In 1997, following the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the then President of SNTS, Ulrich Luz, drew attention to the plight of East European scholars who had been starved of biblical resources for 40 or 70 years, and who needed help to reconstitute library resources if biblical scholarship was to revive and flourish in their countries. This led to the establishment of the following biblical libraries:
St Petersburg (Russia) and Sofia (Bulgaria) which have become centres for biblical study and a commitment to seek to supply resources through donations of books and personal libraries. Those seeking to make donations should first communicate with the contact person about the best way of doing so.
St Petersburg Bibliotheca Biblica Contact: Prof. Anatoly Alexeev In 2000 the Institute for Biblical Studies at the Philological Faculty of St. Petersburg State University (BA and MA program) was established.
Sofia Bibliotheca Biblica Contact: Prof. Ivan Zhelev Dimitrov In 2002 the Collegium Biblicum Bulgaricum was established
Belgrade Bibliotheca Biblica Contact: Dr. Predrag Dragutinovic
Belgrade, Serbia: In 2013 the Library of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology was founded
Donation of the Andreas Wagner Memory Library to Belgrade
During summer of 2019 the Biblical Institute of the Faculty for Orthodox Theology in Belgrade received a library from the deceased biblical scholar Andreas Wagner. The initiative for a library transfer came from Prof. Hermann Lichtenberger (University of Tübingen) and Prof. Karl Wilhelm-Niebuhr (University of Jena), with the consent of Mrs. Wagner. With the help of the community of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Stuttgart (Fr. Stanko Rakic) and with the help from Consulate of Serbia in Frankfurt as well all books were transferred and settled sound and well in the library of the Biblical Institute in Belgrade. It is also important to point out that this idea couldn’t be implemented without a vast biblical network built by The Eastern European Liaison Committee. The books from Prof. Wagner are now in the process of indexing and will be accessible soon to professors and students at the Faculty for Orthodox Theology in Belgrade. The books are of great importance for the further development of fast-growing biblical scholarship in Serbia and it will inspire future generations and give a lot of ecumenical impulses. Hereby all the members of the Biblical Institute Belgrade want to express their deep gratitude for the library transfer initiative and to all people who attributed to this project.
Ass. Prof. Nenad Bozovic
Director of the Biblical Institute Belgrade
Moscow, Russia: St. Cyril and Methodius Aspirantura et Doktorantura Contact: Ivan Parfenov
www.doctorantura.ru
Other Biblical or Theological Libraries in Eastern Europe These also need support through gifts of books:
Minsk, Belarus: Library of the Theological Institute of the Belarusian State University
Contact: Dr. Sviatoslav Rogalsky www.inst.by/basis/lib/lib.html
Tartu, Estonia: Estonia Library of the Faculty of Theology
Contact: Prof. Peeter Roosima www.utlib.ee/en
Budapest, Hungary: Library of the Theological Faculty of Karoly Gaspar Reformed University
www.kre.hu/
Debrecen, Hungary: Library of the Reformed Theological University Contact: Prof. Imre Peres
Szeged, Hungary: Library of the Theological Faculty
www.theol.u-szeged.hu/
Riga, Latvia: Library of the Theological Faculty of the University of Latvia in Riga
Contact: Dr. Dace Balode www.lu.lv/eng/library
Sibiu, Romania: Facultatea de Teologie Biblioteca
Contact: bcu.teologie@ulbsibiu.ro
Cluj-Napoca, Romania: Centrum Biblicum
Contact: Prof. Stelian Tofana www.ubbcluj.ro/en
Skopje, Macedonia: Library of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology Contact: Prof. Grozdanowski