Manfred Hutter

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Manfred Hutter (born June 16, 1957 in Feldbach in Austria ) is Professor of Comparative Religious Studies at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Bonn .

Career and research

Manfred Hutter initially studied Catholic theology at the University of Graz , which resulted in a doctorate in 1984. theol. flowed. Even during his studies he was particularly interested in the ancient oriental religions and kingdoms around the Old Testament ( Assyria , Babylon , Hittites ) and their mutual influences. Therefore he continued his studies from 1983 to 1987 with a combination of subjects from comparative linguistics , oriental studies and ancient history . In addition to the Indo-Iranian and Anatolian languages, the pre-Islamic religions in Anatolia and Iran were the focus of his research interests, above all Manichaeism . This also formed the focus of his habilitation thesis “Studies on Iranian Manichaeism. A Gnostic Religion Between Zoroastrianism and Christianity ”, which he completed in 1990. After further studies iranistischen Hutter was in 1991 in the subject Indogermanistik Dr. phil. PhD.

From 1991 to 1997 Hutter worked as a university lecturer at the University of Graz in the religious studies department. In addition to Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism as pre-Islamic religions of Iran and Iraq , he was now increasingly concerned with the comparatively younger Baha'i religion. Since his main focus was on interreligious contacts and interactions between religions, studies on Hinduism and Buddhism as religions of minorities in Europe , especially in Austria, were soon added.

From 1997 Hutter was an associate professor at the University of Graz. During this time he was also a visiting professor in Bremen (1997/1998) and a lecturer in Linz (1998) until he was appointed to the professorship for comparative religious studies at the University of Bonn in 2000. In addition to the aforementioned main research areas, he has since dealt with Asian religions in Germany , with Hinduism as a minority religion in Southeast Asia and with Asian forms of Christianity .

Research methods

Manfred Hutter sees religious studies as a human-scientific and empirically working discipline of cultural studies , because it understands religion as a partial aspect of culture and examines the interactions between people, culture and society. He therefore advocates a formal and substantive delimitation of the subject from theology and philosophy of religion . For him, religious studies consists of both historical and systematic approaches, since one cannot carry out a comparative systematization without a sound historical and philological basic knowledge. The comparison across religious and national borders is for him the added value of religious studies compared to regional studies, which also deal with religions. For example, “niche products” are made visible that are hardly taken into account in regional sciences, as can be seen in his studies of Hinduism in Southeast Asia, of forms of Christianity in Asia and of small Jewish communities in Thailand , Myanmar and Cambodia .

In addition, it is important for him in the religious studies investigation of religions to locate the community in its context. This makes it clear how the same religion develops differently in different political, historical and societal situations, as it absorbs other influences - also from neighboring religions. In the historical context, Hutter's research on Manichaeism and the ancient oriental religions are particularly significant. For more modern phenomena, his consideration of Asian religions in Central Europe, smaller Hindu communities, for example in Afghanistan, and the Baha'i religion are important.

For him, religious studies also have a societal mandate in research and teaching. On the one hand, through better information about religious content, it can impart intercultural skills that are increasingly in demand in today's world. This also serves to reduce tensions in a multi-religious environment (as is the case in Central Europe, for example). This becomes clear in his many years of dedicated teaching. On the other hand, religious studies contains a potential to be critical of religion, which enables it to critically question religious claims if necessary.

Manfred Hutter's contribution to the subject of Comparative Religious Studies lies primarily in the synthesis of the historical and systematic consideration of religions, which has made clear some previously overlooked special developments of religions in interactions in different contexts.

honors and awards

Publications (selection)

  • 1992: Mani's cosmogonic Sabuhragan texts. Edition, commentary and literary historical classification of the Manischaic-Middle Persian manuscripts M 98/99 I and M 7980–7984 (= Studies in Oriental Religions. Volume 21). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden.
  • 1996: Religions in the environment of the Old Testament I. Babylonians, Syrians, Persians (= study books theology. Volume 4/1). Kohlhammer, Stuttgart.
  • 2001: The Eternal Wheel. Religion and Culture of Buddhism . Styria, Graz.
  • 2009: Baha'i Handbook. History - theology - reference to the present . Kohlhammer, Stuttgart.
  • 2012: The world religions . 4th revised edition, CH Beck, Munich.
  • 2012: Comparative Religious Studies as Cultural Studies . In: Stephan Conermann (Ed.): What is cultural studies? Ten answers from the "small subjects". Transcript, Bielefeld, pp. 175-198.
  • 2019: Iranian religions: Zoroastrianism, Yezidism, Bahāʾītum . De Gruyter Studies, Berlin.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Manfred Hutter: Religious Studies in the Context of Human Sciences. In: Zeitschrift für Missions- und Religionswissenschaft , Volume 87, 2003, Issue 1, pp. 3–20.
  2. ↑ Manfred Hutter (ed.): Criticism within religions and religious pluralism in contemporary Southeast Asia (= religious studies. Volume 15). Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2008.
  3. ↑ Manfred Hutter: Christianity in Asia as an object of religious studies research. In: Michael Stausberg (Ed.): Religionswissenschaft. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2012, pp. 197–209.
  4. ^ Manfred Hutter: Manichaeism in Iran in the Fourth Century. In: Roland E. Emmerick, Werner Sundermann , Peter Zieme (eds.): Studia Manichaica IV. International Congress on Manichaeism. Berlin 14.-18. July 1997. Akademie Verlag, Berlin 2000, pp. 308-317.
  5. ↑ Manfred Hutter: Ancient Near Eastern Concepts of the Underworld. Literary and religious historical considerations on "Nergal and Ereskigal" (= Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis. Volume 63). University Press, Freiburg / Switzerland / Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1985.
  6. ↑ Manfred Hutter: Aspects of Luwian Religion. In: H. Craig Melchert (Ed.): The Luwians (= Handbuch der Orientalistik . Volume I, 68). Brill, Leiden 2003, pp. 211-280.
  7. ↑ Manfred Hutter: Afghanistan and its "forgotten" Hindus. In: Journal for Religious Studies , Volume 17, 2009, Issue 2, pp. 149–164.
  8. ↑ Manfred Hutter: Religious Studies as an Approach to the Foreign. In: Wolfgang Weirer, Reinhold Esterbauer (Hrsg.): Theologie im Umbruch. Between wholeness and specialization (= theology in cultural dialogue. Volume 6). Styria, Graz 2000, pp. 117-130.
personal data
SURNAME Hutter, Manfred
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian religious scholar
DATE OF BIRTH June 16, 1957
PLACE OF BIRTH Feldbach