Die Patristik um 1911 in ihrem Verhältnis zur Religionsgeschichte

Abstract

The present paper deals with the debates about the History of Religion, which emerged at the University of Göttingen around 1890, within Church History, especially Patristics, in Germany in the early 20th century. The inaugural speech of Adolf Harnack as head of the University of Berlin in 1901 serves as a prominent example of outright rejection of special chairs of Religious Sciences, while the methodological impact of the History of Religion is duly appreciated. In order to broaden the scope of the analysis, contemporary lectures given by Alfred Hegler and Adolf Jülicher are reviewed, which indicate that patristic scholars did not see the History of Religions as a fundamental challenge to their ongoing work. Finally, the encyclopedia Religion in Geschichte and Gegenwart aimed at furthering research in terms of the History of Religion; however, the patristic articles oscillate between tradition and innovation in method and focus. In sum, patristic research was enriched by the new analytical perspective of the History of Religion, but did not undergo a thorough transformation in the years around 1911.