'The Bible, search the scriptures' as "the living word of God for us."

The Francisco de Vitoria University was today the scene of the official presentation of the Spanish edition of 'La Biblia. Escrutad las Escrituras', an ambitious publishing project that is the result of years of work by more than 50 specialists and internationally coordinated by Ezechiele Pasotti, Giacomo Perego, Fabrizio Fico and Francesco G. Voltaggio.

The event, organized jointly by the Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos (BAC) and Editorial San Pablo, was attended by the Auxiliary Bishop of Madrid, Juan Antonio Martínez Camino; the Vice-Secretary for Economic Affairs of the Episcopate, Fernando Giménez Barriocanal; and the Secretary General of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, César García Magán. Also present were Juan Carlos García Domene, director of the BAC; Rafael Espino Guzmán, director of San Pablo España; Pedro Ignacio Fraile Yécora, technical coordinator of the Spanish edition; and the editors of the original work, Giacomo Perego and Francesco G. Voltaggio.

During his speech, García Domene emphasized that "the publication of a new edition of the Bible is always a celebration" because it means offering the Church and the whole of society an authentic library that enriches culture, language, faith and life. He also recalled the trajectory of the BAC in the diffusion of biblical texts since 1944, underlining that this is already the eighth edition of the Bible in its catalog. He thus celebrated that "little by little we are achieving, little by little, the unification for liturgical texts, catechetical materials, magisterial documentation, etc."

For his part, Espino Guzman expressed his gratitude for the collective effort and evoked Blessed James Alberione, founder of the Society of St. Paul: "Today, the pulpit is not enough in the Church; we need all the means to communicate the Gospel. He stressed that Sacred Scripture, "God's letter to mankind," must always occupy first place in the Pauline apostolate.

The Spanish edition of 'La Biblia. Escrutad las Escrituras' -published after its success in Italian, Portuguese and Arabic- includes introductions to each biblical book, abundant thematic notes, parallel quotations, an updated atlas and chronology, a theological index and a vocabulary of biblical terminology with more than 350 terms. Its method proposes three stages: "scrutatio, meditatio and oratio", to favor not only the study, but also the personal encounter with the Word of God.

Pedro Ignacio Fraile stressed the importance of recognizing the unity of meaning between the Old and New Testaments. He pointed out that, although a rupture is often perceived between the two, this new edition highlights and facilitates the continuity and coherence that exists between them. Thus, he encouraged us to savor the Bible "as the living word of God for us".

In his concluding remarks, Francesco G. Voltaggio recalled the eight hermeneutical principles that inspired this edition and encouraged those present to proclaim the word: "The Bible was not meant to be enjoyed individually but to be proclaimed and shared in community. He also commented on the multiple meanings of the Bible: "To limit oneself to literalism is to go astray". He concluded by pointing out that at a time when language is full of hatred, it is necessary to incorporate and bring to the world the language of love found in the Bible.

With 3,024 pages printed on cream bible paper and available in hard cover or with slipcase, this edition is a decisive step in bringing Holy Scripture closer to the Spanish-speaking community. "May this Bible be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path," concluded the speakers, alluding to Psalm 118.