Church Lutheran Title Reverend Doctor | Name Claus Westermann | |
Writings See section on Writings of Westermann Congregations served Berlin-DahlemKaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Berlin Education University of Zurich, University of Marburg, University of Tubingen, Humboldt University of Berlin Books Genesis 1‑11, Genesis 12‑36, Praise and lament in the Psalms, Basic forms of prophetic, Lamentations: Issues and Interpretation | ||
Claus Westermann (7 October 1909 – 11 June 2000) was a German Protestant Old Testament scholar. He taught at the University of Heidelberg from 1958 to 1978.
Born to African missionaries, he finished his studies in 1933 he became a pastor. During his theological studies he started studying the Old Testament, and became particularly interested in the content of the Psalms. During the Nazi regime he served in the German army for five years where he was a translator on the Russian front. After the war Westermann started preaching again and also went to teach Old Testament at Heidelberg, where he would continue to teach for twenty years with colleagues such as Gerhard von Rad, Hans Walter Wolff, and Rolf Rendtorff.
Westermann is considered one of the premier Old Testament scholars of the twentieth century. Particularly notable among his scholarship is his lengthy and comprehensive commentary on the Book of Genesis, especially the volume covering Genesis 1-11.