Walther Zimmerli

Walther Zimmerli Theodor ( born January 20, 1907 in Schiers, Canton of Grisons, Switzerland, † December 4, 1983 in Oberdiessbach, Canton Bern, Switzerland ) was a Swiss Reformed theologian and Old Testament scholar.

Life

Zimmerli attended high school in Schiers. He then studied theology at the universities of Zurich, Berlin and Göttingen. After the practical test in late April 1930, he worked at the Faculty of Theology in Göttingen as assistant professors Hemperl and Rahlfs and received his PhD in September 1932 lic. theol.

After the seizure of power by the National Socialists, he returned to Switzerland, where he pastors in 1933 Aarburg, Canton Aargau, was established in August. But in 1935 he was appointed by the University of Zurich as extraordinary and in 1938 full professor of Old Testament, religion, history and Oriental languages. After teaching assignments in Berlin and Montpellier in 1951 he followed a call as professor of Old Testament at the University of Göttingen in Göttingen, where he served from 1964 to 1966 as rector and remained until his retirement. 1964-65 he was founder and president of the first European Rectors Conference in Göttingen.

In active service during the Second World War Zimmerli was in 1940 chaplain of the Swiss Army, a post which he held until 1951. He made more than 300 active duty days. In 1940 he founded the Reformed theologian house in Zurich and in 1945 further reformed student houses for students of all faculties.

In Walther Zimmerli Theodor in 1949 received his doctorate in Zurich Claus Westermann with his work, " Praising God in the Psalms " to the theological doctor.

Zimmerli was a member in the scientific area of Europe, the board of the World Conference of Rectors, in the Senate of the German Research Foundation, 1970-1978 President of the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen, president of the West German Academies of Sciences. Zimmerli was an internationally highly respected representative of his profession, for which a visiting professor at Yale, as well as numerous honorary doctorates, in 1972, the award of the Burkitt Medal by the British Academy, an Honorary Doctorate degrees from the universities of Göttingen, Zurich, Strasbourg and Edinburgh testify for his scientific achievements.

In the time as a student in Göttingen he married Irmgard von der Ropp, with whom he had six children. A son of his is the philosopher Christoph Walther Zimmerli.

Services

The importance of Walther Zimmerli lies first of all in his scientific work. He wrote commentaries on Genesis and the basic preacher Solomon. An important work Walther Zimmerli is a two-volume commentary on the prophet Ezekiel, whose understanding he set up an entirely new basis, in the series Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament ( 1955-69 ). A summary of his science he put in the " plan of the Old Testament Theology ", which underwent numerous editions since its release.

But also outstanding personality Walther Zimmerli. Nazism, he was from the beginning with implacable aversion. He fought against the Swiss neutrality during World War II, and took of his home from the persecution of the Jews and decided to euthanasia position. Nevertheless, he was in 1945 one of the first scientists to contact with Germany examined again, and in 1951 the call to Göttingen without hesitation. Zimmerli was one of the most popular academic teachers at the Göttingen Faculty of Theology in the 20th century.