Bishop of Celje
Msgr. Dr. Maksimilijan Matjaž was born on August 23, 1963, in Črna na Koroškem. After attending primary school in Mežica, he went to the secondary school of economics in Slovenj Gradec. He also completed his studies in philosophy and theology at the Faculty of Theology in Ljubljana (1983–1988). He was ordained a priest on June 29, 1989, and incardinated into the Diocese of Maribor (now the Archdiocese of Maribor). In 1995, he completed a master's degree in Biblical Studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, and in 1998, he obtained his doctorate from the Pontifical Gregorian University under the mentorship of Prof. Klemens Stock with a thesis titled *The Significance of the Fear Motif in the Christology of the Gospel of Mark* (*Furcht und Gotteserfahrung: die Bedeutung des Furchtmotivs für die Christologie des Markus*. Forschung zur Bibel, 91. Würzburg: Echter Verlag, 1999). From 1989 to 1991, he served as a curate in Zreče. From 1998, he was an assistant at the Faculty of Theology in Ljubljana; from 2001, an assistant professor at the Department of Sacred Scripture and Judaism; and from 2011, an associate professor of Biblical Studies and Judaism. Since 2013, he has served as the Head of the Department of Sacred Scripture and Judaism at the Faculty of Theology, University of Ljubljana. From 2006, he was a member of the Presbyteral Council of the Archdiocese of Maribor, and from 2011, a member of the College of Consultors. He also served as an assisting priest in the parish of Dravograd (1998–2010), in Zreče (2010–2012), in the pastoral unit of Slovenj Gradec (2012–2013), and in the parish of Šentilj (2013–2020). At the Faculty of Theology of the University of Ljubljana, Professor Matjaž teaches courses in New Testament exegesis, as well as biblical theology and anthropology. His primary area of research—conducted within the program group "Judeo-Christian Sources and the Dimension of Justice"—focuses on the philological, literary, and theological analysis of biblical texts, with a particular emphasis on theological, hermeneutical, and anthropological interpretation. His research involves a parallel study of the historical context in which the New Testament tradition emerged and was received during the early centuries, alongside the development of biblical exegesis, hermeneutics, and translation principles. He is a member of the translation team for the Slovenian Catholic translation of the Bible known as the Jerusalem Edition (SPJ) and a member of the international biblical association *Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas*. He serves as the editor of the scholarly journal *Edinost in dialog* (Unity and Dialogue) and as the head of the Biblical Movement Institute (*Zavod Biblično gibanje*); there, he is active in biblical pastoral work, focusing particularly on popularizing the Bible through various associations, schools, media outlets, and professional study tours. On March 5, 2021, Pope Francis appointed Dr. Maksimilijan Matjaž as the third Bishop of Celje; he received his episcopal ordination in Gornji Grad on Trinity Sunday, May 30, 2021. Since March 24, 2022, he has been a member of the Permanent Council of the Slovenian Bishops' Conference for a five-year term ending in 2027.