Éditions du Cerf
Éditions du Cerf is a French Dominican publishing house specializing in religious studies, theology, philosophy, history, literature, and public-affairs essays.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Éditions du Cerf is a French publishing house established in 1929 by the Dominican friar Marie-Vincent Bernadot with the support of Pope Pius XI. The company remains owned and managed within the institutional orbit of the Order of Preachers, commonly known as the Dominican Order. Its name, Cerf, meaning “hart” or “stag,” refers to the opening image of Psalm 42 and reflects the publisher’s Christian identity. The house grew out of Bernadot’s efforts to renew Catholic intellectual and spiritual life through publishing. He had founded the journal La Vie spirituelle in 1919, with the aim of reconnecting Christian spirituality to Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the writings of the great mystics. In 1928 he helped establish La Vie intellectuelle, a journal intended to provide a Catholic intellectual alternative to the influence of Action Française, which had been condemned by Rome in 1926. Éditions du Cerf was incorporated on 11 October 1929 with financial assistance from supporters and initially operated from a Dominican setting in Juvisy-sur-Orge. During its first decades, Cerf was primarily a publisher of journals and theological collections rather than a general trade house. It expanded its periodical activity during the 1930s, publishing or supporting titles such as La Vie spirituelle, La Vie intellectuelle, and Sept. The latter sought to address a broader readership but was ordered to cease publication by the Holy Office in 1937. The company later became particularly associated with scholarly and critical editions of Christian sources, including the Sources chrétiennes series, as well as works in biblical studies, liturgy, theology, philosophy, religious history, and patristics. The publisher’s catalogue developed into one of the most substantial French-language resources for Christian scholarship. Its best-known works and lines include the Bible de Jérusalem, a Catholic French translation of the Bible; Sources chrétiennes, devoted to critical editions and translations of early Christian texts; Lectio divina; Lex orandi; and numerous collections covering philosophy, political thought, Orthodox Christianity, Franciscan sources, contemporary history, literature, and the history of Christianity. Although its institutional identity is Catholic and Dominican, the catalogue has extended well beyond strictly devotional publishing. In the twenty-first century, Cerf has combined its established academic and religious list with more visible essay publishing. The headquarters moved to the Couvent Saint-Jacques in Paris in 2011. In 2013 Jean-François Colosimo became chair of the management board after previously leading the Centre national du livre. He was tasked with addressing several years of losses and restoring the business to break-even while clarifying its editorial direction. The restructuring reduced the workforce from 49 employees to 15, and some members of the former team departed. Under Colosimo, the house added books with stronger presence in public debate, including essays on conservatism, political conflict, liberalism, ideology, culture, and the perceived effects of political correctness. This evolution generated criticism from some Dominicans and observers who believed the publisher was moving away from a progressive or socially engaged tradition associated with parts of its earlier history. At the same time, Cerf continued to maintain its long-running theological, biblical, philosophical, and historical programmes. The company therefore occupies a dual position: a specialist scholarly and religious publisher with deep Dominican roots, and a contemporary essay publisher seeking relevance in wider intellectual and political discussion.
History
Éditions du Cerf was founded on 11 October 1929 by the Dominican friar Marie-Vincent Bernadot, following the support and encouragement of Pope Pius XI. Bernadot’s publishing activity was part of a broader attempt to renew French Catholic intellectual and spiritual life. In 1919 he had established La Vie spirituelle, a journal intended to return Christian spirituality to biblical, patristic, and mystical sources. In 1928, with Father Étienne Lajeunie and intellectual collaborators including Jacques Maritain, he helped launch La Vie intellectuelle. The journal was conceived partly as an alternative to the influence of Action Française, which Rome had condemned in 1926. The new publishing company was established with capital supplied by friends and initially operated from a small Dominican community in Juvisy-sur-Orge. During the 1930s, the house concentrated heavily on periodicals. In 1934 it began publishing Sept, a weekly intended to reach beyond the readership of La Vie intellectuelle. Cerf later acquired premises at 29 Boulevard de la Tour-Maubourg in Paris, where the publishing operation and a Dominican convent were installed around 1936–1937. The company’s early editorial positions were not always aligned with the dominant right-leaning tendencies of French Catholic opinion. Sept was compelled by the Holy Office to stop publishing in August 1937. After Pope Pius XII suspended sanctions against Action Française in 1939, Bernadot regarded the decision as a repudiation of his own position and resigned as publisher and prior in July of that year. He briefly resumed responsibilities after his successor Pierre Boisselot was mobilized and later deported to Germany. Bernadot died in 1941. Wartime disruption dispersed the staff and suspended most publishing activity, although La Vie spirituelle continued. After the war, Cerf increasingly developed a durable book-publishing identity. The house became known for major theological and scholarly collections. Sources chrétiennes, created in 1941 by Henri de Lubac, Jean Daniélou, and Claude Mondésert, became one of its defining programmes, publishing critical editions and translations of early Christian writings. Other important series included Lex orandi, Lectio divina, Initiations, 7th Art, Cogitatio fidei, Rites et symboles, Passages, Humanités, and collections devoted to philosophy, religious history, Christianity, Franciscan sources, literature, and politics. Cerf also published the Bible de Jérusalem, a major Catholic French Bible translation. Its first edition appeared in 1956, followed by revised editions in 1977 and 1998. The title helped give the house a prominent role in French Catholic biblical publishing while complementing its more academic collections. The catalogue expanded during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Newer or reorganized lines included Cerf Littérature, Les Cahiers d'Histoire de la Philosophie, Sources franciscaines, Cerf Politique, and Orthodoxie. These programmes broadened the house’s scope while preserving its central connection to Christian studies and intellectual history. In 2011 Cerf moved its headquarters to the Couvent Saint-Jacques on Rue des Tanneries in Paris. In 2013 Jean-François Colosimo was appointed chair of the management board. The business had experienced several years of significant losses, and his brief included restoring financial balance and consolidating the editorial strategy. The restructuring reduced the workforce from 49 employees to 15, with some members of the previous team leaving. Colosimo’s tenure was associated with a more public-facing list of essays on contemporary political and cultural questions. Books by Eugénie Bastié, Laetitia Strauch-Bonart, Kévin Boucaud-Victoire, Mathieu Bock-Côté, Régis Debray, Clémentine Autain, Gaël Brustier, and others addressed conservatism, liberalism, political polarization, ideology, and the changing public sphere. This direction brought greater media visibility but also prompted internal and external criticism. In 2016 a group of Dominicans petitioned against what they saw as an unwanted rightward or reactionary influence. The debate continued around later publications, including Pierre-André Taguieff’s L’Émancipation promise in 2019. Cerf nevertheless retained its longstanding religious, biblical, philosophical, historical, and scholarly programmes alongside its contemporary essay list.
- 2013
Jean-François Colosimo takes leadership
[1]Jean-François Colosimo became chair of the management board and began a restructuring and editorial-consolidation programme.
- 2011
Headquarters moved to Couvent Saint-Jacques
[1]The publisher moved its headquarters to 24 Rue des Tanneries at the Couvent Saint-Jacques in Paris.
- 1998
Third Bible de Jérusalem edition
[1]A third edition of the Bible de Jérusalem was published.
- 1977
Second Bible de Jérusalem edition
[1]A second edition of the Bible de Jérusalem was issued.
- 1956
First Bible de Jérusalem edition
[1]The first edition of the Catholic French Bible de Jérusalem was published.
- 1941
Sources chrétiennes created
[1]Henri de Lubac, Jean Daniélou, and Claude Mondésert created the Sources chrétiennes series, which became a central scholarly programme of the house.
- 1937
Sept discontinued
[1]The Holy Office forced Sept to cease publication in August 1937.
- 1934
Sept begins publication
[1]Cerf began publishing Sept, a weekly designed to reach a broader audience than its specialist Catholic intellectual journals.
- 1929
Éditions du Cerf incorporated
[1]Les Éditions du Cerf was founded as a joint-stock publishing company on 11 October 1929.
- 1928
La Vie intellectuelle launched
[1]Bernadot and collaborators including Étienne Lajeunie and Jacques Maritain established La Vie intellectuelle as a Catholic intellectual journal opposed to the influence of Action Française.
Products and positioning
A Dominican-rooted French specialist publisher combining authoritative religious and theological scholarship with philosophy, history, literature, and contemporary public-affairs essays.
Catholic Bible translation · 1956
Bible de Jérusalem
The Bible de Jérusalem is a French Catholic translation produced with scholarly introductions, notes, and supporting apparatus. Its first edition appeared in 1956, with later editions in 1977 and 1998. It is one of Éditions du Cerf’s most recognizable publishing assets and illustrates the house’s combination of confessional identity and academic biblical expertise.
Patristic and early Christian scholarship · 1941
Sources chrétiennes
Sources chrétiennes publishes critical editions and translations of early Christian and patristic texts. Created in 1941 by Henri de Lubac, Jean Daniélou, and Claude Mondésert, the collection is a foundational part of Cerf’s scholarly identity and serves researchers, theologians, historians, and advanced students.
Biblical and theological studies · 1946
Lectio divina
Lectio divina is a long-running collection focused on close reading of Scripture, biblical interpretation, theology, and related Christian scholarship. It reflects Cerf’s historic role in publishing academically informed works for readers interested in the Bible and Christian intellectual tradition.
Liturgy and pastoral theology · 1944
Lex orandi
Lex orandi is a collection associated with liturgical studies and the Centre national de pastorale liturgique. Its books examine Christian worship, ritual practice, liturgical history, and pastoral questions.
Political and public-affairs essays · 2010
Cerf Politique
Cerf Politique publishes essays on political ideas, ideology, public institutions, cultural conflict, and contemporary society. The collection represents the house’s expansion from specialist religious publishing into more visible public debate.
Literature · 2000
Cerf Littérature
Cerf Littérature is the house’s literary imprint or collection, extending the catalogue into literary publishing while remaining part of the broader Cerf intellectual programme.
Orthodox Christian studies · 2010
Orthodoxie
Orthodoxie is a collection devoted to Orthodox Christian theology, history, spirituality, and related subjects. It was established under the direction of Hyacinthe Destivelle, O.P., and Archpriest Jivko Panev in connection with Orthodoxie.com.
Brand decisions
2016
Response to internal criticism of editorial directionOtherBackground
A group of 27 Dominicans expressed concern that the publisher was departing from a progressive tradition associated with parts of the Dominican Order in France.
Action taken
The group launched a petition criticizing the perceived intrusion of a reactionary political influence, including Colosimo’s participation in the 50th anniversary of Valeurs actuelles.
Aftermath
The petition did not stop the new editorial orientation, which continued to include politically and culturally conservative essays alongside Cerf’s established religious and scholarly publishing.
2013
Restructuring and editorial repositioning under Jean-François ColosimoStrategyBackground
Cerf had experienced several years of significant losses, and its new chair was asked to restore break-even performance and consolidate the publishing programme.
Action taken
The company reduced its workforce from 49 employees to 15, while shifting part of the catalogue toward essays and authors with greater media visibility in political and cultural debate.
Aftermath
The change increased the house’s presence in contemporary public discussion but also led to criticism from some Dominicans and observers who viewed the editorial direction as more reactionary or right-leaning.
Sources2 sources
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