Der unantastbare Text & Mamluk Chivalry Manuscripts at the Gotha Research Library

This lecture evening combines two perspectives on the history of knowledge and religion in the early modern period: the interpretation of the Luther Bible in a Protestant context and the transmission of Mamluk manuscripts in the holdings of the Gotha Research Library.

In the first lecture, Professor Dr Stefan Michel (Hiob-Ludolf Fellow) will examine "Der unantastbare Text. Hermeneutische Strategien der Lutherbibel-Auslegung im frühneuzeitlichen Luthertum", Prof. Dr Stefan Michel (Job-Ludolf Fellow) will explore the question of how the authority of the biblical text was established and at the same time how its interpretation was controlled. The lecture shows the methods used by Lutheran theologians to harmonise the claim to the authority of the Holy Scriptures with the challenges of different interpretations.

In the second lecture, Dr Mohamed Ibrahim (Herzog Ernst Scholarship) will focus on a special collection of oriental manuscripts. Under the title "Mamluk Chivalry Manuscripts at the Gotha Research Library", he will present manuscripts on Mamluk chivalry and war culture that are now kept in the Gotha Research Library. Using these sources, the lecture will provide insights into the military, ethical and cultural ideas of the Mamluks and at the same time shed light on Gotha's importance as a location for important oriental collections.

The two lectures invite the audience to take a comparative look at different forms of textual transmission and knowledge organisation in Europe and the Middle East and to discuss their significance for historical research.

The series of events is headed by Professor Dr Hiram Kümper.