Rene Van de Walle

Born in Larrey, Côte-d'Or (France) on 28 January 1924 the young René entered the novitiate of the Jesuits in Drongen (Belgium), on the 7 September 1945. After a year of preparation – learning Sanskrit and Indian civilization – in Wépion, he sails off to India where he first spends another year of language study (Hindi) in Hazaribagh. Then follow philosophical studies in Shembaganur near Kodaikanal (1949–1952).

After two years of educational experience among the tribals of Chotanagpur (Ranchi) René is sent for theological studies in Pune, at the De Nobili College, from 1954 to 1958, with priestly ordination by Bishop Andreas D’Souza (of Pune) at the end of the third year, on March 24, 1957.

However, given his intellectual bent, the young priest is destined for higher ecclesiastical education, and hence sent for a two years ‘biennium’ at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome (1960–1963). His dissertation - required for the doctoral degree -, deals with The Murmuring of the Jews in the Wilderness. While in Rome, on the 2 February 1963, he makes his final religious profession in the Society of Jesus.

Back in India Fr Van de Walle immediately begins his academic career at the national Seminary (nowadays Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth’) in Pune (then Poona), a major town of Maharashtra, east of Mumbai, on the West coast of India. There Van de Walle was Professor^[5] of Old Testament^[6] and was associated with the revision of the Marathi Bible produced by the Bible Society of India.^[7] He remains in Pune continuously until his retirement and departure to Belgium in 1989.

• 1965, An Administrative Body of Priests and a Consecrated People,^[8][9]
• 1967, Welcome address at the biennial of the Society for Biblical Studies in India,^[10]
• 1969, The sin in the garden and the sinfulness of the world,^[11]
• 1975, Jesus - Christ of Atonement or Christ The New Man?,^[12]
• 1975, The Prophets' Call for Renewal and Reconciliation,^[13]
• 1978, (co-translated with Christopher T. Begg^[14]), Parables of Jesus. Insight and Challenge^[15]
• 1978, Death and beyond in the sapiential literature,^[16]
• 1981, Israel's Relations with the Nations,^[17]
• 1983, Esther and Judith, Two Valiant Women,^[18]
• 1986, The Various Facets of Man in Wisdom Literature,^[19]
• 1986, Wisdom,^[20]
• 1989, The Minor Prophets as Conscientizers,^[21]
• No date, A comparative study on Psalm 139 and Hymn IV, 16 of Atharvaveda,^[22]