Father John L. McKenzie, 80; Biblical Scholar

Father John L. McKenzie, 80, a prominent Roman Catholic historian and biblical scholar, has died at a retirement medical center in Claremont.

McKenzie, who died Saturday, was considered the dean of Catholic biblical scholars during the 1960s when the Vatican began encouraging more Scripture studies. In 1966 he was the first Catholic priest to be elected president of the large Society of Biblical Literature.

Near the end of the Vietnam War, McKenzie resigned from the Jesuit order and became a diocesan priest because he felt the Jesuits were not taking a strong stand against the U.S. position in Vietnam.

At the height of his academic career, McKenzie taught at Loyola University of Chicago, the University of Chicago, Notre Dame and DePaul University. He authored two dozen books, including the monumental “Dictionary of the Bible,” “The Roman Catholic Church” and his last one, published in 1986, “The Civilization of Christianity.”

“ ‘Dictionary of the Bible’ was really a landmark volume for biblical studies for Catholics,” said John Sprague, president of the Thomas More Assn. in Chicago, publisher of several other McKenzie books. “For years the Catholic Church kind of rebelled against scientific inquiry into the Bible.”

Sprague said McKenzie’s research did not cast doubt on faith.

“I think he redefined faith for himself. He cast doubt on a lot of things that were purported to be Catholic or that belonged to the church, that there was no foundation for in scripture. Scripture was really the source of faith for him,” he said.

A frequently outspoken critic of ecclesiastical heavy-handedness, McKenzie wrote in his book “Authority in the Church” that the authority of the Roman Catholic Church rests on how it serves people, not on formal structures or governance.

The priest retired in Claremont 13 years ago and assisted on the staff of Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church in Claremont where his funeral was held Tuesday.