Nicholas Robert Michael de Lange (born 7 August 1944) is a British Reform rabbi and historian. He is Professor of
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
and
Jewish Studies
Jewish studies (or Judaic studies; he, מדעי היהדות, madey ha-yahadut, sciences of Judaism) is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history (e ...
at the
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
.
Academic and literary career
Nicholas de Lange is an emeritus fellow at
Wolfson College, Cambridge
Wolfson College () is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The majority of students at the college are postgraduates. The college also admits "mature" undergraduates (aged 21 and above), with around ...
. He has written and edited several books about
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 th ...
and translated numerous works of fiction by
Amos Oz
Amos Oz ( he, עמוס עוז; born Amos Klausner; 4 May 1939 – 28 December 2018) was an Israeli writer, novelist, journalist, and intellectual. He was also a professor of Hebrew literature at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. From 1967 onw ...
,
S. Yizhar
Yizhar Smilansky (, 27 September 1916 – 21 August 2006), known by his pen name S. Yizhar (), was an Israeli writer and politician. Widely regarded as one of the preeminent figures in Israeli literature, he was awarded the Israel Prize in 1959 f ...
and
A. B. Yehoshua
Avraham Gabriel Yehoshua ( he, אברהם גבריאל (בולי) יהושע; 9 December 1936 – 14 June 2022) was an Israeli novelist, essayist, and playwright. ''The New York Times'' called him the "Israeli William Faulkner, Faulkner". Under ...
into English. In November 2007, he received the Risa Domb/Porjes Prize for Translation from the Hebrew for his translation of ''
A Tale of Love and Darkness
''A Tale of Love and Darkness'' ( he, סיפור על אהבה וחושך ''Sipur al ahava ve choshech'') is a memoir by the Israeli author Amos Oz, first published in Hebrew in 2002.
The book has been translated into 28 languages and over a m ...
'' by Amos Oz.
He gives lectures on Modern Judaism and the Reading of Jewish texts at the Faculty of Divinity,
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
.
Rabbinic career
De Lange is a
Reform
Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...
rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...
who studied with
Ignaz Maybaum, a disciple of
Franz Rosenzweig
Franz Rosenzweig (, ; 25 December 1886 – 10 December 1929) was a German theologian, philosopher, and translator.
Early life and education
Franz Rosenzweig was born in Kassel, Germany, to an affluent, minimally observant Jewish family. His f ...
. He is the main rabbi of
Etz Hayyim Synagogue in
Chania
Chania ( el, Χανιά ; vec, La Canea), also spelled Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno and west of Heraklion.
The muni ...
.
Published works
* ''Origen and the Jews: Studies in Jewish-Christian Relations in Third-Century Palestine'' (University of Cambridge Oriental Publications, 25) (1976),
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer.
Cambridge University Pr ...
* ''Apocrypha: Jewish Literature of the Hellenistic Age'' (Jewish Heritage Classics) (1978), New York:
Viking Press
Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquir ...
* ''Atlas of the Jewish World'' (1984), Oxford:
Phaidon Press
Phaidon Press is a global publisher of books on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, and popular culture, as well as cookbooks, children's books, and travel books. The company is based in London and New York City, with additional o ...
* ''Judaism'' (1986),
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...
* "Jesus Christ and Auschwitz" (1997), ''
New Blackfriars'' Vol. 78, No. 917/918, pp. 308–316
* ''An Introduction to Judaism'' (2000), Cambridge University Press, , pp. 272
* ''The Penguin Dictionary of Judaism'' (Penguin Reference Library) (2008), , pp. 400
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lange, Nicholas de
1944 births
Living people
20th-century English rabbis
20th-century British translators
21st-century English rabbis
21st-century British translators
Academics of the University of Cambridge
British historians
British Jews
British Reform rabbis
Clergy from Nottingham
English translators
Fellows of Wolfson College, Cambridge
Jewish historians
Amos Oz
People educated at Harrow High School
Scholars of Medieval Greek
Translators from Hebrew