Professor Dr Michael Theobald

Research Priorities: Biblical theology, New Testament, the Gospels, New Testament epistolary literature, Unity Translation of the Bible, church reform
Michael Theobald is a German theologian. His research focuses on the New Testament, particularly the Gospel of John, and New Testament epistolary literature (Letter to the Romans, Epistle to the Ephesians, Pastoral Epistles). He was involved in revising the Unity Translation (Einheitsübersetzung) of the German Bible and advocates reform of the Catholic Church.
In several research projects Michael Theobald studied the literary genesis and origins of the Evangelists’ four Passion narratives. He not only reconstructed the literary and theological process of the different narratives, but also examined the specific liturgical locations of early Christian communities.
He was also involved in revising the Unity Translation of the German Bible, which was presented in 2016 after ten years of work. The previous version had been used by Catholics in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Luxembourg for about 30 years. Around 50 experts from the German-speaking world then agreed that a revision made sense. The point was not to provide a completely new translation, but to adjust the language. In some passages, for example, the aim was to bring the translation closer to the original text and make the language more “biblical”. At the same time, they wanted to align the new text more closely with modern language use, to make it more contemporary and comprehensible. In some passages, for example, women are now described as pregnant (“schwanger”), rather than “receiving” (“empfangen”) a child. And the Greek word “adelphoi” is now no longer translated as merely “brothers”, but depending on context also as “brothers and sisters”.
Michael Theobald is also keen to bring Christian teaching into modern theology and ways of living. For example, he was a signatory of the memorandum “Kirche 2011: Ein notwendiger Aufbruch”. University theologians used this memorandum to call for reform of the Catholic Church, including greater participation of the faithful at all levels, allowing women to hold Church roles, and greater legal protection within the Church.
Theobald also spoke at the Synod that ran from 2021 to 2024. Pope Francis initiated this process to invite discussion at all levels, from parishes to the Vatican, on necessary reforms. As part of these discussions, Michael Theobald repeatedly recommend looking at the New Testament. In contrast to today’s Catholic Church, for example, it expresses no objections to majority decisions. And, above all, the text’s portrayal of Jesus and his message are, in Theobald’s view, the best argument for opening church positions to women.
When it comes to the nature of these roles, the theologian voices his opposition to an aloof priestly class. Teamwork and collective decisions are needed to ensure that community work can succeed today. This too, he claims, reflects the spirit of Jesus and the Evangelists. Michael Theobald gave the book he published in 2023 about the development of official positions in early Church history a suitably resonant title: “Serve Rather Than Rule” (“Dienen statt Herrschen”).