Canon Prof. John Suggit passed away on 30 July 2023 at the age of 101. He was a longstanding member and, in his later years, honorary member of the NTSSA (1977–2023). He also continued to be active as Prof. Emeritus of New Testament at Rhodes University until his death.

The NTSSA published a Festschrift when he turned 80 in 2002 – Neotestamentica 36 (1&2).

See https://www.jstor.org/stable/i40118260

This was coordinated and co-edited by Jonathan Draper, McGlory Speckman and Nicholas Taylor.

In 2016 Prof. Suggit contributed to the 50-Year-Anniversary issue of Neotestamentica (50.3) when I was editor.

He wrote an article for that special edition titled: “Jesus’s True Crown.” It turned out to be his last contribution to Neotestamentica.

The 2002 Festschrift includes “An Appreciation” by Bishop Duncan Buchanan titled: “John Suggit Humble Scholar and Man of God”

Buchanan relates the centrality of the eucharist in John Suggit’s life and teaching:

He [John Suggit] made a profound impression on his students at Rhodes by … his amazing ability to relate virtually everything in the New Testament to the eucharist. The students of denominations other than Anglican, and for whom the eucharist was not so important, were mesmerised by what they believed to be a sort of academic sleight of hand, but learned also to appreciate the deep devotion to our Lord in the eucharist which was at the heart of Johns spirituality. (p. xiii)

I can testify to this as well from my personal life. The two times that I wrote an article on the Lord’s Supper in Neotestamentica (50.2 and 55.2) there was a response from John Suggit. In one of his communications he ends with the exclamation: “the unravelling of the mystery of the eucharist has no ending!” But for John this mystery was not outside of himself; it was profoundly personal. He cherished Augustine’s words in this regard: “Since then you are the Body of Christ and his members, it is your mystery that is placed in the Lord’s Table; it is your mystery that you receive” (Sermon 272, PL 38.1247). In the same vein John asserted: “So in our Christian liturgy, the words ‘This is my body’ means ‘This is myself, now risen’ both as a person and as members of the Body of Christ.”

We are honoured to have known Prof. John Suggit.

Petra Dijkhuizen

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing on of our esteemed colleague prof Daan Cloete. After serving as minister in the former Dutch Reformed Missionary Church in Worcester-South, he completed his doctoral dissertation (“Hemelse Solidariteit: ‘n Weg in die relasie tussen Christologie en Soteriologie in die Vierde Evangelie”) with distinction in Kampen under the supervision of the renowned professor Herman Ridderbos. On returning to South Africa, he joined the Faculty of Theology at the UWC as Professor in New Testament, and later served as Dean. He was an active member of the NTSSA, participating for many years amongst others in the subgroup dealing with the Fourth Gospel. He also was a longstanding member of the international New Testament Society (Societas Novi Testamentum Studiorum).

Prof Cloete not only was Dean of the Faculty of Theology at the UWC, but he also served as acting Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UWC during the transitional period between the terms of Professors Jakes Gerwel and Cecil Abrahams.

Through the years he regularly attended annual meetings as well as subgroup meetings of the NTSSA in the Western Cape at various locations. He recently served as Honorary President of our Society for 2019-2020 in recognition of his contributions through his long career to the study of the New Testament in the academy, church, and the broader society. He was also involved already from the planning stages, and also as an exegete translator, and an esteemed member of the Steering Committee of the 2020-Afrikaans translation of the Bible. He underscored the importance of this translation for the life of his church. As his colleagues, but also as his friends, we came to know and love him through the years in different contexts as a gentle and humble person, with a fine sense of humour, and respecting his often quiet but resolute convictions.

Due to his numerous international academic contacts, the Society often benefited from international colleagues visiting him at the UWC and then also contributing to and sharing in our conferences. His memorial service held on Sunday 6th August 2023 in the URCSA congregation of Belville, was streamed live to various international locations, again testifying to his broad number of international and ecumenical contacts and friends. It also became evident that he demanded the utmost respect from his former students and colleagues because his life and teaching instilled in them academic integrity, respect for the wisdom and insight of people from all backgrounds, also to strive for reconciliation and justice in complex situations, working towards a theology and ethics of interconnectedness and solidarity. It is therefore fitting that he published a volume “Vrede vloei soos ’n rvier: Oor die strome van my lewe.”

It was an honour to have Professor Daan Cloete as a member and Honorary President of our Society, as a colleague but also as a friend. We shall dearly mis him and honour his rich contributions and impact in the life of the academe, church, and society.

Bernard Combrink