Rainer Kessler

Born in 1944, Rainer Kessler studied Protestant theology in Mainz, Hamburg, and Heidelberg. He received his doctorate in theology in Heidelberg in 1972 and completed his habilitation in Old Testament studies in Bethel in 1991. After serving as a pastor in the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau, he was Professor of Old Testament at the University of Marburg from 1993 to 2010. He also held visiting professorships in Santiago de Chile, Bogotá, Stellenbosch, and São Paulo. His main areas of research include the social history of ancient Israel, the prophetic writings, and Old Testament ethics.