Albert Vanhoye,
SJThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits.Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with 18,815 members—13,305 priests, 2,295 scholastic students, 1,758 brothers and 827 novices—as of January 2008, although the...
(born July 23, 1923 at Hazebrouck, France) is a priest of the
Society of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits.Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with 18,815 members—13,305 priests, 2,295 scholastic students, 1,758 brothers and 827 novices—as of January 2008, although the...
(the Jesuits) and exegete. He was created
cardinalA cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually a bishop, of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and making themselves available...
in 2006. He gave the 2008 Lenten Papal and Curial Retreat.
He entered the
Society of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits.Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with 18,815 members—13,305 priests, 2,295 scholastic students, 1,758 brothers and 827 novices—as of January 2008, although the...
in 1941 and studied at Jesuit Scholasticates in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
, as well as obtaining a licentiate and doctorate in sacred scripture with a thesis on the
Letter to the HebrewsThe Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the books in the New Testament. Although sometimes credited to the Apostle Paul, the letter is anonymous. It has carried its traditional title since Tertullian described it as Barnabae titulus ad Hebraeos....
, from the
Pontifical Biblical InstituteThe Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, Italy is an institution of the Holy See run by the Jesuits that offers instruction at the university level...
in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
.
Albert Vanhoye,
SJThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits.Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with 18,815 members—13,305 priests, 2,295 scholastic students, 1,758 brothers and 827 novices—as of January 2008, although the...
(born July 23, 1923 at Hazebrouck, France) is a priest of the
Society of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits.Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with 18,815 members—13,305 priests, 2,295 scholastic students, 1,758 brothers and 827 novices—as of January 2008, although the...
(the Jesuits) and exegete. He was created
cardinalA cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually a bishop, of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and making themselves available...
in 2006. He gave the 2008 Lenten Papal and Curial Retreat.
Formation and Studies
He entered the
Society of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits.Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with 18,815 members—13,305 priests, 2,295 scholastic students, 1,758 brothers and 827 novices—as of January 2008, although the...
in 1941 and studied at Jesuit Scholasticates in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
, as well as obtaining a licentiate and doctorate in sacred scripture with a thesis on the
Letter to the HebrewsThe Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the books in the New Testament. Although sometimes credited to the Apostle Paul, the letter is anonymous. It has carried its traditional title since Tertullian described it as Barnabae titulus ad Hebraeos....
, from the
Pontifical Biblical InstituteThe Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, Italy is an institution of the Holy See run by the Jesuits that offers instruction at the university level...
in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
. He was ordained
priestThe ministerial orders of the Catholic Church includes the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
on July 25, 1954
Teaching and Research
After a stint at the French Jesuit study house of
ChantillyChantilly may refer to:*Chantilly, Oise, a French city located in the Oise département in the Picardie région*Château de Chantilly, a historic château located in the town of Chantilly, France*Chantilly cream, a sweet whipped cream used in pastry...
he was called to Rome where he has been from 1963 till 1998 (when he was made
emeritus) professor of Scriptures at the
Pontifical Biblical InstituteThe Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, Italy is an institution of the Holy See run by the Jesuits that offers instruction at the university level...
of Rome, of which he has also been the Rector for 6 years (1984-1990). He directed 29 theses, most of them studying and analysing aspects of the
New TestamentThe New Testament is the name given to the second major division of the Christian Bible, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament, both terms being associated with Supersessionism...
Letters. On the
Letter to the HebrewsThe Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the books in the New Testament. Although sometimes credited to the Apostle Paul, the letter is anonymous. It has carried its traditional title since Tertullian described it as Barnabae titulus ad Hebraeos....
, he is acknowledged as being possibly the best expert in the world. He is still a Consultor for a number of dicasteries of the
Roman CuriaThe Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Roman Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
. For a long time he had been Secretary of the
Pontifical Biblical CommissionThe Pontifical Biblical Commission is a committee of Cardinals, aided by consultors, who meet in Rome to ensure the proper interpretation and defense of Sacred Scripture. This function was outlined in the encyclical Providentissimus Deus....
. This was where Cardinal Ratzinger came to know him personally and appreciate his competence in Biblical matters.
Cardinal
He was created Cardinal-Deacon of
S. Maria della Mercede e Sant'Adriano a Villa Albani by
Pope Benedict XVIPope Benedict XVI is the 265th and reigning Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the head of the Catholic Church and, as such, Sovereign of the Vatican City State...
at the consistory of 24 March 2006, after he was already 80 (and therefore already ineligible to vote in future conclaves). The Holy Father dispensed him from the obligation to be consecrated bishop on his elevation to Cardinal.
Main works
- La structure littéraire de l'Epître aux Hébreux, Desclée de Brouwer, Tournai, 1963.
- Situation du Christ. Epître aux hébreux 1 et 2, Paris, 1969.
- Prêtres anciens, prêtre nouveau selon le Nouveau Testament, Paris, 1980.
- La lettre aux Hébreux: Jésus-Christ, médiateur d'une nouvelle alliance, Paris, 2002.