Hermann Gunkel

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Translated and abridged from the German version of wikipedia (de:Hermann Gunkel). It needs checking for accuracy.

Hermann Gunkel (1862-1932) was a German Protestant Old Testament scholar. He was born in Springe, Germany (near Hannover, Lower Saxony).

Gunkel was the a son of a Lutheran pastor. He studied theology in Göttingen and Hanover.

In 1895 Gunkel became a professor of Old Testament in Berlin. In the same year his book Schöpfung und Chaos in Urzeit und Endzeit (Creation and Chaos) was published. In 1901 the first edition of his Genesis commentary appeared. In 1926 he published another standard work, his commentary on the book of Psalms (Die Psalmen).

For health reasons Gunkel retired and became professor emeritus in 1927. His Einleitung in die Psalmen (Introduction to the Psalms) was his last major project, which was brought to completion with the help of Joachim Begrich, who was both his former student and his son-in-law.

Gunkel had become an outstanding representative of the "History of Religion School" (die religionsgeschichtliche Schule). This was a circle of scholars from Göttingen, who shared assumptions regarding the analysis of the development of religion. In addition to Gunkel, the original group also included Albert Eichhorn, William Wrede, Wilhelm Bousset, Johannes Weiss, Ernst Troeltsch, Wilhelm Heitmüller, and P. Wernle. In the beginning, they were primarily concerned with the origins of Christianity. But this interest eventually broadened to include the historical backgrounds of ancient Israelite religion and other ancient Near Eastern religions.

He is sometimes called the father of form criticism and of tradition history, critical methodologies that his work had helped develop.

A large part of his literary production was written nevertheless in an apparent effort to reach a broader public. Hermann Gunkel died on 11 March 1932 in Halle.

[edit] Major Works in English

Creation and Chaos in the Primeval Era and the Eschaton. Translated by K. William Whitney Jr. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006. German ed. 1895.
The Folktale in the Old Testament. Translated by M. D. Rutter. Sheffield: Almond Press, 1987. German ed. 1921.
Genesis. Translated by Mark E. Biddle. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1997. German ed. 1910.
The History of Religion and the Old Testament. London: Williams & Norgate, 1910.
The Influence of the Holy Spirit. Translated by Roy A. Harrisville and P. A. Quanbeck II. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1979. German ed. 1888.
An Introduction to the Psalms. With Joachim Begrich. Translated by James D. Nogalski. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1998. German ed. 1933.
Israel and Babylon. Translated by E. S. B. Philadelphia: McVey, 1904. German ed. 1903.
The Legends of Genesis. Translated by W. H. Carruth. Chicago: Open Court, 1901; reprinted, with Introduction by W. F. Albright. New York: Schocken, 1964. German ed. the introduction to his Genesis commentary, 1901.
The Psalms: A Form-Critical Introduction. Introduction by James Muilenburg. Translated by T. M. Horner. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1967. German ed. 1927.
The Stories of Genesis. Translated by John J. Scullion. Edited by W. R. Scott. Vallejo, CA: Bibal, 1994. German ed. 1910.
Water for a Thirsty Land. Edited by K. C. Hanson. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001.
What Remains of the Old Testament and Other Essays. Introduction by James Moffatt. Translated by A. K. Dallas. New York: Macmillan, 1928. German ed. 1916.