Braun, Herbert, 1903-1991

Herbert Braun was born in Warlubien, West Prussia in 1903. He studied theology in Konigsberg, Rostock, and Tubingen. Among the major influences upon his theological thought were the works of Luther, Kant, Kierkegaard, and K. Barth. He eventually became a pastor in East Prussia and was later imprisoned in 1937 for resisting the Nazis. After the war, he served as a pastor in Magdeburg (1946-47), a professor at the Kirchlich Hochschule in Berlin (1947-52), and a professor in Mainz. He continued to teach even after his retirement.

Braun focused on two major issues in his work: (1) the relationship of the New Testament to the pagan and Jewish Hellenistic environment in which it originated and (2) the question of meaning in the interpretation of texts. His publications included Spatjudischharetischer und fruhchristlicher Radikalismus, Qumran und das Neue Testament, and Jesus of Nazareth: The Man and His Time.

From the description of Herbert Braun papers, 1947-1986. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 145405906