Hermann Gunkel
Encyclopedia
Hermann Gunkel was a German Protestant Old Testament
scholar. He is noted for his contribution to form criticism
and the study of oral tradition in biblical texts. He was an outstanding representative of the "History of Religion School."
, Kingdom of Hanover
, where his father was a Lutheran pastor
. He studied theology
in Göttingen
and Giessen, and in 1895 became a professor of Old Testament in Berlin
. In the same year his book Schöpfung und Chaos in Urzeit und Endzeit (Creation and Chaos) was published. In 1901 the first edition of his Genesis commentary appeared. In 1926 he published another standard work, his commentary on the book of Psalms
(Die Psalmen).
For health reasons Gunkel retired and became professor emeritus in 1927. His Einleitung in die Psalmen (Introduction to the Psalms) was his last major project, brought to completion with the help of Joachim Begrich
, who was both his former student and his son-in-law.
Hermann Gunkel died on 11 March 1932 in Halle
.
, William Wrede
, Wilhelm Bousset
, Johannes Weiss
, Ernst Troeltsch
, Wilhelm Heitmüller
, and Paul Wernle
. In the beginning they were primarily concerned with the origins of Christianity, but this interest eventually broadened to include the historical backgrounds of ancient Israelite and other Near Eastern religions.
His "Creation and Chaos in the Beginning and at the End of Time"( 1895) compared the biblical creation/destruction myths from Genesis 1 to Revelation 12. His most important work was probably his commentary on Genesis (1901), in which he applied to that book the new critical methodology of form criticism
(German, Formgeschichte). Form criticism examined the genres used in the biblical text to identify the Sitz im Leben
('setting in life') that produced the text. This approach was based on the assumption that each genre is organically associated with a particular social and/or historical situation. Gunkel and his circle believed that this was an improvement upon source criticism. Nineteenth-century source criticism
had examined the biblical text (especially the Pentateuch) on the basis of style, vocabulary, theology, and other criteria to identify the basic literary sources used to create the text. To give one example, the source critics argued that the Pentateuch—the first five books of the Hebrew Bible—was created by combining four basic literary works known by the sigla J, E, D, and P. Form criticism allowed scholars to go behind these larger literary sources by identifying the smaller and older sources used by their authors. Because of its utility, form criticism became immensely influential in Germany and Europe during the 20th century, being applied and developed by important scholars like Gerhard von Rad
and Martin Noth
. By the end of the 20th century, however, scholars commonly identified flaws in the approach and called for adjustments to it (such as one finds in Rhetorical Criticism) or total replacements of it (such as postmodern Genre Criticism).
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
scholar. He is noted for his contribution to form criticism
Form criticism
Form criticism is a method of biblical criticism that classifies units of scripture by literary pattern and that attempts to trace each type to its period of oral transmission. Form criticism seeks to determine a unit's original form and the historical context of the literary tradition. Hermann...
and the study of oral tradition in biblical texts. He was an outstanding representative of the "History of Religion School."
Biography
Gunkel was born in SpringeSpringe
Springe is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the Deister hills, southwest of Hanover.-City Structure:* Springe with 12,666 Inhabitants* Bennigsen with 4,095 Inhabitants...
, Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
, where his father was a Lutheran pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
. He studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
in Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
and Giessen, and in 1895 became a professor of Old Testament in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. In the same year his book Schöpfung und Chaos in Urzeit und Endzeit (Creation and Chaos) was published. In 1901 the first edition of his Genesis commentary appeared. In 1926 he published another standard work, his commentary on the book of Psalms
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
(Die Psalmen).
For health reasons Gunkel retired and became professor emeritus in 1927. His Einleitung in die Psalmen (Introduction to the Psalms) was his last major project, brought to completion with the help of Joachim Begrich
Joachim Begrich
Joachim Begrich was a German theologian born in Predel, a hamlet now belonging to Elsteraue. He was the son-in-law of Old Testament scholar Hermann Gunkel ....
, who was both his former student and his son-in-law.
Hermann Gunkel died on 11 March 1932 in Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
.
Achievement
Gunkel became an outstanding representative of the "History of Religions School" (die religionsgeschichtliche Schule), which addressed the history of traditions behind the biblical text. In addition to Gunkel, the original group also included Albert EichhornAlbert Eichhorn
Albert Eichhorn , the author of Das Abendmahl im Neuen Testament, was one of the founders of the discipline of history of religions, an approach that sought to understand all religions, including Christianity and Judaism, as socio-cultural phenomena that developed in comparable ways...
, William Wrede
William Wrede
Georg Friedrich Eduard William Wrede was a German Lutheran theologian.Wrede was born at Bücken in Hannover. He became an associate professor at Breslau in 1893, and full professor in 1896. He died in office in 1906....
, Wilhelm Bousset
Wilhelm Bousset
Wilhelm Bousset was a German theologian and New Testament scholar. He was of Huguenot ancestry and a native of Lübeck....
, Johannes Weiss
Johannes Weiss
Johannes Weiss was a German theologian and Biblical exegete.-History:Weiss was born in Kiel, Germany. A perpetual scholar, he studied in the University of Marburg, the University of Berlin, the University of Göttingen, and the University of Breslau...
, Ernst Troeltsch
Ernst Troeltsch
Ernst Troeltsch was a German Protestant theologian and writer on philosophy of religion and philosophy of history, and an influential figure in German thought before 1914...
, Wilhelm Heitmüller
Wilhelm Heitmüller
Wilhelm Heitmüller was a German Protestant theologian born in Döteberg, presently a division in the town of Seelze....
, and Paul Wernle
Paul Wernle
Paul Wernle was a Swiss theologian born in Hottingen, today part of the city of Zürich.He studied at the Universities of Basel, Berlin and Göttingen. At Basel he was a student of Bernhard Duhm , and in Göttingen was influenced by Wilhelm Bousset...
. In the beginning they were primarily concerned with the origins of Christianity, but this interest eventually broadened to include the historical backgrounds of ancient Israelite and other Near Eastern religions.
His "Creation and Chaos in the Beginning and at the End of Time"( 1895) compared the biblical creation/destruction myths from Genesis 1 to Revelation 12. His most important work was probably his commentary on Genesis (1901), in which he applied to that book the new critical methodology of form criticism
Form criticism
Form criticism is a method of biblical criticism that classifies units of scripture by literary pattern and that attempts to trace each type to its period of oral transmission. Form criticism seeks to determine a unit's original form and the historical context of the literary tradition. Hermann...
(German, Formgeschichte). Form criticism examined the genres used in the biblical text to identify the Sitz im Leben
Sitz im Leben
In Biblical criticism, Sitz im Leben is a German phrase roughly translating to "setting in life".-Origins:The term originated with the German Protestant theologian Hermann Gunkel. The term Sitz im Volksleben was employed for the first time in 1906 and the term Sitz im Leben in 1917...
('setting in life') that produced the text. This approach was based on the assumption that each genre is organically associated with a particular social and/or historical situation. Gunkel and his circle believed that this was an improvement upon source criticism. Nineteenth-century source criticism
Source criticism
A source criticism is a published source evaluation . An information source may be a document, a person, a speech, a fingerprint, a photo, an observation or anything used in order to obtain knowledge. In relation to a given purpose, a given information source may be more or less valid, reliable or...
had examined the biblical text (especially the Pentateuch) on the basis of style, vocabulary, theology, and other criteria to identify the basic literary sources used to create the text. To give one example, the source critics argued that the Pentateuch—the first five books of the Hebrew Bible—was created by combining four basic literary works known by the sigla J, E, D, and P. Form criticism allowed scholars to go behind these larger literary sources by identifying the smaller and older sources used by their authors. Because of its utility, form criticism became immensely influential in Germany and Europe during the 20th century, being applied and developed by important scholars like Gerhard von Rad
Gerhard von Rad
Gerhard von Rad was a German Lutheran pastor, University professor and an Old Testament scholar.With the experience of two World Wars, the German-speaking world began to turn "anti-Old Testament"...
and Martin Noth
Martin Noth
Martin Noth was a German scholar of the Hebrew Bible who specialized in the pre-Exilic history of the Hebrews. With Gerhard von Rad he pioneered the traditional-historical approach to biblical studies, emphasising the role of oral traditions in the formation of the biblical texts.-Life:Noth was...
. By the end of the 20th century, however, scholars commonly identified flaws in the approach and called for adjustments to it (such as one finds in Rhetorical Criticism) or total replacements of it (such as postmodern Genre Criticism).
Major works in English
- Creation and Chaos in the Primeval Era and the Eschaton. Translated by K. William Whitney Jr. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006. German ed. 1895.
- The Folktale in the Old Testament. Translated by M. D. Rutter. Sheffield: Almond Press, 1987. German ed. 1921.
- Genesis. Translated by Mark E. Biddle. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1997. German ed. 1910.
- The History of Religion and the Old Testament. London: Williams & Norgate, 1910.
- The Influence of the Holy Spirit. Translated by Roy A. Harrisville and P. A. Quanbeck II. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1979. German ed. 1888.
- An Introduction to the Psalms. With Joachim Begrich. Translated by James D. Nogalski. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1998. German ed. 1933.
- Israel and Babylon. Translated by E. S. B. Philadelphia: McVey, 1904. German ed. 1903.
- The Legends of Genesis. Translated by W. H. Carruth. Chicago: Open Court, 1901; reprinted, with Introduction by W. F. Albright. New York: Schocken, 1964. German ed. the introduction to his Genesis commentary, 1901.
- The Psalms: A Form-Critical Introduction. Introduction by James Muilenburg. Translated by T. M. Horner. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1967. German ed. 1927.
- The Stories of Genesis. Translated by John J. Scullion. Edited by W. R. Scott. Vallejo, CA: Bibal, 1994. German ed. 1910.
- Water for a Thirsty Land. Edited by K. C. Hanson. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001.
- What Remains of the Old Testament and Other Essays. Introduction by James Moffatt. Translated by A. K. Dallas. New York: Macmillan, 1928. German ed. 1916.