Thomas Joseph Lamy (
Ohey
Ohey (; wa, Ohè) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium.
On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 4,283 inhabitants. The total area is 56.62 km² (21.9 sq mi), giving a population density of 76 inhabitants p ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, 27 January 1827 –
Leuven, 30 July 1907) was a
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
Biblical scholar and Orientalist.
Biography
Lamy was ordained a priest in 1853 after completing his studies at
Floreffe
Floreffe (; wa, Florefe) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium.
On 1 January 2012 the municipality had 7,883 inhabitants. The total area is 38.89 km2, giving a population density of 203 inhabitants per km2 ...
and at the seminary of
Namur, he entered the
Catholic University of Leuven and received from his professors,
Ian Theodor Beelen, the distinguished exegete and orientalist, and
Lefebre Lefebre, Lefèbre, LeFebre, or Le Febre is a common surname, related to the French surname Lefebvre. Notable people with this surname include:
* Valentin Lefebre (1637–1677), Flemish painter, draughtsman and printmaker
* Edward A. Lefebre
Edwa ...
, who was well versed in
positive theology
Cataphatic theology or kataphatic theology is theology that uses "positive" terminology to describe or refer to the divine – specifically, God – i.e. terminology that describes or refers to what the divine is believed to be, in cont ...
, his impulse towards Biblical, Oriental, and patristic studies. He obtained the degree of Doctor of Theology in 1859.
Lamy's career as professor at Leuven began in 1858 and continued uninterrupted till the year 1900, comprising courses in Hebrew, Syriac, introduction to Sacred Scripture, and exegesis. Lamy succeeded Beelen on the latter's retirement in 1875.
Lamy's writings, too voluminous for enumeration here, are listed in the bibliography of the university down to 1905, under one hundred and fifty-eight entries. His most valuable contributions to learning took the form of editions of many previously unpublished Syriac writings, notably his collection in six volumes of
St. Ephraem's hymns and discourses, under the title "Sancti Ephraemi Syri Hymni et Sermones", and his edition of the "Chronicon Ecclesiasticum" of
Bar Hebraeus
Gregory Bar Hebraeus ( syc, ܓܪܝܓܘܪܝܘܣ ܒܪ ܥܒܪܝܐ, b. 1226 - d. 30 July 1286), known by his Syriac ancestral surname as Bar Ebraya or Bar Ebroyo, and also by a Latinized name Abulpharagius, was an Aramean Maphrian (regional primat ...
. His editions of text are marred by numerous errors, chiefly typographical.
Lamy is most widely known by his "Introductio in Sacram Scripturam", in 2 volumes, which ran to six editions, an erudite collection of materials valuable in their day. Of his commentaries the most noted are his Latin commentary on Genesis, in 2 vols. (2nd ed., 1883–84), and his French commentary on the Apocalypse (1893–1894).
Neither in his introduction nor in his commentaries did Lamy grapple with the difficulties of the day; his ideas, acquired in the sixth decade of the nineteenth century, remained unmodified till the end. His "Introduction" passed almost unchanged through six editions. Lamy's numerous articles show his great devotion to the Church, to his university, and to his country, as well as a marked predilection for Biblical and patristic studies.
Before his death, which occurred at the age of eighty, Lamy was engaged in the revision and annotation of a French translation of the Bible. Besides his professorial labors, he served his university for thirty years as president of the
College Marie Thérèse.
Lamy received many honors from learned societies and from his country; he was made domestic prelate (1885) by
Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...
, and member of the
Biblical Commission (1903) by
Pius X
Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of ...
.
Notes
References
*
* L. de La Vallée Poussin, ''Notice sur T. J. Lamy'', Bruxelles, 1914.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamy, Thomas Joseph
1827 births
1907 deaths
Syriacists
Lamy, TJ
Lamy, TJ
Pontifical Biblical Commission