SARAH AND DANIEL SMITH HERE IN TÜBINGEN

By Beth Langstaff

At the end of May, we were very pleased to be able to welcome Daniel and Sarah Smith here on their first visit to Tübingen. Daniel is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Saint Louis University; at present, he is a Humboldt Fellow at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich. He read a paper at the New Testament Colloquium, "On Appeals to an Imperfect Past in a Present Future: Reflections on the Israelite Wilderness in the Late Second Temple Period,” exploring the intriguing ways in which biblical traditions about the Israelites in the wilderness were read and interpreted by authors such as Josephus and Paul and in texts such as I Maccabees and the Dead Sea Scrolls.                              

Sarah and Daniel Smith at the Institute July 2017

THE RADICALS OF THE REFORMATION

Sattler Memorial

Here in Germany, the Reformation is front-page news throughout this "Luther Year" (the 500th anniversary of Luther's 95 Theses), but the Reformation is all too often considered only within the categories of "Protestants" and "Catholics." (Those of you who have lived here in Germany are probably familiar with the typical choice of "Konfession" provided on German forms: you are expected to be either "evangelisch" or "katholisch.") In the second half of the semester, the Theological German class is reading and discussing the "Radicals" of the Reformation, such as Michael Sattler, one of the so-called "Anabaptists" who rejected infant baptism and began to practice believer's baptism – and who were, as a result, persecuted and executed by Protestants and Catholics alike. In 1527, Michael Sattler and his wife Margarethe were arrested in the town of Horb and put on trial by the Catholic authorities in Rottenburg (ten minutes away from Tübingen); both of them were executed. Here is their memorial in Rottenburg; the last line reads (translated into English), "They died for their faith."

The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople visits Tübingen

The Dean of the Protestant Faculty, Prof. Michael Tilly (right), awards Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, the honorary doctorate of the Tübingen Eberhard Karls University. Picture:Metz

One of the most interesting aspects of working here in Tübingen is coming into contact with diverse Christian traditions...not only the two standard denominational labels here in Germany ("evangelisch" or "katholisch"), but other Christian families and traditions as well. Students in Theological German & English are not only Lutheran, but also Orthodox, Methodist, Baptist and Reformed--and that diversity makes for intense and challenging discussions. Early this morning, black-clad Orthodox priests were streaming into the Tübingen Old City from all directions, heading for the main church (Stiftskirche), where the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (leader of the Orthodox Churches) was to receive an honorary doctorate from the Protestant Faculty of the University...I ended up walking with a group of priests who had lost their way and discovered that they came from all over the world. Security was tight: no handbags or coats, and each guest was expected to produce photo ID. Prof Tilly, in his role as Dean, introduced the Patriarch and awarded the doctorate. Patriarch Bartholomew then gave a short lecture--in German, no less! He urged Protestant Christians here in Germany, where they are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the start of the Reformation (the "Lutherjahr", as it is called), not just to trace their roots back to Luther--but to trace their roots all the way back to the "Urchristentum", to the early church...that reminded me of the vision of this Institute: the study of Christian origins / Erforschung des Urchristentums.

HEAVEN IS A FEAST

Last week, Dr Claudia Bergmann from the University of Erfurt read a paper for the colloquium on "The Messiah and the Meal." She examined how in both Judaism and in Christianity, there are descriptions of a meal or feast in the world to come. She made fascinating observations about commensality--the act of eating / sharing a meal together (you can't hold a feast all alone!), and what sharing a meal means both in social and in theological terms.  She also discussed various passages in the NT in which Christ the Messiah not only takes part in the feast(Matt 26:29) but invites and even serves the guests (Luke 12:37). Striking to consider that the Lord's Supper is a dress rehearsal for the heavenly feast.

Tübingen 01.June 2017

Tony Twist, David Wright, and Richard Justice visit Tübingen

Last week, EES Board President Tony Twist made his annual visit to Tübingen, along with EES Board members David Wright and Rick Justice. It was exciting to meet in the new Institute offices in the Tübingen Altstadt (Old City) and to talk about current projects such as the new Institute website and plans for the 2018 Symposium (on the Lord’s Prayer). We also met with Prof Dr. Michael Tilly, who is now Dean of the Protestant Faculty.

TCMI Board members visit Tübingen May 2017

Brunch with Globalscope

Although the Institute no longer shares a building with student ministry Globalscope, we do keep in touch. In early May we met for brunch here at the Institute with Shalynn & Tyler Crawford and their one-year-old son Finn, and with Chris Godwin and Julia Kopp. It was great to catch up on personal news, to hear about the new Globalscope ministry in Freiburg, and to talk about what is happening here in Tübingen.
   

Lunch with Globalscope