The Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Pretoria would like to extend a grateful and joyous welcome to its newest academic staff team member, Dr Christoph Stenschke, who joined the Department of New Testament and Related Literature from 1 March 2022.

By way of introduction, Dr Stenschke has offered the following summary of his European background and African experiences thus far:

I am living and teaching at a seminary in Germany, some 50 km east of Cologne, called the Biblisch-Theologische Akademie Wiedenest. I usually visit South Africa twice a year and enjoy interacting with my colleagues at UP and other South African universities and other people. I have been challenged in many ways on my visits and have learned many new things about South Africa, South Africans, scholarship and myself.

Following my undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Germany and doctoral studies in Scotland, I was ordained by the German Baptist Union and served as minister in a Baptist congregation in Stralsund, former East Germany (1999-2001). In 2001, I came to Wiedenest. Here my undergraduate teaching focuses mainly on New Testament background, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians and New Testament theology. I head the post-graduate programme in New Testament Studies at the BTA. Here I teach history of biblical interpretation, recent methods of exegesis, the life and ministry of Paul, various courses on Romans and on different issues in the New Testament, Biblical Theology and Christology. I am also involved in various administrative, coaching and career guidance tasks.

I have been affiliated with the Department of Ancient and Biblical Studies at UNISA since 2002. Since 2005 serve as an extraordinary professor in the department. I mainly supervised German and Swiss MTh students enrolled at UNISA who live in Europe. However, I have also been involved in other postgraduate research projects as a co-promotor. I have supervised successfully about twenty-five MTh students and several DTh students. I also participated in several research projects and conferences of the department and the New Testament Society of South Africa.

I have known many past and present colleagues at the University of Pretoria’s Department of New Testament and Related Literature and have fond memories of times spent with them. I have lectured there and enjoyed interacting with them, other colleagues and the students at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies. Over the years, I have published several articles in journals associated with the faculty. I am delighted to be formally associated with the Department of New Testament and Related Literature and look forward to many years of co-operation in teaching, supervising and research.