Dr. David J. Trobisch
I was born in Ebolowa, Cameroon (West Africa). My parents, Walter and Ingrid Trobisch, were at the time missionaries for the American Lutheran Church. In 1964 the family moved to Austria. Born from a German father and an American mother I hold dual citizenship. I speak English, German, and French, and studied Latin, Hebrew, and Ancient Greek.
Education
1976-1982: After passing the university entrance exam in Austria I moved to Germany and studied Protestant Theology at Neuendettelsau (Bavaria), Tübingen and Heidelberg (Magister theol. 1982).
1976 Matura (University entrance exam) BEA Saalfelden, Austria.
1976 Graecum (Augustana Hochschule, Neuendettelsau, Germany).
1977 Hebraicum (University Heidelberg, Germany).
1982 Magister theol. (University Heidelberg, Germany).
1988 Dr. theol. (University Heidelberg, Germany). Advisor: Prof. Gerd Theißen.
1995 Dr. theol. habil. (University Heidelberg, Germany).
Professional Engagements
1982-1985 Editor, translator (English into German) for several German publishers. Software developer. Part time research and teaching assistant at the University of Heidelberg.
1985-1995 ‘Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter’ and since 1989 as ‘Hochschulassistent’ at the University of Heidelberg. Lehrstuhl Gerd Theißen.
1994-2000 Active member of the Multimedia Translation Project of the American Bible Society in New York.
1995-1996 Visiting scholar and adjunct faculty member at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri.
1996-1997 Visiting Associate Professor of New Testament at Yale Divinity School, New Haven.
1997-2000 Associate Professor of New Testament at Bangor Theological Seminary.
2000-2009 Throckmorton-Hayes Professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Bangor Theological Seminary. (7/2008-6/2009: Visiting Professor).
2001-2017 Consultant to the translation subcommittee of the Board of the American Bible Society, New York.
2002 to 2009 Chair of the International SBL section "Working with Biblical Manuscripts".
2006-2015 Member of the Board of the American Bible Society.
2010-2013 Independent consultant for collections and museums (Biblical manuscripts).
2013-2018 Project Director of Visual Database of New Testament Manuscripts (VDNT), Nida Institute of the American Bible Society, Philadelphia.
2014-2018 Museum of the Bible. Director of Collections. Oklahoma City and Washington, DC.
2015 Senior Fellow, TU Dresden, Germany.
2018 Senior Fellow and Visiting Professor, TU Dresden, Germany.
2018-present Präsident des Stiftungsrates (Chair of the Board), Foundation Historical Bibles Europe, Basel, Switzerland.
2019 Visiting Professor, Bornblum Judaic Studies Program, University of Memphis.
2020-present Independent consultant for collections and museums.
Memberships
Society of Biblical Literature (SBL).
American Academy of Religion (AAR).
Founding member of Interfaith Maine, an initiative seeking peace and justice through deepening interfaith understanding and relationships.
Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS).