Paul Wernle

Who was Paul Wernle?

Paul Wernle was a Swiss theologian born in Hottingen, today part of the city of Zürich.

He studied at the Universities of Basel, Berlin and Göttingen. At Basel he was a student of Bernhard Duhm, and in Göttingen was influenced by Wilhelm Bousset. In 1900 he became an associate professor at Basel, where in 1905 he was appointed a full professor of New Testament Studies. During the course of his career he also taught classes in dogmatics and church history.

Wernle was a representative of the Religionsgeschichtliche Schule. His expertise was in the field of New Testament analysis, and he is largely remembered for his work involving Synoptic and Pauline research.