Collections

ETS carries out its activity in the service of the Custody of the Holy Land publishing the academic collections of its Research Centres in Jerusalem and Cairo. Books with a greater focus on Middle Eastern current affairs, dialogue between the religions and the Franciscan presence in the Holy Land are also edited in Milan.

Academic collections of the Custody of the Holy Land

Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, Faculty of Biblical Studies and Archaeology (Jerusalem):

the Collectio Maior collection includes titles on final reports of excavations, historical-archaeological monographs and miscellanea of Biblical, patristic and archaeological studies. The volumes in the Collectio Maior are distributed by Brepols International;
the Collectio Minor includes titles on studies of archaeological excavations, on buildings and on texts of primitive Middle Eastern Christianity;
the Analecta series includes titles on exegetic and patristic studies, and books for teaching Biblical languages;
the Museum series includes monographs and studies on the collections and finds of special interest in the Museum of the SBF;
the journal Liber Annuus (about 500 pp.) collects the annual contributions by the lecturers of the Studium. There are also articles on Biblical, linguistic and archaeological studies, as well as the preliminary report on the excavations carried out by SBF lecturers and their colleagues from other academic institutions.

Franciscan Centre for Christian Oriental Studies (Cairo):

The Franciscan Centre for Christian Oriental Studies (SOC) was founded in Cairo in 19564 by the Custody of the Holy Land. The Centre deals with studies, research and documentation on the Oriental Churches and the presence of the Franciscans in the Holy Land which goes back several centuries.
Today the Centre produces journals and collections:

the journal Studia Orientalia Christiana – Collectanea contains studies and research on the Christian communities of the Middle East and on the Franciscan presence in this region;
the series Studia Orientalia Christiana – Monographiae includes monographs with a wider scope on the same subjects dealt with by SOC Collectanea;
the collection Bio-bibliographical Library of the Holy Land and of the Franciscan Orient, founded by Father Girolamo Golubovich, a monumental collection of sources for knowledge on the Christian Middle East.

Collections of the Edizioni Terra Santa

Ekklesia
The collection aims to make the subjects linked to the structured presence of Christians in the Middle East, Catholics, Orthodox and protestants, known and studied in depth. Although a minority in numerical terms, the churches of the Holy Land continue the first community of the Apostles and preserve an extraordinary wealth of traditions.

Meetings in Sichar (Incontri a Sichar)
The city of Sichar is mentioned only once in the Bible and in the Gospel according to St. John (4,5). It is where Jesus meets the Samaritan woman. This meeting was destined to overcome the barriers of suspicion and prejudice, whatever their origin.

Terrasanta Books (Libri di Terrasanta)
In close collaboration with the magazine Terrasanta, this collection deals in particular with topics linked to the current affairs of the Middle East.

Holy Places (Luoghi Santi)
The books in this collection are dedicated to the main centres in Palestine, the cities with the greatest links to the life and work of Jesus. Useful for pilgrims preparing their journey (thanks to the useful historical and archaeological parts), they are also valid guides for a deeper reflection on the Holy Texts.

Marana tha
The collection intends to foster the spiritual reading of the Bible, both in the form of a fictionalized story and through the method of the Lectio divina.

Tessera (Tasselli)
Like the tessera in a mosaic, the slim books in this collection offer a small contribution to wider ranging topics. The authority of the authors make them useful for personal study and for training courses.

Collections

Bio-bibliographical Library of the Holy Land and of the Franciscan Orient