Evangelische Theologie

A revised and updated version of this article including a discussion of all three volumes of Pope Benedict's book on Jesus of Nazareth can be found under the title  “Can the ‘Real’ Jesus be Identified with the Historical Jesus? Joseph Ratzinger’s (Pope Benedict XVI) Challenge to Biblical Scholarship,” in: Roland Deines, Acts of God in History: Studies Towards Recovering a Theological Historiography (ed. Christoph Ochs and Peter Watts; WUNT 317; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2013), 351–406.

Table of content, preface, and the first chapter are available for download by permission of the publisher (Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen). ---

Die 11 Aufsätze dieses Bandes sind von der Überzeugung getragen, dass Gott in der Geschichte handelt und dies von einer biblischen Exegese methodisch ernst genommen werden kann. In historischen und methodologischen Überlegungen wird der Frage nachgegangen, wie Gott in der Geschichte erfahren wird und sich diese Erfahrung in den biblischen Texten niederschlägt. Der Bogen reicht von den Pharisäern bis zu Bar Kochba, und vom historischen Jesus bis zum Aposteldekret. Als methodische Beispiele werden die christologischen Arbeiten von Martin Hengel und die Jesusbücher von Josef Ratzinger (Papst Benedikt XVI) herangezogen. Die Arbeiten haben das Ziel, Beiträge zu einer theologisch motivierten Historiographie zu liefern, die über die Wirklichkeit dieser Welt und ihrer Geschichte unter der Voraussetzung nachdenkt, dass dieser Gott, den die Heiligen Schriften der jüdisch-christlichen Tradition bezeugen, tatsächlich Schöpfer, Erhalter und Vollender dieser Welt und ihrer Geschichte ist.

The eleven studies in this volume are connected by the conviction that God acts in history and that it remains necessary for biblical exegesis to integrate this into its methodology. Historical and methodological considersations are presented to trace how God was experienced within historical events and how such events inspired the formation of Scripture. Topics range from the Pharisees to Bar Kokhba, and from the historical Jesus to the Apostolic decrees, with Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) on Jesus and Martin Hengel on Jesus’ pre-existence and incarnation discussed as particular methodological examples. These studies are intended as contributions towards a theologically motivated historiography. Their aim is to propose a viable reading of history under the assumption that the one God to whom the Holy Scriptures of the Jewish-Christian tradition witness is indeed the creator, sustainer and perfecter of this world and its history.

Brief introduction to the conference publication in honour of the 50th anniversary of Martin Hengel's book on the Zealots, which appeared for the first time in 1961.

Together with Claus-Jürgen Thornton I edited the third German edition of Hengel's »Zeloten« (Mohr Siebeck, 2011). This new edition contains a review of scholarship on the Zealots since 1961 and an updated bibliography: ”Gab es eine jüdische Freiheitsbewegung? Martin Hengels »Zeloten« nach 50 Jahren“

Appendix to the third German edition of Hengel's »Zeloten«; it describes the impact this book has had on the study of the Jewish freedom movement in the first century AD that led to the outbreak of the first Jewish revolt against Rome, and how the scholarly debate has developed since its initial publication. »Die Zeloten« represents the origin of Martin Hengel’s lifelong interest in Jewish messianism and the study of the messianic claims of Jesus.

The third German edition of Hengel's »Zeloten« contains the combined bibliography of all previous editions including the English translation; this additional bibliography covers the literature on the Zealots that appeared after Hengel's work