Kurt Rudolph
Encyclopedia
Kurt Rudolph is a German
researcher of Gnosticism
and Mandaeism
.
Born in Dresden
, Rudolph studied Protestant
theology
, religion
, history
and Semitic
at the universities of Greifswald and Leipzig
in the years 1948 to 1953. Subsequently, for six years he was research assistant
while he worked in parallel towards doctorates in theology and as well as religious history. . In 1961 he received his habilitation
in religious history and comparative religion
.
During his work at the Universities of Leipzig
, Chicago
and Marburg and Santa Barbara
(University of California), he has acquired an international reputation as a connoisseur of Gnosticism and Manichaeism. In addition, he has also occupied himself with Islam
and methodological questions in religious studies
.
Here his priority was the creation of a religion studies discipline that was independent of theology. Rudolph stresses that religious studies must be rational science and therefore has a duty to subject itself to a methodological atheism. This thesis, which initially was fiercely contested in German religious studies, is now largely a matter of consensus.
Since his retirement in 1994, Kurt Rudolph received honorary doctorates in Århus and Leipzig. He lives in Marburg
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
researcher of Gnosticism
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
and Mandaeism
Mandaeism
Mandaeism or Mandaeanism is a Gnostic religion with a strongly dualistic worldview. Its adherents, the Mandaeans, revere Adam, Abel, Seth, Enosh, Noah, Shem, Aram and especially John the Baptist...
.
Born in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Rudolph studied Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
theology
Christian theology
- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...
, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and Semitic
Semitic
In linguistics and ethnology, Semitic was first used to refer to a language family of largely Middle Eastern origin, now called the Semitic languages...
at the universities of Greifswald and Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
in the years 1948 to 1953. Subsequently, for six years he was research assistant
Research assistant
A research assistant is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university or a research institute, for the purpose of assisting in academic research...
while he worked in parallel towards doctorates in theology and as well as religious history. . In 1961 he received 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...
in religious history and comparative religion
Comparative religion
Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions...
.
During his work at the Universities of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
, Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and Marburg and Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
(University of California), he has acquired an international reputation as a connoisseur of Gnosticism and Manichaeism. In addition, he has also occupied himself with Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and methodological questions in religious studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
.
Here his priority was the creation of a religion studies discipline that was independent of theology. Rudolph stresses that religious studies must be rational science and therefore has a duty to subject itself to a methodological atheism. This thesis, which initially was fiercely contested in German religious studies, is now largely a matter of consensus.
Since his retirement in 1994, Kurt Rudolph received honorary doctorates in Århus and Leipzig. He lives in Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
.
Works
- Die Mandäer I - Das Mandäerproblem Vandenhoek 1960
- Die Mandäer II - Der Kult Vandenhoek 1961
- Theogonie, Kosmogonie und Anthropogonie in den mandäischen Schriften Vandenhoeck 1965, ISBN 3525531826
- Die Gnosis - Wesen und Geschichte einer spätantiken Religion Leipzig 1977, (4th edition. Vandenhoeck 2005), ISBN 9783525521106
- Gnosis und Spätantike Religionsgeschichte, (collected essays, Brill 1997) ISBN 9004106251