Hannah M. Kreß

Geprägtes Gut zwischen öffentlicher und privater Religion

Carl Friedrich Bahrdts Übersetzung des Vaterunsers
Section: Aufsätze
Volume 122 (2025) / Issue 4, pp. 353-375 (23)
Published 11.11.2025
DOI 10.1628/zthk-2025-0019
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Summary
Johann Salomo Semler (1725 - 1791) opened up a great range of possibilities regarding the translation of biblical texts through his methodological considerations and his distinction between public and private religion. Carl Friedrich Bahrdt's (1740 - 1792) translation of the Lord's Prayer can be placed in this context, displaying simultaneously exegetical knowledge and an enlightened mindset. And while his unconventional translation provoked harsh criticism at the time, it continues to raise issues that are relevant to this day: the relationship between the inclusive potential of the text and its exclusive language as well as the discrepancy between its public use and its individual religious application.