Helping to unlock the secret treasures of the Holy Land and the Word of God revealed there, the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum (SBF) is known for its scriptural and archeological academic programs. In November of 1991, the Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education in Rome, with the Franciscan Minister General inaugurated the new site of the SBF, a complex of modern and renovated buildings at the shrine of the Flagellation. After a series of development projects, the plant is now more than adequate for the needs of the SBF and provides a pleasant environment for their work.

As a center of research, the SBF has been dedicated to their discovery of the holy places of the New Testament and of the primitive Church in the Holy Land. Professors at the school have been instruments in all levels of historical investigation: from researching written traditions (including pilgrims' itineraries), to directing archeological digs, to commentaries and analyses of ancient texts both biblical and extra-biblical, Christian and Hebrew. Research covers many dimensions: the historical context, linguistics, exegesis and theology. Some of the excavations they have supervised are: the Holy Sepulchre and others in the Old City of Jerusalem; the Mount of Olives, the Judean desert, Herodion, Nazareth, Capernaum, and the Transjordan region, to name a few. Part of the SBF is taken up by a museum which displays some of the objects unearthed. The scholarly work of the SBF is written up in four separate volumes as well as an annual review: Major Works (from 1941, 36vol.), Minor Works (from 1961, 33vol.), the Analecta (from 1962, 33vol.), Museum (from 1976, 9 vol.),LiberAnnus (from 1951, 40 vol.).

As an educational center, the SBF is open to students of all nationalities, whether religious or lay. The majority of students though come from outside the Middle East. The SBF confers the Licentiate (2 yrs.) and Master's Degrees in Biblical Theology, a Diploma of Higher Studies in Biblical-Oriental Science (1yr.) and a Diploma of Biblical Formation. Examples of courses offered: introduction to the New and Old Testament, ancient oriental languages, biblical exegesis and theology, history, geography, and topography of biblical lands, archeology of the Bible and early Christianity. Classroom instruction is complemented with excursions to the various archeological sites in Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Sinai. In addition,the SBF offers weeks of updating in biblical studies and courses to prepare those who want to guide pilgrims in the Holy Land. The library contains over 30,000 volumes and 400 periodicals. Our Center of Oriental Studies in Cairo was founded to foster to the study of Middle East Christian communities, and to document the life and history of the Franciscans in the Holy Land, drawing from the work of Fr. Girolamo Golubovich. The primary work of the Center is to make information available, through publication, and through library, unique for its kind, containing more than 30,000 volumes (many manuscripts in Arabic, Syrian, Coptic, Armenian, Turkish, Persian, etc.) as well as 200 periodicals.