Gerhard Lohfink

Gerhard Lohfink (born 29 August 1934) is a German Catholic priest and theologian. He was born in Frankfurt am Main and was professor of New Testament at the Eberhard Karls University at Tübingen until 1986. Lohfink works as a theologian in the Catholic Integrated Community (KIG). He is the younger brother of Norbert Lohfink, professor of Old Testament.

Life

Lohfink graduated in 1954 from the Heinrich-von-Gagern-Gymnasium. He spent two semesters studying German and Latin at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main. From 1955 on he studied philosophy and theology at the Philosophical-Theological College Sankt Georgen. In 1957 he passed the philosophical Final Examination. In 1957 and 1958 he studied theology at the Catholic Theological Faculty of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich He passed the theological Final Examination in 1960 at the University of St. Georgen, in the same year he was ordained a priest by Bishop Wilhelm Kempf. From 1961 to 1963 he was chaplain in the parish of St. Ursula in Oberursel.

Bishop Kempf granted him permission for Lohfink to pursue a doctorate in theology with the requirement that he would initially serve as a pastor for a year in Frankfurt. In 1964 he continued his studies in theology at the Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg. In 1971 Lohfink earned his doctorate with the dissertation The Ascension of Jesus: Studies on the Ascension and Exaltation texts in Lukas. He habilitated (qualified as a teacher) in 1973 with his work The Collection of Israel: An examination of Lukan Ecclesiology.

In 1973 Lohfink was appointed scientific council and professor of New Testament at the Catholic Theological Faculty of Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. In 1976 he was appointed ordinary for New Testament.^[1] In 1979 and 1980 he was involved as a deputy of the theological faculty in the ecclesiastical dispute over Hans Küng. At the end Lohfink publicly voted for Küngs’ exclusion from the faculty.^[2]

In 1987 he left the university on his own behalf to live and work in the Catholic Integrated Community. He continues to research and lecture on ecclesiology and eschatology.^[3] His books have been translated into many languages.

Since 2008, Lohfink has been working at the Pontifical Lateran University as Chair of the Theology of the People of God,^[4] as well as the postgraduate distance learning program the chair offers since 2016 in German and since 2017 also in English.^[5]

Writings (Selection)

• Die Himmelfahrt Jesu – Erfindung oder Erfahrung? Verlag Katholisches Bibelwerk, Stuttgart 1972, ISBN 3-460-10181-4.

• Die Sammlung Israels. Eine Untersuchung zur lukanischen Ekklesiologie. Kösel, München 1975, ISBN 3-466-25339-X.

• Wie hat Jesus Gemeinde gewollt? Zur gesellschaftlichen Dimension des christlichen Glaubens. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1982, ISBN 3-451-08798-7

• Gottes Taten gehen weiter : Geschichtstheologie als Grundvollzug neutestamentlichen Gemeinden. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1984, ISBN 3-451-20343-X.

• Die Bibel: Gotteswort in Menschenwort. Verlag Katholisches Bibelwerk, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-460-10015-X.

• Wem gilt die Bergpredigt? zur Glaubwürdigkeit des Christlichen. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1993, ISBN 3-451-08777-4.

• Braucht Gott die Kirche? – zur Theologie des Volkes Gottes. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1998, ISBN 3-451-26544-3

• Das Vaterunser neu ausgelegt. Urfeld, Bad Tölz 2007, ISBN 978-3-932857-32-4.

• with Ludwig Weimer: Maria – nicht ohne Israel. Eine neue Sicht der Lehre von der unbefleckten Empfängnis. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2008; 2. edition 2012, ISBN 978-3-451-34139-7.

• Welche Argumente hat der neue Atheismus? Eine kritische Auseinandersetzung. Urfeld, Bad Tölz 2008, ISBN 978-3-932857-33-1.

• Der letzte Tag Jesu. Was bei der Passion wirklich geschah. Verlag Katholisches Bibelwerk, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-460-33179-2.

• Beten schenkt Heimat. Theologie und Praxis des christlichen Gebets. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2010, ISBN 978-3-451-33052-0.

• Jesus von Nazareth. Was er wollte, wer er war. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2011, ISBN 978-3-451-34095-6.

• Gegen die Verharmlosung Jesu. Reden über Jesus und die Kirche. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2013 e-book -, ISBN 978-3-451-34561-6.

• Der neue Atheismus. Eine kritische Auseinandersetzung. Verlag Katholisches Bibelwerk, Stuttgart 2014, ISBN 978-3-460-30031-6.

• Auf der Erde – wo sonst? Unangepasstes über Gott und die Welt. Verlag Katholisches Bibelwerk, Stuttgart 2015, ISBN 978-3-460-30033-0.

• Im Ringen um die Vernunft. Reden über Israel, die Kirche und die Europäische Aufklärung. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2016, ISBN 978-3-451-31239-7.

• Am Ende das Nichts? Über Auferstehung und ewiges Leben. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2017, ISBN 978-3-451-31104-8

• The Gospels. God's Word in Human Words. Chicago 1972, Franciscan Herald Press (Herald Biblical booklets), ISBN 9780819902122

• with Malina, Bruce J. The conversion of St. Paul: Narrative and History in Acts. Chicago 1976, Franciscan Herald Press. 1976 ISBN 9780819905727

• Death is Not the Final Word. Chicago 1977: Franciscan Herald Press (Synthesis series). ISBN 9780819907158

• The Bible: Now I Get It! A Form-criticism Handbook, Garden City, N.Y. 1979: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0385134323

• Did Jesus Found a Church? In: Theology Digest 1982 (30), page 231–235.

• Jesus and community. The Social Dimension of Christian faith. Philadelphia, New York, 1984 Fortress Press; Paulist Press. ISBN 0-8091-2661-3

• The Last Day of Jesus. An Enriching Portrayal of the Passion. Notre Dame, 1984, Ind.: Ave Maria Press. ISBN 978-0877933120

• Jesus' Death and the Church's Life. In: Theology Digest 1985 (32), page 156–158.

• The Miracle at Cana. In: Theology Digest 1985 (32), page 243–246.

• The Work of God Goes On. Philadelphia, 1987 Fortress Press, ISBN 9780800620264

• The exegetical predicament concerning Jesus' kingdom of God proclamation. In: Theology Digest 1989 (36), page 103–110.

• Does God Need the Church? Toward a Theology of the People of God. Collegeville, MN, 2014, Liturgical Press. ISBN 9780814659281

• No Irrelevant Jesus. On Jesus and the Church Today. Collegeville, MN, 2014, Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0-8146-8289-0

• Jesus of Nazareth. What He Wanted, Who He was. Collegeville, Minn., 2015, Liturgical Press. ISBN 9780814683088

• Is This All There Is? On Resurrection and Eternal Life, Collegeville, Minnesota 2018. ISBN 978-0-8146-8451-1

• Did the Early Christians Understand Jesus? Nonviolence, Love of Neighbor, and Imminent Expectation. In: Plough Quarterly Magazine (8).The Plough Magazine: Did the early Christians understand Jesus?

Reviews

• Thomas D. Stegman (2013): The Living Presence of God. Jesus of Nazareth by Gerhard Lohfink. In: America The Jesuit Review 2013. (18 March 2013)^[6] • James Martin (2013): Jesus, by the Book. America The Jesuit Review.^[7]

• Stanley Hauerwas (2014): The Untamed Jesus. In review: No Irrelevant Jesus, by Gerhard Lohfink. The Christian Century.^[8]

• Jonathan Martin Ciraulo (2016): Review: “No Irrelevant Jesus” by Gerhard Lohfink. Hg. v. Church Life Journal. University of Notre Dame.^[9]

• Wholeness is the Inmost Principle of the Sermon on the Mount. Cruciform Phronesis.^[10]

References

External links

• Literature of Gerhard Lohfink in Deutsche Nationalbibliothek

• Catholic Integrated Community

• Chair for the Theology of the people of God - Distance Learning