Pastoral theologian Rolf Zerfass died
The pastoral theologian Rolf Zerfass is dead. He died on Thursday morning at the age of 87 in Würzburg, as one of his students, the Innsbruck theologian Christian Bauer, announced. Zerfass was considered one of the modern pastoral theologians of the post-conciliar period and his theology had an influence far beyond his own discipline. His research focused on preaching practice, community pastoral work and charity theology.
Rolf Zerfass was born on April 27, 1934 in Simmern in the Hunsrück, probably in Trier, Innsbruck and Munich Catholic theology and was ordained a priest in 1960. After completing his doctorate, he was a lecturer in pastoral theology and homiletics at the theological faculty in Trier and, following his habilitation in 1972, was appointed to the chair in pastoral theology and homiletics at the University of Würzburg, which he held until his retirement in 1999. His most-read specialist books include “Basic Course Sermon” (1987/1992) and “Life Nerve Caritas” (1992). In 1974, the theologian presented a model of pastoral action with his “Action-Theoretical Control Circuit” that is geared towards strengthening the subject and has had a lasting impact on church practice. His students include Paul Michael Zulehner (Vienna), Ottmar Fuchs (Bamberg/Tübingen) and Maria Widl (Erfurt).
Even after his active career, Zerfass continued to take part in theological discourse and was awarded two prestigious prizes: the Johann Hinrich Wichern Prize of the Evangelische Diakonie (2001) and the German Sermon Prize for his homiletic life’s work (2007). A digital Rolf Zerfaß archive of the University of Innsbruck is intended to make the work of the pastoral theologian accessible to future generations. According to the introduction on the site, Zerfass’s theology “has its own freshness and freshness that lasts throughout the day and will still be felt tomorrow”. (mfi)