Jan N. Bremmer (born 18 December 1944) is a Dutch academic and historian. He served as a professor of Religious Studies and Theology at the

University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; nl, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, abbreviated as RUG) is a public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. Founded in 1614, the university is th ...

. He specializes in history of ancient religion, especially ancient Greek religion and

early Christianity Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewis ...

Early life

Jan N. Bremmer was born during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in 1944 in Groningen, Netherlands. Though he became a

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

later in life, he was brought up in an orthodox

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

family. His father Rolf Hendrik Bremmer was a Calvinist minister and a church historian, and his mother Lucy Lindeboom also came from a family of Calvinist ministers. His maternal great-grandfather Lucas Lindeboom (1845–1933) was a professor at the Kampen Theological College. Bremmer studied Classics and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

at the

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research ...

(1962–1970) and the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

(1969–1970). During 1970–1972, he did his

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...

with the Dutch Military Intelligence. He married Christine, a British citizen. They have one son and three daughters: Benjamin, Melissa, Rebecca and Daisy.

Academic career

During 1972–74, Bremmer taught Classics at Christelijk Streeklyceum (Christian Regional

Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the t ...

) in Ede, Netherlands. Subsequently he taught ancient history at the

University of Utrecht Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

, as an Assistant Professor (1974–1978) and as an Associate Professor (1978–1990). In 1979, he obtained a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from the Vrije Universiteit with a dissertation on ''The Early Greek Conception of the Soul'' (published by

Princeton University Press Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large. The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financia ...

in 1983). In 1990, Bremmer joined the University of Groningen as the Chair of Religious Studies, in Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies. He served as the dean of the Faculty during 1996–2005. He was the inaugural Getty Villa Professor at Malibu during 2006–2007. He served as a visiting professor at several other places, including the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

(2007). He retired from teaching in December 2009. In his farewell lecture in January 2010, he discussed the rise of Christianity through the eyes of scholars

Edward Gibbon Edward Gibbon (; 8 May 173716 January 1794) was an English historian, writer, and member of parliament. His most important work, '' The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788, is ...

, Adolf von Harnack and

Rodney Stark Rodney William Stark (July 8, 1934 — July 21, 2022) was an American sociologist of religion who was a longtime professor of sociology and of comparative religion at the University of Washington. At the time of his death he was the Distinguished ...

Works

Author * 1983: ''The Early Greek Concept of the Soul'', Princeton University Press * 1994: ''Greek Religion'', Oxford University Press * 2002: ''The Rise and Fall of the Afterlife'', Routledge * 2008: ''Greek Religion & Culture, the Bible and the Ancient Near East'', Brill * 2010: ''The Rise of Christianity through the Eyes of Gibbon, Harnack and Rodney Stark'', Barkhuis * 2014: ''Initiation into the Mysteries of the Ancient World'', De Gruyter Editor * 1987: ''Interpretations of Greek Mythology'', Croom Helm * 1989: ''From Sappho to De Sade'', Routledge * 1991: ''A Cultural History of Gesture'', Polity (with Herman Roodenburg) * 1992: ''Sacred History and Sacred Texts in Early Judaism'', Kok Pharos (with F. García Martínez) * 1995: ''Between Poverty and the Pyre. Moments in the History of Widowhood'' Routledge (with Lourens P. van den Bosch) * 1996: ''The Apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla'', Kok Pharos * 1997: ''A Cultural History of Humour'', Polity (with Herman Roodenburg) * 1998: ''The Apocryphal Acts of Peter: Magic, Miracles and Gnosticism'', Peeters * 2000: ''The Apocryphal Acts of Andrew'', Peeters * 2001: ''The Apocryphal Acts of Thomas'', Peeters * 2003: ''The Metamorphosis of Magic from Antiquity to the Middle Ages'', Peeters (with J. Veenstra) * 2006: ''Cultures of Conversions'', Peeters (with W.J. van Bekkum and A.L. Molendijk) * 2006: ''Paradigms, Poetics and Politics of Conversion'', Peeters (with W.J. van Bekkum and A.L. Molendijk) * 2007: ''The Strange World of Human Sacrifice'', Peeters * 2007: ''The Visio Pauli and the Gnostic Apocalypse of Paul'', Peeters (with I. Czachesz) * 2010: ''The Gods of Ancient Greece'', Edinburgh University Press (with Andrew Erskine) * 2010: ''The Pseudo-Clementines'', Peeters * 2012: ''Perpetua's Passions'', Oxford University Press (with Marco Formisano) * 2015: ''The Materiality of Magic'' (Morphomata Vol. 20), Wilhelm Fink (with Dietrich Boschung)

References

External links

Academia profile

Profile
on New York University website {{DEFAULTSORT:Bremmer, Jan Nicolaas 1944 births Living people 20th-century Dutch historians University of Groningen faculty Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam alumni Alumni of the University of Bristol 21st-century Dutch historians

Early life

Academic career

Works

See also

References

External links