Project Details
Projekt
Neues Testament: Die mythische Stratifikation der neutestamentlichen Christologien als Reflexe eines Machtdiskurses. Die Mythemsequenzen der Christusmythen und deren Einfluss auf die Formierung des Lukasevangeliums
Applicant
Professor Dr. Reinhard Feldmeier
Subject Area
Protestant Theology
Term
from 2015 to 2019
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 235014259
The project is based on the hypothesis that various ¿crossings¿ and ¿blendings¿ of history and myth are constitutive for the understanding of the New Testament. The first layer is the historical Jesus who interpreted his appearance as the dawning of the kingdom of God. According to his followers this ¿historicization¿ of a myth was not disproved by his death on the cross but confirmed by God in resurrecting him. Consequently in early Christian confession formulas and hymns the reference to historical events of the life of Jesus was mostly replaced by mythical elements: from preexistence and incarnation to exaltation, ascension and enthronement to the right hand of God. On a third level elements of the first and the second level were combined in the genre of the gospels as a rereading of the life of Jesus including the divine dimension. Besides the contributions to the volumes planned by the group as a whole the section contributes two books on paradigmatic representatives of the second and third level: A monograph on the hymn in the letter to the Colossians as a very important but neglected witness of a ¿cosmic¿ Christology and a commentary on Luke as the first gospel that framed the story of Jesus with mythical elements from Virgin Birth to Ascension.
DFG Programme
Research Units
