Claus Westerman
Born(1909-10-07)October 7, 1909
Berlin, German Empire
DiedJune 11, 2000(2000-06-11) (aged 90)
Heidelberg, Germany
EducationUniversity of Tübingen
University of Marburg
University of Berlin
University of Zurich, Zurich
Parent(s)Mother: Katharina
Father: Diedrich Westermann
ChurchLutheran
WritingsSee section on Writings of Westermann
Congregations served
Berlin-Dahlem
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Berlin
Offices held
Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, University of Heidelberg
TitleReverend Doctor

Claus Westermann (7 October 1909 – 11 June 2000) was a German Protestant Old Testament scholar.[1] He taught at the University of Heidelberg from 1958 to 1978.[1]

Biography

Born to African missionaries, he finished his studies in 1933 and he became a pastor. During his theological studies he started studying the Old Testament, and became particularly interested in the content of the Psalms. During the Nazi regime he served in the German army for five years where he was a translator on the Russian front. After the war Westermann started preaching again and also went to teach Old Testament at Heidelberg, where he would continue to teach for twenty years with colleagues such as Gerhard von Rad, Hans Walter Wolff, and Rolf Rendtorff.[2]

Westermann is considered one of the premier Old Testament scholars of the twentieth century. Particularly notable among his scholarship is his lengthy and comprehensive commentary on the Book of Genesis, especially the volume covering Genesis 1-11.

Select Publications of Westermann

Some works that have been translated into English
  • A Thousand Years and a Day: Our Time in the Old Testament German orig. 1957 (English translation, 1962)
  • Basic Forms of Prophetic Speech, German orig. 1960 (English translation by Hugh Clayton White, 1967)
  • Handbook to the Old Testament German orig. (English translation by Robert Boyd, 1969)
  • Creation German orig. 1971 (English translation by John J. Scullion, 1974)
  • The Psalms: Structure, Content and Message German orig. (English translation, 1980)
  • Elements of Old Testament Theology German orig. (English translation, 1982)
  • Genesis 1 - 11, German orig. 1972 (English translation by John J. Scullion, 1984)
  • Genesis 12 - 36, German orig. 1981 (English translation by John J. Scullion, 1985)
  • Genesis 37 - 50, German orig. 1982 (English translation by John J. Scullion, 1986)
  • The Living Psalms German orig. (English translation by J. R. Porter, 1989)
  • The Gospel of John: In the Light of the Old Testament, German orig. 1994 (English translation by Siegfried S. Schatzmann, 1998)

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 Luther Seminary Archived 2010-06-03 at the Wayback Machine Word & World (1/2) 1981
  2. ↑ Brueggemann, Walter (1999). "Westermann, Claus". In John H. Hayes (ed.). Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation, v. 2. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press. pp. 633–634. ISBN 9780687055319.
Further reading
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