Huub Oosterhuis
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| Born: | 1 November 1933 Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Occupation: | theologian and poet |
| Nationality: | Dutch |
| Writing period: | 1961-present |
| Genres: | Liturgy, religious poetry |
| Subjects: | Bible, socialism |
| Debut works: | In het voorbijgaan (1961) |
Hubertus Gerardus Josephus Henricus Oosterhuis (1 November 1933, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) is a Dutch theologian and poet.
Oosterhuis was a Jesuit and a Catholic priest. He is known for his poetry and contribution to liturgy and religious music which are used in both Protestant and Catholic churches. He is the author of over 60 books. [1]
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[edit] Biography
In 1954 Oosterhuis was inspired by Che Guevara who said that churches have the potential to transform the social structure of society [2] and inspired Huub to combine his priesthood with political activism. In 1965 Oosterhuis became one of the major supporters of ecumenism after the Second Vatican Council and started out to rewrite the liturgy and make it acceptable to all Christian factions.
Some of his changes were considered controversial within the Roman Catholic Church especially writing the prayer for agnostics: "Heer, als U bestaat, kom dan onder ons" ("Lord, if You exist, come amongst us"). His political views, the conflicts regarding the liturgy and his dismissal of celibacy lead to Oosterhuis being excommunicated by the Vatican in 1969 [2] and he started to focus on writing liturgy, religious music, and poetry.
Oosterhuis founded the discussion center "De Rode Hoed" ("The Red Hat") in Amsterdam in 1989. The building was a former Remonstrant shelter church, which were hidden churches because Remonstrantism (a form of protestantism) was outlawed in 17th Century. The building was not being used and he decided to use it for his student organization (1990) and create a discussion center in the building which was frequently used for television shows.
It was at De Rode Hoed where André van der Louw announced his Social Democratic Renewal Program which was an incentive to reform the Partij van de Arbeid, the Dutch social-democratic political party. Oosterhuis ultimately choose the lesser known Socialist Party because he feels that that party is closer to the socialist ideals.
Oosterhuis translated Pentateuch together with Alex van Heusden, which was released in five separate books, as an attempt to translate the first five books of the Bible as close to contemporary Dutch as possible without losing the style figures of the original Hebrew text.
Huub Oosterhuis is the father of the musicians Trijntje Oosterhuis and Tjeerd Oosterhuis and will participate in the 2006 Dutch general elections on behalf of the Socialist Party as final candidate. He intends not to enter.
[edit] Quotes
- "The Socialist Party is closer to the social ethics of the Bible than many Christian parties." (Interview in De Telegraaf, December 21, 2002)
- "Marx's writings are practically identical with the vision of the Bible". (Interview in De Tribune (Dutch Socialist Party newsletter), October 22, 2004)
[edit] References
- ^ Digital Library for the Dutch literature Author page Huub Oosterhuis (Retrieved: September 21, 2006)
- ^ a b SP.nl Tribune Interview with Huub Oosterhuis, October 22, 2004. (Retrieved: September 21, 2006)
