ST. PAUL, Minn. (ELCA) -- Dr. Carl A. Volz, professor of church history at Luther Seminary, died Dec. 3 at his home in St. Paul at the age of 65. Volz taught for 24 years at Luther Seminary, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and for 10 years at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, a seminary of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).
Volz was an historian of the early and medieval church. He supervised work at the Caesarea archeological site in Israel and, since 1988, conducted an annual study program in the Middle East for Luther Seminary.
As a guest professor Volz taught at Martin Luther Seminary in Papua New Guinea; United Theological College in Bangalore, South India; Luther Seminary at Seoul, Korea; and Lutheran Seminary in Tokyo.
"Carl Volz was a wonderful colleague, dedicated to his students and involved in the whole life of the seminary community," said the Rev. Marc Kolden, academic dean in St. Paul. "He was a committed Lutheran who knew that this also meant being committed to ecumenism."
Volz was a representative of the ELCA in the Lutheran-Orthodox Dialogues, beginning in 1983. He was on the committee on ecumenical relations for the church's Saint Paul Area Synod and the committee on ecumenism of the Minnesota Council of Churches. He was a member of the board of the Ecumenical Institute at St. John's University, Collegeville, Minn.
Volz earned a doctorate from Fordham University in 1966. He received master's degrees from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and Washington University, St. Louis. Volz did further study at Cambridge University, England; Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland; the University of Chicago and the Ecumenical Institute, Collegeville, where he was a resident scholar.
In 1997 Volz published "The Medieval Church," which was selected by the Academy of Parish Clergy as one of the year's ten best books. He also wrote "The Land and the Book: An Introduction to the World of the Bible," "Pastoral Life and Practice in the Early Church," "Faith and Practice in the Early Church," "The Church in the Middle Ages" and "Teaching the Faith."
Volz was an ELCA pastor; he was ordained in the LCMS in 1959. He served as pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Yonkers, N.Y., and as interim pastor at congregations in Normandy, Crystal City and Manchester, Mo., and at three congregations in St. Paul. Until recently he was part of an interim pastoral team at Jehovah Lutheran Church, St. Paul, an LCMS congregation.
Volz is survived by his wife Lydia, daughters Katherine Finegan and Carol Mattes, sons Martin, Stephen and Michael, and eight grandchildren. Funeral services were Dec. 8 at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, St. Paul.
[*Ann E. Hafften is director for communications at Luther Seminary, St. Paul,
Minn.]
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