Prof. Dr. Rev. Michel Georges Breydy

* 16.11.1928         12.09.1994

"World history shows us also another way to bring different peoples together in an lasting federation, namely the way of famous cultures.  ...
A commonly based civilization requests spiritual values which will never allow it anyone chasing for power, to suppress one or the other culture-bearing element in a federation of peoples nor to have it removed in silence."

Michel Breydy in: Perspektiven 1/1985

Prof. Dr. Rev. Michel Breydy deceased on 12th September 1994 on a journey to Lebanon, his home country. It was his first visit since breakout of the civil war in 1978, accompanied by his son Hans-Georg.

Born 1928 in the northern mountains of the Akkar, in a little Maronite-Christian village named Kobayat, he always maintained the straightforward character of the mountain's farmers. Being the "Benjamin" of 12 children of which 10 survived he became the only one to achieve an academic degree. After primary school in an institution run by Italian monks, he attended 1946-1951 the University of St. Joseph in Kaslik - Jounieh and spend one year in Salamanca - Spain where he achieved his doctor in theology "summa cum laude".

1954-1957 he studied on the Lateran University in Rome to achieve his second doctorate in iuris canoci "magna cum laude".

1953-54 he read History of Philosophy at he college de Ste. Famille.

1958-1965 he had been Processor for Theology and Liturgy at the theological University Ker-Yaqub Karm-Saddé in North-Lebanon. In the same time he worked as Promotor Iustitiae and Defensor Vinculi at the confessional Lebanese Family Court.

The II. Vaticanum he joined as socius peritus of the Archbishop of Tripoli, whose speech in Latin he had to write. 1980 he was asked by his close friend, Dr. Gerhard Kienle, the founder of the first privately run University in Germany, to build one of the first institutes, the later faculty of oriental studies. Michel Breydy lead the near eastern oriental studies in Witten / Herdecke from 1984 until 1991. Even thrown back by an heart-attack and operation in 1989.

His wide education lead to the knowledge of 10 languages and more than 60 publications in 5 of these languages, added by an amount of readings at the various international orientalist congresses.

For his merits in the effort of a closer Lebanese-German relationship he was awarded the "Medaille d'or pour le mérite" of the Lebanese Republic and the 1st Class Federal Merit Medal of the Federal Republic of Germany.