The ''Theologische Realenzyklopädie'' (''TRE'') is a German encyclopedia of

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 th ...

and religious studies. It contains some 2000 articles in 36 volumes. The first installment was published in 1977, the last in 2004.

Genesis and editors

The ''Theologische Realenzyklopädie'' is published by

Walter de Gruyter Walter de Gruyter GmbH, known as De Gruyter (), is a German scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature. History The roots of the company go back to 1749 when Frederick the Great granted the Königliche Realschule in Be ...

and continues the nineteenth-century tradition of specialized encyclopedias, specifically that of the '' Realenzyklopädie für protestantische Theologie und Kirche'', published in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

between 1896 and 1913. But in contrast to the latter, the ''TRE'' treats its subjects in an

ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

fashion. The ''TRE'' was edited by fourteen main editors. The primary editor was the bishop and church historian Gerhard Müller of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick (german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche in Braunschweig) is a Lutheran church in the German states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The seat of the Landesbischof (bishop) is Wolfenbüttel. ...

. Until volume 12 his fellow main editor was Gerhard Krause, professor of theology at the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...

Publication information

*Gerhard Müller, Horst Balz, Gerhard Krause (eds.): ''Theologische Realenzyklopädie.'' 36 vols. De Gruyter, Berlin 1976–2004. / / ; Compact edition: /

External links

Official website

Index
{{DEFAULTSORT:Theologische Realenzyklopadie Encyclopedias of religion German-language encyclopedias

Genesis and editors

Publication information

See also

External links