New Testament

The New Testament is the second and younger part of the Christian Bible. Its writings offer the most important access to the historical Jesus and the proclaimed Christ. It was written between 50 and 100 AD in the context of the history of time, religion and literature of the Roman Empire. The oldest testimonies come from Jewish groups and cannot be understood without knowledge of ancient Judaism. The task of New Testament research is to perceive canonical and extra-canonical texts in their individuality, to understand them from the contexts of their origin and their use, and to assert them against an unreflecting appropriation. Their reception history is being reflected upon as well as their importance for the present. Based on its science-theoretical premises and methods, New Testament science is integrated into the canon of sciences. It is part of the humanities, has an interdisciplinary focus, and works within the horizon of religious, contemporary, and social history, as well as linguistics and literary studies.