Thomas Christian Römer (born 13 December 1955) is a German-born Swiss
biblical scholar
Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible, with ''Bible'' referring to the books of the canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Jewish usage and the Christian Bible including the can ...
,
exegete
Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...
,
philologist
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...
,
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
, and
Reformed
Reform is beneficial change.
Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
Places
* Reform, Al ...
minister. After teaching at the
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...
, he became professor of the
Old Testament
The Old Testament (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 and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
at the
University of Lausanne
The University of Lausanne (UNIL; ) in Lausanne, Switzerland, was founded in 1537 as a school of Protestant theology, before being made a university in 1890. The university is the second-oldest in Switzerland, and one of the oldest universities ...
. Since 2007, he has held the chair "Biblical environments" at the
Collège de France
The (), formerly known as the or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment () in France. It is located in Paris near La Sorbonne. The has been considered to be France's most ...
, of which he became administrator in 2019.
Biography
Life
Thomas Römer was born 13 December 1955 in
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
(Germany). He was raised in a practicing
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
family of
German descent and was very passionate about the
Old Testament
The Old Testament (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 and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
. From 1982 to 1984, He was trainee
minister of the
Reformed Church of France in
Nancy.
Education
He studied Theology and
Religious studies
Religious studies, also known as religiology or the study of religion, is the study of religion from a historical or scientific perspective. There is no consensus on what qualifies as ''religion'' and definition of religion, its definition is h ...
at the theological faculties of the
University of Heidelberg
Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is List ...
and
University of Tübingen
The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...
from 1974 to 1980. He also studied
Biblical Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew ( or ), also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language, a language in the Canaanite languages, Canaanitic branch of the Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites in the area known as the Land of Isra ...
,
Ugaritic
Ugaritic () is an extinct Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language known through the Ugaritic texts discovered by French archaeology, archaeologists in 1928 at Ugarit, including several major literary texts, notably the Baal cycl ...
, and other
Semitic languages
The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. They include Arabic,
Amharic, Tigrinya language, Tigrinya, Aramaic, Hebrew language, Hebrew, Maltese language, Maltese, Modern South Arabian language ...
notably under the direction of
Rolf Rendtorff
Rolf Rendtorff (1925–2014) was Professor of Old Testament at the University of Heidelberg from 1963 to 1990. He was one of the more significant German Old Testament scholars from the latter half of the twentieth-century and published extensive ...
, professor of Old Testament in Heidelberg, who encouraged him to develop a thesis on the question of the
Jewish Patriarchs in the
Book of Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy (; ) is the fifth book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called () which makes it the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament.
Chapters 1–30 of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to ...
and the
Deuteronomist history. From 1980 to 1982, Römer studied Religious studies at the
École pratique des hautes études
The (), abbreviated EPHE, is a French postgraduate top level educational institution, a .
EPHE is a constituent college of the Université PSL (together with ENS Ulm, Paris Dauphine or Ecole des Mines). The college is closely linked to É ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. During his preparation in Paris, where he arrived in 1980, he attended the École pratique des hautes études, the
Catholic Institute of Paris, and the
Protestant Faculty of Theology in Paris—where his teacher was the exegete Françoise Florentin-Smyth—and obtained his doctorate in 1988.
Doctoral thesis
His doctoral thesis entitled ''Israels Väter'' combines
structuralist and
historico-critical approaches, and is part of the continuation of the work of
John Van Seters
John Van Seters (May 2, 1935 – April 9, 2025) was a Canadian scholar of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the Ancient Near East. He was a University Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina, and James A. Gray Professor of Bi ...
. It postulates the controversial aim of the editors of Deuteronomy against certain Judean circles and that the
Pentateuch
The Torah ( , "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. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () o ...
is the result of an attempt to unify between two factions internal to post-
Babylonian exile
The Babylonian captivity or Babylonian exile was the period in Jewish history during which a large number of Judeans from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were forcibly relocated to Babylonia by the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The deportations occurre ...
, split between the exiles returning from Babylon and the
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
who remained in the country and whose visions are expressed respectively through the tradition of the
Jewish Patriarchs and that of
the Exodus
The Exodus (Hebrew language, Hebrew: יציאת מצרים, ''Yəṣīʾat Mīṣrayīm'': ) is the Origin myth#Founding myth, founding myth of the Israelites whose narrative is spread over four of the five books of the Torah, Pentateuch (specif ...
. This thesis innovates in particular by suggesting that the fathers mentioned in Deuteronomy are those of the Exodus and not the Patriarchs, that the Deuteronomist editor considers that the only and true Israel is in the Golah, that is to say the exiled Babylonians, and that the patriarchs
Abraham
Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...
,
Isaac
Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...
, and
Jacob
Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...
did not appear in Deuteronomy until the
final writing and editing of the Pentateuch.
Academic work
University of Geneva
From 1984 to 1989, Römer was a
research assistant
A research assistant (RA) is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university, research institute, or privately held organization to provide assistance in academic or private research endeavors. Research assistants work under ...
of
Albert de Pury in the Old Testament at the Faculty of Theology of the
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...
, and lecturer of Biblical Hebrew and Ugaritic. At the invitation of Albert de Pury, met in Paris, Thomas Römer joined the University of Geneva where he became
senior lecturer at the Faculty of Theology from 1989 to 1991, before he became
assistant professor
Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea.
Overview
This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...
teaching biblical philology and biblical exegesis from 1991 until 1993.
University of Lausanne
Since 1993, he was a professor of
Biblical Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew ( or ), also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language, a language in the Canaanite languages, Canaanitic branch of the Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites in the area known as the Land of Isra ...
at the Faculty of Theology and Science of Religions at the
University of Lausanne
The University of Lausanne (UNIL; ) in Lausanne, Switzerland, was founded in 1537 as a school of Protestant theology, before being made a university in 1890. The university is the second-oldest in Switzerland, and one of the oldest universities ...
, as well as at the
Institut romand des sciences bibliques (IRSB), which is affiliated with the university. In 2003, French authorities contacted him when President
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...
sought clarification about George W. Bush's references to the biblical prophecies of "
Gog and Magog
Gog and Magog (; ) or Ya'juj and Ma'juj () are a pair of names that appear in the Bible and the Quran, Qur'an, variously ascribed to individuals, tribes, or lands. In Ezekiel 38, Gog is an individual and Magog is his land. By the time of the New ...
", made a few weeks before the invasion of Iraq. He provided a biblical analysis of this apocalyptic prophecy.
Collège de France
In 2007, at the invitation of the assyriologist
Jean-Marie Durand, Thomas Römer was appointed professor at the Collège de France where he held the chair "Milieux Bibliques": it was the first time that the term "Bible" appeared in a title of a research program of the College de France.
Since 2013, he has directed "Near East-Caucasus: languages, archeology, cultures" research unit at the Collège de France. In 2016 he was elected as a foreign associate of the ''
Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
The () is a French learned society devoted to history, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the . The academy's scope was the study of ancient inscriptions (epigraphy) and historical literature (see Belles-lettres).
History ...
'', in the chair of the medievalist Peter Lewis.
His work has contributed to renewing the understanding of the formation and dating of the
Pentateuch
The Torah ( , "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. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () o ...
as well as of the constitution of Jewish traditions on Abraham and Moses in particular. Thus, his work ''The So-Called Deuteronomistic History'', published in English in 2005 and translated into several languages, marks a milestone in the history of Deuteronomist research. In January 2019, he made the cover of the popular science journal for the general public ''
Sciences et Avenir'' for his philological and archaeological work on the Ark of the Covenant and his participation in excavations at the archaeological site of
Kiriath-Jearim in Israel.
From 2015 to 2019, Römer was Vice-President of the Assembly of Professors of the Collège de France. On 1 September 2019 he was appointed administrator of the Collège de France, succeeding
Alain Prochiantz. Of German and Swiss nationality, he became the first foreigner to head the Collège de France.
Historical-critical approach
Thomas Römer adopts an academic approach which combines historical criticism, literary and philological analysis of Old Testament texts, sometimes supported by archeology, seeking to detect the social, political or cultural circumstances which are the framework of the religious thought they generate, regardless of impact or contemporary theological readings. He notes that the writing of biblical texts constitutes a form of synthesis between identity conceptions and quite different theological conceptions and believes that this approach, which sometimes clashes with traditional representations, can serve both atheists and believers in their reflections on current issues.
Editorial work
The
Society of Biblical Literature
The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...
Press, Ancient Israel and Its Literature (AIL) editorial board is led by series editor Thomas C. Römer.
Honours and awards
Honours
* 2019: Knight of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
* 2021: Knight of the
Ordre des Palmes académiques
A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to ...
* 2022: Commander of the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...
Awards
* 2014: Prize for the history of religions of the Foundation ''Les amis de Pierre-Antoine Bernheim'' of the
Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
The () is a French learned society devoted to history, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the . The academy's scope was the study of ancient inscriptions (epigraphy) and historical literature (see Belles-lettres).
History ...
* 2015: Leenaards Foundation Cultural Prize
* 2021:
Lausanne University Medal
Honorary degrees
* 2015:
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...
* 2022:
Catholic University of Lyon
Publications
Bibliography (1984–2016)
IRSB Publications
*
*Thomas Römer and Jean-Daniel Macchi, ''Guide de la Bible hébraïque: La critique textuelle dans la Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS)'', Genève, Labor et Fides, 1994
*Thomas Römer, Dieu obscur: ''Le sexe, la cruauté et la violence dans l’Ancien Testament'', Genève, Labor et Fides, coll. « Essais Bibliques » (no 27), 1998 (1re éd. 1996)
*Thomas Römer, ''Le peuple élu et les autres: L’Ancien Testament entre exclusion et ouverture'', Poliez-le-Grand, Éditions du Moulin, 1997
*Thomas Römer, ''Les chemins de la sagesse: Proverbes, Job, Qohéleth'', Poliez-le-Grand, Éditions du Moulin, 1999
*Thomas Römer, ''Moïse « lui que Yahvé a connu face à face »'', Paris, Gallimard, coll. « Découvertes Gallimard / Religions » (no 424), 2002
*Thomas Römer, ''Jérémie: Du prophète au livre'', Poliez-le-Grand, Éditions du Moulin, 2003
*Thomas Römer and Loyse Bonjour, ''L'homosexualité dans le Proche-Orient ancien et la Bible'', Genève, Labor et Fides, coll. « Essais bibliques » (no 37), 2005
*
*Thomas Römer (trans. F. Smyth), ''La première histoire d'Israël: L'École deutéronomiste à l'œuvre'', Genève, Labor et Fides, coll. « Le Monde de la Bible » (no 56), 2007
*Thomas Römer, ''Psaumes interdits'', Aubonne, Éditions du Moulin, 2007
*
*Thomas Römer, Jean-Marie Durand et Jean-Pierre Mahé, ''La faute et sa punition dans les sociétés orientales'', Leuven, Peeters, 2013
*
*Thomas Römer, L’Invention de Dieu, Paris, Seuil, coll. « Les Livres du nouveau monde », 2014
*Thomas Römer, ''La Bible, quelles histoires!: Les dernières découvertes, les dernières hypothèses'', Genève, Labor et Fides, 2014 ()
*Thomas Römer, ''Moïse en version originale: Enquête sur le récit de la sortie d’Égypte'', Bayard/Labor et Fides, 2015 ()
*Thomas Römer and Léonie Bischoff, ''Naissance de la Bible: comment elle a été écrite'', Bruxelles, Le Lombard, coll. « La Petite Bédéthèque des savoirs » (no 23), 2018 ()
*Thomas Römer and
Israel Finkelstein
Israel Finkelstein (; born March 29, 1949) is an Israelis, Israeli archaeologist, professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University and the head of the School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures at the University of Haifa. Finkelstein is active in the a ...
, ''Aux origines de la Torah: Nouvelles rencontres, nouvelles perspectives'', Bayard, 2019 ()
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Römer, Thomas
1955 births
20th-century Calvinist and Reformed ministers
20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
20th-century Christian biblical scholars
20th-century Swiss educators
20th-century Swiss non-fiction writers
21st-century Calvinist and Reformed ministers
21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
21st-century German Protestant theologians
21st-century Christian biblical scholars
21st-century Swiss educators
21st-century Swiss non-fiction writers
Calvinist and Reformed biblical scholars
Clergy from Mannheim
Academic staff of the Collège de France
German emigrants to Switzerland
Heidelberg University alumni
Living people
Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
Old Testament scholars
Swiss biblical scholars
Swiss Calvinist and Reformed ministers
Swiss Calvinist and Reformed theologians
Swiss religion academics
Academic staff of the University of Geneva
Academic staff of the University of Lausanne
University of Paris alumni
Writers from Mannheim