The Oriental Library and the Catholic Press at Saint-Joseph University in Beirut

Author:

Herzstein, Rafael

Format:

Journal Article

Year:

2015

Journal Title:

Journal of Jesuit Studies

Volume:

2

Issue:

2

Language:

English

Abstract:

This article traces the origins of the Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut, the creation of the Oriental Library, and the beginnings of the Catholic press in Syria. The focus of this article is the importance of the Bibliothèque Orientale: its financing, its development, its publications, and its cultural significance throughout the entire Middle East. I examine the opening of the Oriental Faculty, its program of study, and its teaching staff, and describe the inauguration of the main journal of the faculty, Mélanges de la Faculté Orientale. The article concludes with a discussion of the creation of the Catholic press, along with its staff and various publications in Arabic and French, with attention to the influential periodicals al-Bashir and al-Mashriq.

Who (Jesuits):

Cheikho, Louis, 1859–1927

What (Subjects):

Missions -- Archives and Libraries -- History -- Local

Missions -- Cultural Activities -- Printing

Where (Locations):

Asia -- Lebanon -- Beirut

When (Centuries):

19th century

20th century

Publisher URL:

http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/22141332-00202005

Page Range:

248–264

ISSN:

2214-1324

2214-1332

DOI:

10.1163/22141332-00202005