Joachim Jeremias
Encyclopedia
Joachim Jeremias was a German Lutheran theologian, scholar of Near Eastern Studies and university professor for New Testament
studies. He was abbot of Bursfelde
, 1968–1971.
He was born in Dresden
and spent his formative years in Jerusalem, where between 1910 and 1918 his father, Dr. Friedrich Jeremias (1868–1945), worked as Provost
of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
. He studied Lutheran theology and Oriental languages at the universities of Tübingen and Leipzig
. In Leipzig he obtained both a "Doctor philosophiae (Dr.phil.)" (1922) and a "Doctor theologiae (Dr.theol.)" (1923) degree (PhD
and ThD
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 Göttingen
to Tübingen
, where he died in 1979.
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).
in revisions of the Hennecke-Schneemelcher collection of New Testament Apocrypha
.
which supported medieval rabbinical defences that the Yeshu the deceiver mentioned in the Talmud was a different Jesus from the Jesus of Christianity. Related to this he also supported David Flusser
's suggestion that the name Yeshu itself was in no way abusive, but 'almost certainly' a Galilean dialect form of Yeshua
. Jeremias himself recounted in 1966 that he had discovered the only known confirmed inscription of the spelling Yeshu in Bethesda
, but that this inscription was now covered in.
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....
studies. He was abbot of Bursfelde
Bursfelde Abbey
Bursfelde Abbey was a house of the Benedictine Order located in the present Hemeln-Bursfelde, part of the town of Hannoversch Münden in Lower Saxony in Germany.-History:...
, 1968–1971.
He was 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....
and spent his formative years in Jerusalem, where between 1910 and 1918 his father, Dr. Friedrich Jeremias (1868–1945), worked as Provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem
The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is the second Protestant church in the Old City of Jerusalem . It is a property of the Evangelical Jerusalem Foundation, one of the three foundations of the Evangelical Church in Germany in the Holy Land...
. He studied Lutheran theology and Oriental languages at the universities of Tübingen and 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...
. In Leipzig he obtained both a "Doctor philosophiae (Dr.phil.)" (1922) and a "Doctor theologiae (Dr.theol.)" (1923) degree (PhD
PHD
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...
and ThD
THD
THD may refer to:* That Handsome Devil, an American alternative rock band* Total harmonic distortion, a measure of the distortion of an audio signal* Total Hi Def , an optical disc format* Th.D. or D.Th...
in English), followed by 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...
(1925). His mentor was the renowned Gustaf Dalman
Gustaf Dalman
Gustaf Hermann Dalman was a German Lutheran theologian and orientalist. He did extensive field work in Palestine, collecting poetry and proverbs.-Works:...
.
After other teaching assignments, Jeremias was appointed in 1935 to the chair of New Testament studies at the Georg-August University of Göttingen
Georg-August University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen , known informally as Georgia Augusta, is a university in the city of Göttingen, Germany.Founded in 1734 by King George II of Great Britain and the Elector of Hanover, it opened for classes in 1737. The University of Göttingen soon grew in size and popularity...
, where he taught until his retirement in 1968. In 1976, Jeremias moved from 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:...
to 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:...
, 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 BibleHebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
and Rabbinic texts
Rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writing, and thus corresponds with the Hebrew term...
relevant for a critical analysis of 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....
in order to reconstruct the historical environment of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
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
Göttingen Academy of Sciences
The Göttingen Academy of Sciences is the second oldest of the seven academies of sciences in Germany. It has the task of promoting research under its own auspices and in collaboration with academics in and outside Germany...
in 1948 and the award of honorary doctorates from the universities of Leipzig, St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
(Scotland), Uppsala
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
(Sweden), and Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
(Britain). He was also made a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences and the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
. Finally, in 1970 he was made an honorary fellow of the Deutsche Verein zur Erforschung Palästinas (German association for research on Palestine).
Jeremias on the New Testament Apocrypha
He worked with Wilhelm SchneemelcherWilhelm Schneemelcher
Wilhelm Schneemelcher was a German theologian and expert on the New Testament Apocrypha.He obtained through Hans Lietzmann a post researching Latin and Greek manuscripts at the Church Fathers Commission, however this came under the Prussian Academy of Sciences so in 1938 Schneemelcher was removed...
in revisions of the Hennecke-Schneemelcher collection of New Testament Apocrypha
New Testament apocrypha
The New Testament apocrypha are a number of writings by early Christians that claim to be accounts of Jesus and his teachings, the nature of God, or the teachings of his apostles and of their lives. These writings often have links with books regarded as "canonical"...
.
Jeremias on Jesus in the Talmud
Jeremias took a stand on the passages generally regarded as relating to Jesus in the TalmudJesus in the Talmud
The Talmud contains passages that some scholars have concluded are references to Christian traditions about Jesus.The history of textual transmission of these passages is complex and scholars are not agreed concerning which passages are original, and which were added later or removed later in...
which supported medieval rabbinical defences that the Yeshu the deceiver mentioned in the Talmud was a different Jesus from the Jesus of Christianity. Related to this he also supported David Flusser
David Flusser
David Flusser was a professor of Early Christianity and Judaism of the Second Temple Period at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.- Biography :...
's suggestion that the name Yeshu itself was in no way abusive, but 'almost certainly' a Galilean dialect form of Yeshua
Yeshua
Yeshua, was a common alternative form of the name Joshua "Yehoshuah" in later books of the Hebrew Bible and among Jews of the Second Temple Period...
. Jeremias himself recounted in 1966 that he had discovered the only known confirmed inscription of the spelling Yeshu in Bethesda
Bethesda
Bethesda , originally referring to the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem , may also refer to:-United States:*Bethesda, Davidson County, North Carolina...
, but that this inscription was now covered in.
Publications in English
- The Servant of God (1957; German ed.: 1952) (with Walther Zimmerli)
- 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 PerrinNorman PerrinNorman Perrin was Associate Professor of New Testament, at the Divinity School, University of Chicago. Professor Perrin was internationally known for his work on Redaction Criticism of the New Testament....
(1964; German ed.: 1960) - Unknown Sayings of Jesus, trans. Reginald H. FullerReginald H. FullerReginald Horace Fuller was an Anglo-American Biblical scholar, ecumenist, and Anglican priest...
(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 AlandKurt AlandKurt Aland was a German Theologian and Professor of New Testament Research and Church History. He founded the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster and served as its first director for many years...
, 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)