New Chair for New Testament: Research on Early Christianity Begins!

New Chair for New Testament: Research on Early Christianity Begins!

On May 13, 2025, Prof. Dr. Michael Hölscher appointed to the chair for New Testament at the Ruhr University Bochum. Hölscher deals with new aspects of the biblical texts and is particularly interested in everyday religious practice during the time these texts were written. His research includes the management of early Christians and the role of space in their communities. He relates modern theories to the organizational structure of the early Christians and addresses the relevance of church and city over more than 2,000 years.

How news.rub.de reports, Hölscher plans to expand his research to include rituals, items and objects. He is particularly fascinated by the effectiveness of language in prayers and curses. In his research, he mentions impressive figures from the Revelation of John who shoot fire from their mouths and examines the importance of cities and metropolises for the early Christians.

Seminar on church and city

Hölscher is planning a seminar for the winter semester of 2025/26 that will focus on the relationship between church and city. He sees the Ruhr area as the ideal place to discuss questions about metropolises and plurality. Hölscher has an extensive academic career behind him: from studying at the University of Münster from 2003 to 2009, to working as a university assistant in Graz, to scientific work in Mainz. He has specialized in various areas of theology and recently completed his habilitation process.

Parallel to this development, an interdisciplinary project at the University of Vienna is investigating the topic of domestic religion in early Christianity. The team, consisting of Protestant theologians and archaeologists from the Institute for Cultural History (IKAnt) of the ÖAW, focuses on the everyday religiosity of early Christians in the private sector. Christianity did not develop in a public cult, but rather in the context of family and home.

The challenges of research

Markus Öhler, the project manager, describes the research as “difficult detective work”. The project phases from the 1st and 2nd centuries focus on literary evidence, while the phases from the 3rd to 6th centuries focus on archaeological finds. Little archaeological evidence of religious practices from this period exists, adding to the challenge of research. An example would be a surviving wall painting in Ephesus depicting the lower part of a cross and a peacock.

The project, which has been running since May 1, 2014, aims to comprehensively research religious practices in early Christianity. The results will be published in a book publication and dissertation. This approach complements Hölscher's ongoing research, which also addresses the importance of private prayer rituals, which often took place without set rules.

Also worth noting is the ParaTexBib research project, which is being carried out at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. It aims to take a fresh look at biblical manuscripts with a focus on the paratext—supporting materials such as introductions and cross-references that have often been neglected. Insights have been gained from thousands of manuscripts that show a new picture of the “journey” of biblical texts through the centuries. This data is stored in the Pinakes database, accessible via the website www.manuscripta-biblica.org.

In summary, current research on biblical theology and the early Christians is in an exciting interplay that illuminates not only historical but also social dimensions. Prof. Dr. Michael Hölscher and the other researchers are helping to further deepen our understanding of these important aspects. Detailed information about their projects can be found at medienportal.univie.ac.at and paratexbib.eu.