The Institut d’Études Augustiniennes (IEA) is a component of the LEM (Laboratoire d’études sur les monothéismes; UMR 8584 of the CNRS), and a part of Doctoral School I, “Ancient and Medieval Worlds”, of the University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV). It is also contractually affiliated with the Catholic Institute of Paris, which accommodates it. Its actual director is Vincent Zarini, professor of late antique Latin literature at the University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV). The works of St. Augustine and the Augustinian tradition are given pride of place among a variety of fields of research: patristics (with the fathers’ reception in the Middle Ages and modern times), Greek and Latin literature of late antiquity, the history and culture of ancient North Africa. The scholarly life of the Institute’s team, made up of numerous researchers and doctoral students, centres around the Institute’s constantly expanding library, and around its considerable publishing projects.
Indeed, besides the personal projects of its researchers, the IEA runs a series of collective research projects, in which publication plays an preeminent role. The IEA publishes two periodicals which are among the most respected in the field: the Revue d’études augustiniennes et patristiques (formerly Revue des Études augustiniennes), which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2004 – this multilingual periodical publishes articles on the various disciplines concerned with Christian antiquity and the Middle Ages (archeology, history, literary history, theology, etc.) – and the Recherches augustiniennes et patristiques. The IEA also publishes several book series: the “Collection des Études augustiniennes”; the “Bibliothèque augustinienne” (BA), which is the standard edition of the works of St. Augustine in the francophone world (50 volumes published to date: edition and translation, with substantial annotation); the “Nouvelle Bibliothèque augustinienne” (NBA), offering paperback translations, with introductions and notes.
The IEA organises regular conferences and study days, many of them in partnership with foreign universities and institutes – international collaboration is fundamental to its work. These conferences bring together internationally recognised specialists in patristic and medieval studies. Their proceedings are generally published in the “Collection des Études augustiniennes”.
Lastly, the IEA offers to students and researchers a specialist library, containing more than 54,000 bibliographical items and the main CD-ROMs in the field. It grows annually by approximately 500 new acquisitions. Readers have open access to almost the entirety of the patristic and medieval texts in Greek and Latin published in the major collections. Likewise, the major study aids for antiquity and the Middle Ages are directly accessible. Naturally, the library collects the various foreign-language editions of the Augustinian corpus: “Nuova Biblioteca Agostiniana”, “Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos”, “The Complete Works of St. Augustine”, etc. The Institute subscribes to 140 periodicals (plus approximatley 130 now defunct). The library catalogue was first computerised by the CNRS as part of CCO-PMC; it has also been accessible through SUDOC (under the aegis of the SCD of Paris IV) since 2004.
