Michael Lattke
Encyclopedia
Michael 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. In spite of his Roman Catholic background, at Tübingen
he also studied Protestant theology, especially under the leading Protestant New Testament
scholar Ernst Käsemann
. He received the Dipl.-Theol. from Tübingen
in 1968, the Dr. theol. from Freiburg
in 1974, and the Dr. theol. habil. from Augsburg
in 1979.
In 1981 Lattke settled in Brisbane
, Australia
and began teaching at the University of Queensland
, where he also received a D.Litt. in 1992. In 1994 he became Professor
of New Testament
and Early Christianity
Studies, and in 1997 he became a Senior Research Fellow of the Australian Research Council
. Since October 2007, he has been Emeritus Professor at the University of Queensland
.
Lattke has published widely on the New Testament
, early Christianity
, early Judaism
, early Christian hymns, and Gnosticism
, and he has established himself as the world's foremost authority on the pseudepigraphical
Odes of Solomon
. In his comprehensive study of the Odes of Solomon
, he has argued that the Odes were written originally in Greek
. His commentary on the Odes has been translated into English by Marianne Ehrhardt for the Hermeneia series (published 2009 by Fortress Press). He is currently writing a commentary on the Apology of Aristides
for the series "Kommentar zu frühchristlichen Apologeten" (published by Herder Verlag).
In 2003 the Australian Government
awarded Lattke a Centenary Medal for his contribution to the field of early Christian
studies, and in 2007 he was presented with the Festschrift
, I Sowed Fruits into Hearts (Odes Sol. 17:13): Festschrift for Professor Michael Lattke, edited by Pauline Allen, Majella Franzmann and Rick Strelan (Strathfield: St Pauls, 2007).
Lattke is a member of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS), a life member of the Society for the Study of Early Christianity (SSEC), and an Honorary Fellow in the Centre for Early Christian Studies at the Australian Catholic University
(ACU).
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....
and early Christianity
Early Christianity
Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325. The New Testament's Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians records that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included James, Peter and John....
.
Lattke was born in Stettin, Germany
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...
. He was brought up in Solingen
Solingen
Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and with a 2009 population of 161,366 is the second largest city in the Bergisches Land...
and studied at Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
, Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
and München. In spite of his Roman Catholic background, at Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
he also studied Protestant theology, especially under the leading Protestant 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....
scholar Ernst Käsemann
Ernst Käsemann
Ernst Käsemann, , was a Lutheran theologian and professor of New Testament in Mainz , Göttingen and Tübingen .-Study and work:...
. He received the Dipl.-Theol. from Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
in 1968, the Dr. theol. from Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
in 1974, and the Dr. theol. habil. from Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
in 1979.
In 1981 Lattke settled in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and began teaching at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
, where he also received a D.Litt. in 1992. In 1994 he became Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of 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....
and Early Christianity
Early Christianity
Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325. The New Testament's Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians records that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included James, Peter and John....
Studies, and in 1997 he became a Senior Research Fellow of the Australian Research Council
Australian Research Council
The Australian Research Council is the Australian Government’s main agency for allocating research funding to academics and researchers in Australian universities. Its mission is to advance Australia’s capacity to undertake research that brings economic, social and cultural benefit to the...
. Since October 2007, he has been Emeritus Professor at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
.
Lattke has published widely on the 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....
, early Christianity
Early Christianity
Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325. The New Testament's Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians records that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included James, Peter and John....
, early Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, early Christian hymns, and 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 he has established himself as the world's foremost authority on the pseudepigraphical
Pseudepigraphy
Pseudepigrapha are falsely attributed works, texts whose claimed authorship is unfounded; a work, simply, "whose real author attributed it to a figure of the past." The word "pseudepigrapha" is the plural of "pseudepigraphon" ; the Anglicized forms...
Odes of Solomon
Odes of Solomon
The Odes of Solomon is a collection of 42 odes attributed to Solomon. Various scholars have dated the composition of these religious poems to anywhere in the range of the first three centuries AD...
. In his comprehensive study of the Odes of Solomon
Odes of Solomon
The Odes of Solomon is a collection of 42 odes attributed to Solomon. Various scholars have dated the composition of these religious poems to anywhere in the range of the first three centuries AD...
, he has argued that the Odes were written originally in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. His commentary on the Odes has been translated into English by Marianne Ehrhardt for the Hermeneia series (published 2009 by Fortress Press). He is currently writing a commentary on the Apology of Aristides
Apology of Aristides
The Apology of Aristides was written by the early Christian writer Aristides . Until 1878, our knowledge of Aristides was confined to some references in works by Eusebius of Caesarea and Saint Jerome. Eusebius said that he was an Athenian philosopher and that Aristides and another apologist,...
for the series "Kommentar zu frühchristlichen Apologeten" (published by Herder Verlag).
In 2003 the Australian Government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
awarded Lattke a Centenary Medal for his contribution to the field of early Christian
Early Christianity
Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325. The New Testament's Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians records that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included James, Peter and John....
studies, and in 2007 he was presented with the Festschrift
Festschrift
In academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
, I Sowed Fruits into Hearts (Odes Sol. 17:13): Festschrift for Professor Michael Lattke, edited by Pauline Allen, Majella Franzmann and Rick Strelan (Strathfield: St Pauls, 2007).
Lattke is a member of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS), a life member of the Society for the Study of Early Christianity (SSEC), and an Honorary Fellow in the Centre for Early Christian Studies at the Australian Catholic University
Australian Catholic University
Australian Catholic University is a national public university. It has six campuses and offers programs in five faculties throughout Australia.-History:...
(ACU).