Church Lutheran Title Reverend Doctor | Name Gerhard Rad | |
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Born 21 October 1901 ( 1901-10-21 ) Nuremberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire Writings The Problem of the Hexateuch and other essays Offices held Professor of Old Testament, University of Heidelberg Died October 31, 1971, Heidelberg, Germany Education University of Tubingen, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg People also search for Bernd Janowski, Soren Kierkegaard, Werner Foerster, Norbert Lohfink SJ Books Genesis: a commentary, Wisdom in Israel, Holy War in Ancient Israel, The problem of the Hexat, The message of the proph | ||
Gerhard von Rad
Gerhard von Rad (21 October 1901 – 31 October 1971) was a German theologian, academic, and University of Heidelberg professor.
Contents
- Gerhard von Rad
- Early life education career
- Oral tradition and the Pentateuch
- Death
- Publications
- Scholarly Impact
- References
Early life, education, career
Rad was born in Nuremberg, Bavaria, to Lutheran parents. He then went on to be educated at the University of Erlangen and further at the University of Tübingen.
In 1925, he became a curate in the Lutheran Landeskirche (i.e. the church in the federal state) of Bavaria. Later, he taught at the University of Erlangen in 1929 as tutor. In 1930 he was a privatdozent at the University of Leipzig. From 1934 to 1945 he served as a professor at the University of Jena and later at the University of Göttingen from 1945 to 1949. After that, he became Professor of Old Testament at the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg in the state of Baden-Württemberg and taught there until his death in 1971.
He was conferred honorary doctorates from the University of Lund, Sweden and the University of Wales, United Kingdom.
Oral tradition and the Pentateuch
Along with Martin Noth, Rad applied form criticism, originated by Hermann Gunkel, to the documentary hypothesis.
With the experience of two World Wars, the German-speaking world began to turn "anti-Old Testament", as anti-Semitic feeling grew. Disturbed by this, Rad turned to the study of the Old Testament and gradually started to bring back its message.
His lively papers achieved a renewal of interest and research in Old Testament studies. Along with Martin Noth, he applied research into the Pentateuch's oral tradition to the explanation of its origin.
In 1960, Rad traveled to the United States where he was a visiting scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary. Rad was greatly influential during this period. While at Princeton, he took on Richard A. Jensen as an understudy, who would also further his research and application.
Death
Gerhard von Rad and his wife are buried in Heidelberg's "Handschusheim Cemetery". Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. On their gravestone is minimalist artwork depicting Jonah emerging from the great fish, an Old Testament symbol of resurrection.
Publications
Scholarly Impact
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