Kurt Aland (28 March 1915 – 13 April 1994) was a German theologian and
biblical scholar who specialized in
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 Chri ...
textual criticism
Textual criticism is a branch of textual scholarship, philology, and of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification of textual variants, or different versions, of either manuscripts or of printed books. Such texts may range in da ...
. He founded the ''
Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung'' (Institute for New Testament Textual Research) 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 di ...
and served as its first director from 1959 to 1983. He was one of the principal editors of ''
Nestle–Aland – Novum Testamentum Graece'' for the
Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
The Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft ("German Bible Society") is a religious foundation regulated by public law. It is involved in publishing and in spreading the message of the Bible.
The Society publishes the Bible in the original languages and in ...
and ''
The Greek 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 ...
'' for the
United Bible Societies
The United Bible Societies (UBS) is a global fellowship of around 150 Bible Societies operating in more than 240 countries and territories. It has working hubs in England, Singapore, Nairobi and Miami. The headquarters are located in Swindon, Eng ...
.
Life
Aland was born in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
-
Steglitz. He started studying theology in 1933 at the
Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Berlin (he also studied philology, archaeology, and history). On 23 March that year, he was examined before the ''Bruderrat'' (council of brothers) in the ''
Bekennende Kirche
The Confessing Church (german: link=no, Bekennende Kirche, ) was a movement within German Protestantism during Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to unify all Protestant churches into a single pro-Nazi German ...
'' (Confessing Church). During his studies, he worked for the journal of the Confessing Church, ''Junge Kirche'' (Young Church). In an ideological brochure, ''Wer fälscht?'' (Who is lying?), written against
Mathilde Ludendorff
Mathilde Friederike Karoline Ludendorff (born Mathilde Spieß; 4 October 1877 – 24 June 1966) was a German psychiatrist. She was a leading figure in the Völkisch movement known for her unorthodox (esoteric) and conspiratorial ideas. Her thi ...
, he confirmed the position of the Confessing Church and identified with them. In 1939, he studied for his bachelor's degree under the guidance of
Hans Lietzmann Hans Lietzmann (2 March 1875 – 25 June 1942) was a German Protestant theologian and church historian who was a native of Düsseldorf.
He initially studied in Jena, then continued his education in University of Bonn, Bonn, where he was a student o ...
. In 1940, he was released from military service; and, in 1941, after Lietzmann's death, he took over the responsibilities of editing the ''Theologische Literaturzeitung'' (the only German theological magazine at that time). He graduated that same year, and in 1944 was ordained as minister of the parish of
Berlin-Steglitz
Steglitz () is a locality of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough in Southwestern Berlin, the capital of Germany. is a Slavic name for the European goldfinch, similar to the German .
Steglitz was also a borough from 1920 to 2000. It contained the ...
.
After
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 opposin ...
, Aland became a lecturer on the theological faculty of the
Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...
. In 1947, he was appointed professor ordinarius in
Halle (Saale).
Aland disapproved of the Marxist government of
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
, and was persecuted as a result. In 1953, he was accused of smuggling watches to
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
and was kept under arrest for three months. Aland frequently spoke out against various forms of state oppression directed at churches and also demanded freedom of speech in East Germany. In July 1958, he lost his job at the University. However, in September of that year, he successfully escaped to West Berlin. His 8000-volume library was incorporated into the University Library.
In 1958, he became a professor at the
University of Münster
The University of Münster (german: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, WWU) is a public research university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
With more than 43,000 students and over 120 fields of stud ...
, Germany. Aland declined the offer for a professorship at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
in 1960. In Münster he founded the
Institute for New Testament Textual Research
The Institute for New Testament Textual Research (german: Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung — INTF) at the University of Münster, Westphalia, Germany, is to research the textual history of the New Testament and to reconstruct its ...
("Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung") in 1959, which he directed until 1983. Furthermore, he founded the world's first "
Bible Museum" in 1979, which was unique in the world for many years. His institute achieved worldwide recognition by publishing the ''
Nestle–Aland – Novum Testamentum Graece'' and ''
The Greek 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 ...
'' for the
United Bible Societies
The United Bible Societies (UBS) is a global fellowship of around 150 Bible Societies operating in more than 240 countries and territories. It has working hubs in England, Singapore, Nairobi and Miami. The headquarters are located in Swindon, Eng ...
.
Aland was married twice. His first marriage was to Ingeborg Aland (they had three children together). In 1972, he married
Barbara Aland. He died 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 di ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, in 1994.
Relevance
![Besuch bei Papst Joh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Besuch_bei_Papst_Joh._Paul_-_Foto_Felici_Roma_k.jpg)
Kurt Aland was representative of increasing specialism within theological-historical studies.
[.] In the field of New Testament research, his work (and also the work that he did together with his wife
Barbara Aland in the
Institute for New Testament Textual Research
The Institute for New Testament Textual Research (german: Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung — INTF) at the University of Münster, Westphalia, Germany, is to research the textual history of the New Testament and to reconstruct its ...
in Münster) is internationally acclaimed.
The focus of his work began as an intense and adventurous search for old manuscripts on several expeditions to abbeys in Russia and Greece (amongst others). He discovered numerous manuscripts of the New Testament, whose evaluation is still in progress. Most notable among his work was the newly arranged edition of ''
Novum Testamentum Graece'' (Greek New Testament) in 1979 (also called Nestle–Aland).
This textual foundation for the New Testament exemplifies a scholarly mentality aimed at achieving the highest possible convergence with the "original text."
Furthermore, he acted in the Hermann-Kunst-Stiftung, which was founded in 1964 by Hermann Kunst, a good friend of Aland. Many important figures within politics and economics participated in the sponsorship of the
Institute for New Testament Textual Research
The Institute for New Testament Textual Research (german: Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung — INTF) at the University of Münster, Westphalia, Germany, is to research the textual history of the New Testament and to reconstruct its ...
.
Another priority in his life was church history, being concerned with the early church, the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, and movements such as
pietism
Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy an ...
and revivalism.
Aland received critical acclaim for his profundity and comprehensive knowledge of the textual sources for the New Testament. His contemporary presence is relevant, having contributed to modern scientific methodology.
Aland was of the opinion that every work within historical research stands on its adherence to reliability and accessibility.
The archives (''
Nachlass
''Nachlass'' (, older spelling ''Nachlaß'') is a German word, used in academia to describe the collection of manuscripts, notes, correspondence, and so on left behind when a scholar dies. The word is a compound in German: ''nach'' means "after ...
'') of Kurt Aland are provided in the University Archives of the
University of Münster
The University of Münster (german: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, WWU) is a public research university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
With more than 43,000 students and over 120 fields of stud ...
, Germany.
Honors
![Kurt Aland 70 er Geburstag 3 - 1985](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Kurt_Aland_70_er_Geburstag_3_-_1985.jpg)
Kurt Aland achieved the following honorary doctorates:
* 1950: "Dr. (h.c.)", from
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 ...
(Germany)
* 1957: "Doctor of Divinity", from
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
(Scotland)
* 1971: "Doctor of Literature", from
Wartburg College
Wartburg College is a private Lutheran liberal arts college in Waverly, Iowa. It has an additional campus, Wartburg West, in Denver, Colorado.
History
Wartburg College was founded in 1852 in Saginaw, Michigan, by Georg M. Grossmann, a nativ ...
(Iowa)
He received the following awards:
* 1963: Golden "Cross of Athos" of the patriarchate of Alexandria
* 1975: "
Burkitt Medal The Burkitt Medal is awarded annually by the British Academy "in recognition of special service to Biblical Studies". Awards alternate between Hebrew Bible studies (odd years) and New Testament studies (even years). It was established in 1923 and h ...
" for Biblical Studies by the
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...
* 1976:
Grant Cross of Merit, neck cross (Großes Verdienstkreuz)[''Text, Wort, Glaube''](_blank)
S. 13.
* 1983:
Grant Cross of Merit with star (Großes Verdienstkreuz mit Stern)
* 1985: "Luther-Medal" from the
University of Halle-Wittenberg
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university i ...
* 1985: "Canstein-Medal" from the
German Bible Society
* 1994: "St. Paul’s Biglerville Prize" from the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic
Kurt Aland was a member of the following academies:
* since 1955:
Saxonian Academy of Sciences and Humanities
The Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig (german: Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig) is an institute which was founded in 1846 under the name ''Royal Saxon Society for the Sciences'' (german: Königlich Sächsische G ...
(Germany)
* since 1969:
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...
* since 1975:
Academy of Science of Göttingen (Germany)
* since 1976:
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Festschriften:
* ''Text – Wort – Glaube'' in Honour of Kurt Aland, ed. Martin Brecht (De Gruyter, Berlin, New York, 1980, )
* ''Grundlagen der Apologetik: Kurt Aland zum 70. Geburtstag'', published by "Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Religions- und Weltanschauungsfragen" (Munich, 1985, )
* ''Supplementa zu den Neutestamentlichen und den Kirchengeschichtlichen Entwürfen'' in Honour of Kurt Aland presented to his 75th birthday, ed. Beate Köster, Hans-Udo Rosenbaum, Michael Welte (De Gruyter, Berlin, New York, 1990, , 9783110121421)
The American
Society of Biblical Literature elected him an Honorary Member. Furthermore, Aland was elected an Honorary Life Member in 1966 by the
American Bible Society
American Bible Society is a U.S.-based Christian nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the American member organization of United Bible Societies, it supports global Bible translation, production, distribution, literacy, engage ...
.
Works
![Grabstein Kurt Aland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Grabstein_Kurt_Aland.jpg)
Kurt Aland wrote and published numerous books and articles in magazines; his bibliography lists 477 publications.
["Kurt Aland – In memoriam" 1995, the Hermann Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der neutestamentlichen Textforschung.] Therefore, the following list provides only an excerpt of his work.
Books translated or written in English
* ''Greek New Testament'' by Kurt and Barbara Aland (and others), German Bible Society; 5 revised ed. (August 2014);
* ''Novum Testamentum Graece – Nestle–Aland'' by Kurt and Barbara Aland (and others), German Bible Society; 28 Rev Blg ed. (December 1, 2012),
* ''Synopsis of the Four Gospels'' edited by Kurt Aland, United Bible Societies, 1985,
* .
* .
* ''Catholic Letters: Text and Suppliementary Material (Editio Critica Maior: Novum Testamentum Graece)'' by Kurt and Barbara Aland (and others), German Bible Society; Rev Mul ed. (October 2013),
* ''A History of Christianity: From the Beginnings to the Threshold of the Reformation (History of Christianity) (Volume 1)'' by Kurt Aland, Fortress Pr (February 1985),
* ''A History of Christianity: From the Reformation to the Present (Volume 2)'' by Kurt Aland, Fortress Pr (September 1986),
* ''New Testament Textual Criticism, Exegesis and Church History A Discussion of Methods (Contributions to Biblical Exegesis & Theology)'' by Kurt Aland and J Delobel, Peeters (January 1, 1994),
* ''Four reformers: Luther, Melanchthon, Calvin, Zwingli'' by Kurt Aland, Augsburg Pub. House (1979),
* ''Martin Luther's 95 Theses'' by Kurt Aland, Concordia Publishing (December 30, 2004),
* ''The correspondence of Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg'' by Kurt Aland, Camden, Maine : Picton Press, c. 1986, 1993
* ''Saints and Sinners – Men and Ideas in the Early Church'' by Kurt Aland, Fortress Press (1970), ASIN B0006CPJSU
* ''A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. A Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament'' (3. ed.) by B. M. Metzger and the ''Editorial Committee of the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament'' (K. Aland, M. Black, C. M. Martini, B. M. Metzger and
Allen Wikgren), 1971;
* ''The New Testament : Ancient Greek with Today's English Version'' by Kurt Aland, Matthew Black, Bruce Metzger and Allen Wikgren, American Bible Society (1966), ASIN B002ULOMFG.
Books in German language
* ''Spener-Studien'', 1943, (= Arbeiten zur Geschichte des Pietismus I. Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte vol. 28);
* ''Kirchengeschichtliche Entwürfe: Alte Kirche – Reformation und Luthertum – Pietismus und Erweckungsbewegung'', 1960.
* ''Die Säuglingstaufe im Neuen Testament und in der alten Kirche. Eine Antwort an Joachim Jeremias'', (= TEH; N.F. 86), 1961; ''Über den Glaubenswechsel in der Geschichte des Christentums'', 1961;
* ''"''Bibel und Bibeltexte bei August Hermann Francke und Johann Albrecht Bengel". In: ''Pietismus und Bibel'', (= AGP; 9), 1970, 89–147;
* ''Taufe und Kindertaufe. 40 Sätze zur Aussage des Neuen Testaments und dem historischen Befund, zur modernen Debatte darüber und den Folgerungen daraus für die kirchliche Praxis – zugleich eine Auseinandersetzung mit Karl Barths Lehre von der Taufe'', 1971;
* ''Neutestamentliche Entwürfe'', (= Theol. Bücherei, NT; 63), 1979;
* ''Der Text des Neuen Testaments. Einführung in die wissenschaftlichen Ausgaben sowie in Theorie und Praxis der modernen Textkritik'' (with
Barbara Aland), 1982, 1989
English translation* ''Die Grundurkunde des Glaubens. Ein Bericht über 40 Jahre Arbeit an ihrem Text''. Em: Bericht der Hermann Kunst- Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1982 bis 1984, 1985, 9–75;
* ''Das Neue Testament – zuverlässig überliefert. Die Geschichte des neutestamentlichen Textes und die Ergebnisse der modernen Textforschung'', (= Wissenswertes zur Bibel; 4), 1986;
* ''Text und Textwert der griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testaments'', vol. I-III (=Arbeiten zur neutestamentlichen Textforschung), 1987 ff.;
See also
*
Institute for New Testament Textual Research
The Institute for New Testament Textual Research (german: Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung — INTF) at the University of Münster, Westphalia, Germany, is to research the textual history of the New Testament and to reconstruct its ...
*
Categories of New Testament manuscripts
New Testament manuscripts in Greek are categorized into five groups, according to a scheme introduced in 1981 by Kurt and Barbara Aland in ''The Text of the New Testament''. The categories are based on how each manuscript relates to the vari ...
*
International Greek New Testament Project The International Greek New Testament Project (IGNTP) began in 1926 as a cooperative enterprise between British and German scholars to establish a new critical edition of the New Testament. Early results of the work were critical apparatus of the Go ...
References
External links
Nestle–Aland Ausgaben des griechischen Neuen TestamentsAuflistung aller derzeit verfügbaren Ausgaben.
*
(in German)
www.nestle-aland.com, Homepage of the Nestle–Aland 28* , 1979
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aland, Kurt
1915 births
1994 deaths
Writers from Berlin
20th-century Christian biblical scholars
20th-century German Protestant theologians
German biblical scholars
Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Scholars of Koine Greek
New Testament scholars
University of Münster faculty
Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy
German historians of religion
Textual scholarship
German male non-fiction writers
Members of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities