Robert (François in religion) Langlamet, o.p. (RL)

• Father François

Robert Langlamet was born on May 17, 1931 in Cherbourg. Fragile in health, he had to interrupt his high school studies several times because of lung disease. After his baccalaureate in philosophy in 1950, he entered the Dominican novitiate of the convent of Saint-Jacques in Paris and received, at the time of his taking up his habit, the name of François. For a year, from 1951 to 1952, he had to interrupt his studies because of tuberculosis and treat in a sanatorium in Haute-Savoie. He then spent two years at the Major Seminary of Aix-en-Provence (1952-1954), the climate of the south of France being preferable to him. His studies of philosophy were supervised by Fr. Marcel Dubois, then at Le Saulchoir, whom he later met again in Jerusalem. In 1954, he was able to finish his novitiate and make profession a year later. He continued his years of philosophy and theology at Le Saulchoir, interrupted in turn by a severe hip surgery, for which he spent many months in hospital. He kept one hip stiff all his life. Ordained priest on July 10, 1960, he finished his studies with a degree in theology and a degree in reading. His superiors then intended him to prepare for the biblical examinations in Rome. Langlamet arrived in Jerusalem on October 15, 1962. His first year thesis, under the direction of Fr. Raymond Tournay, focused on chiasma in the Old Testament, while his second year thesis, under the direction of Fr. de Vaux, focused on the "anti-monarchist narrative" and the "deuteronomist vocabulary". De Vaux then asked for his assignment to Jerusalem, so that he could become an Old Testament teacher, specializing in the Pentateuch and historical books. He obtained his bachelor's degree and bachelor's degree in Sacred Scripture in 1964 and began teaching upon his return to Jerusalem, focusing his research on the "deuteronomist writing" of historical books. In 1967-1969, he also studied at the Hebrew University, where he researched Joshua, and was awarded the prize for the best student of the year for a seminar on "Geographical en historical Problems in the Book of Joshua". He mastered both biblical and modern Hebrew. In the autumn of 1970, he was asked to replace, with André Caquot, Father Prignaud as translator of Samuel's Books for the Ecumenical Translation of the Bible. He spent more than three years translating, drawing on the courses and articles he was preparing on Samuel's Books (1971-1975). The complete edition of the TOB was published in 1975. In 1971, he devoted an infinite amount of time to completing the second volume of Israel's ancient history. Father de Vaux had indeed died accidentally without having been able to write all his notes, which Langlamet takes up again. His participation in the TOB gave Langlamet a lasting orientation on the books of Samuel and the Kings, particularly on what he called "the history of the succession to the throne of David" (2 S 9-20 and 1 Kings 1-2). He concludes, after years of research into the sources of this history, that there had been several original narratives that were combined with "the history of succession", then "benjaminite additions", which underwent "theological-sapientiarchal" changes. He developed a particular method that could be described as both a study of vocabulary, the identification of elementary units and their grouping into larger units, the consideration of symmetrical structures such as chiasmas, "all this while revealing at each stage of the drafting process a balance of the text that is very different from what would be a thoughtless and unarthed compilation3". In 1995, he retired from teaching and research but continued to be active in the School. He continues to be of great service to the Bible Review, particularly by continuing to write reviews. In 1977, he introduced a "Collections and Mixtures" section, which he wrote alone until 2003, and where he presented more than 1000 collective works. For many years, he was in charge of the sacristy and the ringing of the convent bells. His precise and infinitely careful personality excelled in it. His funeral was held on March 1, 2005. He rests in the cemetery of the convent of Saint-Etienne.

ISAAR (CPF), 2nd Edition, 2004.

Entry prepared on November 2018

Jerry Murphy O’Connor, Obituaire de François Langlamet : supplément aux Nouvelles de Jérusalem, n°81, janvier 2005

Author(s) : Marie-Alpais Torcheboeuf.