90 years of faith: Old Testament Johannes Marböck celebrates his birthday!

90 years of faith: Old Testament Johannes Marböck celebrates his birthday!

Linz, Österreich - The emeritus Old Testament Johannes Marböck celebrates his 90th birthday on Saturday, February 8, 2025. Marböck, who taught from 1970 to 2003 at the universities in Linz and Graz, shaped generations of theology students with his passion for wisdom literature. In an interview with the church newspaper of the diocese Linz, the native of Upper Austrians expressed: "Faith is a challenge. I have been on the road for 90 years." His proclamation was always the central concern, while he brought Biblical Texts closer to the faithful. Especially the psalms, which he mostly known in Hebrew, accompany him in his theological work.

a tireless teacher and preacher

Marböck was ordained a priest in 1959 and was dean over several years and a Dean and Vice Dean of the Catholic Theological Faculty in Graz. He received numerous awards, including the large silver honor for services to the Republic of Austria and the state culture award of the state of Upper Austria. He owes his international reputation not only to his scientific work, but also to his publications, take up the general topics of the Old Testament and make it accessible to a wide audience, such as in his latest book "From a root tender", which deals with the biblical texts of the Advent and Christmas season, according to the information reports from Kathpress and the Diocese Linz.

In "From a root tender" Marböck gives insights into his considerations on the reading texts of the Advent Sundays and Christmas holidays by preparing the texts emphatically and spiritually. The selection of the texts includes themed arches such as "consolation - peace" and "justice - abundance of life", which underline the timeless relevance of the biblical message. These works impressively demonstrate how deep Marböck is connected to the Bible and how he knows how to link the Old Testament texts to today's life of people, as is emphasized by Bishop Manfred Scheuer in his simultaneous word.