Martin Metzger (theologian)

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Martin Metzger (born January 11, 1928 in Wiedenest ; † June 10, 2018 ) was a German Protestant theologian and pastor of the Association of Evangelical Free Churches . He was a professor of the Old Testament and Biblical Archeology at the University of Kiel .

Life

Martin Metzger grew up in the context of the Brethren Church . His father Hans Metzger was a special school teacher, travel preacher and evangelist within this free church movement and at times also a teacher at the Wiedenest Bible School . After graduating from high school , Metzger enrolled at the Baptist seminary in 1947 (today: Theological University of Elstal ), which was evacuated to Wiedenest in 1944 as a result of the war-related destruction of the Hamburg seminar building and was only able to return to his rebuilt domicile in Hamburg-Horn in 1948 .

In 1950, Martin Metzger completed his pastoral training, which was followed by a three-year probationary period as a pastor in the Cologne Brethren on Dagobertstrasse. He received his final recognition as pastor of the Federation of Evangelical Free Churches in 1953. This was followed by further theology studies at the universities of Bonn and Hamburg , which he completed with a doctorate in theology.

During his studies he worked as a "teaching unskilled worker" at the Theological Seminary in Hamburg. After his doctorate, the Evangelical Free Church Association appointed him full-time seminar lecturer for the subject of the Old Testament in 1957. He carried out this task up to his habilitation at the University of Hamburg, after which he was appointed directly as a professor for biblical archeology at this university. In 1974 the University of Kiel appointed him to the chair of Old Testament and Biblical Archeology, which he held for 19 years.

Since 1959 Metzger took part in excavations in the Middle East . His main interest was primarily the research of Near Eastern iconography and its relation to the Bible. Two volumes about his excavations at Tell Kāmid el-Lōz have already been published, and a third volume is in progress.

In addition to his professorship, Metzger held eight-week introductory courses on the archeology of Palestine from 1984 to 1999. Both Protestant and Catholic theology students took part in these courses, which took place in the Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem as part of a German-language ecumenical study program in the “Holy Land” ( theological academic year Jerusalem ) .

In 1993 he retired . Even after he retired, Martin Metzger remained an employee of the Kiel Institute for Old Testament Studies and Biblical Archeology . In 2008 he received the Silver Badge of Honor from Kiel University for his commitment .

family

Martin Metzger was married to the educator Lucie, née Sinnhoefer, from 1955 until her death in 2015. Their marriage has four children. Martin Metzger spent his old age in Flintbek / Schleswig-Holstein .

Works (selection)

  • The paradise tale (Gen 2,4b – 3,24). The history of their interpretation from J. Clericus to WML de Wette , Bonn 1959.
  • Royal throne and divine throne. Throne forms and representations of thrones in Egypt and the Middle East in the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC and their significance for understanding statements about the throne in the Old Testament , Kevelaer and Göttingen 1985 (also Habilitation Hamburg 1969)
  • Zodiacos, temple and Torah shrine. Connecting lines between motifs on mosaic pictures from synagogues in Palestine from late antiquity , in: A. Graupner et al. (ed.): connecting lines. Festschrift for WH Schmidt , Neukirchen-Vluyn 2000, pp. 225–248.
  • Hananja, Mischael and Azarja on the mosaic inscription by En Gedi , in: B. Huwyler et al. (ed.): Prophecy and Psalms. Festschrift for K. Seybold (Alter Orient and Old Testament 280), Münster 2001, pp. 261–280.
  • Creation, Throne and Sanctuary. Contributions to the theology of the Old Testament , ed. W. Zwickel (Biblical-Theological Studies 57), Neukirchen-Vluyn 2003.
  • Near Eastern Iconography and Old Testament , in: Collected Essays (Jerusalem Theological Forum 6), ed. M. Pietsch / W. Zwickel, Münster 2004.
  • Outline of the history of Israel (Neukirchener Studienbücher 2), Neukirchen-Vluyn 11th edition 2004, ISBN 3-78870-463-2 .
  • Two Architectural Models in Terracotta , in: Aubet ME: The Phoenician Cemetery of Tire - al-Bass. Excavations 1997-1999. Bulletin d'Archéologie et d'Architecture Libanaises 1 (2004), pp. 420-436.
  • Stand - real finds from Kamid el-Loz and representations on ancient oriental image documents , in: M. Witte (ed.): God and man in dialogue. Festschrift for O. Kaiser (supplements to the journal for Old Testament science), Berlin - New York 2004, pp. 23–75.
  • Martin Metzger , in: Sebastian Grätz and Bernd Schipper (eds.): Old Testament Science in Self-Representations , Göttingen 2007 (UTB 2920), pp. 115–128.
  • Ten years of excavations on Tell Kāmid el-Lōz, Lebanon (1964–1974) , in: Cristiana Albertina. Research report and half-yearly publication of the University of Kiel NF 6, 1977, pp. 5-40.
  • The Late Bronze Age Temple Area of ​​Tell Kamid el-Loz, Lebanon

literature

  • Klaus Rösler: Immerse yourself in another world. Prof. Martin Metzger is a specialist in biblical archeology , in: Die Gemeinde. The magazine of the Federation of Evangelical Free Churches, No. 11 of May 25, 2008, pp. 6-7 [without ISSN, ZDB -ID 1157992-4 ]. - In addition: [Anonymous,] correction , in: Die Gemeinde. Believe. Together. Gestalten, No. 14 of June 22, 2008, p. 25.
  • Wolfgang Zwickel (Ed.): Biblical Worlds: Festschrift for Martin Metzger on his 65th birthday (OBO 123), Göttingen / Freiburg (CH) 1993, ISBN 3-52553-757-3 / ISBN 3-7278-0857-8 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Dr. Martin Metzger passed away. In: Baptisten.de. June 14, 2018, accessed June 15, 2018 .
  2. ↑ a b Klaus Rösler: Prof. Martin Metzger is a specialist in biblical archeology. Immerse yourself in another world . In: The community: The magazine of the Federation of Evangelical Free Churches , 11/2008, p. 6f.
  3. ↑ The magazine Die Gemeinde has in the meantime received a different subtitle.
personal data
SURNAME Butcher, Martin
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Protestant theologian and pastor
DATE OF BIRTH January 11, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Wiedenest
DATE OF DEATH June 10, 2018