Pinchas Lapide

Pinchas Lapide ( born November 28, 1922 in Vienna, † October 23, 1997 in Frankfurt am Main ) was a Jewish scholar of religion. On the Christian side, his knowledge of the New Testament and its commitment to the Christian-Jewish dialogue were estimated.

Life and work

After the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany he came in 1938 in a concentration camp, but from which he could escape. Then Czechoslovakia and Poland, he fled to Britain. From there, he came in 1940 with a ship to Palestine.

In the years 1951-1969 he worked as a diplomat and head of the Press Office of the Israeli government. From 1956 to 1958 Lapide was Israeli consul in Milan. In addition to his service, he studied Judaism. He earned his doctorate at the University of Cologne and taught from 1972 to 1975 at Bar- Ilan University in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv. Lapide wrote more than 35 books that have been translated into twelve languages.

Pinchas Lapide lived since the mid-1970s in Frankfurt and received in 1993, the Federal Cross of Merit.

After his death, his widow Ruth Lapide and his son Yuval Lapide continue the work of his concerns.