Joachim Jeremias

Joachim Jeremias (20 September 1900 – 6 September, 1979) was a German Lutheran theologian, scholar of Near Eastern Studies and university professor for New Testament studies.

He was born in Dresden and spent his formative years in Jerusalem, where his father, Dr Friedrich Jeremias, worked as a "Propst" (provost) for the Lutheran "Erlöserkirche" (German name: "Church of the Redeemer"). He studied Lutheran theology and oriental languages at Tübingen and Leipzig. In Leipzig he obtained both a "Doctor philosophiae (Dr.phil.)" (1922) and a "Doctor theologiae (Dr.theol.)" (1923) degree ("PhD" and "Doctor of Divinity" in English), followed by his "Habilitation" (1925). His mentor was the renowned Gustaf Dalman.

After other teaching assignments, Jeremias was appointed in 1935 to the chair of New Testament studies at the Georg-August University of Göttingen, where he taught until his retirement in 1968. In 1976, Jeremias moved from Goettingen to Tübingen, where he died in 1979.

Academic work

His research and publications covered a wide field, ranging from historical and archaeological to literary and philosophical studies. They concentrate on the Hebrew Bible and Rabbinic texts relevant for a critical analysis of the New Testament in order to reconstruct the historical environment of Jesus in all its complexity, to provide a deeper understanding of his life and teachings.

His achievements found national and international acknowledgment, recognized by the admission into the Göttingen Academy of Sciences in 1948 and the award of honorary doctorates from the universities of Leipzig, St Andrews (Scotland), Uppsala (Sweden), and Oxford (Britain). He was also made a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences and the British Academy. Finally, in 1970 he was made an honorary fellow of the "Deutsche Verein zur Erforschung Palästinas" ("German association for research on Palestine").

Publications in English

*(with Walther Zimmerli) "The Servant of God" (1957; German ed.: 1952)
*"Jesus' Promise to the Nations," trans. S. H. Hooke (1958; German ed.: 1956)
*"Infant Baptism in the First Four Centuries," trans. D. Cairns (1962; reprinted, 2004; German ed.: 1958)
*"The Sermon on the Mount," trans. Norman Perrin (1963; German ed.: 1959)
*"The Lord's Prayer," trans. John Reumann (1964; German ed.: 1962)
*"The Problem of the Historical Jesus," trans. Norman Perrin (1964; German ed.: 1960)
*"Unknown Sayings of Jesus," trans. Reginald H. Fuller (1964; German ed.: 1949)
*"The Central Message of the New Testament" (1965; reprinted, 1981)
*"The Eucharistic Words of Jesus," trans. Norman Perrin (1966; reprinted, 1977; 3d German ed.: 1960)
*"Rediscovering the Parables of Jesus" (1966; abridgement of "The Parables of Jesus")
*"The Rediscovery of Bethesda, John 5:2" (1966; German ed.: 1949)
*"The Prayers of Jesus," trans. John Bowden et al. (1967; German ed.: 1958)
*"Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus: An Investigation into Economic & Social Conditions During the New Testament Period," trans. F. H. Cave and C. H. Cave (1969; German ed.: 1967)
*"New Testament Theology," trans. John Bowden (1971; German ed.: 1971)
*"The Origins of Infant Baptism: A Further Reply to Kurt Aland," trans. Dorothea M. Barton (1971; German ed.: 1962)
*"The Parables of Jesus," 2d ed., trans. S. H. Hooke (1972; German ed.: 1958)
*"Jesus and the Message of the New Testament," edited by K. C. Hanson, Fortress Classics in Biblical Studies (2002)

External links

* [http://faith.propadeutic.com/authors/liberal.html Entry on Realms of Faith website] (includes picture)