Rudolf Smend was a German theologian who was born in Lengerich, Westphalia

Westphalia

Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...

. He was an older brother to theologian Julius Smend

Julius Smend

Julius Smend was a German theologian who was born in Lengerich, Westphalia. He was brother to theologian Rudolf Smend and father to musicologist Friedrich Smend ....

 (1857-1930), and the father of Carl Friedrich Rudolf Smend (1882-1975), an authority on constitutional and ecclesiastical law.

He studied theology at the Universities of Göttingen, Berlin and Bonn

University of Bonn

The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...

, earning his doctorate in 1874 with a dissertation on Arabic poetry

Arabic poetry

Arabic poetry is the earliest form of Arabic literature. Present knowledge of poetry in Arabic dates from the 6th century, but oral poetry is believed to predate that. Arabic poetry is categorized into two main types, rhymed, or measured, and prose, with the former greatly preceding the latter...

. In 1880 he became an associate professor of the Old Testament

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...

 at the University of Basel

University of Basel

The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...

, where shortly afterwards he attained the title of full professor.

In 1889 he returned to the University of 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:...

 as a professor of Biblical science and Semitic languages

Semitic languages

The Semitic languages are a group of related languages whose living representatives are spoken by more than 270 million people across much of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa...

. At Göttingen he was reunited with his former teacher Julius Wellhausen

Julius Wellhausen

Julius Wellhausen , was a German biblical scholar and orientalist, noted particularly for his contribution to scholarly understanding of the origin of the Pentateuch/Torah ....

 (1844-1918), who was a major influence in his professional career. Smend is largely remembered for critical examination of the Old Testament, particularly in his research involving stories of the Hexateuch

Hexateuch

The Hexateuch is the first six books of the Hebrew Bible . Some scholars propose that Joshua represents part of the northern Yahwist source , detached from JE document by the Deuteronomist and incorporated into the Deuteronomic history, with the books of Judges, Kings, and Samuel.Reasons...

. In 1907 with Alfred Rahlfs

Alfred Rahlfs

Alfred Rahlfs was born in Linden, Hannover, Germany. He studied Protestant Theology, Philosophy, and Oriental Languages in Halle and Göttingen, from where he received a Dr. Phil. in 1881...

 (1865-1935) he created the Septuaginta-Unternehmen (Septuagint Venture) in the Göttingen Society of Sciences.

Selected publications

• Der Prophet Ezechiel (The Prophet Ezekiel
  Ezekiel
  Ezekiel , "God will strengthen" , is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Ezekiel is acknowledged as a Hebrew prophet...
  
  ), 1880
• Lehrbuch der alttestamentlichen Religionsgeschichte (Textbook of Old Testament Religious History), 1899
• Die Weisheit des Jesus Sirach (the Wisdom of Jesus Sirach) with Hebrew glossary, 1906
• Die Erzählung des Hexateuch auf ihre Quellen untersucht (Sources of the Hexateuch
  Hexateuch
  The Hexateuch is the first six books of the Hebrew Bible . Some scholars propose that Joshua represents part of the northern Yahwist source , detached from JE document by the Deuteronomist and incorporated into the Deuteronomic history, with the books of Judges, Kings, and Samuel.Reasons...
  
  Investigated), 1912