Martin Hengel

Martin Hengel (1926-2009) was a German New Testament scholar and historian of early Christianity who profoundly influenced understanding of Second Temple Judaism and early Christian origins. Professor at the University of Tübingen from 1964 to 1992, Hengel challenged the sharp dichotomy between Judaism and Hellenism, demonstrating extensive Hellenistic influence on Palestinian Judaism. His magisterial works include Judaism and Hellenism (1974), The Son of God (1976), and Crucifixion (1977). Hengel's research on early Christology argued that high christological titles emerged remarkably early in the Palestinian Jewish-Christian community, not as later Hellenistic additions. His studies of the Zealots, the Septuagint, and Jewish apocalypticism reshaped scholarly understanding of the religious context of early Christianity. Through meticulous historical analysis, Hengel illuminated how Jewish monotheism accommodated early Christian claims about Jesus' divine status, contributing significantly to debates about the development of Trinitarian theology.