THE NEW CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA

     The NEW CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA proposes to meet the need for an authoritative work of reference for the English-speaking world. It is not a revision of the Catholic Encyclopedia (1907-14), but a completely new work, abreast of the present state of knowledge and reflecting the outlook and interests of the second half of the 20th century.

SCOPE. In addition to providing full information on the doctrine, organization, and history of the Catholic Church through the close of Vatican Council II, the ENCYCLOPEDIA includes also within its scope the per­sons, institutions, religions, philosophies, scientific developments, and movements that have affected Catholi­cism in the past or are of particular concern at present. Accordingly, attention is given to Protestantism, Juda­ism, Islam, Buddhism, and other religions, as well as to the history of religion in general, worship as a universal phenomenon, mythology, comparative religion, and related subjects.

There is a total of about 17,000 separate articles in the ENCYCLOPEDIA, written by some 4,800 schol­ars, each qualified in his field. Nearly all the articles in the ENC YCLOPEDIA include a select bibliography of authoritative works for further reference. Every article appears over the name of its author. Full identification of a contributor, including his full name, name in religion, position, and titles of all his articles, may be found in the list of contributors (volume 15). These scholars are men and women, Catholic and non-Catholic, from all parts of the world.

SCRIPTURE, THEOLOGY, PATROLOGY, LITURGY. The advances made in Biblical scholarship are reflected in the up-to-date treatment of Sacred Scripture and its problems. Modern theological positions have been given full at­tention, without, however, neglecting the long history of theological development in the Church. The great ad­vances in patrology during the preceding half century have been dealt with in detail. Liturgy is covered histor­ically and descriptively and is given special emphasis in view of the contemporary reforms consequent upon the decisions of Vatican Council II.

CHURCH HISTORY, CANON AND CIVIL LAW. The history of the Church is presented in all its aspects and against the background of general political and cultural history. Comprehensive articles cover the Church history of each country in the world, as well as major periods and movements that cut across national boundaries, such as the Middle Ages, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment. The archdioceses of the world have separate articles. The Church in Latin America has been given a more extensive treatment than is to be found in any other reli­gious encyclopedia. The Church in the United States receives even fuller coverage, with each state, archdiocese, and diocese treated in a separate article. Byzantine Church history also is given extensive treatment. Cities of importance in ecclesiastical history, significant monasteries and abbeys, and religious orders and congregations are given separate articles. The history of missionary efforts, both Catholic and Protestant, receives special atten­tion, and a discussion of modern mission work and its problems is included. In the field of Canon Law, emphasis is placed on its historical development, and care has been taken to incorporate all new legislation. Particular attention has been given to civil law as it affects the Church; and the relations of Church and State have been dealt with fully and concretely. Legal questions related to Catholic education also are treated comprehen­sively.

     PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY, PSYCHIATRY. While Thomism and other scholastic systems receive full atten­tion, all schools of ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary philosophy are given detailed consideration. An attempt is made to treat systematically philosophy as it relates to philosophical and theological positions generally held within Catholicism.  In addition, the thought and writings of all major and many lesser philosophers are examined in historical and biographical articles.  The many branches of psychology and psychiatry, of increasing importance in the second half of the century, likewise are given the full attention they deserve.

BIOGRAPHY. As a matter of policy, biographies of living persons, with the exception of the reigning Poi have been excluded from the ENCYCLOPEDIA; however, the work of living persons is discussed in pertinent articles. The subjects of separate biographical articles were selected because of their significance for the Church They include: Old and New Testament figures; the Fathers of the Church and ancient ecclesiastical writers; pagan and early Christian rulers; ancient pagan philosophers; heretics; leaders in the Reformation and Counter Reformation; medieval and modern kings, emperors, and other heads of state; popes; notable archbishop bishops, priests, and religious; and theologians, philosophers, scholars, scientists, creative writers, compose musicologists, painters, sculptors, and architects.

SOCIAL SCIENCES. The revolutionary progress made in the social sciences since 1900 is reflected in artic devoted to the fields of anthropology, economics, and sociology. Emphasis is placed on the important contributions made by Catholics in the fields of social welfare and social legislation. Particular attention is given to 1 development of Catholic charities, child welfare, and care of the sick. The teachings of the papal encyclicals that are applicable to the social sciences are dealt with systematically. The development of Catholic Action and the growth of the role of the laity in the work of the Church also receive thorough coverage.

LITERATURE. The ENCYCLOPEDIA does not confine itself strictly to Catholic literature or to Catholic w errs but deals with literature on a universal basis from a Catholic point of view, while using literary standards of judgment and evaluation. Special attention has been given to the development of the Catholic pr throughout the world and to other communications media, particularly radio, television, and motion pictures. Their application to Catholic education and missionary activity also has been considered.

EDUCATION. The development of education in the United States is covered systematically, and each Catholic college and university in the United States has been assigned a separate article. Education for the professi under Catholic auspices also is examined. The history of education from ancient times to the present recei’ close attention. Separate articles have been included on European universities that were founded under Catholic auspices. Educational psychology and many other aspects of educational theory, practice, and methodology also are treated.

PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. Science has achieved greater triumphs in the 20th century than ever fore in history. Therefore, every effort has been made to indicate the present state of knowledge in the physical and biological sciences. In the articles on physics and its branches, on chemistry and its branches, on the biological sciences, and on medicine and the medical sciences, the scope and significance of each science in relation to Christian life are examined.

ART, MUSIC. Because of the importance of music and art in the liturgy of the Church, they have received comprehensive coverage from historical and descriptive points of view. The mutual influence of secular and ecclesiastical art, architecture, and music, as well as their relation to the liturgy, has been traced in detail.

ARRANGEMENT. The articles of the ENCYCLOPEDIA are arranged alphabetically by the first solid word thus “New Zealand” precedes “Newman, John Henry,” and “Old Testament Literature” precedes “Old castle, Sir John.” In a series of articles with the same heading, the order is: persons, places, and things. Further details on this system of alphabetization may be found in volume 15.

MAPS, CHARTS, ILLUSTRATIONS. The ENCYCLOPEDIA contains more than 300 maps covering the ~ graphical spread and organization of the Church; they furnish information on aspects of cultural history of direct concern to the Church. With few exceptions, these maps are newly drawn. Where useful, charts have been employed to enable the reader to visualize more clearly data that is difficult to present in words alone. The illustrations, totaling more than 7,500, are primarily functional in character. Emphasis has been placed on authentic. Pictorial representations of persons, historical buildings, and aspects of religious life in general.

ABBREVIATIONS. Abbreviations, like other matters of style in the ENCYCLOPEDIA, generally conform to conventions given in standard guides, e.g., Webster’s New International Dictionary (2d edition) and A Manual of Style (Chicago 1949). The books of the Bible are abbreviated as in the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) Version, except for Habacuc, which is designated Hab (not Hb). In Biblical citations, the chapter num­ber is separated from the verse number by a period, e.g., Gn 3.4—11. The system of abbreviations used for the works of Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas is as follows: Plato is cited by book and Ste­phanus number only, e.g., Phaedo 79B; Rep. 480A. Aristotle is cited by book and Bekker number only, e.g., Anal. post. 72b 8—12; Anim. 430a 18. St. Augustine is cited as in the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae, e.g., C. acad. 3.20.45; Conf. 13.38.53; Trin. 15.28.51, but with capitalization of the first letter of the title. St. Thomas Aquinas is cited as in scholarly journals, but using Arabic numerals throughout, e.g., ST 1 a2ae, 90.1 ad 2; C. gent. 3.21; In Boeth. de Trin. 5.2 ad 6; In 2 phys. 3.2. For ancient Latin authors, pagan and Christian, the abbreviations employed follow those in the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae, Index (1958); for Greek pagan au­thors, those in H. G. Liddell and R. Scott, comps., A Greek-English Lexicon, rev. H. S. Jones and R. McKenzie (9th ed. Oxford 1940); for Greek patristic authors, those in G. W. H. Lampe, Patristic Greek Lexicon (Oxford 1961— ). For Canon Law, the Codex Iuris Canonici is abbreviated CIC, and the canons are cited as follows: CIC cc.1240.1n4; 1241 (i.e., canon 1240.1, n.4, and canon 1241). The system of abbreviations used for numer­ous other reference works and periodical publications will help make identification reasonably easy for the non­specialist. A complete list of these abbreviations (sigla) and their full titles may be found in volume 15.

TRANSLITERATION. Throughout the ENCYCLOPEDIA, Greek words are printed in Porson type or translit­erated according to the system used in the Catholic Biblical Quarterly. Words in Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian, and other languages not using the Roman alphabet are printed in transliterated form. For Hebrew, transliteration again follows the practice of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly. For other languages, the Library of Congress trans­literation system is used.

SPECIAL FEATURES. For a number of subjects, composite articles have been planned to provide a more thorough and systematic treatment than would otherwise have been possible. For example, under the general heading “Bible,” the many subjects pertaining to the Bible are covered in numerous subdivisions, each written by a specialist. For the convenience and guidance of the reader, there are also brief articles outlining the scope of major fields: “Philosophy, Articles on,” “Theology, Articles on,” “Science, Articles on,” etc.

The cross-reference system in the ENCYCLOPEDIA serves to direct the reader to related material in other articles. Cross references within an article are of two kinds. An asterisk before the name of a person or subject (e.g., Richard *Hooker) indicates that there is an article of that title. A see reference has the same function (e.g., see HOOKER, RICHARD). When a further aspect of the subject is treated under another title, a see also ref­erence is placed at the end of the article. In addition to the cross-reference system, the analytical index of about 350,000 entries will greatly increase the reader’s ability to get best use of the ENCYCLOPEDIA. Sug­gestions for the most effective use of the index are given in volume 15.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. The editors are pleased to express their grateful appreciation to all who have aided in the preparation of the ENCYCLOPEDIA. Thanks are owed first to the American Catholic Hierarchy for their sponsorship of the project, and to the many advisers and consultants who aided in its planning, and whose names appear in the list of consultants (volume 15). Special thanks are due also to those publishers who graciously gave permission to reproduce copyright material, as well as to curators of museums and di­rectors of libraries for their kind cooperation. Finally, to the staff of McGraw-Hill, Inc., for their assistance in this large undertaking, and above all to the thousands of distinguished contributors, we acknowledge our heavy debt.

 THE EDITORS