News
After two months of illness, the renowned ecumenist, theologian and Lutheran pastor Dr Milton Schwantes passed away on 1 March in São Paulo, Brazil, at the age of 65. The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit called his contribution over the years an "asset for the ecumenical movement.”
Referring to Schwantes’ legacy in the ecumenical movement, Tveit said “Contextual reading of the Bible and commitment to the poor is an important element of liberation theology contributed by Schwantes, which adds to the development of the modern ecumenical movement.”
As a professor of Old Testament at Faculdades EST in São Leopoldo, in the late 1970s and 1980s, the ecumenical witness of Schwantes combined with his work at the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB). He influenced a whole generation of scholars in Brazil and the rest of Latin America. In 1988, he joined the Methodist University of São Paulo (UMESP).
The moderator of the Central Committee of the WCC, Rev. Dr Walter Altmann, was moved by Schwante’s death. “He was respected and admired by scores of people in Brazil, in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as around the world, for his sensitivity towards the common people’s suffering and needs, unfolded in a profoundly creative and academically sound interpretation of the Bible,” said Altmann.
Schwantes wrote his doctoral thesis at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, about "The right of the poor in the Old Testament". He coordinated the project “Latin American Bible Bibliography” and was editor of the Latin American Journal of Biblical Interpretation (RIBLA). Schwantes published several books, including History of Israel, Monarchies in Ancient Israel, Human Dignity and Peace and the Portuguese – Hebrew/Aramaic Dictionary. On the latter two, he was the co-author. He also was awarded with several honorary doctorates.
For Eliana Rolemberg, executive director of the ACT Alliance member organization CESE (Coordenadoria Ecumênica de Serviço), Schwantes was a “great ecumenist who always emphasized the importance of peaceful coexistence among different Christian expressions and values of each church’s contribution to the search for unity.”
Schwantes’ contribution to the biblical studies
“Popular reading of the Bible in Latin America owes much to Milton Schwantes,” said Edmilson Schinello, coordinator of the Centre of Biblical Studies (CEBI), with whom Schwantes worked very closely. “In addition to his infectious enthusiasm, great insights into the analysis of biblical texts and their relationship to people's lives, Schwantes' legacy also embraces a strong example of commitment to ecumenism, the impetus for the gender related and feminist reading of the Bible,” Schinello explained.
There are countless people who were excited, inspired and challenged by his work. A brilliant theologian, Schwantes had a vocation for biblical research with sharp analysis, always marked by creativity, irreverence and a strong commitment to the poor.
According to the Rev. Christopher Ferguson from the United Church of Canada, and international coordinator of the Programme of Ecumenical Accompaniment in Colombia, Schwantes’ transformative approach to the Bible in constructing a theology of life had a lasting impact.
“There are really not enough words to describe his academic and educational legacy. He had the gift and genius to relate the reading and empowerment of the poor and the marginalized as subjects of biblical interpretation. Fergunson continued to say that Schwantes advanced the “most rigorous scientific and academic critical apparatus for biblical and theological interpretation.”
Rev. Juan Abelardo Schvindt, former general secretary of the Evangelical Church of the River Plate (IERP), highlights Schwantes’ legacy, remembering a significant episode related to the reflections around the 500th anniversary of the arrival of the colonialists in Latin America in 1992. Schwantes’ work was the biblical inspiration of the whole process of continental reflection, particularly for the member churches of the Latin American Council of Churches.
“I recall the regional consultation we conducted in the ‘17 de Febrero Park’, in Uruguay, with representatives of all churches in the region. We were encouraged to rediscover the sense of being church in a subdued continent where religious, cultural and social identities were constantly denied,” said Schvindt.
“Schwantes’ challenging question to the group was: How can a renewed approach to reading the Bible help us re-think our own meaning in an apparently meaningless context?” recalled Schvindt.
Despite serious health problems during the final years of his life, Schwantes offered a consistent testimony of strength and joy. Since August 2002, after an operation to remove a tumor, he experienced severe physical limitations. Married to Rosileny Alves dos Santos Schwantes, he was the father of three daughters.
This news release is being co-produced with the Agencia Latinoamericana & Caribeña de Comunicación.