Early years
Saydon was born on 24 July 1895, in Żurrieq. He went to the local primary school, before enrolling in the national Seminary. In 1912 he took a preparatory course in Literature at the University of Malta, and qualified with B.Litt. at the age of 20. in 1919, he qualified with a degree in Canonical Law, and a subsequent Doctorate in Theology. Having come top of class, he was granted a Governmental scholarship to be able to continue his studies abroad. In 1919 he was also ordained as a priest, and the following year left for the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, where he obtained a Licence in Holy Scriptures in 1923.Bible translation
Saydon began his translation of the Bible from Hebrew to Maltese in 1929. This was notable for the fact that he did this entirely on his own, where other translations were typically completed in teams. It took him 30 years to complete, publishing the first version in 1959. This cost Saydon more than just his time - he financed his endeavours himself. Saydon was appointed Professor of Holy Scripture at the University of Malta, and contributed actively to a number of international conferences and congresses. This introduced him to numerous biblical scholars worldwide, and exposed him to the tenets of Catholicism, Protestantism and Judaism. Between the years of 1932 and 1962 he attended no less than 17 different conferences across Europe. He was the founder of the Maltese Biblical Society, and awarded membership of the ''International Association of the Study of the Old Testament''. He was also a member of theSetbacks
Although Saydon was considered the only qualified person for professorship of Holy Scripture in the University, in 1929 the Rector appointed Father Ugo Callus, a philosopher, to the post. This was a great disappointment for Saydon, but he was vindicated 7 years later when Callus left for Oxford in 1931. The vacant position was filled by Saydon, and thus at the age of 31 he was appointed Professor of Holy Scripture (in both Hebrew and Biblical Greek). He retained this position until his retirement in 1964. Saydon was also pipped to the post for a Lectoral Ministry in the Cathedral Chapter by Monsignor Nerik Dandria, who despite his inexperience in scripture studies, had strong political backing. The Maltese Ecclesiastical authorities failed to recognise Saydon's merits, despite being given the title of ''monsignor'' in 1946 and being offered a position in the Cathedral. Saydon refused the latter, saying that his literary work conflicted with high positions in the Church. Although never seeking fame for his endeavours, he expressed ire at not receiving due recognition - thus he wrote in ''Il-Malti'' in 1953: jnuino Maltese people living through the 1960s in Malta associated Saydon with the Catholic Interdiction in Malta, and the standoff between the Church and the Malta Labour Party. He was a controversial figure in the debates. On 26 March 1966, the day of theMaltese language
In his 33 years as Professor at the University of Malta, he worked tirelessly to research the Maltese language. He was well liked by his students, being a relatively young academic not given to a great ego. He would sometimes invite them to his house in Bengħisa. He frequently wrote about his relationship with his students: His interest in the Maltese language was sparked by the similarities between Maltese and Hebrew. He was convinced that: At the time of his personal setbacks after returning from his studies in Rome, he immersed himself into progressing the works of the University's Maltese Language Association, this having just been founded by two medic-poets,Other works
In 1936, Saydon, together with Ä użè Aquilina, published ''Ward ta' Qari Malti'' an anthology of prose and poetry in Maltese. Saydon was also an accomplished author. He wrote a number of novels, including ''Gmajru u l-Karozzi'', ''L-Istedina tas-Sinjura Betta'', and ''Bejn l-Erba' Ħitan tad-Dar'', as well as a number of essays such as ''Fuq il-Monti'', ''TieÄ¡ f'Raħal'' u ''Fil-Ħemda tal-Lejl''. It is said that what Dun Karm Psaila did for poetry, Saydon did for prose. Saydon was a devotee of Saint Catherine, the patron saint of Å»urrieq, and wrote a religious novel in three acts, entitled simply ''Santa Katerina''. On 12 November 1966, The University awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Literature in recognition of his work.Priesthood
Saydon's pastoral work was carried out without much fanfare - he was much loved by the villagers of Bengħisa, most of whom were farmers. He would celebrate an early mass at 04:30 to enable them to hear mass before they started work in the fields, and would frequently visit them in their homes. He would avoid large social gatherings, but would instead seek the company of his students, as well as members of the MUSEUM. He would frequently teach at the local branch in Żurrieq, and would make monetary donations to the organisation. Saydon left the copyright of his translation of the Bible to the MUSEUM, which then went on to publish multiple editions. In 1946,Death
In 1965 Saydon suffered a stroke. In the years leading up to his death, he was twice admitted to the clergy Hospital in Attard. He died in his home in Żurrieq on 22 March 1971. Following his death, a secondary school as well as a street in his hometown of Żurrieq were named after him. A monument in his honour was unveiled on the hundredth anniversary of his birth, on 12 November 1995, in front of his namesake secondary school in Żurrieq. There is another monument dedicated to Saydon in the grounds of the Junior College Sixth Form, in Msida. One of the main halls in the University of Malta also bears his name.References
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