Peter Opitz (theologian)

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Peter Opitz (* 1957 ) is a Swiss Protestant Reformed theologian, philosopher, pastor and since 2009 professor of church and dogma history from the Reformation period to the present at the Institute for Swiss Reformation History at the University of Zurich . He is a proven expert on the Swiss Reformation and its main characters Heinrich Bullinger , Johannes Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli .

Live and act

Opitz studied Protestant theology in Bern , Zurich and Tübingen and then philosophy in Bern. He then worked for several years as an evangelical reformed pastor in the canton of Bern. In 2005 Opitz was awarded the Goeters Prize for his habilitation thesis on Heinrich Bullinger . At that time he was senior assistant at the Theological Seminary at the University of Zurich.

Since 2009 he has been Professor of Church History and Dogma History from the Reformation Period to the Present at the Theological Faculty of the University of Zurich and Head of the Institute for the Swiss Reformation History. He has become a recognized specialist in the Swiss Reformation with its main characters Zwingli, Bullinger and Calvin. Further research areas are Swiss church history in the 19th century and Karl Barth research. Together with Günter Thomas and a preparatory group, he is responsible for the annual Karl Barth conference on the Leuenberg.

In 2017, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Reformation , Opitz pointed out that the Reformation was an important impetus for the historical development of Europe. It was an essential step towards modern society, although at that time it was primarily about the question of the relationship with God. At the beginning of the Reformation, people reread the Bible and rediscovered its originally liberating and cheerful message, regardless of traditional rituals and Catholic authorities. God did not leave the world, he gave us his grace through Jesus Christ , and life was victorious over death. Salvation cannot be earned with religious works. In Switzerland the Reformation was less person-centered and more democratic than in Germany, Zwingli worked more in a group of like-minded people. At that time, however, there was no personal freedom of belief for the population. Many villages and towns decided in favor of the Protestant faith because it enabled them to free themselves legally and financially from the pressure and burden of the Catholic Church. The Reformation tended to promote freedom, education, and exploration of the world and thus laid a foundation for the natural sciences. Seen worldwide, Christianity is a success story, especially in the 21st century; it is growing outside of Europe, especially in Asia, because it promotes freedom and equality for people and economic development.

Publications

Monographs and Critical Editions

  • Calvin's theological hermeneutics . Neukirchener Verlagsgesellschaft , Neukirchen-Vluyn 1994.
  • Heinrich Bullinger as a theologian. A study of the decades. Theological Publishing House Zurich , Zurich 2004, ISBN 3-290-17305-4 .
  • Heinrich Bullinger: Sermonum Decades quinque de potissimis Christianae religionis capitibus (1552): Heinrich Bullinger. Works. 3. Section: Theological Writings, Volumes 3.1 and 3.2, XXIII, Theological Publishing House Zurich, Zurich 2008.
  • Life and work of Johannes Calvin. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2009.
    • John Calvin. Handl Verlag, Seoul 2012 (Korean).
  • Ulrich Zwingli. Prophet, heretic, pioneer of Protestantism . Theological Publishing House Zurich, Zurich 2015, ISBN 978-3-290-17828-4 .
  • Zurich , Zurich 2016, ISBN 978-3-374-04589-1

Editorships and ranks

  • with Eberhard Busch , Matthias Freudenberg , Alasdair Heron , Christian Link , Ernst Saxer , Hans Scholl : Calvin study edition. 8 volumes, last volume 8: Ökumenische Korrespondenz 2011. Neukirchener Verlagsgesellschaft, Neukirchen-Vluyn 1994–2011.
  • with Emidio Campi , Frank James III: Peter Martyr Vermigli . Humanism, Republicanism, Reformation. Geneva 2002.
  • Calvin in the context of the Swiss Reformation. Historical and theological contributions to Calvin research. Zurich 2003.
  • with Emidio Campi, Detlef Roth, Peter Stotz, Hans Ulrich Bächtold, Ruth Jörg: Heinrich Bullinger. Fonts. 6 volumes and register volume, Zurich 2004–2007.
  • with Emidio Campi: Heinrich Bullinger (1504–1575) - Life, Thought and Work. Zurich 2007.
  • with Christian Moser: Movement and Perseverance: Aspects of Reformed Protestantism, 1520-1650. Festschrift for Emidio Campi. Leiden / Boston, 2009.
  • with Andreas Mühling : Reformed Confessions. On behalf of the Council of the EKD, from Volume 2/1, most recently: Volume 3/2, 1605–1675, Neukirchener Verlagsgesellschaft, Neukirchen-Vluyn 2015.
  • with Emidio Campi, Bruce Gordon, Christoph Strohm : Zurich contributions to the history of the Reformation.
  • Johann Caspar Lavater . Selected works in a historical-critical edition. Zurich 2001–2012.
  • with Emidio Campi, Konrad Schmid : Johannes Calvin and the cultural influence of Protestantism. Theological Publishing House Zurich, Zurich 2012.
  • The Myth of the Reformation (= Refo500 Academic Studies 9). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2013, ISBN 978-3-525-55033-5 .

watch TV

Web links

  • Peter Opitz on the website of the Institute for the Swiss Reformation History at the University of Zurich
  • Peter Opitz on the website of the Theologische Verlag Zürich

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Marius Huber: "Zwingli visited prostitutes". In: Tages-Anzeiger . December 30, 2015 (interview).
  2. ↑ Matthias Meili: That is a dangerous historical thesis. The importance of the Reformation is controversial among historians. According to the Reformation researcher Peter Opitz, Switzerland's influence is underestimated. In: Tages-Anzeiger. February 20, 2017 (interview).
  3. ↑ Jan Marot: Passionate - Peter Opitz. In: UZH News. August 12, 2005.
  4. ↑ Peter Opitz: «The Zwingli monument should be removed». In: Reformed. 15th August 2016.
  5. ↑ https://karlbarth.unibas.ch/index.php?id=32
  6. ↑ Ralf Kaminski: Christianity is currently a success story around the world , Interview, Migros Magazin, Zurich September 11, 2017, pp. 26-30
personal data
SURNAME Opitz, Peter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Evangelical Reformed pastor and professor of church history
DATE OF BIRTH 1957