Julius Wellhausen

Julius Wellhausen ( born May 17, 1844 in Hameln, † January 7, 1918 in Göttingen ) was a German Protestant theologian and Orientalist, the lasting impact on the research on the Old Testament and had to early Islamic history.

He was one of the founders of modern biblical criticism. Named after him Wellhausen school speaks much of the biblical tradition from the historicity and considers them only as a projection of later epochs, especially the monarchy. She used methodologically exclusively of literary analysis of ancient texts. Wellhausen presented some of today discussed theses (including the recent documentary hypothesis ), which were developed especially by his students Albrecht Alt and Martin Noth.

Life

Wellhausen was the son of the Second City pastor August Wellhausen. He was baptized by the same elder brother of the father who worked as a surgeon in Hanover on a Guelph court on Julius. The father was soon mentally ill and therefore unable to work and died in 1861, just 52 years old. The mother also died before her sixtieth year after severe nerve disease, arteriosclerosis, and almost total deafness.

Wellhausen graduated from the Lyceum in Hannover and then studied theology in 1862 in Göttingen. Early on, he distanced himself from against the orthodox Lutheran attitude of the father. For his study was determining material derived from student time interest in Old Testament writings, especially on the prophet Elijah. In 1863, he then read Heinrich Ewald's History of Israel, which was to influence his further studies significantly.

By Ewald Wellhausen was the view of the whole history of religion, which initially practically impacted by he also learned Aramaic and Arabic in addition to Hebrew. Could Wellhausen here benefit from the comprehensive claim of the teacher, but he had to distance themselves reversed against the authoritarian habitus Ewald. Tradition has it to the anecdote that the teacher the student had the door after he had refused to make the political views of the teacher such as its own, that he with him Chancellor Bismarck had to publicly call villains. Nevertheless, also attended such episode only for temporary discord.

Wellhausen then worked in Hannover as a tutor and learned 1867 Albrecht Ritschl know. Ritschl recommended him the Old Testament theses Karl Heinrich Graf, where it focused mainly on the assumption that the law is younger than the Prophet. The Count 's theses should employ Wellhausen from now on. Added to this were the previous work in the same direction Wilhelm de Wette and Wilhelm Vatkes. The influence of Ritschl himself on Wellhausen but should remain low.

1868 Wellhausen Repetent Theology at Göttingen pin, which gave him the opportunity to prepare his doctorate and his habilitation in 1870. After that Wellhausen was a then a lecturer in Göttingen. By August Dillmann, a student of Ewald, Wellhausen in 1872 became the regular Chair of the Old Testament in Greifswald, where Hermann Cremer and taught Ulrich von Wilamowitz - Moellendorff. Both Wellhausen was later connected amicable. Theodor Mommsen, the father-in Wilamowitz ', was Wellhausen's model as a historian. Mommsen's idea of ​​the story was in contrast to the supposed objectivity Leopold von Ranke hermeneutically oriented.

In 1872, then also Wellhausen's work appeared on the books of Samuel. In 1874 he published The Pharisees and Sadducees, and the 1878, the 4th edition of the Introduction to the Old Testament ( founded by Friedrich Bleek ), later called the Wellhausen The Composition of the Hexateuch, and the history of Israel (Volume I) from the second edition Prolegomena was the history of Israel. Especially towards the latter work a fierce debate among scholars of the time, especially created by August Dillmann and Franz Delitzsch. However, other conservatives, such as Wolf Graf and Rudolf Kittel Sen. Baudissin, but the Dutchman Abraham Kuenen and Scotsman William Robertson Smith joined Wellhausen's position.

On June 25, 1875 married Marie Limpricht Wellhausen ( 1856-1925 ), the eldest daughter of the chemist Heinrich Limpricht. Marie was already a highly acclaimed pianist. Later, they multiplied their fame primarily as a pupil of Max Reger. However, the marriage was to the regret of Wellhausen childless.

As a practical consequence of his research then Wellhausen asked in 1880 the Prussian Minister of Culture Friedrich Althoff for a transfer into the Faculty of Arts to prepare no more students to the ecclesiastical ministry must. After the minister had ignored this request for two years, put Wellhausen 1882 his professorship at Greifswald down and habilitated for Semitic philology at Göttingen. Then the minister then appointed him extraordinary professor of oriental languages ​​at the Faculty of Philosophy in Halle, in 1885 a full professor of oriental languages ​​at the same faculty of the University of Marburg ( to 1892 ). During this time, Wellhausen Wolf Baudissin learned and know him later amicably connected with Wilhelm Herrmann, Adolf Jülich, Benedikt Niese and Ferdinand Justi.

Already in 1881 Wellhausen published an article about the history of Israel in the Encyclopædia Britannica, as the outline of the history of Israel and Judah appeared in 1884 in German. In the part about the prophets Wellhausen approached here at the view of his friend Bernhard Duhm. 1883 Wellhausen was at the invitation of William Robertson Smith then in Edinburgh, where she learned the he admired Thomas Carlyle, then Lord Rector of the University, know. 1887 was the remains of Arab paganism. In this time, the later often perceived as annoying quarrel with Eduard Meyer about his book The Origin of Judaism fell (Hall 1896).

As 1890 Ewald's successor in Göttingen, Paul de Lagarde, died, moved Wellhausen calls from the public as well as by his friend Rudolf Smend to accept the call on the orphaned Chair of Oriental Languages ​​. Theodor Nöldeke had previously rejected. Wellhausen began his lectures in Göttingen in the winter semester 1892. During the same year Wellhausen was a member of the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen. However, for health reasons, he retired in 1903 from again. Since 1900, Wellhausen was also a corresponding member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences.

In 1894 the Israelite and Jewish history, 1902 then The Arab Empire and its fall. In the same year he prepared the processing of the Gospels. It appeared then in 1903 a commentary on Mark, 1904 to Matthew and Luke, 1905 Finally an introduction to the first three Gospels. The New Testament works created Wellhausen whole without including scientific literature. Herein lies until today its limit and size. 1908 followed the commentary on John, whose heterogeneity was found Wellhausen already in the preparatory work. Herein were reflected mainly discussions with Eduard Schwartz. During this time, Albert Schweitzer was influenced by Wellhausen - later Rudolf Bultmann. Max Weber took over Wellhausen's name for the Israelite society to judge time (ie before the king time) as " Confederation ".

Wellhausen's scientific work was be the rate, " that it is ever best to simply present his opinion and the reasons therefor, or as Ewald put it, always the same right to say". Restrained he remained especially towards the cuneiform research and the History of Religions school. Dealing with Eduard Meyer is now regarded mainly as a between the national historical perspective Wellhausen and the universal historical Meyers. Nevertheless, he supported, for example, Wilhelm Bousset's controversial inclusion in the Royal Society of Sciences in Göttingen.

His physical constitution was the legacy of the parents accordingly weak. It is characterized by persistent stomach disorders, insomnia and atherosclerosis, which made ​​it almost impossible for him to write in his later years, reported. With about sixty years he was also deaf. Nevertheless, Wellhausen was always described even in this time as happy, balanced person with a rustic charm and appearance beyond erudite, professorial airs. Wellhausen died on 7 January 1918 in Göttingen.

Criticism of Wellhausen

The Wellhausen school came mainly in North America ( and after 1948 in Israel), but also in Germany to criticism. Among the most famous American critics counted William Foxwell Albright, the archaeologist. More recent authors draw on some theses of the Wellhausen school by giving them match with the results of archaeological research. In Germany the theses of the Wellhausen school have been questioned since the late 19th century by the conservative apologetics (eg Eduard Rupprecht ).

Bibliography

• De Gentibus et familiis Judaeis quae 1 Chr 2.4 enumeratur, 1870.
• The text of the Books of Samuel, Vandenhoek and Ruprecht, Göttingen, 1871.
• The Pharisees and the Sadducees, a study of the inner Jewish history, L. Bamberg, Greifswald 1874
• Israel's history in two volumes Vol 1 Reimer, Berlin 1878.
• Muhammed in Medina: This is Vakidi 's Kitab al Maghazi in abridged German playback, Reimer, Berlin 1882
• Prolegomena to the History of Israel, 2nd Edition Vol.1, Reimer, Berlin 1883. Prolegomena 3rd Edition, Reimer, Berlin, 1886. Prolegomena 5th Edition, Reimer, Berlin, 1899.
• Outline of the history of Israel and Judah, in: sketches and preparatory work first book, Reimer, Berlin 1884.
• Songs of Hudhailiten, Arabic and German, in: sketches and preparatory work first book, Reimer, Berlin 1884.
• The Composition of the Hexateuch, in: sketches and preliminary work, second book, Reimer, Berlin 1885; 3rd Edition, Reimer, Berlin, 1899. Composition of the Hexateuch and of the historical books of the Old Testament 4 inc. edition, De Gruyter, Berlin 1963.
• Medina before Islam; Muhammad Municipal Code of Medina; His writings, and the Legations at him in: sketches and preliminary work, 4th Issue, Reimer, Berlin, 1889.
• The minor prophets and translated with notes, in:. Sketches and preliminary work, 5th issue, Reimer, Berlin 1992 The Minor Prophets 2nd Edition, Reimer, Berlin 1993.
• Israelite and Jewish History 1st Edition, Reimer, Berlin 1894; 5th edition 1904; 6th edition 1907; 8th edition, De Gruyter, Berlin and Leipzig, 1921.
• Remains of Arab paganism, Reimer, Berlin 1897.
• Prolegomena to ancient history of Islam; in: . sketches and preparatory, 6th issue, Reimer, Berlin 1899, pp. 1-160
• Miscellaneous: Notes on the Psalms; The Son of man; To Apocalyptic Literature; About some weak verbs in Hebrew; in: . sketches and preparatory, 6th issue, Reimer, Berlin 1899, pp. 161 ff
• The Arab Empire and its fall, Reimer, Berlin 1902
• The Gospel Marci translated and explained, Reimer, Berlin 1903
• The Gospel Matthaei translated and explained, Reimer, Berlin, 1904.
• The Gospel Lucae translated and explained, Reimer, Berlin, 1904.
• Introduction in the first three Gospels, Reimer, Berlin 1905
• The Christian religion with the inclusion of the Israelite- Jewish religion, Teubner, Leipzig and Berlin, 1906, In: . Contemporary culture hrg. by Paul Hinneberg, pp. 1-40.
• The Gospel of John, Reimer, Berlin 1908
• Critical analysis of the Acts, Weidmann, Berlin 1914. In: Proceedings of the Royal Society of Sciences in Göttingen, philological- historical class. New Series Volume XV, NGOs. 2
• Plans for the Old Testament, hrg. by Rudolf Smend, Kaiser, Munich 1965.

Wellhausen studies are listed in Rudolf Smend: Julius Wellhausen, a pioneer in three disciplines. Siemens Stiftung, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-938593-04-0 ( series 84 themes ), pp. 64 f