Ernst Käsemann
Encyclopedia
Ernst Käsemann, was a Lutheran
theologian and professor of New Testament in Mainz (1946-1951), Göttingen (1951-1959) and Tübingen (1959-1971).
in New Testament
at the University of Marburg during 1931, having written a dissertation on Pauline
ecclesiology
, with Rudolf Bultmann
as his doctoral supervisor. Käsemann was one of Bultmann's more well-known politically left-of-centre 'pupils'.
Käsemann joined the Confessing Church
movement in 1933; in the same year, he was appointed pastor in Gelsenkirchen
, in a district populated mainly by miners. During the autumn of 1937 he spent a few weeks in Gestapo
detention
for publicly supporting communist miners.
During 1939, he completed his habilitation
, which qualified him to teach at German universities; his dissertation was on the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews
.
Käsemann was later drafted as a soldier. He returned to his theological work during 1946 after several years in the army and as a prisoner of war.
Käsemann was involved with what is known as the 'New Quest for the historical Jesus
', a new phase of scholarly interest in working out what could possibly be ascertained historically about Jesus
. Käsemann effectively started this phase when he published his famous article "The Problem of the Historical Jesus" during 1954, originally his inaugural lecture as Professor in Göttingen in 1953.
Käsemann developed what became known as the double criterion of difference in evaluating the historical reliability of the synoptic gospels
. Put simply, what is historically reliable about Jesus can be deduced from material about Jesus which is neither plausible in a first-century Jewish nor an early Christian context. In addition to this, he proposed additional criteria, such as multiple attestation (does a particular story or saying of Jesus appear in independent traditions?) and coherence with other material already found to be reliable historical traditions about Jesus. Only the recent 'third quest' for the historical Jesus, which began in the later 1980s, began to question the absolute validity of these criteria.
Käsemann also began to take Jewish apocalypticism more seriously than most of his contemporary colleagues and thought it to be of vital significance for a reading of Paul. Indeed, he famously described apocalypticism as "the mother of Christian theology". Käsemann's commentary on Paul's Epistle to the Romans
, first published in 1973, became a standard work for that generation.
His daughter, Elisabeth Käsemann, was abducted by security forces in Argentina
during the military dictatorship and subsequently 'disappeared'. It is thought that she was murdered around March 24, 1977.
Ernst Käsemann received honorary doctorates from the universities of Marburg, Durham
, Edinburgh
, Oslo
and Yale
.
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
theologian and professor of New Testament in Mainz (1946-1951), Göttingen (1951-1959) and Tübingen (1959-1971).
Study and work
Käsemann obtained his PhDPHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
at the University of Marburg during 1931, having written a dissertation on Pauline
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
ecclesiology
Ecclesiology
Today, ecclesiology usually refers to the theological study of the Christian church. However when the word was coined in the late 1830s, it was defined as the science of the building and decoration of churches and it is still, though rarely, used in this sense.In its theological sense, ecclesiology...
, with Rudolf Bultmann
Rudolf Bultmann
Rudolf Karl Bultmann was a German theologian of Lutheran background, who was for three decades professor of New Testament studies at the University of Marburg...
as his doctoral supervisor. Käsemann was one of Bultmann's more well-known politically left-of-centre 'pupils'.
Käsemann joined the Confessing Church
Confessing Church
The Confessing Church was a Protestant schismatic church in Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to nazify the German Protestant church.-Demographics:...
movement in 1933; in the same year, he was appointed pastor in Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
, in a district populated mainly by miners. During the autumn of 1937 he spent a few weeks in Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
detention
Detention (imprisonment)
Detention is the process when a state, government or citizen lawfully holds a person by removing their freedom of liberty at that time. This can be due to criminal charges being raised against the individual as part of a prosecution or to protect a person or property...
for publicly supporting communist miners.
During 1939, he completed his habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
, which qualified him to teach at German universities; his dissertation was on the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews
Epistle to the Hebrews
The Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the books in the New Testament. Its author is not known.The primary purpose of the Letter to the Hebrews is to exhort Christians to persevere in the face of persecution. The central thought of the entire Epistle is the doctrine of the Person of Christ and his...
.
Käsemann was later drafted as a soldier. He returned to his theological work during 1946 after several years in the army and as a prisoner of war.
Käsemann was involved with what is known as the 'New Quest for the historical Jesus
Historical Jesus
The term historical Jesus refers to scholarly reconstructions of the 1st-century figure Jesus of Nazareth. These reconstructions are based upon historical methods including critical analysis of gospel texts as the primary source for his biography, along with consideration of the historical and...
', a new phase of scholarly interest in working out what could possibly be ascertained historically about Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Käsemann effectively started this phase when he published his famous article "The Problem of the Historical Jesus" during 1954, originally his inaugural lecture as Professor in Göttingen in 1953.
Käsemann developed what became known as the double criterion of difference in evaluating the historical reliability of the synoptic gospels
Synoptic Gospels
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes exactly the same wording. This degree of parallelism in content, narrative arrangement, language, and sentence structures can only be...
. Put simply, what is historically reliable about Jesus can be deduced from material about Jesus which is neither plausible in a first-century Jewish nor an early Christian context. In addition to this, he proposed additional criteria, such as multiple attestation (does a particular story or saying of Jesus appear in independent traditions?) and coherence with other material already found to be reliable historical traditions about Jesus. Only the recent 'third quest' for the historical Jesus, which began in the later 1980s, began to question the absolute validity of these criteria.
Käsemann also began to take Jewish apocalypticism more seriously than most of his contemporary colleagues and thought it to be of vital significance for a reading of Paul. Indeed, he famously described apocalypticism as "the mother of Christian theology". Käsemann's commentary on Paul's Epistle to the Romans
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
, first published in 1973, became a standard work for that generation.
His daughter, Elisabeth Käsemann, was abducted by security forces in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
during the military dictatorship and subsequently 'disappeared'. It is thought that she was murdered around March 24, 1977.
Ernst Käsemann received honorary doctorates from the universities of Marburg, Durham
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
, Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
and Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
Books by Ernst Käsemann (in English)
- Essays on New Testament themes. London, SCM, 1964.
- New Testament questions of today. London, SCM, 1969.
- Jesus means freedom: a polemical survey of the New Testament. London, SCM, 1969.
- Perspectives on Paul. London, SCM, 1971.
- Commentary on Romans. London, SCM, 1980.
- The Wandering People of God. Minneapolis, Augsburg, 1984.
Literature about Ernst Käsemann
- Way, D V 1991. The Lordship of Christ: Ernst Käsemann's Interpretation of Paul's Theology. Oxford.
- Zahl, Paul F M 1996. Die Rechtfertigungslehre Ernst Käsemanns. Calwer Verlag.
- Martin, R P 1998. Käsemann, Ernst. In: McKim, D K (ed) Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters. Downers Grove: IVP, pages 500-505
- Osborn, E F 1999. Käsemann, Ernst. In: Hayes, J H (ed) Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation Vol. 2, Nashville: Abingdon, pages 14-16.
- Harrisville, R A & Sundberg, W. Käsemann, Ernst. In: The Bible in Modern Culture: Theology and Historical Critical Method from Spinoza to Käsemann. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, pages 238-261.
See also
- Rudolf BultmannRudolf BultmannRudolf Karl Bultmann was a German theologian of Lutheran background, who was for three decades professor of New Testament studies at the University of Marburg...
- Günther BornkammGünther BornkammGünther Bornkamm was a German New Testament scholar and Professor of New Testament at the University of Heidelberg.He was a student of Rudolf Bultmann with Ernst Käsemann , Ernst Fuchs and Hans Conzelmann ....
- Michael LattkeMichael LattkeMichael Stephan Lattke is a scholar of the New Testament and early Christianity.Lattke was born in Stettin, Germany. He was brought up in Solingen and studied at Bonn, Tübingen, Münster, Augsburg and München...
- Kairos Document#Romans 13:1-7