Canadian Friends of the École Biblique
La Bible en ses Traditions – Publication of a Volume on the Psalms
As part of the La Bible en ses Traditions project of the École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem (ÉBAF), Peeters Publishers has recently released a work by Marc Girard, Le Psautier. Livre Ier (Ps 1–41). Bonheurs de l’homme (Leuven: Peeters, 2024. II–591 p. ISBN: 9789042950788; E-ISBN: 9789042950795. €150).
For each of Psalms 1 to 41, the volume presents, side by side, a new translation, as literal as possible, of the Hebrew Masoretic text, along with the Syriac, Greek, and Latin versions. A series of notes then follows, grouped under three headings. Under the Text, the author analyzes textual variants, vocabulary, grammatical features, composition, and literary genre. Under Context, he explains, when relevant, the Sitz im Leben of each psalm in its spatial, temporal, and cultural setting. Under Reception, he explores how the Hebrew text was understood in the ancient versions, identifies terminological and thematic connections with the rest of the Bible and para-biblical writings, traces its interpretation by major Jewish and Christian commentators through the centuries, and examines its echoes in liturgy, Islam, literature, magisterial documents, philosophy, contemporary visual art, and music.
Assisted by a few collaborators and interns, Canadian scholar Marc Girard, Professor Emeritus at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and research professor at the ÉBAF, was responsible for the translations, the organization of the material, and the writing of the notes in all sections. His work received financial support from the Canadian Friends of the École Biblique. We offer him our warm congratulations and best wishes for continued success in his research.
Construction Underway
February 2026
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
The start of the second academic semester here in Jerusalem coincides with the beginning of Lent 2026: it is an invitation to combine scholarship and piety, following in the footsteps of our role models, Father Lagrange and, before him, Saint Jerome. We also think with gratitude of our dear friend Justin Taylor, S.M., who directed our research program in its very early stages and who recently joined us.
Here is an update on the progress of our biblical research, in Jerusalem and elsewhere, during the past semester, and an overview of our program for the second semester.
And here is also a proposal and a request: we will offer the thousands of users of our platforms a very brief introduction to the entire Bible through its key books, Genesis and Revelation, and its central pillar, the Gospel. Your advice and observations will be invaluable, as the ultimate goal is to record an introduction to each book for the general educated public. Thank you in advance for your help!
Hoping to see you again on either side of the Mediterranean, we reiterate our grateful friendship from Jerusalem.
Frère Olivier-Thomas Venard, o.p.
director of of The Bible in its Traditions
with and for the Editorial Committee, research assistants in residence
P.S.: Our BibleArt app has a new engine; here are the steps to follow to benefit from the latest version (in French).
1. In our offices, in Jerusalem
Between semesters, there’s a change of roles for the teaching assistants. Victoria, Pauline, and Fanny are staying on for the second semester, joined by two new assistants: Solène Ditte and Ombeline Duhesme. Solène, a specialist in the Physiologus, is working on animals in the Bible. She describes their functions—whether material, symbolic, or poetic—within the biblical text […]
2. “At the Thresholds of Scripture”
Towards Introductions to All the Books of the Bible: For a long time, we had planned to record a brief introduction for an educated audience for each book of the Bible. This Lenten season gives us the opportunity to try something similar for Genesis, the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, and Revelation. These three books will allow our readers to enter into […]
3. Among our friends and collaborators
March 26: Launch of the “Bible and Mysticism” collection with Éditions du Carmel. All friends and colleagues in Paris, join us on March 26 at the Collège des Bernardins for the launch of the “Bible and Mysticism” collection. This is a wonderful result, among other things, of the stay of our dear Carmelite brother and colleague […]
4. The BibleArt app has been boosted!
Our app has a new engine! A few minor bugs you reported have been fixed, but more importantly, the navigation has been completely recoded, making browsing much faster. To ensure you get this latest version, you need to uninstall it and then re-pin it from your browser. […]
Rev. Justin Taylor, S.M., RIP
A few days ago we learned of the passing of our dear Father Justin Taylor, a Marist, who lived with us for over twenty years at the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem and was the first director of the editorial committee of *La Bible En Ses Traditions*. A New Zealander, educated at the University […]
Each month, we share the progress of the BibleArt project: new developments related to the biblical text, new insights into the context surrounding Scripture, and new developments concerning the reception of the biblical text, particularly within the cultural sphere. We also feature in-depth analyses of specific themes or topics, interviews, profiles, and personal accounts.
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