Fr Martin Micallef OFM Cap, head of the Department of Hebrew, Greek and Sacred Scripture, Faculty of Theology, University of Malta, writes:

We have just lost one of the most outstanding Maltese biblical scholars, Fr Peter Paul Zerafa OP.

He had the rare brilliance which became apparent in the early years of his priesthood and which, in his case, made a major University chair an inevitability at the Pontifical University of St Thomas in Rome where he spent most of his years.

I came to know Prof. Zerafa when he retired in Malta. Time spent with him, whether at the Malta Bible Society, where we used to meet for the revision of the Bible in Maltese, or chance meetings on the streets or at the Vittoriosa priory, always left its mark of sharp insights and rare learning mingled with his kindness, wisdom and intellectual stimulation.

In our academic meetings, he has allowed himself to be taught by the work of others. His gift to us was not a set of answers but a way of thinking and asking questions.

He has therefore taught us that prudence in biblical interpretation is invariably appropriate. His writings too express a careful expression of views, insights and proposals while avoiding radical claims for the quest of truth. In this way, Prof. Zerafa is a model for the community of biblical scholars.

With unalloyed affection we give thanks to God for his life among us, as a colleague and our friend.