Born in 1943 in Rösfelde / Upper Silesia. 1962 Abitur at the Lilienthal-Schule in Berlin (West). 1962-68 Studies of Protestant Theology at the Berlin School of Law and the University of Heidelberg 1969. 1.Theological Examination 1972-77. Assistant Professor at the University of Heidelberg Prof. Dr. Claus Westermann 1972 Doctoral program in Assyriology with Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Deller. 1977 Habilitation in Heidelberg.1977-80 Associate Professor.  1980-83 Professor of Old Testament Theology including Ancient Oriental Religions in Heidelberg.1983-95 Professor of Biblical Theology and her Didactics at the University of Siegen.  1995-2008 Professor for the Old Testament in Münster.  2000-2003 Spokesman of the Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 493 Functions of religion in ancient societies of the anterior Orient since 2008 after leaving the active service senior professor in the "Cluster of Excellency Religion and Politics in the Cultures of Pre-modernity and Modernity".

History of religion and history of the exile, development of Pentateuch and Hexateuch, prehistory, fathers history, Exodus, Elijah, Epiphany, Deutero Isaiah, Psalms, Job, Daniel, Apocalyptic ,