DURAND, ALFRED. - Jesuit, exegete, born at Chantemerle (Drôme) on 12 March 1858; died at Lyon on 31 July 1928. He studied Semitic languages and Egyptology in Rome and Paris; thereafter he held the chair of Sacred Scripture in the Jesuit studentate of the Lyon province (1879–1923). From that year until his death he devoted himself to preaching, especially giving spiritual exercises to priests.
His numerous scattered writings, published in journals (Études, Recherches de science religieuse, Revue biblique, Revue apologétique, etc.) and in major ecclesiastical dictionaries, reveal a rich erudition presented in clear style, judicious discretion, and prudent assessments, addressing the principal biblical questions debated in his time. Among his works, noteworthy are: L'enfance de J. C. (Paris 1908); L'Évangile de St Matthieu (ibid. 1924) and L'Évangile de St Jean (ibid. 1927), all three in the Verbum salutis series.