Julia Winnebeck

Dr. Julia Winnebeck serves as a Research Fellow and Research Group Leader at the University of Bonn's Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS), leading the 'Structures of Dependency in the Late Antique and Early Medieval Western Church' group within Research Area C. Her work focuses on asymmetrical dependency structures in the early Church, particularly through penance and judicial systems, examining homicide classification and slavery practices. She holds academic affiliations with the Faculty of Protestant Theology and the Department of Church History.

Education:

• Ph.D. (2014), University of Bonn and Trinity College, Oxford
• M.A. in Protestant Theology (2009), Universities of Heidelberg and Bonn

Research Interests: Dr. Winnebeck explores the intersection of theology and social practice in late antique/early medieval contexts, with emphasis on:

• Ecclesiastical handling of homicide (e.g., abortion, suicide)
• Church involvement in penal enslavement and dependent labor
• Slavery in Merovingian Gaul through penitentials and conciliar laws
• Structural dependency in monastic and ecclesiastical domains

Publications & Grants: Her recent works analyze penal enslavement, homicide theology, and slavery integration in early medieval institutions. She has secured grants from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation and Leibniz Institute of European History. Current projects include editing an unpublished penitential manuscript (Düsseldorf Mss B 113) with a team of scholars.

Awards & Activities:

• Editorial board member, Arbeiten für Kirchen- und Theologiegeschichte
• Peer reviewer for Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte
• Founding member of IVWM-EvTh (interest group for German Protestant theology faculties)

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with Dr. Julia Beier and others on the Düsseldorf penitential edition project, contributing to interdisciplinary studies of early medieval religious texts.