Many Sulpicians have published innumerable works over the years. Some continue to publish works even in retirement.
A case in point is Mgr René COSTE, PSS. Now at the age of 94 he has just published his most recent work, Sur toi le Christ resplendira (Paris: Parole et Silence, 2016). Based upon a line from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians—"Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light" (Eph 5:14)—the book offers a profound spiritual and theological reflection on the insights the author discovered while meditating upon this passage. Known for his many works in spirituality and theology, Mgr Coste is Emeritus Professor of the Institut catholique de Toulouse and former President of Pax Christ-France and currently resides in a retirement home in Paris. Congratulations!
Yet another Sulpician publication is of an entirely different order. The late Father Raymond E. BROWN, PSS, was one of the most important Catholic exegetes of the twentieth century. Prior to his untimely death on 8 August 1998 he was internationally known as an expert on the Gospel of John, among other New Testament topics. Just prior to his death he published a monumental An Introduction to the New Testament (New York: Doubleday, Anchor Bible Reference Library, 1997). As time has gone by and this large volume has become more known, Yale University Press which took over the Anchor Bible division of Doubleday, decided that the time was ripe for an abridged edition of this significant book.
The final product has just appeared under the able editing of Dr. Marion L. SOARDS, Professor of New Testament studies at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary in Kentucky (USA). Dr. Soards was a former doctoral student of Father Brown, and thus is totally conversant with Brown’s methodology and exegetical opinions. The resulting abridged version is An Introduction to the New Testament, The Abridge Edition (Anchor Yale Bible, 2016), which comes to 346 pages, in place of the original 878 pages. It should be emphasized, however, that the new edition retains all the essential material from the original, but in a format more appealing to a new generation of readers who can be intimidated by large, scholarly volumes.
Kudos to Dr. Soards and to Yale University Press for this fine new textbook by a beloved Sulpician!