James Aloysius Kleist, S.J. ( Zabrze, 1873 - St. Louis, 1949) was a German-born American

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

scholar of Koine Greek and

patristic Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...

literature. Kleist attended school in

Gleiwitz Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder River, Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the re ...

, then Beuthen, and in 1892 entered the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

of the Society of Jesus at

Bleijenbeek castle Bleijenbeek Castle ( nl, Kasteel Bleijenbeek) is situated in the small hamlet of Bleijenbeek in the Dutch province of Limburg.''ANWB Topografische Atlas Nederland'', Topografische Dienst and ANWB, 2005. According to the 19th-century historian A.J ...

in Afferden, the Netherlands, after which he was sent to the United States. For a year he taught at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio. Then, for four years, he lectured to the young Jesuits of the Buffalo Mission of the German Province, Missouri. In 1902, Kleist came to Saint Louis, where he worked on revising Kaegi's 1884 Greek primer. Kleist joined with

Joseph Lilly Joseph L. Lilly, C.M. (1893–1952), was an American Vincentian priest and Scriptural scholar. He was one of the first editors of ''The Vincentian'' in 1923. After his ordination, Lilly pursued Biblical studies. He completed a doctorate in Sa ...

, C.M., to produce a more modern English translation of the Bible than the Douai Bible then in common usage among Catholics. Under their editorship, the work was laid to produce to the ''Kleist-Lilly'' translation, published posthumously in 1954, although work was completed by Christmas 1948. It never gained widespread acceptance, though, and was later totally supplanted by the translations produced by the

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) is a catechesis program of the Catholic Church, normally for children. It is also the name of an association that traditionally organises Catholic catechesis, which was established in Rome in 1562. Rel ...

, which culminated in the publication of the

New American Bible The New American Bible (NAB) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1970. The 1986 Revised NAB is the basis of the revised Lectionary, and it is the only translation approved for use at Mass in the Latin-rite Catholic dioces ...

in 1970. "Another version, by James Kleist, S.J., and Joseph Lilly, C.M., was admired by some experts. But the general agreement was that these did not eliminate the need for a more representatively American version."

Works

* ''A short grammar of classical Greek'' (1902). Author:

Adolf Kaegi Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name used in German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and to a lesser extent in vari ...

1884, revised James Aloysius Kleist St. Louis, Mo., B. Herder 1902 * ''The epistles of St. Clement of Rome and St. Ignatius of Antioch'' 1946 * ''Classical essays presented to James A. Kleist, S.J.'', published by ''The Classical Bulletin'' (Saint Louis University) 1946. * ''Teaching of the Twelve Apostles'' Posthumous * with T. J. Lyman. ''The Psalms in Rhythmic Prose.'' 1954. * J. A. Kleist and J. L. Lilly, ''The New Testament'' (Milwaukee, 1954) * Kleist, JA ''Psychiatry and Catholicism''. VanderVeldt,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kleist, James 1873 births 1949 deaths People from Zabrze 20th-century German Jesuits German emigrants to the United States 19th-century American Jesuits Translators of the Bible into English Roman Catholic biblical scholars Patristic scholars People from the Province of Silesia 20th-century translators 20th-century American Jesuits