Annette Brigitte Merz (born 1 December 1965,

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

) is a German

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

and biblical scholar, on the faculty of the

University of Utrecht Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of 39,769 students, a ...

. Merz has conducted vigorous research into the

historicity of Jesus The historicity of Jesus is the scholarly question in Biblical criticism and early Christian history of whether Jesus historically existed or was a purely mythological figure. Scholarly discussions questioning the historical existence of Jesus ...

and is best known for her 1996 book with

Gerd Theissen Gerd Theißen (or Theissen; born 24 April 1943) is a German Protestant theologian and New Testament scholar. He is Professor of New Testament Theology at the University of Heidelberg. Early life and education Theissen obtained his doctorate in ...

, '' The Historical Jesus'', a widely used textbook translated into six languages. In the book, Merz and Theissen "assert that the Christian sources portray both positive and negative assessments of temple sacrifice and that

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, near the end of his life, deliberately created a rite to displace such sacrifices" and argue that "significant sayings of Jesus indicate a critical attitude towards the temple cult." They also argue that "God's kingdom is the establishment of his ethical will, the kingdom is to be understood dynamically as rule. But the "kingdom of God" is not an end in itself", and also examine "five of the most important differences” between Jesus and John. In the 16th and final chapter they examine the historical Jesus and the beginnings of

Christology In Christianity, Christology is a branch of Christian theology, theology that concerns Jesus. Different denominations have different opinions on questions such as whether Jesus was human, divine, or both, and as a messiah what his role would b ...

. In 2007, she and several other scholars published '' Kompendium der Gleichnisse Jesu'', a major volume on the

parables of Jesus The parables of Jesus are found in the Synoptic Gospels and some of the non-canonical gospels. They form approximately one third of his recorded teachings. Christians place great emphasis on these parables, which they generally regard as the word ...

. In 2012 she was due to publish '' Kompendium der frühchristlichen Wundererzählungen'', another extensive volume which documents the

miracles of Jesus The miracles of Jesus are the many miraculous deeds attributed to Jesus in Christian texts, with the majority of these miracles being faith healings, exorcisms, resurrections, and control over nature. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is said to ...

. Since 2014 Merz has served as Professor of New Testament at the Protestant Theological University, Groningen and Research Associate Professor (30%) at the University of Tilburg, Tilburg School of Catholic Theology.Annette Merz - Home
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merz, Annette 1965 births 20th-century German Protestant theologians Women Christian theologians 21st-century German Protestant theologians German biblical scholars Living people Writers from Frankfurt Academic staff of Utrecht University