) , latin_name = , established =1737 , closed = , type =

Divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

, parent =

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

, dean = , academic_staff = , administrative_staff = , students = , undergrad = , postgrad = , doctoral = , other = , city =

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

, state =

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

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Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, coor = , former_names = ''Facultas Theologicae in Academia Georgia Augusta'' , website = , logo = , footnotes = The Göttingen Faculty of Theology is the

divinity school A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

at the

, officially denominated the "United Theological Departments" (german: Vereinigte Theologische Seminare) but commonly referred to as the "Theological Faculty" (german: Theologische Fakultät)''. ''It was instituted at the foundation of the University, in 1737, along with the three other original faculties of

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

, and Philosophy (or Arts). Over the centuries, the Göttingen Faculty of Theology has been home to many influential scholars and movements, including the rise of historical criticism, Ritschlianism, the

History of Religions School The history of religions school (German: ''Religionsgeschichtliche Schule'') is a term applied to a group of German Protestant theologians associated with the University of Göttingen in the 1890s. Ideas The ''Religionsgeschichtliche Schule'' use ...

, and

Dialectical Theology In Christianity, Neo-orthodoxy or Neoorthodoxy, also known as theology of crisis and dialectical theology, was a theological movement developed in the aftermath of the First World War. The movement was largely a reaction against doctrines of ...

. Its members were also involved in the

Göttingen School of History Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The or ...

. A

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

institution, the ''Theologische Fakultät'' has long consisted of the five traditional disciplines of theology—

Old Testament Studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 For ...

New Testament Studies ''New Testament Studies'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Cambridge University Press under the auspices of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas. The scope of the journal are short studies and articles on issues pertaining to th ...

Church History __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritua ...

Systematic Theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topic ...

, and

Practical Theology Practical theology is an academic discipline that examines and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology enacted in those practices and in order to consider how theological theory and theological practices can be more full ...

—but now includes Religious Studies as well. The faculty has numerous projects, programs, and partnerships with other centers, departments, and faculties across the University as well as the Göttingen Graduate School of Humanities and the

Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities The Göttingen Academy of Sciences (german: Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen)Note that the German ''Wissenschaft'' has a wider meaning than the English "Science", and includes Social sciences and Humanities. is the second oldest of the se ...

. Besides the

Göttingen State and University Library The Göttingen State and University Library (german: Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen or SUB Göttingen) is the library for Göttingen University as well as for the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and is the state li ...

—which stands across from the Faculty's home, the ''Theologicum—''the Faculty of Theology maintains its own specialist library, with current holdings of 170,000 volumes and 250 periodicals.

Academics

The Faculty of Theology educates University students at all levels, for bachelor's,

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

, and doctoral degrees. (Historically, the Doctor of Theology was considered the highest academic rank, and at the University's foundation, it was mostly reserved for honorary purposes.) It also trains

ordinand Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform vari ...

s for the Confederation of Protestant Churches in Lower Saxony. To support its students, the Faculty of Theology runs the Theologisches Stift. This residential college—initiated by Isaak August Dorner modelled on the

Tübinger Stift The Tübinger Stift () is a hall of residence and teaching; it is owned and supported by the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg, and located in the university city of Tübingen, in South West Germany. The Stift was founded as an Augus ...

—has its origins in an earlier theological seminary and numbers among the University's oldest institutions.

Departments

The Faculty is divided into six primary departments, with their own dedicated chairs, researchers, lecturers, and support staff. *

* Religious Studies

Special Research Sections

In addition, the Göttingen Faculty of Theology houses other sections for specialized research. These sections often cut across departments within the faculty and involve other faculties as well. They include, among others, the following: * Institute for Research on Qumran * Institute for Jewish Studies * Karl Barth Research Center * Archive for the History of Relions School * Division for Hellenistic Religious History

Major Research Projects

Scholars at the Göttingen Faculty of Theology have launched substantial research undertakings, often in partnership with other institutions. Larger and longer-running ones among them include the following: * ''Septuaginta-Unternehmen'' (1908–2015): a critical edition of the

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...

(i.e., the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), launched by Alfred Rahlfs in cooperation with the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities * Qumran-Wörterbuch: a dictionary of the

Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls (also the Qumran Caves Scrolls) are ancient Jewish and Hebrew religious manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956 at the Qumran Caves in what was then Mandatory Palestine, near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the ...

, directed by

Reinhard Gregor Kratz Reinhard Gregor Kratz (* July 25, 1957, in Offenbach am Main) is a German biblical scholar, historian of ancient Judaism, and Protestant theologian. He currently serves as professor of Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible, in the Faculty of Theology at ...

in collaboration with the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities * Critical Edition of the Old Testament in Coptic language together with the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities * ''Götterbilder - Gottesbilder - Weltbilder: Polytheismus und Monotheismus in der Welt der Antike'' (2004–2012): an interdisciplinary

graduate school Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

or "research training group" (''Graduiertenkolleg'') for religion in the ancient world, directed by

Hermann Spieckermann Hermann Spieckermann (born October 28, 1950 in Dortmund) is a German biblical scholar, historian of ancient Near Eastern religion, and Protestant theologian. He currently holds a chair for Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible, in the Faculty of Theol ...

through support from the

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft The German Research Foundation (german: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft ; DFG ) is a German research funding organization, which functions as a self-governing institution for the promotion of science and research in the Federal Republic of Germ ...

* "Early Jewish Monotheisms" (2009–2014): a research group on the history of Judaism, led by

Nathan MacDonald A British biblical scholar, Nathan MacDonald (born 1975) currently serves as Reader in the Interpretation of the Old Testament at Cambridge University as well as Fellow and College Lecturer in theology at St John's College, Cambridge. Much of hi ...

and supported by the

Sofia Kovalevskaya Award The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany bestows the Sofia Kovalevskaya Award every two years. Sofia Kovalevskaya (1850–1891) was the first major Russian female mathematician, who made important contributions to mathematical analysis, ...

of the

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (german: Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung) is a foundation established by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany and funded by the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Education and Rese ...

Lecture Series

* Julius-Wellhausen-Vorlesung—a lecture series delivered by distinguished scholars—held in conjunction with the Göttingen ''Centrum Orbis Orientalis et Occidentalis''

People

File:Johannes Laurentius von Mosheim.jpg, Johannes Laurentius von Mosheim, Professor of Church History File:AlbrechtRitschl.jpg,

Albrecht Ritschl Albrecht Ritschl (25 March 182220 March 1889) was a German Protestant theologian. Starting in 1852, Ritschl lectured on systematic theology. According to this system, faith was understood to be irreducible to other experiences, beyond the scop ...

, Professor of Dogmatics and Church History File:Voit 185 Rudolf Smend.jpg, Rudolf Smend, Professor of Old Testament File:Carl Mirbt ca. 1925.jpg,

Carl Mirbt Carl Theodor Mirbt (July 21, 1860 in Gnadenfrei, Province of Silesia – September 27, 1929 in Göttingen) was a German Protestant church historian. He was a member of the history of religions school. Biography Mirbt studied theology from 1880 to ...

, Professor of Church History File:Bundesarchiv Bild 194-1283-23A, Wuppertal, Evangelische Gesellschaft, Jahrestagung.jpg, Karl Barth, Professor of Reformed Theology File:Gerhard_von_Rad.jpg,

Gerhard von Rad Gerhard von Rad (21 October 1901 – 31 October 1971) was a German academic, Old Testament scholar, Lutheran theologian, exegete, and professor at the University of Heidelberg. Early life, education, career Gerhard von Rad was born in Nurem ...

, Professor of Old Testament File:Hermann Spieckermann.jpg,

, Professor of Old Testament

Notable Members

The following are notable past and present senior associates of the Faculty of Theology:

Past

* Karl Barth *

Günther Bornkamm Günther Bornkamm (8 October 1905 – 18 February 1990) was a German New Testament scholar belonging to the school of Rudolf Bultmann and a Professor of New Testament at the University of Heidelberg. Under Adolf Hitler, he opposed the nazificatio ...

* Hans Conzelmann *

Heinrich Ewald Georg Heinrich August Ewald (16 November 18034 May 1875) was a German orientalist, Protestant theologian, and Biblical exegete. He studied at the University of Göttingen. In 1827 he became extraordinary professor there, in 1831 ordinary profess ...

Ernst Käsemann Ernst Käsemann (12 July 1906 – 17 February 1998) was a German Lutheran theologian and professor of New Testament in Mainz (1946–1951), Göttingen (1951–1959) and Tübingen (1959–1971). Study and work Käsemann was born in Bochum. He ob ...

Johann David Michaelis Johann David Michaelis (27 February 1717 – 22 August 1791) was a Prussian biblical scholar and teacher. He was member of a family that was committed to solid discipline in Hebrew and the cognate languages, which distinguished the University ...

Bernd Moeller Bernd Moeller (May 19, 1931 in Berlin – October 29, 2020) was a German Protestant theologian and church historian. Bernd Moeller studied Protestant theology as well as history. In 1956 he received his doctorate from the Protestant theological d ...

* Johann Lorenz von Mosheim * Alfred Rahlfs *

* Rudolf Smend *

Paul Tschackert Paul Tschackert (10 January 1848 – 7 July 1911) was a German Protestant theologian and church historian born in Freystadt, Silesia. He is largely remembered for studies involving the history of the Protestant Reformation. Tschackert studied his ...

* Walther Zimmerli *

Gerd Lüdemann Gerd Lüdemann (July 5, 1946–May 23, 2021) was a German biblical scholar and historian. He taught first Jewish Christianity and Gnosticism at McMaster University, Canada (1977–1979) and then New Testament at Vanderbilt Divinity School, U.S. ...

Present

* *

Andreas Grünschloß Andreas Grunschloss (German: Grünschloß) (born 1957) is German scholar and the current Professor of Religious Studies at University of Göttingen. An ordained Protestant pastor, he is the author of books and scholarly articles about interfaith ...

Notable Students

The following are notable students of the Faculty of Theology: *

Wilhelm Bousset Wilhelm Bousset (3 September 1865, Lübeck – 8 March 1920, Gießen) was a German theologian and New Testament scholar. He was of Huguenot ancestry and a native of Lübeck. His most influential work was ''Kyrios Christos'', an attempt to explain ...

* Albert Eichhorn * Richard Gaffin *

Hermann Gunkel Hermann Gunkel (23 May 1862 – 11 March 1932), a German Old Testament scholar, founded form criticism. He also became a leading representative of the history of religions school. His major works cover Genesis and the Psalms, and his major in ...

Wilhelm Heitmüller Wilhelm Heitmüller (3 August 1869 – 29 January 1926) was a German Protestant theologian, born in Döteberg, presently a division in the town of Seelze. Following completion of theological studies, he attended the minister's seminary at Lo ...

Jürgen Moltmann Jürgen Moltmann (born 8 April 1926) is a German Reformed theologian who is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at the University of Tübingen and is known for his books such as the ''Theology of Hope'', ''The Crucified God'', ''God in Creat ...

* Rudolf Otto * Otto Ritschl *

Ernst Troeltsch Ernst Peter Wilhelm Troeltsch (; ; 17 February 1865 – 1 February 1923) was a German liberal Protestant theologian, a writer on the philosophy of religion and the philosophy of history, and a classical liberal politician. He was a member of ...

Johannes Weiss Johannes Weiss (December 13, 1863 – August 24, 1914) was a German Protestant theologian and biblical exegete. He was a member of the history of religions school. History Weiss was born in Kiel as son of Bernhard Weiss. A perpetual scholar, he ...

* Julius Wellhausen *

Paul Wernle Paul Wernle (1 May 1872 – 11 April 1939) was a Swiss theologian, born in Hottingen, today part of the city of Zürich. He studied at the Universities of Basel, Berlin and Göttingen. At Basel he was a student of Bernhard Duhm (1847-1928), a ...

William Wrede Georg Friedrich Eduard William Wrede (; 10 May 1859 – 23 November 1906) was a German Lutheran theologian. Biography Wrede was born at Bücken in the Kingdom of Hanover. He became an associate professor at Breslau in 1893, and full professor in ...

Jacob L. Wright Jacob L. Wright is a biblical scholar currently serving as associate professor of Hebrew Bible at Emory University, and sits as chair of Hebrew Bible in the Graduate Division of Religion. Prior to his Emory appointment, Wright taught at the Univer ...

Bibliography

* Bernd Moeller, ed. ''Theologie in Göttingen. Eine Vorlesungsreihe''. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1987. * Gerd Lüdemann, ed. ''Die “Religionsgeschichtliche Schule”. Facetten eines theologischen Umbruchs''. Studien und Texte zur Religionsgeschichtlichen Schule 1. Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 1996. * Gerd Lüdemann and Martin Schröder, eds. ''Die Religionsgeschichtliche Schule in Göttingen. Eine Dokumentation''. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1987. * Kurt Meier. ''Die theologischen Fakultäten im Dritten Reich''. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1996. * Hans-Günther Schotter, ed. ''Die Geschichte der Verfassung und der Fachbereiche der Georg-August-Universität zu Göttingen''. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1994. * Bernd Schröder and Heiko Wojtkowiak, eds. ''Stiftsgeschichte(n). 250 Jahre Theologisches Stift der Universität Göttingen (1765–2015)''. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2015. * Leonore Siegele-Wenschkewitz and Carsten Nicolaisen, eds. ''Theologische Fakultäten im Nationalsozialismus''. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1993. * Rudolf Smend. "Eine Fakultät in kritischer Zeit. Die Göttinger Theologie zwischen 1930 und 1950." In idem, ''Zwischen Mose und Karl Barth''. ''Akademische'' ''Vorträge''. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2009. * Jürgen von Stackelberg, ed. ''Zur geistigen Situation der Zeit der Göttinger Universitätsgründung, 1737. Eine Vortragsreihe aus Anlass des 250jährigen Bestehens der Georgia Augusta''. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1988.

References

External links

Faulty of Theology Website http://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/sh/19855.html

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faculty of Theology, University of Göttingen University of Göttingen Protestant seminaries and theological colleges