Jakob Wöhrle Tribute
Professor Jakob Wöhrle died unexpectedly on March 25th. He would have turned 50 in just over a month. His passing leaves a great void to colleagues, friends, and family. Those who only saw him professionally may have assumed that he was merely a sober German Old Testament scholar, but they would be wrong, or at least only partially accurate. Those who knew professor Wöhrle personally found him to be energetic, engaging, and curious. Those who heard him lecture or read papers recognized his engagement with scholarly discussions was always insightful, up to date, energetic, and direct. As a person and as a scholar, he made an impression on those he encountered.
At home or at dinners with colleagues, Jakob would often be the center of conversation. He was gregarious, funny, and outgoing. He had a tremendous sense of humor. He made friends wherever he went. Fluent in English as well as German, colleagues from Germany, Canada, America, Europe, and Israel were shocked and saddened to learn of his passing. Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer in Sweden called him a staunchly faithful colleague and equally staunchly loyal friend with whom it was a joy to work. Ehud Ben Zvi from Canada lamented his loss and grieved for the family he left behind. French professor Thomas Römer posted of his own sense of loss at the death of a colleague and friend of many years. I have vivid memories of the time my wife and I visited in his home. He was his kitchen proudly serving us pizza that he had made from scratch and baked in his pizza oven, all the while joking with his wife and daughters. For all he was a gifted scholar, he was even more devoted to his family. His wife Stefanie is a pastor, and they have two daughters, Anneli (age 14) and Mina (age 12). He doted upon his daughters, and they clearly loved their father. The family’s loss is profound.
Jakob’s colleague at Tübingen, Martin Leuenberger, expresses similar sentiments. He details Jakob’s long list of scholarly achievements that will influence others for years to come. He then concludes his tribute by stating that recognizing his scholarly impact offers little consolation for the loss of the outstanding academic and Old Testament scholar, a reliable colleague and friend, a prudent teacher and mentor and, above all, a caring father and husband.
In addition to the person and family man, Professor Jakob Wöhrle was indeed a serious scholar whose contributions to the discipline should be noted. They are prolific, impactful, and broad ranging. Wöhrle’s contributions reflect his training as a student of Rainer Albertz at the University of Münster. Wöhrle’s works demonstrate a masterful awareness of the history and literature of ancient Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Mesopotamia covering the better part of a Millennium. I mention only a few here, but a more complete list can be found on his Tübingen profile (see below). He published two volumes on the redaction history of the Book of the Twelve in 2006 and 2008. These volumes both deepened and affected the trajectory of scholarship on the Book of the Twelve.
He also published a monograph regarding the Priestly passages in the ancestral narratives of Genesis that contributed significant insights into the origins and structure of the Pentateuch, particularly through his source-critical analysis and diachronic consideration of the texts. He co-edited volumes on the Book of Twelve with Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer and the ancestral narratives in Genesis with Mark Brett.
As a teacher, he was quite well respected. Thomas Römer describes his abilities as a teacher: he was extremely popular and, through his friendly, attentive, lively, and motivating way of teaching, he inspired numerous students to take an interest in the subject and in theology.
Wöhrle’s service to the academy and the university was equally impressive. He served on editorial boards for journals such as Journal of Biblical Literature and Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel. He was an active participant in archaeological projects like the Lautenschläger Azekah Expedition. He served multiple terms as chair for the Formation of the Book of the Twelve group of the SBL. He also served in an administrative capacity for the Protestant Theological Faculty at Tübingen. Wöhrle headed the project “Distinction and Integration in the Foundation Document of Israel” at the Cluster of Excellence “Religion & Politics” at the University of Münster. This project promotes the peaceful coexistence of all religions. Relatedly, he was a member of The Minerva Center for the Relations between Israel and Aram in Biblical Times.
Thus, Jakob Wöhrle contributed to the academy in many ways through his writings, his teaching, and his service. For all his contributions, one can only add a deep sense of sadness regarding what else he would have written had he not died so terribly young.
Select Publications
Books
- Die frühen Sammlungen des Zwölfprophetenbuches: Entstehung und Komposition (BZAW 360), Berlin / New York: de Gruyter, 2006.
- Der Abschluss des Zwölfprophetenbuches: Buchübergreifende Redaktionsprozesse in den späten Sammlungen (BZAW 389), Berlin / New York: de Gruyter, 2008.
- Fremdlinge im eigenen Land: Zur Entstehung und Intention der priesterlichen Passagen der Vätergeschichte (FRLANT 246), Göttingen: Vandenhoeck, 2012.
Edited and Co-edited Volumes
- Rainer Albertz / Jakob Wöhrle (ed.), Between Cooperation and Hostility: Multiple Identities in Ancient Judaism and the Interaction with Foreign Powers (JAJSup 11), Göttingen: Vandenhoeck, 2013.
- Mark Brett / Jakob Wöhrle (ed.), The Politics of the Ancestors: Exegetical and Historical Perspectives on Genesis 12-36 (FAT 124), Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2018.
- Tiemeyer, Lena-Sofia and Jakob Wöhrle, eds. The Book of the Twelve: Composition, Reception, and Interpretation. VTSSup 184. Leiden: Brill, 2020.
Articles
- “The Un-Empty Land: The Concept of Exile and Land in P,” in: Ehud Ben Zvi / Christoph Levin (ed.), The Concept of Exile in Ancient Israel and its Historical Contexts (BZAW 404), Berlin / New York: de Gruyter, 2010, 189-206.
- “Joseph in Egypt: Living under Foreign Rule according to the Joseph Story and its Early Intra- and Extra-Biblical Reception,” in: Rainer Albertz / Jakob Wöhrle (ed.), Between Cooperation and Hostility: Multiple Identities in Ancient Judaism and the Interaction with Foreign Powers (JAJSup 11), Göttingen: Vandenhoeck, 2013, 53-72.
- “Frieden durch Trennung: Die priesterliche Darstellung des Exodus und die persische Reichsideologie,” in: Reinhard Achenbach / Ruth Ebach / Jakob Wöhrle (ed.), Wege der Freiheit: Zur Entstehung und Theologie des Exodusbuches: Die Beiträge eines Symposions zum 70. Geburtstag von Rainer Albertz, AThANT 104, Zürich: TVZ, 2014, 87-111.
- “The God(s) of the Nations in Late Prophecy,” in: Nathan MacDonald / Ken Brown (ed.), Monotheism in Late Prophecy and Early Apocalyptic Literature (FAT II,72), Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014, 177-199.
- “Abraham amidst the Nations: The Priestly Concept of Covenant and the Persian Imperial Ideology,” in: Richard J. Bautch / Gary Knoppers (ed.), Covenant in the Persian Period: From Genesis to Chronicles, Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2015, 23-39.
- “‘Woe to the Bloody City’ (Nah 3:1): Postcolonial Perspectives on the Image of Assyria in the Book of Nahum and its Early Reception History, in: Semitica 60 (2018), 537-555.
- “‘Gebt mir einen Grabbesitz bei euch’: Zur Entstehung und Intention der Erzählung von Abrahams Grabkauf in Genesis 23, in: Joachim Krause / Wolfgang Oswald / Kristin Weingart (ed.), Eigensinn und Entstehung der Hebräischen Bibel, FS Erhard Blum, FAT 136, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020, 63-76.
- “Jacob from Israel and Jacob from Judah: Reflections upon the Formation and the Historical Backgrounds of the Jacob Story,” in: Benedikt Hensel (ed.), The History of the Jacob Cycle (Genesis 25-35): Recent Research on the Compilation, the Redaction and the Reception of the Biblical Narrative and Its Historical and Cultural Contexts, Archaeology and Bible, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2021, 135-153.
Links with more information the life and work of Jakob Wöhrle:
- Obituaries by Thomas Römer and Martin Leunberger posted on March 27 and 28 can be found on the archive at https://agade.hittites.org/
- University of Tübingen: https://uni-tuebingen.de/fakultaeten/evangelisch-theologische-fakultaet/lehrstuehle-und-institute/altes-testament/altes-testament-i/woehrle-jakob-prof-dr/