Peter Maser

Peter Maser is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Münster, serving as a lecturer in Christian archaeology and the history of Christian art since 1977. He concurrently holds a research associate position at the Church Office of the Protestant Church in Hanover, maintaining dual academic and ecclesiastical affiliations.

Born in 1943 in Berlin, he completed his Protestant theology studies at Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (1962-1968), earning his doctorate in 1972 and habilitation in 1988. His academic trajectory includes research assistantship at the University of Halle (1969-1976) under Konrad Onasch before his long-term appointments in Münster and Hanover.

His research centers on Church History with specialized focus on Christian Archaeology and the History of Christian Art, particularly examining institutional dynamics of the Protestant Church under East German SED rule. This expertise directly informed his advisory roles for German parliamentary commissions investigating communist dictatorship legacies, establishing him as a leading authority on religious history in divided Germany.

Maser has co-edited the international journal "Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte" since 1995 and "Beiträge zur Ostdeutschen Kirchengeschichte" since 1997, significantly shaping scholarly discourse on Eastern German ecclesiastical history through these publications.

His contributions to historical reappraisal are formally recognized through:

• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, First Class (awarded June 1998)

He provides strategic leadership as chairman of the Church History Committee (EKMOE/EDK), the Association for East German Church History (VOKG), and the Pförtner Bund e.V. His governance extends to national historical institutions including the SAPMO Foundation Archives Board (since 1998) and chairmanship of the Federal Foundation for SED Dictatorship Reappraisal's Academic Advisory Board (since 1999).

These roles demonstrate sustained engagement with archival preservation, institutional memory, and policy-oriented historical analysis regarding East Germany's religious landscape, positioning him at the intersection of academic research and public history initiatives.