Divino Afflante Spiritu was an encyclical letter issued by Pope Pius XII on September 30, 1943. In the ancient Church, an encyclical was a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 92 days remaining. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ...

The first purpose of the encyclical was to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the issuing of Providentissimus Deus by Pope Leo XIII in 1893. In the encyclical, however, Pius XII noted that since then, much had changed in archeology and historical research, and that these changes forced the Catholic Church to further define the study of the Bible. Providentissimus Deus, On the Study of Holy Scripture, was an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 18 November 1893. ... Pope Leo XIII, born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci (March 2, 1810 – July 20, 1903), was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, having succeeded Pope Pius IX (1846–78) on February 20, 1878 and reigning until his death in 1903. ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... The Roman Catholic Church believes its founding was based on Jesus appointment of Saint Peter as the primary church leader, later Bishop of Rome. ... The Bible (Hebrew: תנ״ך tanakh, Greek: η Βίβλος hÄ“ biblos) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word Scripture, Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity. ...

Previously, Catholic scholars used the original texts of the Bible only to clarify portions of the Latin Vulgate; Pius XII, however, encouraged scholars to use the original Hebrew and Greek texts because it ". . . having been written by the inspired author himself, has more authority and greater weight than any of even the very best translations, ancient or modern." (Divino Afflante Spiritu, 16). The Vulgate Bible is an early 5th century translation of the Bible into Latin made by St. ... Hebrew (עִבְרִית ‘Ivrit) is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than seven million people in Israel, the West Bank, the United States, and by Jewish communities around the world. ...

External links

• Divino Afflante Spiritu (full text of the encyclical)