On Wednesday, September 28, 2024, from 12:10 p.m. to 1:15 p.m., an academic event was held in the ITCJ auditorium on the topic: CLEOPHAS AND THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH ACCORDING TO LUKE. Father Marc RASTOIN, S.J., Ph.D., a visiting professor at the ITCJ, brilliantly presented this topic by attempting to demonstrate that Cleophas in the Gospel of Luke is the same person as the one of the same name mentioned in the Gospel of St. John (19:25). Father Rastoin also highlighted the connections this narrative establishes between the Pauline communities (Luke was a disciple of Paul) and the churches of Judea (St. John).
Father Rastoin is a member of the Loyola Faculties of Paris. He defended his doctoral dissertation in biblical theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome. His dissertation examines how Saint Paul, in his Letter to the Galatians, constructed his argument, addressing both Jews familiar with the Scriptures and Greeks trained in rhetoric and philosophy. The following year, he published his thesis, which was well received. Following the completion of his thesis, Marc Rastoin was assigned to the Centre Sèvres – Jesuit Faculties of Paris, now known as the Loyola Faculties, where he teaches the Bible so that “all may discover the riches of the Scriptures.” He is also interested in cinema and contemporary literature.
About 100 people, including ITCJ faculty and students, attended the ceremony in person, while about 20 participated online.
