Mainz, August 2007
The Faculty of Protestant Theology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the Institute for European History Mainz mourn the passing of
Professor Dr. theol. Gerhard May
University Professor of Church and Dogmatic History
Director of the Department of Western Religious History at the Institute for European History
Born: 7 November 1940 in Cilli (Celje), Slovenia)
Died: 8 August 2007 in Vienna, Austria
Gerhard May was born in 1940 in Lower Styria, then part of Yugoslavia (now Slovenia), and in 1944 moved to Vienna as the youngest son of the newly appointed Bishop of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria. Following his studies in Protestant theology, which also took him to Heidelberg and Basel, he received his doctorate in 1964 with a dissertation entitled “Gregory of Nyssa and the Completion of the Trinitarian Dogma.” In 1972, he completed his habilitation in Munich with a study later translated into English, “Creation out of Nothing: The Emergence of the Doctrine of Creatio ex Nihilo.”
Earlier, he had undertaken a fruitful research stay in Oxford and had been ordained as a pastor of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria. Working in an academic environment that demanded both excellence and interdisciplinary competence, while being closely connected to practical church engagement, profoundly shaped his life and career as a university lecturer.
From 1979 until his retirement in 2005, he was a member of the Department of Protestant Theology at Johannes Gutenberg University. He declined prestigious offers from Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen–Nuremberg (1988) and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (1991). From 1994 to 2004, alongside his responsibilities as a chairholder, he served as Director of the Department of Western Religious History at the Institute for European History, an extramural research institution of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. There he was able to contribute his research interests, which extended far beyond patristics, and foster productive interdisciplinary dialogue with the Department of Universal History.
His scholarly focus was on the intersection of ancient thought and Christian theology, as well as church and imperial politics of the late fourth century. In addition, his early research on Marcion significantly advanced contemporary studies on Gnosticism. His interest in international scholarly exchange made him a valued interlocutor for colleagues worldwide. Colleagues, students, and visiting scholars appreciated his approachable and calm manner, his historically grounded, vivid storytelling, and his generosity as a mentor.
A serious illness that began early in his career prevented him from realizing many plans and led to an early retirement. With the passing of Gerhard May, we have lost a dedicated theological teacher and a distinguished scholar. His funeral took place on 28 August 2007 in Vienna with close family and colleagues. The Faculty of Protestant Theology at Johannes Gutenberg University and the Institute for European History will always honor his memory.
Prof. Dr. Friedrich Wilhelm Horn
Dean of the Faculty of Protestant Theology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Prof. Dr. Irene Dingel
Director of the Institute for European History (Department of Western Religious History)
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Translated by Ulrich Volp assisted by GPT-5-mini.