German Nationalism and Protestant Supersessionism

Hermann Gunkel (1862-1932) was an important representative of the so-called »Religionsgeschichtliche Schule,« and in his works he broke new ground in the study of the Hebrew Bible, for example, in the development of the form-critical method, the comparative exploration of creation and end-time concepts, and the interpretation of the books of Genesis and Psalms. Although well trained in historical criticism, Gunkel's reconstructions and evaluations of ancient Judaism depended significantly on his personal views on Judaism and on his German nationalism. Gunkel changed his perspective several times over the course of his scholarly career, but he could never completely free himself of the Protestant supersessionism of his time, particularly pertaining to the field of biblical scholarship.