Josef Imbach (theologian)

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Josef Imbach (born December 3, 1945 in Zofingen ) is a Swiss theologian and Franciscan .

Life

After studying theology and philosophy at the Pontifical Theological Faculty of San Bonaventura in Rome from 1967 to 1973, he took over a vicariate in Therwil until 1975 and a teaching position for fundamental theology at the Lucerne Faculty of Theology . From 1975 to 2002 Josef Imbach taught as a professor for fundamental theology at the Theological Faculty of San Bonaventura ( Seraphicum ).

In 2002 Imbach received a worldwide teaching ban for all Catholic theological faculties. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - at that time headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger , later Pope Benedict XVI. - charged him with rejecting the Magisterium of the Church, viewing the Gospels as merely catechetical narratives, and denying the possibility of miracles. As a result, Imbach publicly protested against what he believed to be "opaque procedures" and "unqualified reports" by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He is also known not only for his book publications, which have been translated into many languages, but also for his wide-ranging lecturing activities.

In 2005 Imbach received the Herbert Haag Foundation Prize for Freedom in the Church. The award is given to people and institutions at home and abroad who have exposed themselves in the church through free expression or courageous action.

Josef Imbach now lives near Basel , where from 2005 to 2010 he was teaching Catholic theology at the Protestant theological faculty of the university there. Since then he has taught at the Senior Citizens' University in Lucerne. He is also active in adult education and practical pastoral care.

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With a thesis on Dostoyevsky , Imbach received his doctorate in theology. From the dissertation, only an excerpt was published under the title Dostoevsky and the question of God in today's theology .

His book Little Basic Course in Faith has been translated into Italian and Spanish. In his book Belief in Power and the Power of Faith. Imbach reports from his experiences with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith what the Church is sick with today , presents a comprehensive history of power in the Church and devotes himself extensively to the papacy. His criticism is very clear and subjective, but at the same time always constructive. The issue of power is examined from different perspectives, partly with the help of literature, including works by Hermann Hesse , Franz Kafka and Dostojewskij . The book ends with a story about the Dominican Bartolomé de Las Casas , who vigorously advocated the rights of the indigenous population at the time of America's discovery and therefore came into conflict with church and state authorities.

Awards

Fonts

Many books have appeared in several languages.

  • Forgive us our trespasses: sin, repentance, and reconciliation in the Christian life ; Grünewald Mainz, 1978, ISBN 3-78670-677-8
  • I can no longer pray - a challenge to faith ; Patmos Düsseldorf, 1979, ISBN 3-786-70743-X
  • The Spirit wrestles with the Church: the great themes of the Council ; Bernward Hildesheim, 1985, ISBN 3-87065-343-4
  • Reading and Understanding the Bible: A Guide ; Kösel Munich, 1986, ISBN 3-466-20282-5
  • Belief in Heaven and Fear of Hell: What Do We Know About Life After Death? ; Kösel Munich, 1987, ISBN 3-466-20292-2
  • More joy: Being a Christian means being happy ; Herder Freiburg, 1988, ISBN 3-451-08561-5
  • Where we can meet God: faith from experience ; Herder Freiburg, 1989, ISBN 3-451-08617-4
  • Small Basic Course in Faith ; Patmos Düsseldorf, 1990, ISBN 3-491-77798-4
  • Praying with the Bible ; Johannes Leutesdorf, 1990, ISBN 3-7794-1176-8
  • (Not) a way out of the impasse: Feelings of guilt - awareness of guilt - coping with guilt , Steyler Nettetal, 1991, ISBN 3-8050-0273-4
  • That the human being is whole: from suffering, from salvation and from eternal life in Judaism, Christianity and Islam ; Patmos Düsseldorf, 1991, ISBN 3-491-77374-1
  • Longing for the lost God ; Styria Graz 1992, ISBN 3-222-12145-1
  • Meeting Jesus: Biblical Experiences Today ; Benziger Zurich, 1992, ISBN 3-545-20115-5
  • Who Does Jesus Belong To ?: His Importance to Christians, Jews, and Muslims ; Herder Freiburg, 1993, ISBN 3-451-08780-4
  • The Book of Seven Seals: Ways to Understand the Bible ; Steyler Nettetal, 1996, ISBN 3-8050-0367-6
  • My Rome: Pictures of a City ; Real Würzburg, 1996, ISBN 3-429-01769-6
  • The dogs, the birds, the frogs and the Pope: About the religious in fairy tales ; Real Würzburg 1996, ISBN 3-429-01833-1
  • What popes and prelates tasted ; Real Würzburg 1997, ISBN 3-429-01912-5
  • Was light? Was rescue ?: reflective thoughts at Christmas time With vignettes by Alfred Pohl ; Echter Würzburg, 1998, ISBN 3-7867-8345-4
  • The Prayer of Jesus and the Confession of the Church: Reflections on Two Early Church Testimonies ; Kanisius Freiburg / Switzerland, 1999, ISBN 3-85764-494-X
  • The donkey or the virtue of boldness: a fairy tale interpretation ; Benziger Zurich / Düsseldorf 1999, ISBN 3-545-20158-9
  • The Golden Bird or The Journey of Life: A Fairy Tale Interpretation ; Benziger Zurich / Düsseldorf, 1999, ISBN 3-545-20202-X
  • The halo: adoration of saints between piety and folklore ; Real Würzburg 1999, ISBN 3-429-02114-6
  • Lust for the Bible: practice-oriented approaches to Holy Scripture ; Real Würzburg, 2000, ISBN 3-429-02219-3
  • About God and the World: Theological lateral thoughts ; Real Würzburg, 2001, ISBN 3-429-02301-7
  • On the road with Abraham: from the adventure of faith , Echter Würzburg, 2002, ISBN 3-429-02454-4
  • Miracle: an existential interpretation ; Echter Würzburg, 2002, ISBN 3-7867-8445-0
  • And taught them in pictures: The parables of Jesus - stories for today ; Echter Würzburg, 2003, ISBN 3-7867-8465-5
  • Church princes, artists, courtesans: Rome - Tales of a City ; Patmos Düsseldorf, 2003, ISBN 3-491-72475-9
  • What God believes in; Food for thought for contemporaries ; Real Würzburg, 2004, ISBN 3-429-02600-8
  • Belief in Power and the Power of Faith: What Suffering the Church from Today ; Patmos Düsseldorf 2005, ISBN 3-491-72489-9
  • Footprints of God: Spirituality in Everyday Life ; Real Würzburg 2006, ISBN 978-3-429-02795-7
  • Only those who dare to set out ... Jonah - Ruth - Tobit ; Patmos Düsseldorf 2007, ISBN 978-3-491-70408-4
  • From rich and poor people: stories from the kitchen, church and culture ; Patmos Düsseldorf 2007, ISBN 978-3-491-72516-4
  • Secrets of Church Kitchen History: Savory Episodes and Delicious Recipes ; Albatros Mannheim, 2008, ISBN 978-3-491-96227-9
  • Marian veneration between faith and superstition ; Patmos Düsseldorf, 2008, ISBN 978-3-491-72528-7
  • Call to life: mysticism in everyday life ; Real Würzburg, 2009, ISBN 978-3-429-03078-0
  • The way to God leads through the kitchen: culinary delights from church and culture , Albatros Mannheim, 2009, ISBN 978-3-491-96264-4
  • Finding God in the train station: Guide to everyday spirituality ; Claudius Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-532-62397-8
  • The Guts of the Popes: Curiosities of Church History ; Marix Wiesbaden, 2010, ISBN 978-3-86539-237-4
  • Rome Without a Halo: Tales of the Eternal City ; Albatros Mannheim, 2010, ISBN 978-3-491-96279-8
  • Is God For Sale? The talk of the sacrificial death of Jesus to the test ; Gütersloher Verlagshaus Gütersloh, 2011, ISBN 978-3-579-08123-6 .
  • Rome. When pictures speak and stones speak ; Paulus Verlag Friborg, 2010,
  • The angel hears bright songs. Customs and reflections on Advent and Christmas time ; Real Verlag Würzburg 2011.
  • Maria's tank shirt and Josef's pants. The curious and hidden in Christian art ; Patmos Verlag Ostfildern 2011.
  • Heavenly joys - hell pain. The afterlife in Christian art ; Patmos Verlag Ostfildern, 2013.
  • Doubt of God ; Real Verlag Würzburg, 2013.
  • What is really in the Bible ; Real Verlag Würzburg, 2013.
  • Divine Fire and Human Smoke ; Real Verlag Würzburg, 2013.
  • I saw the grave freed from death. Customs and reflections on fasting and Easter time ; Paulus Verlag Friborg, 2014.
  • The mysterious world of the monasteries. What moves monks and nuns to withdraw from the world ; Publishing association topos plus, Kevelaer 2015.
  • Horned Moses and a false Madonna. Mysterious symbols of Christian art ; Patmos Verlag Ostfildern, 2015.
  • Street meditations ; Paulus Verlag Friborg, 2017.
  • Intrigue, sex, and manslaughter in the Bible ; Patmos Verlag Ostfildern, 2017.
  • God and the world. Impulses for a grounded spirituality ; Bonifatius Verlag Paderborn, 2018.
  • When the poor ate oysters. Curiosities from the history of the kitchen ; Marix Verlag Wiesbaden, 2018.
  • Great moments and eyesores in church history ; Real Verlag Würzburg, 2019.
  • Yes and amen. What Christians believe ; Real Verlag Würzburg, 2020.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Benno Bühlmann: Allegations are not tenable, interview with Josef Imbach about his exile from Rome . In: Neue Luzerner Zeitung , March 27, 2002.
  2. ↑ Laudation for the award of the 2005 Herbert Haag Foundation Prize for Freedom in the Church
  3. ↑ “He also wants to be able to say no and amen. Swiss theologian and religious Josef Imbach receives the Herbert Haag Prize 2005 ” , report on Kath.ch on the revocation of the teaching permit
  4. ↑ Homepage of the Herbert Haag Foundation "For Freedom in the Church"
personal data
SURNAME Imbach, Josef
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss theologian and Franciscan
DATE OF BIRTH December 3, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH Zofingen