Gabriel Vahanian, a former Syracuse University religion professor who helped establish the university’s doctorate program in religion, will be remembered for the lasting impression he left on SU and in the wider religious studies community.

In a statement published on the SU Department of Religion website, Eliphalet Remington Professor of Religion Emeritus James Wiggins described Vahanian as a “determined marcher to the beat of his own drummer” and “creative thinker and theologian.”

Vahanian died of natural causes at his home in Strasbourg, France, Aug. 30. He was 85.

During his 26 years as a professor in SU’s religion department, Vahanian was instrumental in changing the department’s name from the Department of Bible and Religion to the Department of Religion, and in establishing SU’s doctorate program in religion, according to the statement.

Outside the SU community, Vahanian is best known for his 1961 book, “The Death of God: The Culture of our Post-Christian Era,” which vaulted his work to national prominence and helped launch “The Death of God” theological movement, according to a Sept. 16 Los Angeles Times article.

The doctorate program Vahanian established was unique as, at the time, it was one of the few doctorate programs in religion at a secular university that had no school of theology, according to the statement.

The way the program was founded was also unique. Vahanian was initially recruited to teach at the Theology School at Drew University, but he had other ideas. Vahanian ended up convincing the dean of Drew’s graduate theology school, Stanley Hopper, and an assistant professor of religion at Drew, David Miller, to come to SU, according to the statement.

With their help, Vahanian started the doctorate religion program, which quickly grew in prominence and attracted many notable new faculty, as well as students from across the United States. The program also attracted a number of distinguished visiting professors during the years, according to the statement. 

“None of that would have happened without Gabriel Vahanian,” Wiggins said in the statement. 

In addition to his work with the graduate department, Vahanian was also a popular undergraduate teacher whose courses were always filled. Students often said the courses were difficult, according to the statement, but they were also intellectually challenging and stimulating.

Vahanian left SU in 1983 and returned to his native France to teach at the Protestant Theological Faculty in Strasbourg, where he taught until he retired, according to the statement.

Even after Vahanian left SU, his influence could still be felt. Established in 2000, the Gabriel Vahanian Endowed Graduate Support Fund accepts donations to help support the educational and research expenses of current graduate students in the Department of Religion, according to the statement.

Vahanian’s influence can also be seen in his daughter and her husband, who both earned doctorates from SU’s Department of Religion and are still active in the field today, according to the statement.

“Together with professors across the United States and some in Europe who implicitly and often explicitly in citing the work of Professor Vahanian in their own work, they demonstrate the continuing influence of the thought of this remarkable man,” Wiggins said in the statement.

James Watts, chair of SU’s Department of Religion, met Vahanian only once, at a 2007 symposium held at SU to commemorate Vahanian’s work. Vahanian still spoke passionately about the ideas and concerns that led to his influential books, Watts said in an email.

“I continue to be impressed by how many people have told me that his ideas transformed their lives. I’ve heard that from his students and from people who never met him but read his books,” he said. “It’s clear that his influence will endure for a long time.”

Published on September 17, 2012 at 12:30 am

Contact Jessica: jliannet@syr.edu | @JessicaIannetta