معرفی
Ulrich Berges serves as Professor of Old Testament Studies at the University of Bonn's Faculty of Catholic Theology since 2009, where he is a Principal Investigator at the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS). He concurrently holds an Extraordinary Professorship at the University of Pretoria (2013–present) and is a full member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences. His academic trajectory includes professorships at the Universities of Münster (2005–2009) and Nijmegen (1998–2005).
His educational foundation spans Catholic Theology and Bible Studies at the University of Eichstätt, Salzburg, and Pontifical institutions in Rome (1977–1986), followed by a Ph.D. at Jerusalem's École Biblique (1986–1988), and Habilitation at Münster (1994–1998).
Berges' research centers on Old Testament roots of dependency and anti-oppression movements, analyzing how biblical texts legitimize or delegitimize power structures through competing divine imagery. His work critically examines divine violence, biblical law ethics, and prophetic literature—particularly Isaiah—with emphasis on social justice implications. He investigates theological ambiguities in texts depicting God's 'dark sides' and their ethical challenges.
His 12+ recent publications (2009–2023) reveal consistent focus on Isaiah exegesis, Pentateuch law ethics, and divine justice frameworks. Key trends include interdisciplinary analysis of slavery laws in Exodus, theological responses to divine violence, and historical-critical exploration of prophetic ambiguity. His scholarship bridges ancient textual analysis with contemporary liberation ethics.
Berges has supervised 20 Master's and Ph.D. theses while securing €350,000 in third-party funding for the 'Divine Violence in the Hebrew Bible' project under Münster's 'Religion and Politics' excellence cluster. He serves on the German Bishops' Conference Doctrine Commission (2011–2021) and edits major series including Herders Biblischer Kommentar zum Alten Testament.
As BCDSS Principal Investigator, he leads research on biblical dependency narratives. Previously, he directed the 'Working Group on Eastern Mediterranean Culture and Religion' (AZERKAVO, 1994–1997) and maintains advisory roles with Madrid's Estudios Bíblicos (2011–present).
