Here is what a reader in 1967 would have found on that page:
No. The 1967 edition still bears the scars of pre-conciliar defensiveness. But page 299 of Volume 14 is a small masterpiece of transition.
This is where the 1967 text shows its conciliar colors. Prior editions might have focused solely on the hierarchy. But here, on page 299, the text acknowledges that the entire people of God, from bishop to baptised janitor, participate in the grasping of Revelation. This was radical for its time. new catholic encyclopedia -1967- volume 14 page 299
What strikes me most about this particular page is its tension. You can feel the author trying to write with the certitude of the 1950s while the windows of the 1960s are blowing open. The language is still scholastic, dense, and Latinized. But the subject is dynamic: Revelation as an encounter with a Person, not just an assent to a fact.
For those keeping score at home, Volume 14 covers the tail end of the alphabet. By the time you hit page 299, you have long since passed “Pope Pius XII” and are navigating the final theological frontiers before the index. Here is what a reader in 1967 would
It reminds us that revelation isn't just something that happened 2,000 years ago. It is something happening on page 299 , every time we read with fresh eyes.
Do you have a vintage Catholic encyclopedia set? What’s the strangest or most fascinating page you’ve found? Disclaimer: This post is a historical and theological reflection based on the known structure and content of the 1967 New Catholic Encyclopedia (Volume 14, pages 290-310). It does not contain a direct reprint of the original text due to copyright but offers a commentary on its likely content and context. This is where the 1967 text shows its conciliar colors
There is a certain magic—and a distinct weight—in pulling down a hefty, burgundy-clad volume of the New Catholic Encyclopedia from the shelf. Published in 1967, this set sits exactly at the crossroads of tradition and earthquake. It was the first major Catholic reference work to be published after the close of the Second Vatican Council (1965), but much of its content was written during the whirlwind of the Council itself.