Theodor Zahn

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Theodor Zahn (in 1908)

Theodor Zahn , from 1907 Ritter von Zahn , (born October 10, 1838 in Moers , † March 5, 1933 in Erlangen ) was a German Protestant theologian .

For many years he was professor for the New Testament at the University of Erlangen . As a New Testament scientist, Zahn did intensive research in the field of patristics . His main focus was on the origin and development of the New Testament canon .

Life

Theodor Zahn was born in 1838 as the eighth of ten children of the Protestant pedagogue Franz Ludwig Zahn (1798–1890) and his wife Anna, née. Schlatter (1800–1853) was born in Moers. He was the brother of Johannes Zahn and Franz Michael Zahn .

In 1836 his father founded a private school on his Fild estate near Moers, where Theodor Zahn also studied. He passed his Abitur in Cologne in 1854 . He studied Protestant theology in Basel , Erlangen and Berlin . In Erlangen he became a member of the Erlangen Wingolf in 1856 .

From 1858 he taught at various schools and high schools. In 1868, after completing his habilitation, he became a private lecturer for the New Testament in Göttingen , and three years later he was appointed associate professor . In 1877, Zahn received a call to the University of Kiel . A year later he moved to Erlangen. In 1888, Zahn received an appointment from both the University of Greifswald and the University of Leipzig , chose Leipzig and taught there until 1892, before returning to Erlangen and taking over the chair for Introduction and Exegesis of the New Testament.

In 1913 he was elected a foreign member of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences .

Theological work

As a proven expert in the fields of the New Testament and Patristics, Zahn was closely involved in the then current discussion about the question of the origin of the Gospels . His theological work was characterized by detailed philological analyzes and a strict conservatism in theological questions. In this sense he was seen as a counterpart to historical-critical research and its representatives, but was nevertheless on friendly terms with Adolf Harnack, for example .

Theodor Zahn pleaded widely for a rather early date when the Gospels were written. Contrary to the zeitgeist of the time, he considered the Gospel of John to be a uniform work that the apostle John himself wrote. According to Zahn, the New Testament canon was laid down in the middle of the second century.

From 1894 to 1933, Zahn was co-editor of the Neue Kirchliche Zeitschrift and, as such, was also responsible for the publication of research on the history of the New Testament canon and early Christian literature .

Honors

  • In 1907 Zahn was raised to the nobility (knight of) after various other honors; In 1910 the city of Erlangen granted him honorary citizenship .
  • Theodor-von-Zahn-Straße in Erlangen is named after him.

Fonts (selection)

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tooth family tree
  2. ↑ Landschaftsverband Rheinland - Portal Rheinische Geschichte - Franz Ludwig Zahn - page accessed on July 2, 2011
  3. ↑ Holger Krahnke: The members of the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen 1751-2001 (= Treatises of the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen, Philological-Historical Class. Volume 3, Vol. 246 = Treatises of the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen, Mathematical-Physical Class. Episode 3, vol. 50). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2001, ISBN 3-525-82516-1 , p. 265.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Zahn, Theodor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Zahn, Theodor Ritter von (full name); Zahn, Theodor von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Protestant theologian
DATE OF BIRTH October 10, 1838
PLACE OF BIRTH Moers
DATE OF DEATH March 5, 1933
Place of death gain