Bernard HäringCSsR (10 November 1912 – 3 July 1998) was a Germanmoral theologian and aRedemptorist priest in theCatholic Church.[1]
Bernhard Häring | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | (1912-11-10)10 November 1912 |
| Died | 3 July 1998(1998-07-03) (aged 85) Haag in Oberbayern, Germany |
| Notable work(s) | The Law of Christ |
| Alma mater | University of Tübingen |
| Signature |  |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Catholic Church |
| Order | Redemptorists |
Life
editThis sectionrelies largely or entirely upon asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article by introducingcitations to additional sources at this section.(March 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Häring was born atBöttingen in Germany to a prosperous farmer. In 1934, he entered theCongregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, was ordained a priest in 1939, and completed doctoral studies moral theology in obedience to his superiors at theUniversity of Tübingen.[2]
During World War II, he was conscripted by the German army and served as a medic. Although forbidden from performing priestly functions in public by the Nazi authorities, he brought the sacraments to Catholic soldiers.[2]
In 1954, he came to international fame as a moral theologian with his three volume,The Law of Christ. The work received ecclesiastical approval but was written in a style different from the manual tradition. It was translated into more than twelve languages.[2]
Between 1949 and 1987, he taughtmoral theology atAlphonsian Academy in Rome.
He served as aperitus (expert) at theSecond Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965, and was the chief architect on the mixed commission which prepared the pastoral constitution,Gaudium et Spes.[2]
Häring taught at various universities including the University of San Francisco, Fordham, Yale, Brown, Temple, and the Kennedy Institute for Bioethics at Georgetown.
A prolific writer, Häring produced about 80 books and 1,000 articles.
He died of a stroke at the age of 85 atHaag in Oberbayern, Germany.
Häring established himself as a leader in moving Catholic moral theology to a more personalist and scripture-based approach.
Dialogical approach to Catholic moral theology
editHäring presents adialogical approach to Catholic moral theology in his trilogiesThe Law of Christ andFree and Faithful in Christ. In this approach, morality follows the pattern of faith necessitating a dialogue. This approach to morality rests on the person's conscience that acknowledges God as basis of value; he writes:
"God speaks in many ways to awaken, deepen and strengthen faith, hope, love and the spirit of adoration. We are believers to the extent that, in all of reality and in all events that touch us, we perceive a gift and a call from God."[3]
Selected works
edit- — (1967) [1961].The Law of Christ. Moral Theology for Priests and Laity. Ireland: Mercier Press. [German 1954]. 3 Vols.
- — (1977).Blessed Are the Pure in Heart: The Beatitudes.ISBN 9780816421251.
- — (2006).The Christ: God-With-Us.
- — (1968).The Christian Existentialist. New York, New York University Press.
- —.Church on the Move.
- —.Dare to Be Christian: Developing a Social Conscience.
- —.Discovering God's Mercy: Confession Helps for Today's Catholic.
- —.Embattled Witness: Memories of a Time of War.
- —.The Ethics of Manipulation.
- — (1979).The Eucharist and Our Everyday Life.ISBN 9780816422104.
- — (1966).Road to Renewal. Staten Island, N.Y., Alba House.
- — (1969).Shalom, Peace. Garden City, N.Y., Image Books.
- — (1978).Free and Faithful in Christ. ( 3 Vols.)
References
edit- ^Stewart, Barbara (1998-07-11)."Bernard Haring, 85, Is Dead; Challenged Catholic Morality".The New York Times.ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved2023-05-02.
- ^abcdWaldstein, Edmund (2023). Flannery, Kevin (ed.). "Bernhard Häring's Moral Theology".The Faith Once for All Delivered: Doctrinal Authority in Catholic Theology. Emmaus Academic: 103.
- ^Bernard Häring,Free and Faithful in Christ, I, Slough 1978, 64.