Catholic Encyclopedia
The Catholic Encyclopedia carries a title almost nobody uses in full. In full, it reads: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church. Its editors wanted to give readers, in their own words, "full and authoritative information on the entire cycle of Catholic interests, action and doctrine."
That promise filled fifteen volumes, plus a master index and later supplements, published in the United States for an English-speaking audience. Who put together a project that ambitious? Why has it never been revised, even though a successor encyclopedia now exists? Why did some public libraries face protests just for keeping it on the shelf? And how did a reference work finished generations ago end up freely readable online today?
The chapters ahead follow the editors who built it, the outlook that shaped it, and the writers who filled its pages. They end with the surprising second life it found online decades later.
(full text written to file; covers the five editors, the 134 editorial meetings, the nihil obstat and imprimatur, the Robert Appleton Company / Encyclopedia Press, the volume publication timeline and supplements, the Belleville library controversy, and the 1960s update culminating in the New Catholic Encyclopedia)
(full text written to file; covers the encyclopedia's intended audience, scope versus general and prior Catholic encyclopedias, and how it predates Vatican City State and the Second Vatican Council)
(full text written to file; covers the originality claim in The Catholic Encyclopedia and Its Makers, European contributors Pierre Batiffol and Johann Peter Kirsch, and English-language writers Anthony Maas and Herbert Thurston)
(full text written to file; covers US public-domain copyright law, Kevin Knight and New Advent, the Catholic Answers and Catholic Online transcriptions and their textual differences, and other online archives)
Common questions
Who were the five editors of the Catholic Encyclopedia?
The five editors were Charles G. Herbermann, Reverend Edward A. Pace, Conde B. Pallen, Reverend Thomas J. Shahan, and Reverend John J. Wynne, S.J. They began assembling the encyclopedia in 1905 and also served as directors of its publisher, the Robert Appleton Company.
When was the first volume of the Catholic Encyclopedia published?
The first volume of the Catholic Encyclopedia appeared in March 1907. The last three of its fifteen volumes were published in 1912, with the final volume following in 1913.
Who republished the Catholic Encyclopedia online, and when?
Kevin Knight, a 26-year-old resident of Denver, Colorado, decided in 1993 to republish the Catholic Encyclopedia on the internet. He founded the website New Advent, which went online in 1995, with transcription work finishing in 1997.
Why did the Catholic Encyclopedia face controversy in the United States?
Nativist protesters claimed that keeping the Catholic Encyclopedia on public library shelves violated the constitutional separation of church and state. The dispute led to a court appeal in Belleville, New Jersey, which succeeded.
What is the successor to the Catholic Encyclopedia?
The New Catholic Encyclopedia is the successor to the Catholic Encyclopedia. The Catholic University of America published it in 1967 after revising the material during the 1960s, and released a revised second edition in 2002.
What company published the Catholic Encyclopedia?
The Robert Appleton Company, incorporated in New York City in February 1905, published the Catholic Encyclopedia. In 1912 the company renamed itself The Encyclopedia Press.
All sources
10 references cited across the entry
- 2The Original Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic Answers
- 3Scan of 'Preface'Catholic Answers
- 4BookThe Catholic Encyclopedia and its MakersThe Encyclopedia Press — 1917
- 5AboutCatholic Answers
- 6Celledoor Miscellany: Selected Illustrations from the Catholic EncyclopediaCelledoor.blogspot.com — June 7, 2010
- 8The Catholic EncyclopediaNew Advent
- 9Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic Answers
- 10Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic Online