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Géza Vermès (1924–2013) was a distinguished academic and scholar of religion, renowned for his comprehensive English translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Born in Hungary to a Jewish family, he experienced religious upheaval and persecution, which profoundly shaped his academic path. Though baptized Catholic and even serving as a priest in his youth, Vermes eventually renounced Christianity and embraced his Jewish heritage, becoming a liberal Jew.

His scholarly focus was on ancient Judaism and the origins of Christianity, particularly the historical Jesus within his Jewish context. Vermes argued strongly for understanding Jesus as a first-century Jewish figure, a perspective that challenged prevailing Christian doctrines. He held significant academic positions, including Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Oxford, and was instrumental in establishing key academic associations for Jewish studies. His extensive writings and translations made him a pivotal figure in the study of religious history.

Born in Hungary in 1924 to a Jewish family, Géza Vermes and his parents converted to Roman Catholicism when he was six, partly as a response to rising antisemitism. His parents later perished in the Holocaust. Due to restrictions on Jewish university admissions in Hungary during World War II, Vermes pursued his studies elsewhere. He attended a Catholic seminary and, after the war, became a Catholic priest. However, his Jewish ancestry initially prevented his entry into certain religious orders. He eventually joined the Order of the Fathers of Notre-Dame de Sion and studied in Paris under Georges Vajda. His doctoral work in Belgium focused on the Dead Sea Scrolls, producing the first dissertation on the subject and leading to his groundbreaking translation.

Vermes is most celebrated for his complete English translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls, first published in 1962 and later revised. His research delved deeply into these ancient Hebrew and Aramaic texts, as well as other Jewish writings. A significant portion of his career was dedicated to the study of the historical Jesus. Vermes championed the view that Jesus should be understood primarily as a Jewish figure, a charismatic holy man within the context of first-century Galilean Judaism. He argued that this historical Jesus, when properly understood through Jewish history and theology, differed significantly from the Christ of later Christian dogma, suggesting that Christians might need to re-evaluate their foundational beliefs.

After leaving the priesthood and renouncing Christianity, Vermes married Pamela Hobson Curle and embraced his Jewish identity. He taught at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne before moving to the University of Oxford in 1965. There, he became the first Professor of Jewish Studies, retiring in 1991 but continuing his research and direction of the Oxford Forum for Qumran Research. Vermes was a founding president of both the British Association for Jewish Studies and the European Association for Jewish Studies. His numerous accolades included fellowships in prestigious academies and honorary doctorates, recognizing his immense contributions to the fields of Biblical scholarship, Judaic studies, and the history of religion.

“In fact, I never was anything but a Jew with a temporary sort of outer vestment. I realised I ought to recognise my genuine identity.”