Albert Lagrange initially studied law, but in 1878 he entered a seminary, where he immersed himself in Bible study and archaeology with immense dedication.
A year later he joined the Order of Preachers, taking the name Marie-Joseph . After his ordination as a priest in 1883, he continued his studies in Vienna, where he acquired a thorough knowledge of ancient Hebrew. 1890. In 1811, he arrived in Jerusalem to found the School of Biblical Studies, an institution that became an important center for biblical scholarship. Lagrange developed a method of critical exegesis, attempting to combine scientific inquiry with religious inquiry. His innovative approach, however, met with opposition, and in 1920 the Pope officially condemned it. However, Lagrange remained faithful to the Order and the Church, devoting himself to prayer and research.
It was not until 1943 that the value of his method was recognized, which became the basis for modern biblical scholarship.

After writing numerous studies and commentaries on the Gospel, he returned to France for health reasons, where he died in Saint-Maximin in 1938. It is known that at the hour of his death he was humming the song: “Jerusalem, my Jerusalem...”
The process of his beatification is still ongoing.

Bibliography: Bernard Montagnes, Marie-Joseph Lagrange. A biography of sleep. Paris Cerf 2005; Marie-Joseph Lagrange, Journal Spirituel, Éditions du Cerf, Paris 2014.