HÖPFL, HILDEBRAND. - Benedictine exegete, born at Ledaula in Bohemia on 25 November 1872, died in Rome on 14 February 1934. After completing his humanistic studies with the Benedictines of Prague and Seckau, and his theological studies at the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome (1896–1900), he taught biblical sciences at Beuron (1901–1903) and Jerusalem (1916–1920), but especially in Rome at the Anselmianum, where he served as a respected teacher and scholar in the biblical field for a full 30 years (1903–1915 and 1920–1934).
He instilled in his disciples a love for the word of God. His activity, however, was not limited to teaching. He was also a consultor for the Biblical Commission (1905) and for various Roman Congregations: the Index (1913), the Eastern Church (1918), and a qualificator of the Holy Office (1917). He was furthermore a frequent collaborator with several periodicals and dictionaries, particularly the *Jahrbuch für Liturgiewissenschaft* and the *DBs*.
Among his works, his *Introductions in Sacros utriusque Testamenti libros communes* in 2 vols., Subiaco 1921–22, gained worldwide fame; it was later revised several times in Rome, completely reworked by his disciples A. Miller, B. Gut, and A. Metzinger. Other notable works include: *Die höhere Bibelkritik. Studie über die moderne rationalistische Behandlung der Hl. Schrift* (Paderborn 1901; 2nd ed. 1915); *Das Buch der Bücher. Gedanken über Lektüre und Studium der Hl. Schrift* (Freiburg 1904); *Kard. Wilhelm Sirels Annotationen zum Neuen Testament. Eine Vertiefung der Vulgata gegen Valla und Erasmus* (Bibliotheca Studien, 13, 11, 1918); *Beiträge zur Geschichte der Sisto-Klementinischen Vulgata* (ibid., 18, 1–111, 1913); *Tractatus de inspiratione S. Scripturae et commentum hermeneuticae Biblica catholicae* (Rome 1923; 2nd ed. 1919; new ed. in 1940 and 1950 edited by B. Gut).