Old Testament
Department chair: Prof. Dr. Markus Zehnder
Studies in Old Testament
The department of Old Testament conducts research on the Hebrew Bible and the surrounding cultures. The biblical texts are studied in their original ancient Near Eastern context with the help of a broad range of historical, literary and linguistic methods. Questions relating to the use of the Old Testament texts in the context of the Bible as a whole and in relation to the present world are an integral part of the department’s activities. The canonical form of the texts is taken as the starting point of all investigations; however, questions about the pre-history of the texts are also addressed.
Perspectives derived from other scientific fields like sociology, comparative religious studies and others are used where applicable. More recent approaches like liberationist, psychological or feminist interpretations are taken into consideration. In addition to the Hebrew Bible, texts and cultures of the ancient Near East are studied as well. The early translations and interpretations of the Hebrew Bible as attested in the Septuagint and the Targumim are an additional part of the department’s focus, as are interpretations found in rabbinic and early Christian sources.
Independent Academic Personnel
| Prof. Dr. Markus Zehnder | OT Ethics, OT Law, OT and Migration |
| Prof. Dr. Herbert H. Klement | OT Theology, Phoenicians, God as King |
| Prof. Dr. Hendrik Koorevaar | |
| Prof. Dr. Geert W. Lorein | Earliest Interpretations of the Old Testament, Targum of the Psalms, Hebrew Prose |
| Dr. Creighton Marlowe | OT wisdom, OT poetry, OT exegesis |
| Prof. Dr. Mart-Jan Paul | Pentateuch, Archaeology, Hermeneutics |
Post-Doctoral Researchers
| Prof. Dr. Heiko Wenzel | Prophecy, Intertextuality |
External Instructors
| Dr. Benjamin Kilchör |
| Dr. Siegbert Riecker |
| David van Acker MA (Ph.D. candidate) |
Doctoral Students (with or without AAP/SAP-status)
| Michael de Luca | The New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31: the Messianic Jewish Perspective |
| Randall Ford | Jeremiah 31:31-34 The New Covenant |
| Jürgen Schulz | A Critical and Comparative Examination and Reevaluation of the Old Testament Usage of the Concepts Shame, Honor and Guilt in comparison with Babylonian Texts, with an Emphasis on Ezekiel and the 6th century B.C.E. |
| Bram van den Heuvel | Original Monotheism |
| Clemens Wassermann | Das vierte Evangelium aus Sicht der semitischen Sprachen: eine sprachwissenschaftliche Studie |
| Vladimir Yakim | Resurrection in the Book of Daniel |
