This year, the École Biblique is celebrating the centenary of its recognition in 1920 as a École archéologique française by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (AIBL). A symposium bringing together former AIBL scholars at the École Biblique will take place on March 6 in Paris, but the celebration of this centenary has already begun in Jerusalem with an academic session which took place on November 15th in the EBAF conference room.
Many personalities, researchers and friends had accepted our invitation. Michel Zink, Permanent Secretary of the AIBL, came from Paris for the occasion, as did Dominique Trimbur, associate researcher at the CRFJ and author of a book that analyses the context of the creation of this École archéologique française, at a time when Palestine was under British mandate.
This recognition was a great encouragement for Father Lagrange who had suffered a lot to have his innovative vision of biblical studies recognized. It was also a form of validation for the École’s exceptional first generation of teachers, the Vincent, Abel, Savignac, Jaussen, Dhorme, etc.
During this century, 150 scholars have been sent by the AIBL to Jerusalem. Many have had successful academic careers. This March, bringing together those who are still engaged in biblical studies will be an opportunity to measure the mutual enrichment that is the dialogue between biblical studies and orientalism in the broad sense (archaeology, epigraphy, Semitic languages, etc.).
For the École, studying the past must therefore also be a way of thinking about the future. The academic session on November 15th was already a great encouragement.
To view the report from the Christian Media Center, click here.
To view the opening by Jean Jacques Pérennès OP, « Pourquoi célébrer le centenaire de l’École archéologique française de Jérusalem ? », click here.
To view the presentation by Jean-Michel de Tarragon OP, « Histoire de l’École archéologique française de Jérusalem à travers quelques anciennes photographies de notre photothèque », click here.
To view the presentation by Dominique Trimbur, « Une école biblique, une école française : la création de l’École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem, 1890-1920 », click here.
To view the presentation by Michel Zink, « Cinq écoles françaises plus une : l’École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem et l’Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres », click here.