View source for Jacques Paul Migne

{{Short description|French priest and scholar (1800–1875)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
[[File:Portrait of Jacques-Paul Migne (1800-1875).jpg|thumb |upright=0.85|Jacques-Paul Migne, engraving by E. Tailland]]

'''Jacques Paul Migne''' ({{IPA|fr|miɲ|lang}}; 25 October 1800 &ndash; 24 October 1875) was a French priest who published inexpensive and widely distributed editions of [[theological]] works, encyclopedias, and the texts of the [[Church Father]]s, with the goal of providing a [[universal library]] for the [[Catholic priesthood]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Claude Langlois |author2=François Laplanche |name-list-style=and |title=La Science catholique: 'L'Encyclopédie Théologique' de Migne (1844-1873) entre apologétique et vulgarisation |place=Paris |publisher=Cerf |year=1992}}</ref>

The ''[[Patrologia Latina]]'' and the ''[[Patrologia Graeca]]'' (along with the ''[[Monumenta Germaniae Historica]]'') are among the great 19th century contributions to the scholarship of [[patristics]] and the [[Middle Ages]]. Within the Roman Catholic Church, Migne's editions put many original texts for the first time into the hands of the priesthood.

==Biography==
Migne was born in [[Saint-Flour, Cantal|Saint-Flour]], [[Cantal]] and studied [[theology]] at the [[University of Orléans]].  He was ordained in 1824 and placed in charge of the parish of Puiseaux, in the [[diocese of Orléans]],<ref name=EB1911>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Migne, Jacques Paul |volume=18 |page=426}}</ref> where his uncompromisingly Catholic and royalist sympathies did not coincide with local patriotism and the new regime of the [[Louis-Philippe of France|Citizen-King]]. In 1833, after falling out with his bishop over a pamphlet he had published, he went to Paris, and on 3 November started a journal, {{lang|fr|L'Univers religieux}},<ref name=EB1911/> which he intended to keep free of political influence. It quickly gained 1,800 subscribers and he edited it for three years. (It afterwards became his co-editor [[Louis Veuillot]]'s [[ultramontanism|ultramontane]] organ, {{lang|fr|[[L'Univers]]}}.) Migne was, until June 1856, owner of the daily {{lang|fr|Vérité}} (formerly the {{lang|fr|Journal des faits}}), which, being limited to reproducing other newspapers, described itself as the impartial echo of all opinions.

Migne believed in the power of the [[Publishing|press]] and the value of information widely distributed. In 1836 he opened his great publishing house, the {{lang|fr|Ateliers catholiques}}, at [[Petit-Montrouge]], in Paris's outlying [[XIVe arrondissement|14th arrondissement]]. He published numerous religious works in rapid succession meant for lesser clergy at prices that ensured wide circulation, and bypassed the bookselling establishment with direct subscriptions. These works were reproduced from the best available texts, generally without requesting permission. His publishing house was complemented during the [[Second French Empire|Second Empire]] by painter artists' workhalls for the decoration of churches: three of their main works, in the style of [[Eugène Delacroix]], still remain in the choir of the church of Saint [[John the Baptist]] of [[Audresselles]] in [[Pas de Calais]], France. The {{lang|fr|Ateliers}} also produced and sold a variety of religious items.

In time, the {{lang|fr|Ateliers catholiques}} became the largest privately held press in France. However, on the night of 12–13 February 1868, a devastating fire, which began in the printing plant, destroyed Migne's establishment. "Five hundred thousand plates, stacked in piles, melted in an instant; they are now enormous blocks on the most bizarre forms," reported {{lang|fr|Le Monde illustré}}.<ref>{{cite book |first=R. Howard |last=Bloch |title=God's Plagiarist: Being an Account of the Fabulous Industry and Irregular Commerce of the Abbe Migne |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1994 |page=105}}</ref> Despite his insurance contracts, Migne was only able to retrieve a pittance.

Shortly afterwards, [[Georges Darboy]], [[Archbishop of Paris]], forbade the continuance of the business and even suspended Migne from his priestly functions.<ref name=CE>{{Cite Catholic Encyclopedia |wstitle=Jacques-Paul Migne |volume= |first=Johann Peter |last=Kirsch}}</ref> The [[Franco-Prussian War]] of 1870 inflicted further losses. Then from the [[curia]] of [[Pope Pius IX]] came a decree condemning the use of [[Mass stipends]] to purchase books, which specifically called out Migne and his publications.

Migne died in Paris. He died without ever regaining his former success and his {{lang|fr|Imprimerie Catholique}} passed in 1876 into the hands of Garnier Frères.<ref name=CE/>

== A complete edition of patrology==
The best known of his publications are: ''Scripturae sacrae cursus completus'' ("complete course in sacred scripture") which assembled a wide repertory of commentaries on each of the books of the Bible, and ''Theologiae cursus'', each of them in 28 vols, 1840–45; ''Collection des auteurs sacrés'' (100 vols., 1846–48); ''Encyclopédie théologique'' (171 vols., 1844–46).<ref name=EB1911/>

However, the three series that have made his reputation were ''Patrologiae cursus completus'', Latin series (''[[Patrologia Latina]]'') in 221 vols. (1844–55); Greek series (''[[Patrologia Graeca]]''), first published in Latin (85 vols., 1856–57); then published with Greek text and Latin translation (165 vols., 1857–58). Though scholars have always criticised them, these hastily edited, inexpensive, and widely distributed texts have only slowly been replaced during a century and a half with more critically edited modern editions. The cheap paper of the originals has made them fragile today, but the scope of the ''Patrologia'' still makes it unique when modern editions do not yet exist. It is a far more complete collection of Patristic and later literature than anything that has appeared subsequently. To create so much so quickly, Migne reprinted the best or latest earlier editions available to him.  In the ''PG'' the Latin translations were often made in the renaissance before any Greek text had been printed, and so do not necessarily match the Greek text very accurately. The indexes themselves are useful for locating references in the [[Patristics|patristic]] writings.

The collection is available through [[Google Books]] and archive.org.

==Summary of publications==
Migne's ''Ateliers catholiques'' employed 5 steam-powered presses, and by 1854 some 596 workers.{{sfnp|Bloch|1994|pages=13–14}} On average, it published a book every ten days for thirty years. In summary these were:{{sfnp|Bloch|1994|pages=1–2}}
* ''Patrologia Latina'', 217 volumes in 218 parts
* ''Patrologia Graeca'', 161 volumes in 166 parts
* Greek Fathers in Latin, 81 volumes in 85 parts
* ''Scripturae sacrae cursus completus'', 25 volumes
* ''Theologia cursus completus'', 25 volumes
* ''Démonstration évangeliques des plus célèbres défenseurs du Christianisme'', 18 volumes
* ''Orateurs sacrés'' in two series, 66 and 33 volumes
* ''Première encyclopédie théologique ou série de dictionnaires sur toutes les parties de la science religieuse'', 50 volumes
* ''Nouvelle encyclopédie théologique'', 53 volumes
* ''Troisième et dernière encylopédie ecclésiastique'', 66 volumes
* ''Summa aurea de laudibus B. Mariae virginis'', 13 volumes

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{wikisource author-inline}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040705165213/http://www.partnerschaft-niederroden-puiseaux.de/texte/jacques_paul_migne_francais.htm Brief biography] independent research (in French)
* [http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/fathers/migne-patrologia-graeca.asp Migne Patrologia Graeca] Index of Authors / Download links
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090527191442/http://www.faulkner.edu/academics/artsandsciences/humanities/patristics.asp Faulkner University Patristics Project] A growing collection of English translations of patristic texts and high-resolution scans from the comprehensive ''Patrologia'' compiled by J. P. Migne.
* [http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/_index.html Documenta Catholica Omnia] PDF's of much of the ''Patrologia Latina''
* Polytonic Greek OCR of PG from the Lace repository at [[Mount Allison University]]: [http://heml.mta.ca/rigaudon/runs/patrologiaecursu45mignuoft vol. 45]{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }},  [http://heml.mta.ca/rigaudon/runs/1388116071bsb10800772 vol. 46]{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{Gutenberg author | id=25705| name=Jacques-Paul Migne}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Jacques Paul Migne}}
* [http://patristica.net/graeca/ ''Patrologia Graeca'' - patristica.net]
* Adalbert Hamman, [https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1975/01/07/un-grand-editeur-du-xixe-siecle_2602352_1819218.html "Un grand éditeur du XIXe siècle"], ''[[Le Monde]]'', 7 January 1975
* [http://www.migne.fr/ L'abbé Jacques-Paul Migne] - website on life and works of Migne
* The "Links Galore" spreadsheet contains lists of links to scans of volumes for three of Migne's series: 
** [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRkUFBfVVqv5Tr2aZS4apFNpTJ-ys6VqeQxgsAI1v7cH5putIgchYWJAVGHuu0lWGmdD2DU7Vb1o7XH/pubhtml?gid=1449350371 ''Patrologica Latina'']
** [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRkUFBfVVqv5Tr2aZS4apFNpTJ-ys6VqeQxgsAI1v7cH5putIgchYWJAVGHuu0lWGmdD2DU7Vb1o7XH/pubhtml?gid=627485545 ''Patrologica Graeca'']
** [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRkUFBfVVqv5Tr2aZS4apFNpTJ-ys6VqeQxgsAI1v7cH5putIgchYWJAVGHuu0lWGmdD2DU7Vb1o7XH/pubhtml?gid=62761423 ''Encyclopédie Théologique''].

{{Liturgical Movement}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Migne, Jacques Paul}}
[[Category:1800 births]]
[[Category:1875 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Cantal]]
[[Category:Catholic education]]
[[Category:Christian scholars]]
[[Category:French hellenists]]
[[Category:French Latinists]]
[[Category:Patrologists]]
[[Category:French editors]]
[[Category:19th-century French Roman Catholic priests]]
[[Category:French male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:19th-century French male writers]]