Bram van de Beek

Abraham "Bram" van de Beek (born 9 October 1946) is a Dutch Reformed theologian. He was a professor of biblical and systematic theology at Leiden University between 1981 and 2000. Subsequently he was professor of Christian symbolism at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam until 2010.

Career Van de Beek was born on 9 October 1946 in Lunteren. Between 1964 and 1970 he studied theology at Utrecht University, obtaining a master's degree under Arnold van Ruler. Four years later, although not have studied biology, he earned a PhD in botany with a thesis on brambles titled Die Brombeeren des Geldrische distriktes innerhalb der Flora der Niederlande under F.P. Jonker at the same university. Van de Beek then moved to Leiden University and earned a DTh in 1980 with a thesis titled De menselijke persoon van Christus under supervision of Hendrikus Berkhof. Although having written a thesis in botany Van de Beek never considered a career in the field, but kept interested and continued publishing in it. In 2021 he published an article on brambles in South Africa. In 2012, a Festschrift was published in his honour: Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth: Essays in Honour of Abraham van de Beek. In November 2022, during the night of theology, Van de Beek received an award for his complete works, which comprised over 6000 pages excluding publications in English.