History of the Institute

The Institute of Hermeneutics was founded on May 1rst, 1962. It was the first institute of hermeutics in the German speaking countries. Its founding stems from a proposal issued by the Faculty of Theology at the University of Zurich and on the intensive preparatory work of Gerhard Ebeling, the spiritus rector of the institute. After several years, philosophy of religion became a further official focus of the Institute. Some of the Institute’s directors after Professor Gerhard Ebeling included professors of practical and systematic theology and of theology of the New Testament:

• Walter Bernet (died October 30, 2000)
• Eberhard Jüngel (died September 28, 2021)
• Hans Friedrich Geißer (died January 17, 2014)
• Walter Mostert (died March 4, 1995)
• Hans Weder
• Ingolf U. Dalferth
• Christiane Tietz
• Matthias D. Wüthrich

Auszug aus dem Antrag für die Errichtung eines Instituts für Hermeneutik

Auszug aus dem Beschluss des Regierungsrates