Herbert Haag (11 February 1915 – 23 August 2001) was a SwissRoman Catholic theologian andbiblical scholar of German origin.
Haag was born inSingen am Hohentwiel. After studying theology in Paris for thediocese of Basel in 1940, he was ordained apriest and worked for several years as a pastor inLucerne. In 1942 Haag attained hisPhD at theUniversity of Fribourg. From 1948 to 1960, he taught Old Testament studies at theTheological Faculty of Lucerne, and from 1960 to 1980 he held the chair of Old Testament at the Catholic Theological Faculty at theUniversity of Tübingen.
Known in particular for his biblical scholarship and exegesis, he edited a well-knownBible dictionary. Haag's 1969 bookFarewell to the Devil is noted for having been the first Catholic denial in themodern era of the existence of thedevil as constitutive of the Christian faith, claiming it to be merely linked to acultural frame inherited from bothJudaism andpaganism. Haag's position was criticized by thenCardinal Ratzinger.[1] Pope Paul VI reacted in a rescript of theCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1972 on the topic of the existence of the devil, showing Haag's theological position to be erroneous. Haag also criticizeddogmas of church doctrine, such asoriginal sin,apostolic succession,homosexuality,celibacy of the clergy and the ban on theordination of women. In his last years he emerged as a critic of the institutional church.
In 1981 Haag had signed an open letter to Swiss newspapers contending that a wrong had been done toHans Küng in 1979, when the Vatican decreed that Küng was no longer recognised as a Catholic theologian because of his denial ofpapal infallibility.[2] In 1985 theHerbert Haag Foundation for Freedom in the Church[3] was founded. The Foundation awards theHerbert Haag Prize.[4]
Herbert Haag passed away inLucerne at the age of 86.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)