SFB 1136:  Education and Religion in Cultures of the Mediterranean and Its Environment from Ancient to Medieval Times and to the Classical Islam

• Subject Area: Humanities
• Term: from 2015 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 244798977

The Collaborative Research Centre investigates constellations of education and religion in Greco-Roman religion, Judaism, Christianity and Islam from the 5th century BCE to the 16th century CE. Research is guided by the supposition that investigating the relationship of education and religion will provide deeper insights into cultural, social, and religious dynamics which were fundamental in these cultures and religions; moreover, this research agenda will also be instrumental in uncovering the historical roots of contemporary debates about education and religion. ‘Education’ is conceptualized by differentiating processes of socialization (by participating in family life and society), education (by teachers and other authorities) and self-formation, i.e. the development of critical reflection on God, the world, and the self (‘Bildung’ in its German meaning). ‘Religion’ comprises discourses, practices, and institutions which are based on the presupposition of the relationship to a being beyond everyday human experience. These concepts allow for an analysis of phenomena and constellations in an interdisciplinary and comparative manner, thus employing typological as well as genealogical approaches. In the second funding period, the dynamics of education and religion are investigated within four project areas: (A) ‘Materiality’ focuses on object-based aspects and respective discourses; (B) ‘Interpretations’ deals with strategies of authorization of scriptures considered holy; (C) ‘Communications’ analyzes acts of religious speech with regard to cultic practice and the competency of teachers; and (E) ‘Contextualizations’ investigates ancient and medieval cities as spaces of encounter and interaction of different cultures of religions. The tableau of academic disciplines involves Classics and Jewish Studies as well as Christian exegesis and Church History, Religious Studies and Islamic Studies, Medieval History and Pedagogics of Religion; Jewish Studies is represented by two subprojects situated at the Hebrew University (Jerusalem). Thus, at Göttingen University, the CRC strengthens the focus on already existing research into religions; it deepens and intensifies the cooperation between academic disciplines beyond borders of epochs and religious cultures.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Completed projects

• A01 - Archaeology of Ancient Libraries: Religion, Representation, Storerooms of Knowledge (Project Head Bergemann, Johannes )
• A02 - Education and Religion in Christian Libraries in Late Antiquity (Project Head Nesselrath, Heinz-Günther )
• A03 - Statues, temples, altars: divine images and their material contexts in Imperial and Late Antique learned writing about religion (Project Head Tanaseanu-Döbler, Ilinca Ioana )
• A04 - Adopting antique knowledge by Christians – Didactics of images between Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages (Project Head Röckelein, Hedwig )
• B01 - Authority of the Torah (Project Heads Kratz, Reinhard Gregor ;  Singletary, Ph.D., Jennifer )
• B02 - Normative Writings as Documents of Religious Formation in the New Testament (Project Head Wilk, Florian )
• B04 - Scriptural Exegesis and Religious Polemics in Syriac Texts in Late Antiquity (Project Head Bumazhnov, Dmitrij )
• B05 - Authority of Schenoute and Authorization by Shenoute in Miaphysite Christianity in Egypt (Project Head Behlmer, Heike )
• C01 - Prayers, Curses, Prophecies? Contents, Forms and Contexts of Religious Speech in archaic and classical Greece (Project Head Scheer, Tanja Susanne )
• C02 - Roman Prayers and Hymns within educational contexts of the Roman Republic and Imperial Era (Project Head Egelhaaf-Gaiser, Ulrike )
• C04 - Preaching as Communication of Education in Late Antique Christianity (Project Head Gemeinhardt, Peter )
• C05 - Rhetorical abilities as competency of teachers of Christian religion (Project Heads Gemeinhardt, Peter ;  Schröder, Bernd )
• D01 - Religious Knowledge in Discourse: Cicero`s Dialogues on Philosophy of Religion (Project Head Kuhlmann, Peter )
• D02 - Religion in Educated Discourse: The Evangelist Luke and the Orator Dion of Prusa (Project Head Feldmeier, Reinhard )
• D03 - Ethical Instruction as Educational Discourse: The Muslim Moral Philosopher and Historian Miskawaih (d. 1030) between Reception and Transformation (Project Head Günther, Sebastian )
• D05 - Profiling Religious Identity in Learned Discourses. The Role of Education in References of 12th-century Christian Authors to Jews and Muslims (Project Head Georges, Tobias )
• Z01 - Central Task (Project Head Gemeinhardt, Peter )

• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Participating University: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Peter Gemeinhardt