Otto Kaiser

Otto Kaiser (* 30 November 1924) is one of the leading Old Testament scholars of our times. Born in Eberswalde, Germany, he attended the Gymnasium there and went to the University of Berlin to study Medicine, but also Philosophy with Nicolai Hartmann. He served in World War II on the Eastern Front and was wounded. Returning, he studied Protestant Theology - and also Oriental Studies and Philosophy - at the University of Tübingen. He received his D (Doctor of Divinity) degree in 1961 and his Habilitation less than a year later. Called to a professorship at the University of Marburg, the oldest Protestant university in the world with one of the most distinguished Divinity Schools in Germany, he soon received the main Chair of Old Testament, which, in spite of many calls to other universities, he held until his retirement. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Jena, the University of Tartu, and the University of Salzburg, as well as the Bundesverdienstkreuz 1st Class. Kaiser's work stands in the tradition of Rudolf Bultmann; he sees theology as "the study of the human reflection of the experience of the Divine in time and space." He has written a complete, three-volume theology of the Old Testament, as well as the leading one- and three-volume introductions into Old Testament Studies in German; among his many special areas are the Book of Job, Ecclesiastes, the Apocrypha, and Sirach. Kaiser is also a leading scholar on ancient and modern philosophy, particularly on Kant, Hegel, and most recently especially on Nietzsche, Plato, and Aristotle.

Related Topics:
30 November - 1924 - Old Testament - Eberswalde - Germany - Gymnasium - University of Berlin - Medicine - Philosophy - Nicolai Hartmann - World War II - Eastern Front - Protestant Theology - Oriental Studies - University of Tübingen - D - Doctor of Divinity - Habilitation - University of Marburg - Divinity School - Chair of Old Testament - University of Jena - University of Tartu - University of Salzburg - Bundesverdienstkreuz - Rudolf Bultmann - Book of Job - Ecclesiastes - Apocrypha - Sirach - Kant - Hegel - Nietzsche - Plato - Aristotle

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