Julius Wellhausen (17 May 1844 – 7 January 1918) was a German
biblical scholar
Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 Fo ...
and
orientalist. In the course of his career, he moved from
Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
research through
Islamic studies
Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...
to
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
scholarship. Wellhausen contributed to the composition history of the
Pentateuch
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...
/
Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
and studied the formative period of Islam. For the former, he is credited as one of the originators of the
documentary hypothesis
The documentary hypothesis (DH) is one of the models used by biblical scholars to explain the origins and composition of the Torah (or Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). A vers ...
.
Biography
Wellhausen was born at
Hamelin in the
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Han ...
. The son of a
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
pastor
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
, he later studied
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
at the
University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...
under
Georg Heinrich August Ewald
Georg Heinrich August Ewald (16 November 18034 May 1875) was a German orientalist, Protestant theologian, and Biblical exegete. He studied at the University of Göttingen. In 1827 he became extraordinary professor there, in 1831 ordinary profess ...
and became ''
Privatdozent
''Privatdozent'' (for men) or ''Privatdozentin'' (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualific ...
'' for
Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
history there in 1870. In 1872, he was appointed
professor ordinarius
Academic ranks in Germany are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.
Overview
Appointment grades
* (Pay grade: ''W3'' or ''W2'')
* (''W3'')
* (''W2'')
* (''W2'', ...
of theology at the
University of Greifswald
The University of Greifswald (; german: Universität Greifswald), formerly also known as “Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald“, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pom ...
. However, he resigned from the faculty in 1882 for reasons of conscience, stating in his letter of resignation:
He became
professor extraordinarius
Academic ranks in Germany are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.
Overview
Appointment grades
* (Pay grade: ''W3'' or ''W2'')
* (''W3'')
* (''W2'')
* (''W2'', ...
of oriental languages in the faculty of
philology
Philology () is the study of language in oral and writing, written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defin ...
at
Halle, was elected professor ordinarius at Marburg in 1885 and was transferred to Göttingen in 1892, where he stayed until his death.
Among theologians and biblical scholars, he is best known for his book, ''
Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels
''Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels'' (, ''Prologue to the History of Israel'') is a book by German biblical scholar and orientalist Julius Wellhausen (1844–1918) that formulated but did not found the documentary hypothesis, a theory on the co ...
'' (''Prolegomena to the History of Israel''); his work in Arabic studies (specifically, the magisterial work entitled ''The Arab Kingdom and its Fall'') remains celebrated, as well. After a detailed synthesis of existing views on the origins of the
first five books of the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...
, Wellhausen's contribution was to place the development of these books into a historical and social context. The resulting argument, called the
documentary hypothesis
The documentary hypothesis (DH) is one of the models used by biblical scholars to explain the origins and composition of the Torah (or Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). A vers ...
, became the dominant model for many biblical scholars and remained so for most of the 20th century.
According to
Alan Levenson
Alan T. Levenson holds the Schusterman/Josey Chair in Judaic History and is the Director of the Schusterman Center for Judaic and Israel Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Levenson has written extensively on the modern Jewish experience for bot ...
, as a
non-Jew studying and writing about Hebrew Bible texts during
Otto von Bismarck
Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...
's chancellorship during the
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
, Wellhausen considered theological
anti-Judaism
Anti-Judaism is the "total or partial opposition to Judaism as a religion—and the total or partial opposition to Jews as adherents of it—by persons who accept a competing system of beliefs and practices and consider certain genuine Judai ...
, as well as
antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
, to be normative.
''Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels'' and documentary hypothesis
Wellhausen was famous for his
critical investigations into Old Testament history and the composition of the ''
Hexateuch
The Hexateuch ("six scrolls") is the first six books of the Hebrew Bible: the Torah (''Pentateuch'') and the book of Joshua. Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985.
Overview
The term ''Hexateuch'' came into scholar ...
''. He is perhaps best known for his ''Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels'' (1883, first published in 1878 as ''Geschichte Israels'') in which he advanced a definitive formulation of the documentary hypothesis. It argues that the
Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
(or
Pentateuch
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...
) had its origins in a redaction of four originally-independent texts dating from several centuries after the time of
Moses
Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
, their
traditional author.
Wellhausen's hypothesis remained the dominant model for Pentateuchal studies until the last quarter of the 20th century, when it began to be advanced by other
biblical scholars
Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 For ...
who saw more and more hands at work in the Torah and ascribed them to periods even later than Wellhausen had proposed.
Regarding his sources, Wellhausen described
Wilhelm de Wette Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette (12 January 1780 – 16 June 1849) was a German theologian and biblical scholar.
Life and education
Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette was born 12 January 1780 in Ulla (now part of the municipality of Nohra), Thuri ...
as "the epoch-making opener of the historical criticism of the Pentateuch." In 1806, De Wette provided an early, coherent mapping of the
Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
writings of the J, E, D, and P, authors. He was so far ahead of his time, however, that he was soon cast out of his university post. Young Julius Wellhausen largely continued the work of de Wette, and transformed those studies into historical monuments.
Other works
A select list of his works are as follows:
*''De gentibus et familiis Judaeis'' (Göttingen, 1870)
*''Der Text der Bücher Samuelis untersucht'' (Göttingen, 1871)
*''Die Phariseer und Sadducäer'', a classic treatise upon this subject (Greifswald, 1874)
*''
Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels
''Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels'' (, ''Prologue to the History of Israel'') is a book by German biblical scholar and orientalist Julius Wellhausen (1844–1918) that formulated but did not found the documentary hypothesis, a theory on the co ...
'' (Berlin, 1882; 3rd ed., 1886; Eng. trans., Edinburgh, 1883, 1891; 5th German edition, 1899; first published in 1878 as ''Geschichte Israels''; English translation ''Prolegomena to the History of Ancient Israel'', Forgotten Books, 2008, . Also available on
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg (PG) is a Virtual volunteering, volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks."
It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the ...
br>
*''Muhammed in Medina'', a translation of
Al-Waqidi
Abu `Abdullah Muhammad Ibn ‘Omar Ibn Waqid al-Aslami (Arabic ) (c. 130 – 207 AH; c. 747 – 823 AD) was a historian commonly referred to as al-Waqidi (Arabic: ). His surname is derived from his grandfather's name Waqid and thus he became fa ...
(Berlin, 1882)
*''Die Composition des Hexateuchs und der historischen Bücher des Alten Testaments'' (1876/77, 3rd ed. 1899)
*''Israelitische und jüdische Geschichte'' (1894, 4th ed. 1901)
*
Reste arabischen Heidentums' (1897)
*''Das arabische Reich und sein Sturz'', in its time the standard modern account of Umayyad history (1902), English translation ''The Arab Kingdom and its Fall'' (1927)
**''Urdu Translation'': "Saltanat e Arab Aur Uska Suqoot".
*''Skizzen und Vorarbeiten'' (1884–1899)
*''Medina vor dem Islam'' (1889)
*New and revised editions of
Friedrich Bleek Friedrich Bleek (4 July 1793, in Ahrensbök in Holstein (a village near Lübeck)27 February 1859, in Bonn), was a German Biblical scholar.
Life
At 16 Bleek's father sent him to the gymnasium at Lübeck, where he became so interested in ancient lang ...
's ''Einleitung in das Alte Testament'' (4–6, 1878–1893).
*''Die kleinen Propheten'', a critical brochure (1902)
*“The Book of Psalms” in ''Sacred Books of the Old Testament'' (Leipzig, 1895; Eng. trans., 1898)
In 1906 ''Die christliche Religion, mit Einschluss der israelitisch-jüdischen Religion'' appeared, in collaboration with
Adolf Jülicher
Adolf Jülicher (26 January 1857 – 2 August 1938) was a German scholar and biblical exegete. Specifically, he was the Professor of Church History and New Testament Exegesis, at the University of Marburg. He was born in Falkenberg near Berlin an ...
,
Adolf Harnack
Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack (born Harnack; 7 May 1851 – 10 June 1930) was a Baltic German Lutheran theologian and prominent Church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873 to 1912 (in which he is sometimes credited ...
and others. He also produced less influential work as a
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
commentator, publishing ''Das Evangelium Marci, übersetzt und erklärt'' in 1903, ''Das Evangelium Matthäi'' and ''Das Evangelium Lucae'' in 1904, and ''Einleitung in die drei ersten Evangelien'' in 1905.
References
Additional sources
*
*
Further reading
* Steven Cassedy, "Walter Rauschenbusch, the Social Gospel Movement, and How Julius Wellhausen Unwittingly Helped Create American Progressivism in the Twentieth Century," in Shawna Dolansky (ed.), ''Sacred History, Sacred Literature: Essays on Ancient Israel, the Bible, and Religion in Honor of R. E. Friedman on His Sixtieth Birthday.'' Winnona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2008; pp. 315–324.
* Paul Michael Kurtz, ''Kaiser, Christ, and Canaan: The Religion of Israel in Protestant Germany, 1871–1918.'' Forschungen zum Alten Testament I/122. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2018.
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wellhausen, Julius
1844 births
1918 deaths
19th-century German Protestant theologians
19th-century German writers
19th-century German male writers
20th-century German writers
German Arabists
German biblical scholars
German male non-fiction writers
German orientalists
Ibadi studies
Ibadi Islam
Old Testament scholars
People from Hamelin
Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)