SELLIN, ERNST

SELLIN, ERNST. - Biblical archaeologist and Protestant exegete of a moderate critical tendency, opponent of J. Wellhausen (v.) and of the comparative school of religions of W. Bousset (v.) and his followers, b. 26 July 1867 in Altschwerin (Mecklenburg), d. at Epichnellen (Thuringia) on 31 Dec. 1945. He studied theology and Oriental studies at Rostock, Erlangen and Berlin, after which he was a teacher at the Gymnasium of Ratzeburg (Mecklenburg). In 1894 he qualified as a lecturer in Old Testament at Erlangen and was then extraordinary professor in Vienna. An ordinary professor from 1899, he became director of the first Austro-German excavations in Palestine, at Tell Ta'annak (v. THANACH (EBR. TA'ANĀKH E TA'NĀKH; SETTANTA GEVEZ)) in 1902-1904, at Jericho (v.) in 1907-1909, later at Shechem (today Tell Balātah) in 1913, 1914, 1926, 1927, 1934, 1935). Transferred in 1908 to Rostock, in 1913 to Kiel, in 1921 to Berlin, he carried on there an important literary activity. During 1944, because of the continuous bombardments, he took refuge at Epichnellen near Eisenach, where he remained until his death.

In his exegesis S. proposes a criticism united with faith. He has considerable merits in four directions: a) by insisting on the relations between the Old Testament and the ancient Oriental environment; b) by promoting archaeological excavations (in this field he may be called an unfortunate pioneer, because of the sad political fate of Germany and because of disagreements with collaborators, e.g., with G. Welter regarding the excavations of Shechem; although present-day methods are more perfect and although he adopted, e.g., in the excavations of Jericho a false chronology, due to biblical recollections, and did not fully appreciate the importance of the pottery known as the "archaeological clock", his merits are incontestable); c) by contributing notably to clarifying the history of Israel, especially the restoration after the Babylonian exile; d) by investigating also the history of the religion of Israel, ascending from it to the theology of the Old Testament. These merits, with freedom for the individual collaborators, also characterize the Sellinbibel, that is, the Kommentar zum Alten Testament (Leipzig 1913 ff.), a scholarly commentary that strives to bring out the religious ideas.

Besides various works on Old Testament grammar, metrics, literature and archaeology, he published: Beiträge zur israelitischen Religionsgeschichte (1896-97); Serubbabel (Leipzig 1898); Studien zur Entstehung der jüdischen Gemeinde nach dem babilonischen Exil (ibid. 1901); Tell Ta'annak (in Denkschriften der K. Ahad., Vienna 1904); Biblische Urgeschichte (Berlin 1905); Nachlese auf dem Tell Ta'annak (Vienna 1906); Die alttestamentliche Religion im Rahmen der altorientalischen (1907); Das Rätsel des deuterojesianischen Buches (1907); Die israelitisch-jüdische Heilanderswartung (Berlin 1909); Einleitung in das Alte Testament (Leipzig 1910; 7th ed. 1935); Zur Einleitung in das Alt. Test. (ibid. 1912); Der alttest. Prophetismus (ibid. 1912); Jericho, Ausgrabungsbericht (ibid. 1913); Gilgal (ibid. 1917); Das Alt. Test. und die evangelische Kirche der Gegenwart (ibid. 1921); Das Zwölftprophetenbuch (ibid. 1921; 2nd ed. 1929); Sichem (ibid. 1922); Moses (ibid. 1922); Geschichte des israelitisch-jüdischen Volkes (2 vols., ibid. 1924-31); Das Hiobproblem (Berlin 1931); Abschaffung des A. Test. (ibid. 1932); Alttest. Theologie, I: Israel.-jüd. Religionsgeschichte; II: Theologie des A. Test. (Leipzig 1933; 9th ed. 1935-36); Das A. Test. im christlichen Gottesdienst und Unterricht (Gütersloh 1936). On the archaeological excavations of Shechem he published numerous articles in Zeitschr. d. Deutschen Palästinaverens from 1926 to 1941 and in Zeitschr. f. Alttest. Wissenschaftl. 51 (1933), pp. 156-69.