Jan Lambrecht (23 April 1926 – 4 March 2023) was a Belgian Catholic priest of the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

, Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Biblical Greek at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies,

KU Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its mai ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and a member of the

Pontifical Biblical Commission The Pontifical Biblical Commission () is a pontifical commission established within the Roman Curia to ensure the proper interpretation and defense of the Bible. Since 1988, it has been closely attached to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the ...

. As a theologian, biblical scholar, and prolific author, he contributed numerous studies on almost all the books of the New Testament, but focused especially on the Gospels and the Pauline letters. His publications included books and articles written in English, Dutch, and French.

Early life and education

Lambrecht was born in

Wielsbeke Wielsbeke () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Ooigem, and Wielsbeke proper. On January 1, 2018, Wielsbeke had a total population of 9,584. The total area is 21.76 km ...

on 23 April 1926. He joined the

in 1945. He received a licentiate in Philosophy in 1952 from

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

, and in 1960, in Theology (STL) from the Jesuit Faculty in

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

. He also held a licentiate in Eastern History and Languages from the Catholic University of Leuven (1959). In 1965, he was awarded a doctorate in Sacred Scripture (DSS) at the

Pontifical Biblical Institute The Pontifical Biblical Institute (also known as Biblicum) is a research and postgraduate teaching institution specialised in biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies located in Rome. Founded in 1909 by Pope Pius X, it is an institution of the ...

in Rome.

Academic career

Following his return from Rome in 1965, Jan Lambrecht first taught the New Testament at the Jesuit Faculty in

. But in 1968, when the Flemish Faculty of Theology (Faculteit Godgeleerdheid) was created after the

Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (; ) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) * Katholieke Universiteit Leuven or KU Leuven (1968 ...

had split into the Dutch speaking

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its main camp ...

and the French speaking

Université Catholique de Louvain UCLouvain (or Université catholique de Louvain , French for Catholic University of Louvain, officially in English the University of Louvain) is Belgium's largest French-speaking university and one of the oldest in Europe (originally establishe ...

, he joined the newly formed Flemish Faculty. He remained there as Professor of New Testament and Biblical Greek until his retirement in 1990. Between 1985 and 1990, he served as the dean of the Faculty of Theology. After his retirement from Leuven, he was a visiting professor at the Biblical Institute in Rome (1995–2000), at the major seminary of

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

(2001–2003), at the Loyola University in New Orleans (2007–2009), and at

Le Moyne College Le Moyne College is a private Jesuit college mostly in DeWitt, New York. It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1946, and named after Jesuit missionary Simon Le Moyne. Le Moyne was the first co-educational Jesuit college in the United Sta ...

in Syracuse (2009–2010). Lambrecht was also a member of the

for two terms (1985–1995), and was part of the group which prepared the commission's influential document on
The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church
"

Death

Lambrecht died on 4 March 2023, at the age of 96.

Selected works

* * * * * * * - second edition in 2006 with added bibliography. * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lambrecht, Jan 1926 births 2023 deaths Belgian biblical scholars Roman Catholic biblical scholars New Testament scholars 20th-century Belgian Roman Catholic theologians 21st-century Belgian Roman Catholic theologians Belgian expatriates in the Netherlands People from West Flanders