D. Martin Kähler

Martin Köhler (January 6, 1835 - September 7, 1912) was a German theologian. He is best known for his short work published in 1892, Der sogenannte Historische Jesus und der geschichtliche, biblische Christus (the so-called historical Jesus and the historical, biblical Christ). Köhler was born in Neuhausen near Koenigsberg and died in Freudenstadt. He had a profound influence on the famous Protestant theologian Paul Tillich. According to Köhler, the quest for historical Jesus (The Study of the Life of Jesus) is being questioned due to the lack of historical biographies of the life of Jesus. The gospels are our only sources, and they are limited in volume, leaving many questions unanswered. It is necessary to resist the desire to think too much about the life of Jesus, as some historical analogies and psychoanalysis do. He concludes that we do not need to know all the details about the life of Jesus. All we really need to know is that Jesus died for the sins of the world. It is through him that we are redeemed. Concern over the fine details of Jesus' life distracts from what really matters to Jesus — his atoning death and his subsequent resurrection. Köhler’s work was partially edited by his grandson Ernst Köhler (1914-1991).