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Ruth Lapide

Ruth Lapide was a German Jewish theologian and historian who worked to improve understanding between Jews and Christians.

1929 to 2022Jewish-Christian dialogueBooks co-written with Pinchas LapideWork on biblical mistranslationsTelevision talks on the Bible

Born: 8 June 1929, Burghaslach
Died: 30 August 2022, Frankfurt
Occupation: historian, philosopher, theologian
Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Ruth Lapide was born in 1929 in Burghaslach

Ruth Rosenblatt was born in Burghaslach, Germany, in 1929. Her family of rabbis had lived in Germany since the 12th century. In 1940 she escaped the Nazi regime to British Mandatory Palestine.

She studied political science, history and Judaic studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She focused on how Christianity developed as a religion with Jewish roots, and she became a full professor.

In 1974 she moved back to Germany with her husband, Pinchas Lapide, and the family settled in Frankfurt. Together they wrote more than 40 books and worked for dialogue between Jews and Christians, and between Germany and Israel. Much of her work dealt with biblical mistranslations, such as a line in the Lord's Prayer.

After her husband died in 1997, she continued the work with their son Yuval. She appeared often on television, advised the German Bishops' Conference, and from 2007 taught at the Lutheran University of Applied Sciences Nuremberg. She died in Frankfurt on 30 August 2022.