Dr. André Villeneuve

Dr. Villeneuve is a Catholic biblical scholar and Associate Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. He previously taught at Azusa Pacific University and St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, Colorado. He received his Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2013, writing his dissertation on the topic of nuptial symbolism in the Bible and in ancient Judaism. He also holds an M.A. in Theology and Catechetics from Franciscan University of Steubenville, and a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture (S.S.L.) from the Pontifical Biblical Commission in Rome.  

Born in Ottawa, Canada, André grew up in a Catholic family but became agnostic in his early twenties. While studying jazz saxophone in Graz, Austria, he had a dramatic conversion to Christ through an evangelical church. This led him to move to Jerusalem to pursue biblical studies, where he became involved with the Messianic Jewish movement. His study of Scripture, Judaism and early Christianity led him back into the Catholic Church in 2002. He later worked with the Hebrew-speaking Catholic community in Israel. His areas of interest include the study of Sacred Scripture, the Jewish roots of the Catholic faith, leading pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and fostering the reconciliation of Israel and the Church through the work of Catholics for Israel (www.catholicsforisrael.com).