The Great Cloud of Witnesses · The Church Under Fire & Into All the World
Gerhard von Rad
1901–1971
Dr. Gerhard von Rad (October 21, 1901 – October 31, 1971) was a German Lutheran Old Testament theologian and one of the most-influential Old Testament scholars of the 20th century.
The life
Dr. Gerhard von Rad (October 21, 1901 – October 31, 1971) was a German Lutheran Old Testament theologian and one of the most-influential Old Testament scholars of the 20th century. He served as Professor of Old Testament at Jena (1934), Göttingen (1945), and most prominently at Heidelberg (1949–1967). He was associated with the Confessing Church during the Nazi era — the same theological-ecclesial context that produced Bonhoeffer. His two-volume Old Testament Theology (vol. 1, The Theology of Israel's Historical Traditions, 1957; vol.
2, The Theology of Israel's Prophetic Traditions, 1960; English 1962/1965) is a landmark of 20th-c. biblical-theological scholarship. Marcus Brown named him in his original roster notes specifically referencing The Message of the Prophets (compact volume 1968 / English 1968, distilled from vol. 2's prophetic-traditions material). Other notable works: Genesis: A Commentary (Old Testament Library, 1953/1972), Studies in Deuteronomy (1947/1953), Wisdom in Israel (1970/1972).
Go further
Read them yourself — the works below are the next step, and the public-domain ones are free to read in full.
- The Message of the Prophets1967
Compact distillation of vol. 2 of *Old Testament Theology* on prophetic traditions. Named in the founder's roster. Standard academic-evangelical entry-point to von Rad's prophetic-traditions framework.
- Old Testament Theology1957
Landmark 20th-c. Old Testament theology; substantial academic influence.
- Genesis: A Commentary1953
Standard academic Genesis commentary.