École Biblique
The École was founded in 1890 by Father Marie-Joseph Lagrange (1855-1938), a Dominican priest and pioneer in the modern study of the Bible. It is the oldest biblical and archaeological centre in the Holy Land.
The École complex is situated just outside the old city of Jerusalem on the Nablus Road near Damascus Gate and adjacent to the Dominican monastery of Saint Stephen.
At the École Biblique, scholars engage at the highest scholarly level in study of the Bible and archaeology in the geographic and historical context of the Bible.
Accomplishments
After the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, scholars from the École such as Roland de Vaux were among the first to work on the scrolls and to participate in the excavation of the site of Qumran.
Scholars at the École produced the acclaimed French translation of the Bible, La Bible de Jérusalem, in 1956. The Jerusalem Bible was published in English in 1966.
Since 1892, The École has been home to the journal Revue Biblique, the oldest French biblical review.
Olivier Poquillon, o.p., Directeur de l’École
Some of the illustrious Dominicans who served at the École over the years include Marie-Joseph Lagrange, Roland de Vaux, Marie-Émile Boismard, Raymond-Jacques Tournay, Pierre Benoit and Jerome Murphy-O’Connor.
Academic programs offered
The École Biblique offers an ecclesiastical doctoral program in Sacred Scripture (SSD), with a special focus on levantine topography and the ancient versions of the text (MT, LXX, Vulgate, Peshitta, Targums).
With its outstanding library and tutorial opportunities, the École provides an accelerated preparation for the licentiate (SSL) exams before the Pontifical Biblical Commission in Rome.
Graduate-level courses at the École are offered in Old and New Testament exegesis, archaeology, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the topography and history of the Holy Land, ancient languages (advanced Greek and Hebrew, Akkdian, Aramaic, Ugaritic, Syriac, etc.) and hermeneutics.
École Biblique newsletters
On May 1, 2017, The École Biblique initiated a new website – more intuitive, more oriented towards the essential elements of the École (vitality of research, proposals for Studies, etc.), and above all more complete. It includes up-to-date information about recent events, lectures, conferences and news
Click to visit the website for the École Biblique.
The Nouvelles de Jérusalem is now a bilingual newsletter published three times a year that gives an overview of work in progress in exegesis and in archaeology.
Click to read the Nouvelles de Jérusalem.
“The Bible in Its Traditions” Project
In recent years, the École Biblique has developed an innovative research program called “The Bible in Its Traditions.” 
Its aim is to present an online comparative version of the Bible in its divergent text traditions, and to develop an interactive annotation that helps display the rich diversity of the reception of the Bible through history in theology, liturgy, art history, literature, etc.
For further information on “The Bible in Its Traditions,” see: https://www.bibletraditions.org/
For more information on all aspects of the École Biblique, see its rich and informative website at http://www.ebaf.edu.
Our Scholarship Recipients Say...
“My time at the École Biblique was wonderful. The community of brothers, sisters, students, librarians, and researchers was welcoming, and the school felt like an oasis in the middle of the city. During my time in Jerusalem, I was able to explore the old and new city further. I was invited on one of the excursions that the school offered to Shechem and Mt. Gerizim, which was insightful.”
– Aleksander Krogevoll (May to June 2023), Volda University College, Volda Norway
“My stay at the École provided the opportunity to spend concentrated, uninterrupted time making significant headway on two academic projects….”
– Derek Suderman (2017), Conrad Grebel College, University of Waterloo, Waterloo ON
“I often think of my semester at the My stay at the École as one of the happiest periods of my life. In fact, I’m still in contact with some of the friends that I made there.”
– Agnes Choi (2008), Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma WA