Helmut Koester
Helmut Heinrich Karl Ernst Koester , in German-language publications mostly Köster (born December 18, 1926 in Hamburg ; † January 1, 2016 in Lexington , Massachusetts ) was a German-American theologian and New Testament scholar.
life and work
After graduating from high school in Berlin in 1943 , he served in the army and later in the navy . In 1945 he was taken prisoner by the Allies . He finished his studies in Protestant theology at the University of Marburg in 1950. While he was writing his doctoral thesis, he was assistant pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hanover . In 1953 he married Gisela Harrassowitz. The marriage had four children: Reinhild (* 1956), Almut (* 1958), Ulrich (* 1962) and Heiko (* 1966).
In 1954 Koester was the last doctoral candidate to receive his doctorate from Rudolf Bultmann at the University of Marburg . After his assistantship at the University of Heidelberg with Günther Bornkamm and his habilitation in 1956, he went to the USA in 1958 at the Divinity School of Harvard University in Cambridge , where he worked as a professor of the New Testament and early church history until his death . In 1989 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Geneva , and in 2006 he received an honorary doctorate from the Theological Faculty of the Humboldt University in Berlin . He was a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and, since 1968, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .
Works (in selection)
- Synoptic tradition among the Apostolic Fathers . Texts and studies on the history of early Christian literature, vol. 65. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1957 (dissertation).
- (with James M. Robinson): Lines of Development through the World of Early Christianity . Tübingen, Mohr 1971, ISBN 3-16-131511-1 .
- Introduction to the New Testament in the context of the religious history and cultural history of the Hellenistic and Roman times . de Gruyter textbook. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1980, ISBN 3-11-002452-7 .
- Art. History of form / criticism of form. II. New Testament In: Theologische Realenzyklopädie Vol. 11 (1983), 286-299.
- Tradition and history of the early Christian gospel literature In: Rise and decline of the Roman world II 25.2 (1984), ISBN 3-11-009523-8 , pp. 1463–1542.
- Ancient Christian Gospels. Their History and Development . SCM Press Ltd, London 1990, ISBN 0-334-02459-5 .
supporting documents
- ^ Susan Worst: In Memory of Helmut Koester. In: unilu.org. University Lutheran Church, January 1, 2015, accessed January 4, 2016.
- ↑ a b c d Archive link ( Memento from January 5, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Archive link ( Memento from July 17, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ http://www.hu-berlin.de/pr/medien/informationen/auslösungen/ehrendoktor
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Koester, Helmut |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Koester, Helmut Heinrich Karl Ernst (full name); Köster, Helmut |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German-American theologian and New Testament scholar |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 18, 1926 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hamburg , German Empire |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 1, 2016 |
| Place of death | Lexington , Massachusetts , United States |