Michael Stephan Lattke (born 12 May 1942, died 19 February 2023, Brisbane, Queensland ustraliawas a scholar of the

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 ...

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 Jewish ...

. Lattke was born in

Stettin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin language, Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Po ...

, Germany (now Szczecin in Poland). He was brought up in

Solingen Solingen (; li, Solich) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located some 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and, with a 2009 population of 161,366, ...

and, after attending the Volksschule Wittkuller Straße and Humboldt-Gymnasium before completing his

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

Gymnasium Schwertstraße The Gymnasium Schwertstraße in Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany was established on 15 October 1841 as the Höhere Bürgerschule, and is the oldest and most traditional of the four gymnasiums in the city. History The school opened with 2 ...

, studied at

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...

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 distr ...

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

and

München Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

. In spite of his

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

background, at

he also studied Protestant theology, especially under the leading

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 ...

scholar

Ernst Käsemann Ernst Käsemann (12 July 1906 – 17 February 1998) was a German Lutheran theologian and professor of New Testament in Mainz (1946–1951), Göttingen (1951–1959) and Tübingen (1959–1971). Study and work Käsemann was born in Bochum. He obt ...

. He received the Dipl.-Theol. from

in 1968, the Dr. theol. from

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

in 1974, and the Dr. theol. habil. from

in 1979. In 1981 Lattke settled in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and began teaching at

The University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = Br ...

, where he also received a D.Litt. in 1992. In 1994 he became

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

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 Jewish ...

Studies, and in 1997 he became a senior research fellow of the

Australian Research Council The Australian Research Council (ARC) is the primary non-medical research funding agency of the Australian Government, distributing more than in grants each year. The Council was established by the ''Australian Research Council Act 2001'', ...

. Since October 2007, he has been

emeritus professor ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

. Lattke has published widely on the

, early

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

, early Christian

hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

, and

Gnosticism Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people ...

, and he has established himself as the world's foremost authority on the

pseudepigraphical Pseudepigrapha (also anglicized as "pseudepigraph" or "pseudepigraphs") are falsely attributed works, texts whose claimed author is not the true author, or a work whose real author attributed it to a figure of the past.Bauckham, Richard; "Pseu ...

Odes of Solomon The Odes of Solomon are a collection of 42 odes attributed to Solomon. The Odes are generally dated to either the first century or to the second century, while a few have suggested a later date. The original language of the Odes is thought to ha ...

''. In his comprehensive study of the ''

'', he has argued that the ''Odes'' were written originally in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

. His commentary on the ''Odes'' has been translated into English by Marianne Ehrhardt for the Hermeneia series (published 2009 by

Fortress Press 1517 Media, formerly Augsburg Fortress Press, is the official publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), also publishing for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) as ''Augsburg Fortress Canada''. Headquar ...

). He also wrote a commentary on the

Apology of Aristides The ''Apology of Aristides'' was written by the early Christian writer Aristides (fl. 2nd century). Until 1878, the knowledge about Aristides was confined to some references in works by Eusebius of Caesarea and Saint Jerome. Eusebius said that ...

for the series "Kommentar zu frühchristlichen Apologeten" (published by Herder Verlag). In 2001 the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

awarded Lattke a Centenary Medal for his contribution to the field of

early Christian 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 Jewish d ...

studies. In 2007 he was presented with the

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

, ''I Sowed Fruits into Hearts (Odes Sol. 17:13): Festschrift for Professor Michael Lattke'', edited by

Pauline Allen Pauline Allen, (born 23 February 1948) is an Australian scholar of early Christianity. She is Research Professor of Early Christian Studies and the Director of the Centre for Early Christian Studies at the Australian Catholic University. Honour ...

Majella Franzmann Majella Franzmann is a professor in the Department of Studies in Religion at the University of Sydney and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA). Early life and education Majella Maria Franzmann was born in 1952. Franzm ...

and Rick Strelan (Strathfield: St Pauls, 2007). Lattke is a member of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS), a life member of th
Society for the Study of Early Christianity
(SSEC), and an Honorary Fellow in th
Centre for Early Christian Studies
at the

Australian Catholic University Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university in Australia. It has seven Australian campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome. History Australian Catholic University was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamatio ...

(ACU).

has offered the Michael Lattke Studies in Religion Scholarship since 2020.

Bibliography

A comprehensive bibliography of Lattke's work is compiled in the Festschrift: ''I Sowed Fruits into Hearts (Odes Sol. 17:13): Festschrift for Professor Michael Lattke'', ed. Pauline Allen,

and Rick Strelan (2007). *''Einheit im Wort: Die spezifische Bedeutung von ἀγάπη, ἀγαπᾶν und φιλεῖν im Johannesevangelium'' (München: Kösel-Verlag, 1975), originally presented as the author's Dr. theol. thesis, Freiburg im Breisgau (1974). *''Die Oden Salomos in ihrer Bedeutung für Neues Testament und Gnosis'', 4 vols. in 5 (1979–98). *''Register zu Rudolf Bultmanns Glauben und Verstehen, Band I-IV'' (1984). *''Hymnus: Materialien zu einer Geschichte der antiken Hymnologie'' (1991). *''Collected Studies in Early Judaism, the New Testament and the Odes of Solomon (1974-1991)'', (1992) University of Queensland D.Litt. thesis. *''Oden Salomos'' (1995). *Herbert Leroy, ''Jesus: Überlieferung und Deutung'', 3rd edition (1999), edited with an introduction and bibliography by Anne Dawson and Michael Lattke. *''Oden Salomos: Text, Übersetzung, Kommentar'', 3 vols. (1999-2005). *"Die Oden Salomos: Einleitungsfragen und Forschungsgeschichte", ''Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft'' 98 (2007) 277-307. *"War der Apologet Aristides ein Mann von Bildung?", in ''Frühchristentum und Kultur'', ed. Ferdinand R. Prostmeier (2007) 35-74.
"Druckfehler, Ergänzungen und Verbesserungen im Kommentar zu den Oden Salomos"
*"Greek Words in the Syriac Text of the Apology of Aristides", in ''Malphono w-Rabo d-Malphone: Studies in Honor of

Sebastian P. Brock Sebastian Paul Brock, FBA (born 1938, London) is a British scholar, university professor, and expert in the field of academic studies of Classical Syriac language and Classical Syriac literature. His research also encompasses various aspects of c ...

'', ed.

George A. Kiraz George Anton Kiraz ( syr, ܓܘܪܓܝ ܒܪ ܐܢܛܘܢ ܕܒܝܬ ܟܝܪܐܙ; born 1965) is a Syriac engineer and entrepreneur, best known for his contribution to modern Syriac studies. Biography George Kiraz was born in Bethlehem to a Syriac Ortho ...

(2008) 383-403. *''Odes of Solomon: A Commentary'', Translated by Marianne Ehrhardt, Edited by Harold W. Attridge (Hermeneia; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2009). *"Spuren des Römerbriefs in den Oden Salomos", in ''The Letter to the Romans'', ed. Udo Schnelle (2009) 543-562. *"Der Tod Jesu Christi in der Apologie des Aristides. Eine Fallstudie mit forschungsgeschichtlicher Einleitung und Bibliographie", ''Early Christianity'' 1 (2010) 575-601. *''Die Oden Salomos: Griechisch-koptisch-syrisch mit deutscher Übersetzung'' (Darmstadt: WBG, 2011). *"„Taufe“ und „untertauchen“ in Aphrahats ܬܚܘܝܬܐ (''taḥwyāṯā'')”, in ''Ablution, Initiation, and Baptism: Late Antiquity, Early Judaism, and Early Christianity = Waschungen, Initiation und Taufe: Spätantike, Frühes Judentum und Frühes Christentum'', ed. David Hellholm, Tor Vegge, Øyvind Norderval, Christer Hellholm (BZNW 176/I–III; Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, 2011) 1115–38. *"Eine bemerkenswerte syrische Lesart in Mk 14,25", ''Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft'' 104 (2013) 146. *''Paul Anton de Lagarde und das Judentum'' (E-Book; St Lucia: The University of Queensland, 2014), 152 pp. *"Einsetzung und Vollzug der christlichen Paschafeier bei Aphrahat", in ''The Eucharist – Its Origins and Contexts: Sacred Meal, Communal Meal, Table Fellowship in Late Antiquity, Early Judaism, and Early Christianity'', ed. David Hellholm and Dieter Sänger (WUNT 376/I–III; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2017) 1091–1119. *''Aristides ›Apologie‹ übersetzt und erklärt'' (Kommentar zu frühchristlichen Apologeten, Band 2; Freiburg, Basel, Wien: Herder, 2018).

References

External links

Academia page with publications in pdf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lattke, Michael 1942 births Living people 20th-century German Catholic theologians 21st-century German Catholic theologians Australian historians of religion Australian biblical scholars Roman Catholic biblical scholars New Testament scholars Australian Christian theologians University of Tübingen alumni University of Freiburg alumni University of Augsburg alumni German emigrants to Australia German biblical scholars Academic staff of the University of Queensland Writers from Szczecin German male non-fiction writers