Robert Patrick Ruthven Murray (1925-2018) was an English

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

priest, scripture and patristics scholar and university professor who wrote extensively on Syriac.

Early life

Murray was born to parents who were Congregationalist missionaries in China. His grandfather was James Murray, the noted

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries. * The ...

and founding editor of the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

''. His uncles included H. J. R. Murray and Oswyn Murray. He had his entire education in England. After going to school at Eltham College and

Taunton School Taunton School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school, now co-educational, in the county town of Taunton in Somerset in South West England. It serves boarding and day-school pupils from the ages of 13 to 18. The current headmaster i ...

, he went to study

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. In Oxford, where he met and became friends with

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

. While there, he converted to Catholicism. After graduating, he taught at

Beaumont College Beaumont College was between 1861 and 1967 a Public school (UK), public school in Old Windsor, Old Windsor in Berkshire. Founded and run by the Society of Jesus, it offered a Roman Catholic public school education in rural surroundings, while l ...

, for one year. It was a school run by the

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

. After that year, he decided to join the

and was ordained at

Heythrop College Heythrop College, University of London, was a constituent college of the University of London between 1971 and 2018, last located in Kensington Square, London. It comprised the university's specialist faculties of philosophy and theology with soc ...

, in Oxfordshire, on 31 July 1959. The next day, at his first

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

, Tolkien was one of the altar servers.

Academic career

After graduating from Heythrop, he went to doctoral studies in Rome at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

. In 1963, he graduated from Rome and returned to Heythrop to teach Fundamental theology. He would teach at the college on other subjects such as

scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

patristics Patristics, also known as Patrology, is a branch of theological studies focused on the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers, between the 1st to 8th centuries CE. Scholars analyze texts from both orthodox and heretical authors. Patristics e ...

ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its eschatology, and its leadership. In its early history, one of th ...

and

pastoral theology Pastoral theology is the branch of practical theology concerned with the application of the study of religion in the context of regular church ministry. This approach to theology seeks to give practical expression to theology. Normally viewed as ...

, until his retirement in 1999. During that time he continued his friendship and correspondence with Tolkien. He was one of the proofreaders of ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...

''. In response to one of Murray's letters, Tolkien wrote that “''The Lord of the Rings'' is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.” Murray could understand Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic, more than a couple of European languages, but he specialised in Syriac. He wrote two books that utilised his knowledge of theology and numerous languages: ''Symbols of Church and Kingdom. A Study in Early Syriac Tradition'' (Cambridge, 1975) and ''The Cosmic Covenant'' (London, 1992).

Bibliography

Concerning

Syriac studies Syriac studies is the study of the Syriac language and Syriac Christianity. A specialist in Syriac studies is known as a Syriacist. Specifically, British, French, and German scholars of the 18th and 19th centuries who were involved in the study of ...

he wrote many articles including: * "St Ephrem the Syrian on Church unity," ''Eastern Churches Quarterly'' 15 (1963), 164-76. * "The Rock and the House on the Rock. A chapter in the ecclesiological symbolism of Aphraates and Ephrem," ''Orientalia Christiana Periodica'' 30 (1964), 315-62. * "A special sense of ṣlota as absolution or re-admission to ecclesiastical communion," ''Orientalia Christiana Periodica'' 32 (1966), 523-7. * "Syriac Studies today," '' Eastern Churches Review'' 1 (1966/7), 370-73. * "Reconstructing the Diatessaron," '' The Heythrop Journal'' 10 (1969), 43-9. * "Ephrem Syrus," in J.H. Creehan (ed.) ''Catholic Dictionary of Theology'' (London, 1967), II, 220-23. * "A hymn of St Ephrem to Christ on the Incarnation, the Holy Spirit, and the Sacraments," ''Eastern Churches Review'' 3 (1970), 42-50 ith complete translation of de Fide 10 * "The features of the earliest Christian asceticism," in P. Brooks (ed.), ''Christian Spirituality. Essays in Honour of E.G. Rupp'' (London, 1975), 65-77. * "Mary, the Second Eve in the Early Syriac Fathers," ''Eastern Churches Review'' 3 (1971), 372-84. * "The Lance which re-opened Paradise. A mysterious reading in the early Syriac Fathers," ''Orientalia Christiana Periodica'' 39 (1973), 224-34. * "The exhortation to candidates for ascetical vows at baptism in the ancient Syriac Church," '' New Testament Studies'' 21 (1974), 59-80. * "The theory of symbolism in St Ephrem’s theology," ''Parole de l’Orient'' 6-7 (1975/6), 1-20 ith complete translation of de Fide 20 * "Some rhetorical patterns in early Syriac literature," in R.H. Fischer (ed.), ''A Tribute to Arthur Vööbus'' (Chicago, 1977), 109-31. * "Der Dichter als Exeget: der hl. Ephräm und die heutige Exegese," ''

Zeitschrift für katholische Theologie The ''Zeitschrift für katholische Theologie'' was a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1877 at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Innsbruck. It was associated with the Society of Jesus. The journal published its last ...

'' 100 (1978), 484-94. * "A Hymn of St Ephrem to Christ," '' Sobornost/Eastern Churches Review'' 1 (1979), 39-50 ith complete translation of de Virginitate 31 * "St Ephrem’s Dialogue of Reason and Love," ''Sobornost/Eastern Churches Review'' 2 (1980), 26-40 ith complete translation of de Ecclesia 9 * "Syriac Christianity as an example of “inculturation”" n Chinese ''Collectanea Theologica Universitatis Fujen'' 49 (1981), 453-63. * "The characteristics of the earliest Syriac Christianity," in N. Garsoian, T. Mathews and R.W. Thomson (eds), ''East of Byzantium. Syria and Armenia in the Formative Period'' (Washington DC, 1982), 3-16. * "Ephraem Syrus," in ''

Theologische Realenzyklopädie The ' (''TRE'') is a German encyclopedia of theology and religious studies. It contains some 2000 articles in 36 volumes. The first installment was published in 1977, the last in 2004. Genesis and editors The ' is published by Walter de Gruyter ...

'' IX.5 (1982), 755-62. * "Hellenistic-Jewish Rhetoric in Aphrahat," in R. Lavenant (ed.), ''III Symposium Syriacum'' (Orientalia Christiana Analecta 221; 1983), 87-96. * "The origins of Aramaic ‘ir Angel," ''Orientalia'' 53 1984), 303-17. * "Ephrem of Syria. A marriage for all eternity: the consecration of a Syrian Bride of Christ," ''Sobornost/Eastern Churches Review'' 11 (1989), 65-9. * "Some themes and problems of early Syriac angelology," in R. Lavenant (ed., V ''Symposium Syriacum'' (Orientalia Christiana Analecta 236; 1990), 143-53. * "Aramaic and Syriac dispute-poems and their connections," in M.J. Geller, J.C. Greenfield and M.P. Weitzman (eds), ''Studia Aramaica. New Sources and New Approaches'' ( Journal of Semitic Studies Supplement 4; Oxford, 1995), 157-87. * "L’homme et la creation: responsabilité, péché et reconciliation," in ''Péché et réconciliation, hier et aujourd’hui'' (Patrimoine Syriaque IV; Antelias, 1997), 92-9. * "‘Circumcision of the heart’ and the origins of the Qyama," in G.J. Reinink and A.C. Klugkist (eds), ''After Bardaisan: Studies on Continuity and Change in Syriac Christianity in Honour of Professor Han J.W. Drijvers'' (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 89; 1999), 201-11. * "The Ephremic tradition and the theology of the environment," ''Hugoye'' 2:1 (1999), 67-82. * "The paradox of God’s hiddenness and accessibility in St Ephrem," '' New Blackfriars'' 996 (2004), 158-62

Early life

Academic career

Bibliography

References

Further reading