29 April 2024| Bracknell, UK [Helen Pearson]
An event at Newbold College of Higher Education (NCHE) on 11th March had an obvious justification and a secret purpose. The publicity announced that Newbold Professor Emeritus, Dr Jean-Claude Verrecchia, would lead a Postgraduate Research Seminar: “The Discourse to the Hebrews: New Perspectives”. The secret purpose was revealed in the second half of the programme.
The New Testament Book The Epistle to the Hebrews is unlikely to be bedside reading for many except the most committed Bible reader or Biblical scholar. But Verrecchia is a Hebrews expert. He first wrote about the book in his doctoral dissertation at the University of Strasbourg in 1981. Last year his latest Hebrews study came out: Hébreux: Discours d’encouragement pour temps de guerre (Hebrews: Encouraging Words in Time of War). As he took the lectern in Newbold’s Salisbury Hall, students and staff were reminded that not only is Verrecchia a formidable scholar, he is a great communicator and never far from preaching either. Indeed, he refers to the Epistle as the Sermon to the Hebrews!
His lecture explored themes such as orality, holy space, priesthood, the role of the Temple, rituals, sacrifices and other facets of Old Testament faith. He had the full attention of his audience as he explained the history, content, and practical application of Hebrews to contemporary spirituality – some of it particularly relevant to Seventh-day Adventist teachings about the sanctuary. As one of his hearers commented: ‘Jean-Claude always tells you all the academic stuff – and then he hits you with the gospel!
The hidden purpose of the event became obvious when Dr Tihomir Lazić, Principal Lecturer in Systematic Theology at NCHE, walked to the lectern from the back of the hall for a ‘surprise’ presentation!
Lazić began with a curriculum vitae of Verrecchia for the audience, naming a few highlights of his career. He used a couple of metaphors to describe him – the first particularly appropriate for a theologian who is an accomplished musician, proficient in both piano and organ. Lazić described Verrecchia as a “virtuoso of sacred interpretation”. To use another metaphor, Verrecchia has devoted his life, said Lazić, to “wrestling with the biblical text – reading, translating and interpreting its meaning, tracing its transmission and reception through the centuries and exploring its contemporary relevance.”
Verrecchia’s career spans pastoral work in various parts of France, followed by decades of teaching and research. He taught in Cameroon and at the French Seventh-day Adventist Seminary in Collonges, where he served as Rector, Dean of the Faculty, and Lecturer in New Testament. From 2005 to his retirement in 2018, he served as a Principal Lecturer in New Testament Studies, Hermeneutics, and Second Temple Literature at Newbold College.
Verrecchia has also been actively involved in Adventist theological education and biblical research. He played a key role in the establishment and activities of the group EASTRS (European Adventist Society of Theology and Religious Studies), including organising conferences and contributing to their magazine, Spes Christiana, which aims to foster scholarly theological dialogue and education within the Adventist community and beyond. His work emphasises the importance of continual reformation and adaptation, encapsulated in the motto Ecclesia reformata semper reformanda (“a reformed church always reforming”).
Working with Biblical scholars in other traditions has been a constant in his career. For many years, he has been a respected leader and contributor to the work of the French Bible Society. He is one of the co-editors of the highly esteemed French study Bible, Nouvelle Bible Segond. This work and his Itinéraires: Balises pour explorer la Bible (Beacons on the Journey to explore the Bible) both make the Bible more accessible to French speakers who want to bridge the gap between ancient texts and modern readers. In 2011, he founded ‘Bible et Culture’ an interdenominational association that organises conferences and spiritual events open to all denominations.
The ‘seminar’ event continued when on behalf of his colleagues in The Centre for Ministry and Mission at NCHE, Lazić presented Verrecchia with a copy of a Festschrift in his honour —a compilation of 23 insightful essays exploring text, translation, and transformation, edited by Lazić and published in 2025 by Newbold Academic Press to mark Verrecchia’s distinguished academic career.
In his response, Verrecchia confessed that when NCHE invited him to bring his wife, Cathrine, for this occasion, he had wondered if something special was going to happen! He was also aware that ‘someone’ had been ‘untidying’ his office at home as she looked for the material to write the biographical sketch, which forms the first chapter of the Festschrift. Obviously, a man not easily surprised! But, he said, to his colleagues and former students who had gathered, “Thank you very much. I love you all. You know that!”
Typically, the afternoon session ended with a question-and-answer session. Verrecchia spent 40 minutes answering questions about his presentation and other aspects of his work with the Bible. At the beginning, he offered a typical Verrecchia observation directed at the students in the audience: ‘I hate parrots,’ he said! “We have too many parrots in our church…just repeating and repeating endlessly….The church needs more than parrots…the world must be led by people who read.” When it comes to reading the Bible, Dr Jean-Claude Verrecchia has devoted his life to showing us how to do it – and for this, many people are grateful!
You can watch the Verrecchia Festschrift Lecture here
The Verrecchia Festschrift is due to be fully published in the near future: Unveiling the Sacred Resonance: Text, Translation, Transformation and will be available from Newbold Academic Press.
Featured image: Dr Tihomir Lazić, Principal Lecturer in Systematic Theology at Newbold, makes the ‘surprise’ presentation to presentation Jean-Claude Verrecchia.
[Photos: Newbold College of Higher Education].
