Relevance
In times of increasing specialism, also within History and Theology, Kurt Aland can be regarded as one of the last representatives of academics who worked extensively and also efficiently on theological and historical topics. In the field of New Testament Research his work (and also the work that he has done together with his wife Barbara Aland in the Institute for New Testament Textual Research in Münster) shall be deemed to be pointing the way worldwide. He is the author of multitude publications.
The focus of his work was firstly an intense and adventurous search for old manuscripts on several expeditions to abbeys in Russia and Greece (amongst others). He discovered numerous manuscripts of the New Testament, whose evaluation is still in progress. Most notably famous is the completely new arranged edition of Novum Testamentum Graece (Greek New Testament) in 1979 (also called Nestle-Aland). This base on the text is evidence of academic work on the New Testament aiming the highest convergence to the "original text".
Furthermore he acted in the Hermann-Kunst-Stiftung which was founded in 1964 by Hermann Kunst, a good friend of Aland. A lot of celebrities of politics, economy and society participated in this foundation for the sponsorship of the Institute for New Testament Textual Research.
Another priority in his life were his Church-historical works in the field of old church as well as the history of the Reformation, and the more recent Church History of pietism and revivalism.
Critics distinguish Aland's profundity and his comprehensive knowledge of sources. All this gives Aland's work a notable presence and relevance even nowadays, which has to be seen as an important aspect of scientific methodology. Aland was of the opinion that every work on historical topics live from the acknowledgment, the reliability and the accessibility to its topics. Among experts Aland proved himself to be an important ecumenist who has left the small range of German Protestantism far behind.
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Famous quotes containing the word relevance:
“The most striking fault in work by young or beginning novelists, submitted for criticism, is irrelevance—due either to infatuation or indecision. To direct such an author’s attention to the imperative of relevance is certainly the most useful—and possibly the only—help that can be given.”
—Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)
“... whatever men do or know or experience can make sense only to the extent that it can be spoken about. There may be truths beyond speech, and they may be of great relevance to man in the singular, that is, to man in so far as he is not a political being, whatever else he may be. Men in the plural, that is, men in so far as they live and move and act in this world, can experience meaningfulness only because they can talk with and make sense to each other and to themselves.”
—Hannah Arendt (1906–1975)
“Wherever the relevance of speech is at stake, matters become political by definition, for speech is what makes man a political being.”
—Hannah Arendt (1906–1975)