University of Pretoria (UP) mourns the passing of Professor Andries Gideon van Aarde. Born in Pretoria 1951, Andries van Aarde completed his master’s and doctoral degrees at UP.

He was ordained as a minister in the Netherdutch Reformed Church in 1975 and served in the congregations of Roodepoort and Fonteinedal. Thereafter, he was appointed as lecturer first in the Department Biblical Studies in 1980 and later as professor in the Department New Testament Studies in 1984. He subsequently obtained two more doctoral degrees from UP.

He retired as the head of the Department New Testament Studies in 2016. After his retirement, he was appointed as honorary professor in the Department of New Testament Studies at UP. Prof Van Aarde will especially be remembered for his sharp intellect and hard work. He served as the Editor for HTS Theological Journal since 1985. His intra-disciplinary and even inter-disciplinary approach to theology is noticeable. He made a huge contribution in stimulating research at UP and in the Faculty of Theology and Religion in particular.