Rainer Hirsch-Luipold

Prof. Dr. Rainer Hirsch-Luipold is a Full Professor of New Testament and the History of Ancient Religion at the University of Bern's Institute for New Testament Studies. He has held visiting professorships at the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (2021) and LMU Munich (2010/2011), and serves as Extraordinary Professor at the University of Stellenbosch and the University of Potchefstroom. His academic work spans interdisciplinary collaboration, editorial leadership, and research into ancient religious-philosophical discourses.

• Education: Doctoral Degree (Dr. phil.) from the University of Heidelberg (2001), Habilitation at the University of Göttingen (2007-2008)

Research Interests: Hirsch-Luipold specializes in Johannine and Pauline Theology, metaphoric language in ancient texts, the intersection of Middle Platonism and early Christian theology, and New Testament lexicography. His work explores how religious philosophy and literary devices in the Roman Imperial Era shaped theological concepts, particularly through Plutarch's writings.

Publications: His scholarship bridges New Testament studies with Greco-Roman philosophical-religious texts, focusing on intertextuality, divine imagery, and ethical frameworks. He co-edits the SAPERE series and contributes to Brill's Plutarch Studies. Recent articles examine biographical divine involvement, queer theology, and Plutarch-Delphi connections.

Projects: Leads SNF-funded initiatives like Resonances through History and Image of God and Abyss of Desires, alongside concluded DFG Emmy Noether and SNF projects. Collaborates on Plutarch and the New Testament and Physiologus studies.

Editorial Roles: Co-editor of the SAPERE series, area editor for the Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception, and member of the Novum Testamentum editorial board.