Lutz E. von Padberg (born 22 February 1950) is a German historian whose specialty is medieval history and in particular
the Christianization of the Germanic peoples. He is an expert on
Saint Boniface
Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations o ...
, having written biographies of the saint and studies of his veneration.
Biography
Born in
Essen
Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and ...
, von Padberg received his doctorate from the
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state d ...
in 1980. His
habilitation
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including ...
from the
University of Paderborn
Paderborn University (german: Universität Paderborn) is one of the fourteen public research universities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It was founded in 1972 and 20,308 students were enrolled at the university in the winter ...
followed in 1993, where he taught until 1999 as ''
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 ...
''. Since 1999 he is professor for medieval history in Paderborn. From 1986 until 1999 he also taught as a visiting professor at the
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and since 1986 he taught
historical theology
Historical theology is the study of the history of Christian doctrine. Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling describe it as, "The division of the theological discipline that seeks to understand and delineate how the church interpreted Scripture and deve ...
at the . Von Padberg retired from teaching in 2013.
Von Padberg's early publications were on theology
and feminism as a theological challenge,
and since then has published extensively on the work of Anglo-Saxon and other missionaries during the
Christianization of the Germanic peoples. His ''Habilitationsschrift'', ''Mission und Christianisierung'', was published in 1995 by Franz Steiner Verlag, and is a synthesis of earlier research (especially by and ) on the social life of the missionaries and the social consequences of their activities; Von Padberg was praised as profoundly knowledgeable on the matter, and his book as a very useful synthesis with "exciting" interpretations.
He is an expert on the life and work of
Saint Boniface
Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations o ...
,
and his ''Der Ragyndrudis-Codex des hl. Bonifatius'' (with ) is a comprehensive study of the
Ragyndrudis Codex, a codex which occupies an important place in the veneration of the saint.
In his 1996 monograph ''Studien zur Bonifatiusverehrung: Zur Geschichte des Codex Ragyndrudis und der Fuldaer Reliquien des Bonifatius'' von Padberg examines the so-called "protection hypothesis", the theory that the Ragyndrudis Codex was used by the saint to protect himself during his martyrdom in
Dokkum
Dokkum is a Dutch fortified city in the municipality of Noardeast-Fryslân in the province of Friesland. It has 12,669 inhabitants (February 8, 2020). The fortifications of Dokkum are well preserved and are known as the ''bolwerken'' (bulwarks) ...
in
Friesland
Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...
. He concludes that it is possible that this codex (with two other important codices which have also been saved for posterity and are held in
Fulda
Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival.
Histor ...
) was indeed owned by the saint, but that the physical evidence makes it unlikely that the "protection hypothesis", a recurring theme in images and ''
vitae
''Vitae'' is a Latin word, meaning or pertaining to life.
* Aqua vitae, archaic name for a concentrated aqueous solution of ethanol, distilled spirits
* Arbor vitae (disambiguation), "tree of life"
* ''De Brevitate Vitae'', work of Roman philo ...
'' of the saint, is correct.
Publications
* ''Die Bibel: Grundlage für Glauben, Denken und Erkennen. Prolegomena zu einer biblischen Erkenntnislehre''. Neuhausen/Stuttgart: Hänssler, 1986.
*''Der Ragyndrudis-Codex des hl. Bonifatius. Teilfaksimileausgabe im Originalformat der Handschrift und Kommentar''. With
Hans-Walter Stork. Paderborn: Bonifatius-Verlag; Fulda: Parzeller, 1994. .
[
* ''Mission und Christianisierung: Formen und Folgen bei Angelsachsen und Franken im 7. und 8. Jahrhundert''. Franz Steiner, Stuttgart 1995, .]
References
External links
*
Lutz von Padberg's page
at Paderborn University
Bibliography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Padberg, Lutz
Living people
1950 births
German medievalists
Historians of Christianity
German male non-fiction writers
German historians of religion