Section PresentersChurch History
Bleckmann, Bruno
Concepts of Time and the Future in Ancient and Late Antique Historiography
[Zeit - und Zukunftskonzepte in der antiken und spätantiken Historiographie]
This presentation deals with concepts of time and the future in ancient “contemporary historiography” (in Jacoby’s sense of the term). It contrasts these concepts in the classical historians Herodotus, Thucydides, and Polybius with those of historians of the “late period” (Ammianus, Eunapius, Menander Protector, and John of Biclaro).
Bruno Bleckmann has been Professor of Ancient History at the Heinrich-Heine University of Düsseldorf since 2003. Since 2012, he has co-led the project “Small and Fragmentary Historians of Late Antiquity” with Markus Stein. His research focuses on the history of classical Athens, the Roman republic, and especially history and historiography of late antiquity. His most recent publications include: B. Bleckmann, Die letzte Generation der griechischen Geschichtsschreiber: Studien zur Historiographie im ausgehenden 6. Jahrhundert, Stuttgart 2021; B. Bleckmann - C. Scardino, Panegyrische Zeitgeschichte des 4. und 5. Jahrhunderts, Paderborn 2023.
Keßler, Martin
“Glimpses into the Future” of Religion and Theology in Lessing
[„Blicke in die Zukunft“ von Religion und Theologie bei Lessing]
It is well known that Lessing was no theologian, but a lover of theology. As such, he not only followed new theological publications with great interest; he also studied texts from ancient and medieval Christianity and sought to give the impression of being a great admirer and expert on Luther. Based on his use of language, Lessing reflected upon the “enthusiasts” throughout the history of Christianity: “The enthusiast often casts quite correct glimpses into the future, but they cannot merely expect this future.”” What of his own expectations did Lessing formulate concerning the future of religion? What possibilities for knowledge did he see? And what role might theology play? This presentation relates Lessing’s early and late works to each other and traces individual “pointers” to a theology of the future.
Martin Keßler is the Schlegel Professor of Church History at the Rheinish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn, focusing on the Reformation and the Enlightenment. He has published on the subject with the monograph “Dieses Buch von einem Protestantischen Frauenzimmer”: Eine unbekannte Quelle von Lessings “Erziehung des Menschengeschlechts”? in the series “Kleine Schriften zur Aufklärung.”
Paulau, Stanislau
How an Ethiopian Queen Shaped European Theology: Intertwined Conceptions of the End Times in the Reformation Period
[Wie eine äthiopische Königin europäische Theologie prägte. Verflochtene Endzeitvorstellungen im Zeitalter der Reformation]
Despite—or perhaps even because of—considerable geographic and theological differences, Ethiopian Orthodox and Latin European Christianity became entangled with each other in the early 16th century in a variety of ways. A key protagonist in these transcontinental relationships was the Ethiopian queen and theologian Ǝleni (እሌኒ). This presentation explores her eschatological theology and examines its ties with the Latin European theological discourses of the Reformation period.
Jun. Prof. Dr. Stanislau Paulau is Tenure Track Professor of Global Christian History with an emphasis on Orthodox Christianity at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg. His monograph Das andere Christentum: Zur transkonfessionellen Verflechtungsgeschichte von äthiopischer Orthodoxie und europäischem Protestantismus was, among others, honored with the 2022 Manfred Lautenschläger Award for Theological Promise.
Pilhofer, Philipp
The Study of Theology and Its Reform: A Phenomenon of the longue durée ca. 1600 CE and Today
[Das Theologiestudium und seine Reform. Ein Phänomen der longue durée um 1600 und heute]
It is not uncommon to hear that the highly demanding theology studies of today have been a requirement for becoming a pastor since the time of Luther and are therefore an indispensable foundation of Protestantism as a whole. Through analysis of concepts and concrete aspects of theology studies ca. 1600 CE—a time in which the training to become a pastor was becoming more professionalized in various denominations—this presentation examines, on the one hand, which features of the study program between the lecture hall, private Bible reading, and exams actually represent parallels and, on the other hand, what aspects only appear to be similar. Particular attention is paid to unexpected transconfessional entanglements.
Dr. Philipp Pilhofer is a research assistant in the Chair of Church History at the University of Rostock and a member of the Young Academy in the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Arts and Sciences and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. He conducts interdenominational research on the training of theologians in the early modern period as well as on processes of transformation in late antiquity, especially concerning Christianization. He is also working on digital editions of ancient and early modern texts.
Pinggéra, Karl
Apocalypse—Apology— Apocatastasis: Expected Futures in Syriac Christianity under Islamic Rule (7th–14th Centuries)
[Apokalypse - Apologie - Apokatastasis. Erwartete Zukünfte im syrischen Christentum unter islamischer Herrschaft (7.-14. Jh.)]
Historical interpretations of the Islamic conquest varied within Syriac Christianity, associated with different visions of the future. These visions reflect something from the hopes, expectations, and fears of the respective authors. This presentation illustrates this using various texts as examples.
Dr. Karl Pinggéra is Professor of Church History at the Philipps University of Marburg.
Roper, Lyndal
Rethinking the Reformation in the light of the German Peasants’ War 1524-6
The Peasants’ War has generally been treated as a side-event in the history of the Reformation. Luther famously condemned the peasants and considered Thomas Müntzer to have been inspired by the Devil. This lecture, however, will argue that the Bauernkrieg was inspired by religious ideas and that we can discern a radical theology that it developed. Christ bought us all with his precious blood, the rebels argued, ‘and so we are free, and want to be free’, thus linking eucharistic theology with calls to end serfdom. They articulated a theology of the environment based on Creation. How does the Reformation look different if we take the implicit religious ideas of the Bauernkrieg seriously?
Lyndal Roper is Regius Professor of History at the University of Oxford, the first woman to hold the Regius Chair. She has written a biography of Luther, „Der Mensch Martin Luther (Fischer 2016)“ and recently published „Im Leben war ich Eure Plage (Klett Cotta 2022)“ on Luther’s world and legacy. Her „Für die Freiheit: Bauernkrieg 1525 (Fischer)“ will appear in 2024.
Witt, Christian
Where is Church History Going? Historical-Theoretical Considerations on the Future of (/in) a Theological Subdiscipline
[Wohin läuft die Kirchengeschichte? Geschichtstheoretische Überlegungen zur Zukunft (in) einer theologischen Teildisziplin]
Theological church historiography speaks frequently of processes, developments, or transformations. Such decisions concerning academic language presuppose the identification of not only historical points of departure but also end or target points. In other words, they inherently refer to the dimension of the future. The directions of change and dynamics of change that these concepts assume therefore allow by design the past to become (church) history and cannot function without the idea of a future. But where actually is this future? In the past? In the present? What weight is given to questions of historical theory in such attempts at definitions in church history? And what can perhaps be taken from this, or at least discussed, for the future design of the field and its capabilities for interdisciplinary connectivity?
Prof. Dr. Christian Witt holds the Chair of Church History I: Institute of Late Medieval and Reformation Studies in the Faculty of Protestant Theology at the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen. His current research is on the politicization of medieval concepts of “nations” in the formation of monastic order theory, the history and impact of Tübingen interpretations of the Reformation, and questions of historical theology in the context of a theory of church history.
