Rev. Alexander Vella - Sacred Scripture, Hebrew & Greek

Rev. Alexander Vella O. Carm. read Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University (Rome), graduating (S.Th.B.) in 1993. He continued his post-graduate studies in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome (1993-1990), in 1988 spending six months in Israel doing research and joining briefly an archeolgical dig on Mount Carmel.

As member of the Malta Bible Society, he worked on the revision of the Maltese translation of the Bible. From 1987 to 1990 Rev. Vella was lecturer of Old Testament at the Pontifical Institute Regina Mundi (Rome). He gave short biblical courses to fellow Carmelites in Italy, Poland, and Ireland. Since February 1997 has been lecturing on the Old Testament at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Malta where he was appointed Assistant Lecturer in Sacred Scripture, Hebrew and Biblical Greek in November 1999.

Rev. Vella was entrusted with the organization of an international seminar on the prophet Elijah for Carmelite scholars, which was held in Washington DC (USA) in April 1992. From 1995 to 2001 he was Councillor General of the Carmelite Order responsible for formation and culture and in this capacity he organized eleven international congresses/seminars related to Carmelite spirituality. From 2001 to 2006 he was director of the International Ongoing Formation Progamme for the Carmelite Order, organizing a yearly two-week course on Carmelite spirituality in Rome.

Publications

“Elijah’s Wilderness Journey and the ‘Desert Ideal’”, in Carmelus 37/1 (Roma 1990), pp. 3-37.
“Elijah, the Man of the Desert”, in A Journey with Elijah. Carmelite Seminar on the Prophet Elijah, Whitefriars Hall, Washington DC, 3-9 April 1991 (ed. P. Chandler; Rome 1991), pp. 29-38.
“To Enter or not to Enter: A Literary and Theological Study of Psalm 95”, in Melita Theologica XLII/2 (1991), pp. 77-94.
“Elia profeta nei libri dei Re”, in Spiritualità Eliana. Schemi di attività per la formazione (Roma: Provincia Italiana dei Carmelitani, 1995), pp. 77-123.
“Il-Patrijarki u l-Matrijarki ta’ Iżrael fit-Tradizzjoni Lhudija”, in Sijon IX/2 (1997), pp.14-24.
“Adamo”, in Dizionario di Mistica (ed. L. Boriello, E. Caruana, M. R. Del Genio, N. Nuff; Roma 1998), pp. 48-50.
“A Presentation of the Ratio Institutionis Vitæ Carmelitanæ. Carmelite Formation: A Journey of Transformation”, in Carmelite Formation (ed. Alexander Vella and Günter Benker; Rome 2002).
“Elijah’s Journey of Transformation”, in Carmelite Formation (ed. Alexander Vella and Günter Benker; Rome 2002).
“Alla jistedinna nidħlu f’Relazzjoni Miegħu – Kwadri Bibliċi”, in Teresa. Rivista Enċiklopedika ta’ Spiritwalità 1, 1 (2004) pp. 21-26.
“It-Talba tal-Fariżew u l-Pubblikan (Lq 18, 9-14)”, in Teresa. Rivista Enċiklopedika ta’ Spiritwalità 1, 3 (2004) pp. 207-214.
“Niltaqgħu kuljum fiċ-ċentru. L-Ewkaristija fil-Regula Karmelitana”, in Teresa. Rivista Enċiklopedika ta’ Spiritwalità 3, 3 (2006) pp. 197-210.
“Elia Profeta. I. Elia nella Bibbia”, in Dizionario Carmelitano (ed. Emanuele Boaga, O.Carm., Luigi Borriello, O.C.D., Roma 2008), pp. 310-314.
“Formazione dei Religiosi Carmelitani. I. La Formazione dei Religiosi OCarm”, in Dizionario Carmelitano (ed. Emanuele Boaga, O.Carm., Luigi Borriello, O.C.D., Roma 2008), pp. 377-381.

Book reviews

Maria nell’Ebraismo e nell’Islam oggi. Atti del 6 Simposio internazionale Mariologico, Roma 7-9 ottobre 1986, a cura di Elio Peretto (Roma: Edizioni Marianum, 1987), in Carmelus 36 (Roma 1989), pp.193-197.
John W. Miller, Biblical Faith and Fathering: Why We Call God “Father”. (Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1989), in Carmelus 39 (Roma 1992), pp. 193-196.
R.E.Murphy, The Psalms are Yours. (Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1993), in Carmelus 42/1 (Roma 1995), pp. 296-298.

19 May 2013
http://www.um.edu.mt/theology/scripture/staff/avella