Barbara Aland
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Barbara Aland (née Ehlers, 12 April 1937 – 10 November 2024) was a German theologian and professor of New Testament Research and Church History at the
University of Münster The University of Münster (, until 2023 , WWU) is a public research university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. With more than 43,000 students and over 120 fields of study in 15 departments, it is Germany's ...
until 2002. She was internationally recognized for her work on the ''
Novum Testamentum Graece (''The New Testament in Greek'') is a critical edition of the New Testament in its original Koine Greek published by ''Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft'' (German Bible Society), forming the basis of most modern Bible translations and biblical crit ...
'' and the Greek New Testament, which she undertook with her husband,
Kurt Aland Kurt Aland (28 March 1915 – 13 April 1994) was a German theologian and Biblical studies, biblical scholar who specialized in New Testament textual criticism. He founded the ''Institute for New Testament Textual Research, Institut für neutest ...
.


Life and career

Barbara Ehlers was born in Hamburg on 12 April 1937. After completing her degree in Theology and Classical Philology in
Frankfurt 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 ...
,
Marburg Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...
, and
Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...
, she received her Ph.D. (dissertation on the Socratic Aeschines) in 1964 in Frankfurt. In 1969, she earned her licentiate from the Oriental faculty of the ''Pontificio Istituto Biblico'' in Rome. In 1972, she completed her habilitation in
Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...
on the Syrian Gnostic Bardesanes of Edessa. From 1972, she worked as a lecturer at the
University of Münster The University of Münster (, until 2023 , WWU) is a public research university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. With more than 43,000 students and over 120 fields of study in 15 departments, it is Germany's ...
. She was appointed professor of Church History and
New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
research, with a focus on the Christian Orient, at the Protestant Theological Faculty there in 1980. In 1983, she became director of the
Institute for New Testament Textual Research The Institute for New Testament Textual Research ( — INTF) at the University of Münster, Westphalia, Germany, is to research the textual history of the New Testament and to reconstruct its Greek initial text on the basis of the entire manusc ...
, founded in 1959 by her husband,
Kurt Aland Kurt Aland (28 March 1915 – 13 April 1994) was a German theologian and Biblical studies, biblical scholar who specialized in New Testament textual criticism. He founded the ''Institute for New Testament Textual Research, Institut für neutest ...
, as well as of the associated
Bible Museum Münster Bible Museum Münster is a museum located in Münster, Germany, telling the story of the Bible from its handwritten beginnings until today. The main focus lies on the tradition of Greek New Testament as well as the German Bible. The museum forms ...
. The institute gained worldwide significance through its publication of the
Novum Testamentum Graece (''The New Testament in Greek'') is a critical edition of the New Testament in its original Koine Greek published by ''Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft'' (German Bible Society), forming the basis of most modern Bible translations and biblical crit ...
, known as the Nestle–Aland, and the UBS Greek New Testament. Until her retirement, Aland also directed the to promote New Testament research. She retired in 2002 but continued to head the institute until 2004. Aland died on 10 November 2024, at the age of 87.


Relevance

Aland gained an international profile through her work on the ''
Novum Testamentum Graece (''The New Testament in Greek'') is a critical edition of the New Testament in its original Koine Greek published by ''Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft'' (German Bible Society), forming the basis of most modern Bible translations and biblical crit ...
'' and the Greek New Testament, which she conducted with her husband,
Kurt Aland Kurt Aland (28 March 1915 – 13 April 1994) was a German theologian and Biblical studies, biblical scholar who specialized in New Testament textual criticism. He founded the ''Institute for New Testament Textual Research, Institut für neutest ...
. Together, they collaborated extensively with an international and interfaith group of theologians to update the ''Novum Testamentum Graece'' and the Greek New Testament. These editions, published by the institute in Münster, serve as foundational texts for education and research worldwide. In 1997, she published the first installments of the ''
Editio Critica Maior The ''Editio Critica Maior'' (shortened to ECM) is a critical edition of the Greek New Testament being produced by the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung (Eng. "Institute for New Testament Textual Research") in collaboration with other ...
''. This edition was the first to be based on the complete tradition of Greek manuscripts, patristic citations, and ancient versions. In 1999, she became a founding member of the Academia Platonica Septima Monasteriensis, which focuses not only on the works of
Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born  BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...
but also on the writings of his early interpreters, spanning from ancient times to the Renaissance. The academy's goal is to promote the study of Platonist writings.


Honours

Aland achieved the following honorary doctoral degrees: * 1988: "D.Litt." ( Doctor of Literature),
Wartburg College Wartburg College is a Private college, private Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Waverly, Iowa. History Wartburg College was founded in 1852 in Saginaw, Michig ...
(Waverly/Iowa) * 1989: "D.D." (
Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...
), Mount Saint Mary's College (Emmitsburg/Maryland) * 2008: "Dr. theol. h.c.", (
Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...
),
University of Halle-Wittenberg Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...
, Germany She received following awards: * 1998: of Münster * 2005: Fellow of Clare Hall,
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
* 2006: Member of the
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (, KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed in the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. In addition to various advisory a ...
* 2011:
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...
* 2016: Burkitt Medal for Biblical Studies


Works

Dissertation * (as Barbara Ehlers): ''Eine vorplatonische Deutung des sokratischen Eros. Der Dialog Aspasia des Sokratikers Aischines''. Dissertation. Frankfurt am Main 1964, published 1966 (, issue 41). Monographs * (with Kurt Aland): ''Der Text des Neuen Testaments. Einführung in die wissenschaftlichen Ausgaben sowie in Theorie und Praxis der modernen Textkritik'', 1982. ** English translation: ''The text of the New Testament. An introduction to the critical editions and to the theory and practice of modern textual criticism''. 1987. * ''Erziehung durch Kirchengeschichte? Ein Plädoyer für mehr Kirchengeschichte im Religionsunterricht''. Published: Idea e.V., 1984. * ''Frühe direkte Auseinandersetzung zwischen Christen, Heiden und Häretikern''. 2005. * ''Was ist Gnosis? Studien zum frühen Christentum, zu Marcion und zur kaiserzeitlichen Philosophie''. 2009 Editions of the New Testament * ''A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. A Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament'' (third edition) by B. M. Metzger on behalf of and in cooperation with the Editorial Committee of the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament K. Aland, M. Black, C. M. Martini, B. M. Metzger and A. Wikgren, 1971. * ''Novum Testamentum Graece'' post Eberhard Nestle et Erwin Nestle communiter ed. K. Aland, M. Black, C. M. Martini, B. M. Metzger, A. Wikgren, apparatum criticum recens. et editionem novis curis elaborav. K. Aland et B. Aland una cum Instituto studiorum textus Novi Testamenti Monasteriensi (Westphalia), 26th edition, 1979. * ''Novum Testamentum Latine. Novam Vulgatam Bibliorum Sacrorum Editionem secuti apparatibus titulisque additis'' ediderunt Kurt Aland et Barbara Aland una cum Instituto studiorum textus Novi Testamenti Monasteriensi, 1984. * ''Griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch zu den Schriften des Neuen Testaments und der frühchristlichen Literatur by
Walter Bauer Walter Bauer (; 8 August 1877 – 17 November 1960) was a German theologian, lexicographer of New Testament Greek, and scholar of the development of Early Christianity. Life Bauer was born in Königsberg, East Prussia, and raised in Marburg, ...
''. 6th edition, Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung Münster, with Viktor Reichmann, ed. by Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, 1988. Publications * ''Gnosis. Festschrift für Hans Jonas'', with Ugo Bianchi, ed. by Barbara Aland, 1978. * Günther Zuntz: ''Lukian von Antiochien und der Text der Evangelien''. ed. Barbara Aland and Klaus Wachtel. With an obituary for the author by Martin Hengel, 1995. * ''Die Weltlichkeit des Glaubens in der Alten Kirche. Festschrift für Ulrich Wickert zum siebzigsten Geburtstag''. With Barbara Aland and Christoph Schäublin, ed. by Dietmar Wyrwa, 1997. * ''Literarische Konstituierung von Identifikationsfiguren in der Antike'', ed. by Barbara Aland, 2003.


References


External links

* Willker, Wieland

(editions)
University of Bremen The University of Bremen () is a public university in Bremen, Germany, with approximately 18,400 students from 117 countries. Its 12 faculties offer more than 100 degree programs. The University of Bremen has been among the top 50 European rese ...
2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Aland, Barbara 1937 births 2024 deaths 20th-century Christian biblical scholars 20th-century German Protestant theologians 20th-century German women Women Christian theologians German biblical scholars Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences New Testament scholars Writers from Hamburg Academic staff of the University of Münster Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German women academics Women biblical scholars