The Patristic Institute "Augustinianum" is a Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 institution of higher education in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

. It is responsible for the study of patristic theology - the history and theology of Church Fathers.

History

The Institute is considered a direct continuation of the 14th century Studium Generale

Studium Generale

Studium generale is the old customary name for a Medieval university.- Definition :There is no clear official definition of what constituted a Studium generale...

 in Rome which belonged to the Augustinian order, later alongside the Biblioteca Angelica. It was established by the Augustinians

Augustinians

The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...

 and retains the name of Saint Augustine

Augustine of Hippo

Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...

 in their honour. In 1873 the two institutions were separated and the forerunner to the Institute moved to its current location on the Via Paolo 25 in Rome.

In November 1989, the institute was formally established under the Congregation for Catholic Education

Congregation for Catholic Education

The Congregation for Catholic Education is the Pontifical congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for: seminaries and houses of formation of...

.

Publications

Augustinianum is the peer-reviewed journal of the Institute. It has been published since 1961. It publishes original research and reviews related to the study of ancient Christian literature and the "Fathers of the Church". In 2010, the Institute announced plans to make the journal available electronically.

In 2002, the Institute's Manlio Simonetti published Biblical Interpretation In The Early Church: An Historical Introduction To Patristic Exegesis.