Catholic Encyclopedia

Last updated
Catholic Encyclopedia
Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 1.djvu
Cover of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 1
PublisherRobert Appleton Company
Publication date
1907
Pages860
Followed by New Catholic Encyclopedia  
Text Catholic Encyclopedia at Wikisource

The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church, [1] also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, [2] is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States designed to serve the Catholic Church. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index volume in 1914 and later supplementary volumes. It was designed "to give its readers full and authoritative information on the entire cycle of Catholic interests, action and doctrine". [3] [4]

Contents

The Catholic Encyclopedia was published by the Robert Appleton Company (RAC), a publishing company incorporated at New York in February 1905 for the express purpose of publishing the encyclopedia. The five members of the encyclopedia's Editorial Board also served as the directors of the company. In 1912, the company's name was changed to The Encyclopedia Press. Publication of the encyclopedia's volumes was the sole business conducted by the company during the project's lifetime. [5]

Purpose

Robert Appleton Robt. Appleton LCCN2014692423.jpg
Robert Appleton

The encyclopedia was designed to serve the Catholic Church, concentrating on information related to the Church and explaining matters from the Catholic point of view. It records the accomplishments of Catholics and others in nearly all intellectual and professional pursuits, including artists, educators, poets and scientists. While more limited in focus than other general encyclopedias, it was far broader in scope than previous efforts at comprehensive Catholic encyclopedias, which covered only internal Church affairs.

It offers in-depth portrayals of historical and philosophical ideas, persons and events, from a Catholic perspective, including issues that divide Catholicism from Protestantism and other faith communities. Since the encyclopedia was first published starting in 1907 and has never been updated (versus the New Catholic Encyclopedia ), many of its entries may be out of date either with respect to the wider culture or to the Catholic ecclesiastical world. In particular, it predates the creation of the Vatican City State (1929) and the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), which introduced changes to Catholic practice.

History

The writing of the encyclopedia began on January 11, 1905, under the supervision of five editors:

The first edition was initially printed by Robert Appleton Company. The volumes came out sequentially, the first two in 1907 and the last three in 1912: [6]

VolumeEntriesYear first pub.Chief editor
1 Aachen–Assize 1907 Charles George Herbermann
2 Assize–Brownr
3 Brow–Clancy 1908
4 Cland–Diocesan
5 Diocese–Fathers 1909
6 Fathers–Gregory
7 Gregory–Infallibility 1910
8 Infamy–Lapparent
9 Laprade–Mass
10 Mass–Newman 1911
11 New Mexico–Philip
12 Philip–Revalidation
13 Revelation–Simon Stock 1912
14 Simony–Tournely
15 Tournon–Zwirner

The editors had their first editorial meeting at the office of The Messenger, on West 16th Street, New York City. The text received a nihil obstat from an official censor, Remy Lafort, on November 1, 1908, and an imprimatur from John Murphy Farley, Archbishop of New York. This review process was presumably accelerated by the reuse of older authorized publications. In addition to frequent informal conferences and constant communication by letters, the editors subsequently held 134 formal meetings to consider the plan, scope and progress of the work, culminating in publication on April 19, 1913. A first supplement was published in 1922; a second supplement in nine loose-leaf sections was published by The Gilmary Society between 1950 and 1958.

In 1912, a special completely illustrated, commemorative volume was awarded to those patrons who contributed to the start of the enterprise by buying multiple encyclopedia sets early on. [7]

There was controversy over the presence of the Catholic Encyclopedia in public libraries in the United States with nativist protests that this violated the separation of church and state, including a successful appeal in Belleville, New Jersey. [8]

The encyclopedia was later updated under the auspices of The Catholic University of America and the New Catholic Encyclopedia was first published in 1967, and then in 2002.

Authors and sources

The Catholic Encyclopedia and Its Makers states that:

The work is entirely new, and not merely a translation or a compilation from other encyclopedic sources. The editors have insisted that the articles should contain the latest and most accurate information to be obtained from the standard works on each subject.

However, "from standard works" allows that some of the articles from European contributors such as Pierre Batiffol (French) and Johann Peter Kirsch (German) had previously been published in whole or in part in Europe and were translated and edited for the Encyclopedia. [9] Those who wrote new articles in English include Anthony Maas and Herbert Thurston.

Online versions

Under copyright law of the United States, all works published in the United States before 1928 are in the public domain. In 1993, Kevin Knight, a 26-year-old resident of Denver, Colorado, decided, during the visit of Pope John Paul II to that city for World Youth Day, to launch a project to publish the 1913 edition of the encyclopedia on the Internet. Knight founded the Web site New Advent to host the undertaking. Volunteers from the United States, Canada, France, and Brazil helped in the transcription of the original material. The site went online in 1995, and transcription work ended in 1997. [Volumes 1]

In 2007, Catholic Answers published a watermarked version derived from page scans. This version has since been replaced with a transcription of the Encyclopedia similar to that found at the New Advent site. [Volumes 2] The Catholic Answers transcription, however, is an exact transcription of the original text, whereas the New Advent version at times modernizes certain usages (e.g., using the titles of Old Testament books found in Protestant Bibles, such as "1 & 2 Chronicles" and "Obadiah", in place of the titles traditionally used in the Vulgate/Douay–Rheims, such as "1 & 2 Paralipomenon" and "Abdias") and Biblical citation formatting (i.e., the Catholic Answers version retains the original's usage of Roman numerals for chapter numbers [e.g., Genesis I,1], while the New Advent version uses Arabic numerals throughout [e.g., Genesis 1:1]).

Other scanned copies of the 1913 Encyclopedia are available on Google Books, at the Internet Archive, and at Wikimedia Commons. Wikisource also hosts a transcription project backed by the scans hosted at Commons. [Volumes 3]

The 1922 supplement to the Encyclopedia is also in the public domain and is available online. The New Catholic Encyclopedia also is available online at some libraries.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johann Tetzel</span> German Dominican friar and seller of indulgences (c. 1465–1519)

Johann Tetzel was a German Dominican friar and preacher. He was appointed Inquisitor for Poland and Saxony, later becoming the Grand Commissioner for indulgences in Germany. Tetzel was known for granting indulgences on behalf of the Catholic Church in exchange for money. Indulgences grant a remission of temporal punishment due to sin, the guilt of which has been forgiven. This largely contributed to Martin Luther writing his Ninety-five Theses. The main usage of the indulgences sold by Tetzel was to help fund and build the new St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some important archbishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or (usually) ceremonial precedence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beatification</span> Recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased persons entrance into heaven

Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. Beati is the plural form, referring to those who have undergone the process of beatification; they possess the title of "Blessed" before their names and are often referred to in English as "a Blessed" or, plurally, "Blesseds".

Vicar of Christ is a term used in different ways and with different theological connotations throughout history. The original notion of a vicar is as an "earthly representative of Christ", but it's also used in the sense of "person acting as parish priest in place of a real person." The title is now used in Catholicism to refer to the bishops, and more specifically, was historically used to refer to the Bishop of Rome.

Testem benevolentiae nostrae is an apostolic letter written by Pope Leo XIII to Cardinal James Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, dated January 22, 1899. In it, the pope addressed a heresy that he called Americanism and expressed his concern that the Catholic Church in the United States should guard against American values of liberalism and pluralism undermining the doctrine of the Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Truth Society</span> Prints and publishes Catholic literature

Catholic Truth Society (CTS) is a body that prints and publishes Catholic literature, including apologetics, prayerbooks, spiritual reading, and lives of saints. It is based in London, the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Condé Benoist Pallen</span> American poet

Condé Benoist Pallen was an American Catholic editor and author. He was editor of Church Progress and the Catholic World from 1887 to 1897. He was managing editor of the Catholic Encyclopedia from 1904 to 1920. He wrote essays, poetry, and novels.

Hugh Tootell was an English Catholic historian. He is commonly known under his pseudonym Charles Dodd.

<i>New Catholic Encyclopedia</i> English-language reference work

The New Catholic Encyclopedia (NCE) is a multi-volume reference work on Roman Catholic history and belief edited by the faculty of the Catholic University of America. The NCE was originally published by McGraw Hill in 1967. A second edition, which gave up the articles more reminiscent of a general encyclopedia, was published in 2002.

<i>Magdeburg Centuries</i> Ecclesiastical history

The Magdeburg Centuries is an ecclesiastical history, divided into thirteen centuries, covering thirteen hundred years, ending in 1298; it was first published from 1559 to 1574. It was compiled by several Lutheran scholars in Magdeburg, known as the Centuriators of Magdeburg. The chief of the Centuriators was Matthias Flacius. Lutheran theologian Werner Elert argued that due to its revolutionary critical method of presenting history, it is the basis of all modern church history. It is said that Baronius undertook his Annales Ecclesiastici purely to oppose the Magdeburg Centuriators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">François Vachon de Belmont</span> Fifth superior of the Montreal Sulpicians from 1700 to 1731

François Vachon de Belmont was the fifth superior of the Montreal Sulpicians from 1700 to 1731. Vachon de Belmont was born in Burgundy, France to a wealthy family. He moved to Canada and personally funded the construction of La Montagne mission near Montreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Advent</span> Digital library website of Catholic works

New Advent is a website that provides online versions of various works connected with the Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie-Dominique-Auguste Sibour</span> French Catholic Archbishop

Marie-Dominique-Auguste Sibour was the French Catholic Archbishop of Paris from 1848 to 1857.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papal appointment</span>

Papal appointment was a medieval method of selecting the Pope. Popes have always been selected by a council of Church fathers, however, Papal selection before 1059 was often characterized by confirmation or nomination by secular European rulers or by the preceding pope. The later procedures of the Papal conclave are in large part designed to prohibit interference of secular rulers, which to some extent characterized the first millennium of the Roman Catholic Church, e. g. in practices such as the creation of crown-cardinals and the claimed but invalid jus exclusivae. Appointment may have taken several forms, with a variety of roles for the laity and civic leaders, Byzantine and Germanic emperors, and noble Roman families. The role of the election vis-a-vis the general population and the clergy was prone to vary considerably, with a nomination carrying weight that ranged from nearly determinative to merely suggestive, or as ratification of a concluded election.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Nyanza was a Roman Catholic mission territory in Eastern and Central Africa. It was an apostolic vicariate split out from the larger Vicariate of Nyanza in June 1894. It lost territory to the Apostolic Vicariate of Kivu in 1912, and was divided into the vicariates of Bukoba and Mwanza in 1929.

The 12-volume Universal Cyclopaedia was edited by Charles Kendall Adams, and was published by D. Appleton & Company in 1900. The name was changed to Universal Cyclopaedia and Atlas in 1902, with editor.

Der Wahrheitsfreund or Der Wahrheits-Freund was the first German language Catholic newspaper in the United States, and one of many German-language newspapers in Cincinnati, Ohio during the nineteenth century. It was published by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and proceeds went to the St. Aloysius Orphan Society.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, is a Catholic parish church in Cleveland, Ohio and part of the Diocese of Cleveland. It is a located on Lansing Ave. near East 66th St., in a part of the South Broadway neighborhood previously known as Warszawa, also referred to today as Slavic Village. Both the church and the area are GNIS named features. The church is in the neighborhood of, but not within, the area listed as Warszawa Neighborhood District on the National Register of Historic Places. The church, school, rectory, and convent buildings are listed together as a Cleveland Designated Landmark.

John Joseph Wynne (1859–1948) was an American Jesuit priest. A prolific writer and editor, he became a leader in Catholic intellectual life in the early 20th century. He played a major role in starting America, the Jesuit weekly magazine, and the Catholic Encyclopedia. Wynne was a historian, commentator, editor and educator who worked to promote Catholic scholarship and intellectual engagement with contemporary issues.

References

  1. "The Catholic Encyclopedia". New Advent . Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  2. "Catholic Encyclopedia". Catholic Answers.
  3. VolumeNamesYear first pub. Wikisource
    (Incomplete)
    Internet Archive Google Books Chief editor
    1Aachen–Assize1907 Wikisource 1 Internet Archive 1 Google Books 1 Charles George Herbermann
    2Assize–Brownr Wikisource 2 Internet Archive 2 Google Books 2
    3Brow–Clancy1908 Wikisource 3 Internet Archive 3 Google Books 3
    4Cland–Diocesan Wikisource 4 Internet Archive 4 Google Books 4
    5Diocese–Fathers1909 Wikisource 5 Internet Archive 5 Google Books 5
    6Fathers–Gregory Wikisource 6 Internet Archive 6 Google Books 6
    7Gregory–Infallibility1910 Wikisource7 Internet Archive 7 Google Books 7
    8Infamy–Lapparent Wikisource 8 Internet Archive 8 Google Books 8
    9Laprade–Mass Wikisource 9 Internet Archive 9 Google Books 9
    10Mass–Newman1911 Wikisource 10 Internet Archive 10 Google Books 10
    11New Mexico–Philip Wikisource 11 Internet Archive 11 Google Books 11
    12Philip–Revalidation Wikisource 12 Internet Archive 12 Google Books 12
    13Revelation–Simon Stock1912 Wikisource 13 Internet Archive 13 Google Books 13
    14Simony–Tournely Wikisource 14 Internet Archive 14 Google Books 14
    15Tournon–Zwirner Wikisource 15 Internet Archive 15 Google Books 15
    16Index1914 Wikisource 16 Internet Archive 16 Google Books 16
    17Supplement I1922 Wikisource 17 Internet Archive 17 Google Books 17
    18Supplement II Google Books 18
    19Supplemental Year Books Supplemental Year Books 1912–1922

Citations

  1. Herberman, Charles G.; et al., eds. (1907). "The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Volume 1: Aachen–Assize. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Title page.
  2. "The Original Catholic Encyclopedia". El Cajon, California: Catholic Answers. Retrieved 2011-07-21.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. Preface to the Catholic Encyclopedia
  4. "Scan of 'Preface'". El Cajon, California: Catholic Answers. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  5. "The Making of the Catholic Encyclopedia". The Catholic Encyclopedia and its Makers. New York City: The Encyclopedia Press. 1917. pp. iii–viii. OCLC   748253.
  6. "About". El Cajon, CA: Catholic Answers. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  7. "Celledoor Miscellany: Selected Illustrations from the Catholic Encyclopedia". Celledoor.blogspot.com. June 7, 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
  8. Separation of Church and State, Hamburger, Philip, Harvard University Press (2002), p. 412.
  9. The Catholic Encyclopedia and Its Makers 1917

General bibliography