Matthias Wolfes (August 8, 1961 – March 27, 2023
) was a German Protestant
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 ...
.
Biography and activities
In 1998 he earned a PhD in
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 topics ...
from the
University of Heidelberg
Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is List ...
(Dr. theol.), Prof.
Wolfgang Huber was his doctoral advisor. In 2002 he received another PhD degree (Dr. phil.) under supervision of Prof.
Michael Salewski (
University of Kiel
Kiel University, officially the Christian Albrecht University of Kiel, (, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a public research university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the ''Academia Holsator ...
). In 1999 he was ordained a minister of the
Protestant Church in Berlin-Brandenburg, which is a
United church (
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
and
Reformed
Reform is beneficial change.
Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
Places
* Reform, Al ...
tradition).
Wolfes has published several substantial studies on the history of theology since the
Enlightenment
Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to:
Age of Enlightenment
* Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...
. His research interests focus on modern Protestant theology and ethics. His current work deals with the
theory of signs, the
phenomenology of religion
The phenomenology of religion concerns the experiential aspect of religion, describing religious phenomena in terms consistent with the orientation of worshippers. It views religion as made up of different components, and studies these components ...
, and the concept of a "Transforming Theology". He teaches in Berlin (
Freie Universität).
Books
* ''Protestantische Theologie und Moderne Welt. Studien zur Geschichte der Liberalen Theologie.'' Berlin, New York:
Walter de Gruyter
Walter de Gruyter GmbH, known as De Gruyter (), is a German scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature.
History
The roots of the company go back to 1749 when Frederick the Great granted the Königliche Realschule in Be ...
, 1999.
* ''Theologiestudium und Pfarramt. Eine kirchensoziologische Studie.'' Hannover: Lutherisches Verlagshaus, 2000.
* ''Hermann Mulert. Lebensbild eines Kieler Theologen.'' Neumünster: Wachholtz Verlag, 2000.
* (Edited with Michael Pietsch) ''Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher: Kleine Schriften 1786 – 1833'' (Kritische Gesamtausgabe Ser. I, Vol. 14). Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2003.
* ''Öffentlichkeit und Bürgergesellschaft. Friedrich Schleiermachers politische Wirksamkeit'' (Schleiermacher-Studies. Part I, Vol. 1/2]. Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2004. (Reviews
The Journal of Ecclesiastical Historyan
H-Net Reviews
Selected essays
* "Theologie als Weltanschauungswissenschaft." ''Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte / Journal for the History of Modern Theology'' 5 (1998).
* "Frühliberale Theologie und politischer Liberalismus." ''Jahrbuch zur Liberalismus-Forschung'' 11 (1999).
* "Schuld und Verantwortung." ''Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte'' 111 (2000).
* "Schleiermachers Vorlesung über Dogmatische Theologie aus dem Sommersemester 1811." ''Schleiermacher-Archiv'' Vol. 19, Berlin, New York: Walter
de Gruyter
Walter de Gruyter GmbH, known as De Gruyter (), is a German scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature.
History
The roots of the company go back to 1749 when Frederick the Great granted the Königliche Realschule in Be ...
, 2000.
* "Public Sphere and Nation State." ''New Athenaeum'' 6 (2001).
* "Historismus und Christologie." ''Troeltsch-Studien.'' Vol. 2, Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2001.
* "Die Oeffentlichkeit des Lebens und der Staat." In Christoph Stumpf, Holger Zaborowski, eds., ''Church as Politeia. The Political Self-Understanding of Christianity'', Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2004.
* "Religion und symbolische Sprachform." In Klaus Tanner, ed., ''Religion und symbolische Kommunikation'', Leipzig:
Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2004.
* "Herders Ideal freier Religiosität." In: Martin Kessler, Volker Leppin, eds., ''Johann Gottfried Herder. Aspekte seines Lebenswerkes'', Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2005.
* "Schleiermacher and Judaism". ''New Athenaeum'' 8 (2007).
* "Sichtweisen." ''Schleiermacher-Archiv.'' Vol. 22, Berlin / New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2008.
* "Konstruktion der Freiheit." ''Forschungen zur Brandenburgischen und Preussischen Geschichte.'' Beihefte Vol. 11, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 2010.
Numerous articles on German Protestant theologians and churchmen in ''Neue Deutsche Biographie'', ''The Dictionary of Historical Theology'' (2000), ''Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart'' (4th Edition) / ''Religion Past and Present'' and
''Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon'' (BBKL).
Fellowships
* Graduate Research Fellowship:
Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel, Lower Saxony, Forschungs- und Studienstätte für europäische Kulturgeschichte, 2003-04.
* Doctoral scholarship (Ph.D. program):
Friedrich Naumann Stiftung Berlin / Gummersbach, 1991-93.
Several grants.
Memberships
*
American Academy of Religion
The American Academy of Religion (AAR) is the world's largest association of scholarly method, scholars in the List of academic disciplines, field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association,
serving as a profess ...
*
Ernst-Troeltsch-Gesellschaft
References
* ''Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart.'' Vierte, völlig neu bearbeitete Auflage. Registerband, Hans Dieter Betz, Don S. Browning, Bernd Janowski, Eberhard Jüngel, eds., Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), 2007, 440.
* List of publications up to 2004: Universitätsbibliographie 24 (2004). Herausgegeben von der Universitätsbibliothek der
Freien Universität Berlin. Redaktion: Sabine Kawczynski, Antje Meye, Alexandra Kalkowski und Manfred Volk, Berlin: Universitätsbibliothek, 2006, 250–253.
External links
Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfes, Matthias
1961 births
2023 deaths
People from Harburg (district)
21st-century German Protestant theologians
German male non-fiction writers