christian Education (Gravissum Educationis) 10/28/1965 *Declaration on the Relation to Non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate) 10/28/1965 [Church relationship with the Jewish people is main point here] *Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum) 11/18/1965 [Nature of Biblical revelation. Place of Tradition.] Decree on Apostolate of Lay (Apostolicam Actuositatem) 11/18/1965 *Declaration on Religious Liberty (Dignitatis Humanae) 12/7/1965 [Does this represent a statement about conscience or Human freedom? Is this a change in Church teaching?] Decree on Mission Activity of the Church (Ad Gentes Divinus), 12/7/1965 . Decree on Ministry of Priests (Presbyterorum Ordinis) 12/7/1965 *Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) 12/7/1965 [Huge variety of topics - from war and peace, to the nature of marriage] PAPAL DOCUMENTS The official Latin record of papal and curial documents is the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, issued each year as a periodical. Note that note all Vatican documents are contained here, only those of a public nature:- _Acta Apostolicae Sedis_, (Cittaá del Vaticano, etc.: Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis) [Former title Acta Santae Sedis] There is a collection of translations of all papal encyclical, but not other documents, in _The Papal Encyclicals_, compiled by Claudia Carlen, (Wilmington, N.C.: McGrath Pub. Co., 1981), 5 Volumes: CONTENTS: [1] 1740-1878 -- [2] 1878-1903 -- [3] 1903-1939 -- [4] 1939-1958 -- [5] 1958-1981. Note that this is only likely to be available in large libraries. It was reprinted in 1990 with the following publication information (Ann Arbor: Pierian Press, 1990). A popular collection of *extracts* from encyclicals, still available in some second hand stores is:- Anne Fremantle, _The Papal Encyclicals in Their Historical Context_, expanded edition, (New York: Mentor-Omega, 1963) *Current* papal documents are issued in various forms. In Britain they are usually issued in pamphlets by the Catholic Truth Society, in the United States they are published in _Origins_, a regular publication of the US bishops. They are also available in pamphlet form, usually from St. Paul's Books & Media. Another useful collection is the second volume [not second edition] of Austin Flannery's _Vatican II_. Many, but not all, modern documents are available by gopher and ftp from the internet site LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU As a point of style, I recommend always citing a *printed* version of a text in scholarly writing - computer and internet based texts are still too vulnerable to alteration. The most discussed papal and/or Vatican documents, with papal issuer, Latin title, and date of issue [and main discussion points for FREE CATHOLIC members - the documents marked with a * are MOST commonly discussed], are:_ Boniface VIII, *_Unam Sanctam_ [Papal Bull], November 1302 [Explicates dogma that there is no salvation outside communion with the Bishop of Rome] Benedict XIV, _Vix Pervenit_, 11/1/1745 [First pope to issue "encyclicals. This one states that usury is forbidden - all usury!] Gregory XVI, _Mirari Vos_, 8/15/1832 [Attacks freedom of religion] Pius IX, _Quanta Cura_ 12/8/1864 [Accompanied the Syllabus of Errors] On the Immaculate Conception (1854). Leo XIII, _Aeterni Patris_ 8/4/1979 [Promoted Thomism in Catholic universities] _Libertas_ 6/22/1888 [On the ending of slavery] _Catholicae Ecclesiae_ 11/20/1890 [On African slavery] _Rerum Novarum_ 5/15/1891 ["On the Condition of the Working Class" - this represents the beginning of modern Catholic Social Teaching] St. Pius X, _Pascendi Dominici Gregis_ 9/8/1907 [Began the Modernist purge] Pius XI, _Quas Primas_, (On the Feast of Christ the King) 12/11/1925 _Quadragismo anni_ (On the Fortieth Anniversary) 12/23/1929 [Continued tradition of Catholic social teaching begun in _Rerun Novarum_] _Casti Connubii_ (On Chastity in Marriage) 12/31/1930 [On contraception] *_Mit Brennede Sorge_, (On the Church and the German Reich) 3/14/1937 [Church response to Nazism] _Divini Redemptoris_ (On Atheistic Communism) 3/19/1937 Pius XII, _Divini afflante Spiritu_ 9/30/1943 [Allowed Catholic scholars to undertake modern biblical criticism] [Vatican Statement], _Letter to the Bishop of Boston_ 1949 [Condemned Catholic priests who were preaching that only Roman Catholics could be saved. *_Humani Generis_ 8/12/1950 [Began a minor theological purge of the theologians who later dominated Vatican II. Discussed Catholic views on evolution] John XXIII, _Mater et Magistra_ (Christianity and Social Progress) 5/15/1961 [Catholic social teaching] *_Pacem in Terris_ (Peace on Earth) 1/10/1963 [Issues of peace] Paul VI, _Mysterium Fidei_ (On the Holy Eucharist) 1965 [Discusses meaning of "transubstantiation] _Populorum progresso_, (On the Development of Peoples) 1967 [More Catholic social teaching] _Celibacy of the Priest_ (1967). ***_Humanae vitae_ (On the Regulation of Birth) 1968 [The most famous encyclical ever. On contraception] _Credo on the People of God_ (1968). [Vatican Statement] _Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics_ 1975 [Addresses masturbation, divorce, and homosexuality] [Vatican Statement] *_Inter Insigniores_, (On Admission of Women to the Priesthood) 1976 [First Vatican statement on the topic - in response to Anglican ordinations] John Paul II [The current pope has a large output of documents of varying length and importance. The following are only a selection] [Vatican Statement] _On Liberation Theology_ 1984 [Vatican Statement] *_On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons_ 1986 [Defined homosexuals as "objectively disordered"] _On Catholic Universities_ 1990 [On extent of academic freedom in Catholic universities] [Vatican Statement], _Regarding Legislation on Homosexuals_, 1990 [Called on American bishops to oppose civil rights legislation for lesbian and gay people]. _Centesimus Annus_ 1991 [On the anniversary of Rerum Novarum - the Pope's views on Capitialism] *_Ordinatio Sacerdotalis_ 1994 [On women priests] CANON LAW The first ever _Code of Canon Law_ was issued in 1917 as _Acta Apostolicae Sedis_ vol9:pars 2, with the title _Codex Iuris Canonici_. A useful text for locating information about what was contained there is:- _Canon law; a text and commentary_, by T. Lincoln Bouscaren, Adam C. Ellis, and Francis N. Korth., 4th rev. ed., (Milwaukee: Bruce Pub. Co., 1966) In 1983 a new _Code of Canon Law_ [Codex Juris Canonici] was issued. There are several versions in English. Note that the more recent one was commented on at the University of Navarre. This is the Opus Dei powerhouse in northern Spain - a notable center of extreme conservative thought and activity. The standard Latin-English text is:- _Codex Juris Canonici (1983). English & Latin_, _Code of canon law, Latin-English edition : translation prepared under the auspices of the Canon Law Society of America_, (Washington, D.C.: Canon Law Society of America, 1983) See also:- _The Code of Canon Law : a text and commentary_ edited by James A. Coriden, Thomas J. Green and Donald E., (New York : Paulist Press, 1985) -Commissioned by the Canon Law Society of America. This contains a commentary, without which the Code is more or less opaque to the non-specialist. _Codex Juris Canonici (1983). English & Latin_. _Code of Canon Law annotated : Latin-English edition of the Code of Canon Law and English-language translation of the 5th Spanish-language edition of the commentary_, prepared under the responsibility of the Instituto Martín de Azpilcueta; edited by E. Caparros, M. Thériault, J. Thorn, (Montréal: Wilson & Lafleur, 1993) Sometimes people want to make comparisons with Eastern Orthodox canon law. For Eastern churches in communion with Rome there is a recent and new compilation called:- _Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium_ An English version has recently become available:- _Codex canonum ecclesiarum Orientalium. English & Latin. 1992_, (Washington, D.C. : Canon Law Society of America, c1992) Also useful are:- _The Eastern Catholic churches : constitution and governance: according to the Code of canons of the Eastern churches_, by John D. Faris, (New York : Saint Maron Publications, 1992) This is a commentary on Codex canonum ecclesiarum Orientalium, Canons 1-322. with English translation and (in an appendix) Latin text of the canons, _Eastern Catholic church law : according to the Code of canons of the Eastern churches_, ed. Victor J. Pospishil, (Brooklyn, N.Y.: Saint Maron Publications, 1993) For other Orthodox churches the situation is confused and complicated. Supposedly all ancient canons are still in force, but in practice this is not the case. Canon law in the "eastern" churches derives from canons of the Ecumenical councils, from decrees of the "Synod Endemousa" ["Standing synod"] during the Byzantine period, local councils, Roman Law [expressed in various compilations such as Justinian's _Corpus Iuris Civilis_ and the late Byzantine _Basilics_, as well as certain Imperial edicts called "Novels"], and the later rulings made by canon lawyers and the governing authorities of various national Orthodox Churches. It is, frankly, a mess. Some of the above documents are available in English, such as Justinian's _Code_, others are available but rare, having been translated in various dissertations, and others are simply not available except in Greek, Russian, Arabic, Armenian, and so forth. There is available in English a translation of a compilation of Orthodox canon law known as the _Pedalion_ [The "Rudder"]. This compilation, made in the late 18th century, is usually regarded with maximum distrust. This is, as yet, nothing to equal it in English. _The Rudder of the Orthodox Catholic Church: The Compilation of the Holy Canons by Saints Nicodemus and Agapius_, first published in 1800, the fifth edition, published in Athens in 1908 by John Nicoledies, translated by D. Cummings, (Chicago IL: Orthodox Christian Educational Society, 1957, repr. 1983) CATECHISMS The Roman Catholic Church has, as body issued very few official Catechisms. For discussion in modern times, four are of overwhelming importance. _Catechism of the Council of Trent: for parish priests_, issued by order of Pope Pius V; translated into English, (New York: Joseph F. Wagner; London, B. Herder, 1923) _The Baltimore Catechism_. There were multiple editions of this text. One of the latest, before Vatican II mandated a changed approach was:- _The new Confraternity edition, revised Baltimore Catechism no. 3. The text of the official revised version_, (New York, Benziger Bros., 1949) _A New Catechism: Catholic Faith for Adults_ issued with _Supplement_, [New York: Herder and Herder, 1970] - this was issued after Vatican II by the Dutch bishops, and was widely read. Some Roman officials had questions and comments, so a _Supplment_ was issued in later editions, dealing with such issues. All previous official Catechism have been superceded by the new _Cathechism of the Catholic Church_, written in French, and made available recently in English. _Catechism of the Catholic Church_. (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana; Boston, Mass. ; Bronx, N.Y. : distributed by Alba House) [and a number of other publishers] ECCLESIASTICAL ENCYCLOPEDIAS Here is an annotated list of the main eccleisiastical encyclopeadias in English, Italian, and French. These texts are major works of scholarship. The French ones in particular are more like collections of academic articles arranged alphabetically than the expanded dictionaries we often call encyclopeadias in the English speaking world. It is often worth looking up the same subject in all the reference works, since different scholars address the same issue from different points of view. Although the English works are pretty good, the French ones are superb. Bibliotheca Sanctorum, 12 vols., (Rome: Istituto Giovanni XXIII della Pontificia Università Lateranense, 1961-69) Written in Italian, this is the largest reference work on saints, with *almost* all known saints having a distinct entry and bibliography. There are also some illustrations. Dictionary of the Middle Ages, ed. Joseph Strayer, (New York: Scribner, 1982- ) Not exactly a "Catholic" work, nevertheless many major medievalists collaborated on this work, which includes up to date bibliographies on many major topics of interest to research in Church history. Dictionnaire d'histoire et de geographie ecclesiastiques, ed. Alfred Baudrillart et al, (Paris: Letouzey et Ane, 1912- ) This is not yet finished, but is an exhaustive work on Christian buildings, art, relics and sites, as well as many historical topics. Dictionnaire de droit canonique, 7 Vols.. ed. R. Naz (Paris:Letouzey et Ane, 1935-65) Immense discussion on the history of all aspects of canon law. But also see the DTC below. Dictionnaire de spiritualite, ed. M. Viller et al, (Paris: Beauchesne, 1937- ) Looks at issues of prayer, sanctity, as well as theology. Dictionnaire de theologie catholique, ed. A. Vacant et al, (Paris: Letouzey et Ane, 1909-50) The biggest and the best! Immensely erudite work on all aspects of Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox history, theology, ritual and tradition (sometimes with a Roman Catholic confessional bias). New Catholic Encyclopedia, ed. William McDonald et al., (New York McGraw-Hill, 1967) The most extensive English language work of its kind (although the older _Catholic Encyclopeadia_ can still be consulted with much profit). Articles were written by leading Catholic historians, theologians, moralists, and scholars. There are a series of updated year books See also:- _The Catholic Encyclopedia; an international work of reference on the constitution..._, 15 vols. (New York, Robert Appleton company, 1907-12) OTHER An important source for Catholic dogmatics, neatly, if somewhat misleadingly, dividing Church teachings as "de fide" and other wise, is the work of Ludwig Ott. Ludwig Ott, _Fundamentals of Catholic dogma_ edited in English by James Canon Bastible, 4th ed., (St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder, 1960) -Translation of _Grundriss der Katholischen dogmatik_. CATHOLIC RESOURCES NETWORK It is also useful to know about Catholic Resources Network. CRNET has a huge collection of texts available on a BBS. It can be searched for free [and you can capture document texts with your software], but regular downloads are only possible with a subscription. The BBS can handle 14,400bps modems, so even with screen capture, you can get useful ammounts of information. CRNET is usually quicker to have new texts available than any printed mediu,. Here is the info :- The Catholic Resource Network Trinity Communications PO Box 3610 Manassas, VA 22110 Voice: 1-703-791-2576 Fax: 1-703-791-4250 Data: 1-703-791-4336 The Catholic Resource Network is a Catholic online information and service system. To browse CRNET or join, set your modem to 8 data bits, 1 stop bit and no parity, and call 1-703-791-4336. CONCLUSION I hope this list of reference is useful to people. I may expand it a little in the future, and so please send any corrections or suggestions to me at halsall@murray.fordham.edu Paul Halsall --- [I want to add an anti-recommendation. There's a work which can easily be confused with the Catholic Encyclopedia listed above: Robert C. Broderick, ed, "The Catholic Encyclopedia: Revised and Updated Edition", Nelson, 1987. This book is nearly useless. Its discussions are too superficial to be useful for very much. --clh]