SABATIER, PIERRE. - Maurist theologian, b. in 1682 at Poitiers, made his profession among the Benedictines on 30 June 1700, d. on 22 (24?) March 1742.
His scholarly formation at St-Germain-des-Prés (Paris) came from Th. Ruinart (v.), an ever-venerated friend and master, whose collaborator he became from 1702 on the Annales bénédictines. With the successor R. Massuet (after 1700) there arose a "différence d'humeur et de caractère" (Tassin), which induced his superiors to assign S. to his providential work: gathering the remains of the pre-Jerome biblical version (v. LATINE VERSIONI DELLA BIBBIA). This work, together with the office of librarian (the "vita" in Bibliorum sacrorum..., III, Paris 1751, p. xxviii ff. praises his scholarly catalogues), occupied his zeal and tenacity for the rest of his life. Relegated to St-Nicaise (Reims) because he was suspected of Jansenism (v.), having with the majority of his confreres opposed the bull Unigenitus, he did not abandon his assiduous, erudite and sagacious research. In 1735, with a subsidy from the Duke of Orléans, the printing of the Bibliorum sacrorum Latinae versiones antiquae, seu Vetus Italica... (Reims 1743-49; Paris 1751) could be begun; at S.'s death vol. II was almost finished.
To the edition, C. Clémencet added the general introduction and other notices, all in S.'s spirit. The edition remained classic for two centuries, although it was not without defects. Among other things, S. erroneously believed in a single pre-Jerome version, the "italica" (sic). Denk (v.) took up the work on modern foundations and left his vast card index to the archabbey of Beuron (v.), in which the scholar of palimpsests A. Dold, together with others, set about perfecting it, adding unpublished sources and checking the editions excerpted by Denk by recourse to the manuscripts. The "New S.," entitled Vetus Latina. Die reste der altlateinischen Bibel, now proceeds regularly. Besides the fascicle of sigla (Freiburg im Br. 1949), two have appeared on Genesis, down to Gen. 27, 23. Thanks to a subsidy from the "Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft," the last obstacle to its regular publication seems removed. It will be a monumental series of 27 vols.
Bibliography
Pietro Nober