Lawrence Edward Boadt, C.S.P. (October 26, 1942 – July 24, 2010), was an American

Paulist Paulists, or Paulines, is the name used for Roman Catholic orders and congregations under the patronage of Paul of Thebes the First Hermit. From the time that the abode and virtues of Paul of Thebes were revealed to Antony the Abbot, various commu ...

priest and Biblical scholar, who advocated on behalf of improved communication and understanding between Christians and Jews.

Life

Boadt was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, on October 26, 1942. After high school, he entered the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

of the

Paulist Fathers The Paulist Fathers, officially named the Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostle ( la, Societas Sacerdotum Missionariorum a Sancto Paulo Apostolo), abbreviated CSP, is a Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men founded ...

Vineland, New Jersey Vineland is a city in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 60,780. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 61,156 ...

, where he made his initial promises as a member of the congregation on September 8, 1962. He then earned bachelor's and master's degrees from St. Paul's College in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, the house of formation for the Paulist Fathers. He received

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

as a priest in 1969 and then attended

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...

, where he was awarded a master's degree and a

Licentiate in Theology The Licentiate in Theology or (in Britain) Licence in Theology (LTh or, in Australia, ThL) is a non-degree qualification in theology awarded in Canada and previously awarded in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. A qualification simila ...

. 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. It is an institution of the Holy See entrusted to the Society of Jesus. His ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Boadt was granted a licentiate in Sacred Scripture and a Doctorate in Biblical Studies and Near Eastern languages. He taught at

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

, St. John's University and at the

Washington Theological Union Washington Theological Union (WTU) was a Catholic graduate school of theology and seminary in Washington, D.C. in the United States, founded in 1968. It stopped accepting students in 2011, and suspended operations at the end of June 2015. WTU was ...

.Fox, Margalit
"Lawrence Boadt, Priest, Publisher and Bible Scholar, Dies at 67"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', July 30, 2010. Accessed August 23, 2010. Boadt was selected to serve as the

scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

editor of th
Paulist Press
a publishing house established by the Paulist Fathers in 1881. His 1984 book ''Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction'' was intended to explain the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

to Christians. He deeply believed in the principle that Christians could best understand their faith by studying

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

and suggested that Christians "could gain some feeling for the Old Testament by attending a Friday night Sabbath service at a local temple or

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

". Other books he authored include the 1980 work ''

Ezekiel Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is acknow ...

's Oracles Against Egypt: A Literary and Philological Study of Ezekiel 29-32'', the 1986 book ''Introduction to Wisdom Literature, Proverbs'' and the 1999 text ''Why I Am a Priest: Thirty Success Stories''. Boadt noted that he oversaw the 2003 publishing of ''

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...

: A Memoir'' by Joel Cohen, saying that the imprint receives many books that were "too Jewish" for a Catholic readership, but that this book struck the right balance. He was named President of the

Paulist Press The Paulist Fathers, officially named the Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostle ( la, Societas Sacerdotum Missionariorum a Sancto Paulo Apostolo), abbreviated CSP, is a Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men founded ...

in 1998, holding that position until shortly before his death and overseeing the publishing of an average of 80 books annually.

Death

Boadt died of cancer at age 67 on July 24, 2010, at his home in

Mahwah, New Jersey Mahwah is the northernmost and largest municipality by geographic area () in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of the township was 25,487, a decline of 403 from the 25,890 counted in the ...

. His remains were buried in the Paulist Fathers' section of St. Thomas the Apostle Church Cemetery in Oak Ridge, New Jersey.Staff
Lawrence Boadt
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', July 27, 2010. Accessed August 23, 2010. Rabbi Eric J. Greenberg of the

Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...

cited Boadt's efforts "to develop a historic new positive relationship between Christians and Jews" through his publishing efforts that helped promote the vision of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

, the 1962-1965 world council of Catholic bishops that rejected

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

and the

deicide Deicide is the killing (or the killer) of a god. The concept may be used for any act of killing a god, including a life-death-rebirth deity who is killed and then resurrected. Etymology The term deicide was coined in the 17th century from m ...

charge against Jews.Staff
"ADL Mourns the Passing of Father Lawrence Boadt"

press release dataed July 28, 2010. Accessed August 23, 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boadt, Lawrence 1942 births 2010 deaths People from Los Angeles Paulist Order Catholic University of America alumni 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests 21st-century American Roman Catholic priests Pontifical Biblical Institute alumni Old Testament scholars Roman Catholic biblical scholars American biblical scholars Fordham University faculty St. John's University (New York City) faculty American book publishers (people) People from Mahwah, New Jersey Deaths from cancer in New Jersey Burials in New Jersey Catholics from California Catholics from New Jersey