Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 73 (2019) award
Seizo Sekine
せきね せいぞう
Sekine Seizo
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1950-08-31 （Tokyo, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Religion
- Christianity
- Residence History
- Tokyo, Japan → Munich, Germany → Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Career
- Occupations
- Ethicist, Biblical scholar, University professor, Researcher, Translator
- Active Years
- 1974-
- Affiliations
- University of Tokyo (Professor, Professor Emeritus), Hokkaido University (Associate Professor), Seigakuin University (Specially Appointed Professor, Graduate School), Japanese Old Testament Society (President), Japan Society for Ethics (President), Japan Association of Christian Studies (Board member), Watsuji Tetsuro Cultural Award (Selection committee member), Japan Aspen Institute (Vice Chairman)
- Memberships
- Japanese Old Testament Society, Japan Society for Ethics, Japan Association of Christian Studies
- Influenced By
- Masao Sekine (father), Masanao/Seichoku Sekine (grandfather)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tokyo | Faculty of Letters | Department of Ethics | 学士（文学） | 1970-1974 | Japan |
| Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, University of Tokyo | Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / Faculty of Letters | Doctoral program | — | 1974-1979 | Japan |
| Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich | Faculty of Protestant/ Evangelical Theology | — | Dr. theol.（神学博士） | 1980-1989 | Germany |
| Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / Faculty of Letters, University of Tokyo | Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / Faculty of Letters | Doctor of Letters | 博士（文学） | 1996 | Japan |
University of Tokyo
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of Ethics
Degree:
学士（文学）
Period:
1970-1974
Year of Graduation:
1974
Country:
Japan
Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, University of Tokyo
Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / Faculty of Letters
/ Doctoral program
Period:
1974-1979
Year of Graduation:
1979
Country:
Japan
Withdrew from doctoral program after earning credits
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Faculty of Protestant/ Evangelical Theology
Degree:
Dr. theol.（神学博士）
Period:
1980-1989
Year of Graduation:
1989
Country:
Germany
Studied as a DAAD scholar; served as a research assistant in the Faculty of Protestant Theology (1981–1985).
Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / Faculty of Letters, University of Tokyo
Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / Faculty of Letters
/ Doctor of Letters
Degree:
博士（文学）
Period:
1996
Year of Graduation:
1996
Country:
Japan
Awarded Doctor of Letters for the dissertation 'Transcendency and Symbols in the Old Testament: A Genealogy of the Hermeneutical Experiences'.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Watsuji Prize | — | — | Watsuji Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 1995 | Watsuji Tetsuro Cultural Award (7th) | Transcendency and Symbols in the Old Testament | — | Watsuji Tetsuro Cultural Award Committee | 受賞 |
| 1998 | Japan Academy Prize (88th) | Transcendency and Symbols in the Old Testament | — | The Japan Academy | 受賞 |
| 2019 | Mainichi Publishing Culture Award (73rd) | Uchimura Kanzo | — | Mainichi Newspapers | 受賞 |
| 2022 | Person of Cultural Merit | — | — | Japanese government | 選出 |
| 2024 | Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (Jun-shō?) | — | — | Japanese government | 受章 |
Watsuji Prize
1987
Organization:
Watsuji Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Watsuji Tetsuro Cultural Award (7th)
1995
Work:
Transcendency and Symbols in the Old Testament
Organization:
Watsuji Tetsuro Cultural Award Committee
Result:
受賞
Japan Academy Prize (88th)
1998
Work:
Transcendency and Symbols in the Old Testament
Organization:
The Japan Academy
Result:
受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award (73rd)
2019
Work:
Uchimura Kanzo
Organization:
Mainichi Newspapers
Result:
受賞
Person of Cultural Merit
2022
Organization:
Japanese government
Result:
選出
Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (Jun-shō?)
2024
Organization:
Japanese government
Result:
受章
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Die Tritojesajanische Sammlung (Isaiah 56-66) examined from a redaction-historical perspective
1989 Scholarly monograph (Old Testament studies) 303 pagesA redaction-historical study of Isaiah 56–66 (Trito-Isaiah), examining editorial processes and textual history.
IsaiahRedaction criticismOld Testament studiesHermeneutics
Transcendency and Symbols in the Old Testament: A Genealogy of the Hermeneutical Experiences
1994 Scholarly monograph (Hermeneutics / Old Testament) 579 pagesA major study tracing the historical and hermeneutical development of the concepts of 'transcendency' and 'symbol' in the Old Testament.
TranscendencySymbolismHermeneuticsOld Testament thought
Translations
- Transcendency and Symbols in the Old Testament: A Genealogy of the Hermeneutical Experiences (English edition, 1999)
Thoughts on the Old Testament: 24 Fragments
1998 Scholarly essays (introductory / collected chapters) 281 pagesA collection of 24 essays addressing key themes and ideas of the Old Testament from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Old Testament thoughtInterpretationEthics
The Origins of Ethical Thought: Hellenism and Hebraism
2001 Scholarly monograph (Comparative ethics) 344 pagesA comparative study of ethical thought in Hellenistic and Hebraic traditions, analyzing differences and intersections of the two genealogies.
Ethical thoughtComparative philosophyHellenistic thoughtHebraic thought
Translations
- A Comparative Study of the Origins of Ethical Thought: Hellenism and Hebraism (English edition, 2005)
Explorations in Ethics: Approaches from the Bible
2002 Scholarly monograph (Ethics) 254 pagesEthical reflections based on biblical texts, shedding light on contemporary ethical problems from a biblical perspective.
EthicsBiblical approachApplied ethics
The Old Testament and Philosophy: Monotheism in Contemporary Questions
2008 Scholarly monograph (Philosophy / Theology) 299 pagesA study engaging contemporary philosophical questions in dialogue with monotheistic thought centered on the Old Testament.
PhilosophyTheologyMonotheismOld Testament
Ethical Thought in Greece and Hebraism
2011 Scholarly monograph (Comparative ethics) 328 pagesCompares Greek and Hebraic ethical thought to clarify the origins and developments of ethical concepts.
Comparative ethicsClassical thoughtHebraic thought
Philosophical Interpretations of the Old Testament
2014 Scholarly monograph (Philosophy / Old Testament) 255 pagesA collection of essays reinterpreting Old Testament texts from philosophical perspectives.
Philosophical interpretationOld TestamentIntellectual history
Uchimura Kanzo: His Biblical Exegesis and an Era of Crisis
2019 Biography / Scholarly study 382 pagesA biographical and scholarly study of Uchimura Kanzo's biblical interpretation and responses to religious and intellectual crises in Meiji–Taisho Japan.
BiographyBiblical exegesisModern Japanese thought
Bibliography
- Die Tritojesajanische Sammlung (Isaiah 56-66) examined from a redaction-historical perspective. (1989)
- Transcendency and Symbols in the Old Testament: A Genealogy of the Hermeneutical Experiences (1994; expanded reissue 2021)
- Thoughts on the Old Testament: 24 Fragments (1998)
- The Origins of Ethical Thought: Hellenism and Hebraism (2001)
- Explorations in Ethics: Approaches from the Bible (2002)
- The Old Testament and Philosophy: Monotheism in Contemporary Questions (2008)
- Ethical Thought in Greece and Hebraism (2011)
- Philosophical Interpretations of the Old Testament (2014)
- Uchimura Kanzo: His Biblical Exegesis and an Era of Crisis (2019)
Translations by Author
- “The Testament of Abraham,” in Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha supplementary volume (1979)
- Norman Porteous, 'Daniel' (translation, 1980)
- Translation/annotation for 'Isaiah' in the Iwanami Bible (1997)
- Translation/annotation for 'Jeremiah' in the Iwanami Bible (2002)
- Co-translation of Jörg Jeremias, 'Why God Repents? Deep Layers of Old Testament Theologies' (2014)
Translations of Works
- Transcendency and Symbols in the Old Testament (English edition, 1999)
- Die Tritojesajanische Sammlung (German publication, 1989)
- Philosophical Interpretations of the Old Testament (English edition, 2014)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Scholarly, analytical proseHermeneutical and comparative approachClear and logical exposition
- Recurring Motifs
- Transcendency and symbolismOld Testament thoughtDialogue between ethics and religious thoughtGenealogy of hermeneutical experiences
Legacy
Seizo Sekine is an internationally recognized scholar in Old Testament studies and ethics, having served as Professor (Emeritus) at the University of Tokyo and mentored many scholars. His major works are referenced domestically and internationally, and he has been honored with academic prizes and cultural recognitions.
Academic Societies
- Japanese Old Testament Society
- Japan Society for Ethics
- Japan Association of Christian Studies
Trivia
- His father was Old Testament scholar Masao Sekine; his grandfather was classical Japanese literature scholar Masanao/Seichoku Sekine.
- He studied in Munich as a DAAD scholar in 1980 and served as a research assistant at the university's Faculty of Protestant Theology from 1981 to 1985.
- He received the Watsuji Tetsuro Cultural Award (1995) and the Japan Academy Prize (1998) for 'Transcendency and Symbols in the Old Testament.'
- He won the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award in 2019 for 'Uchimura Kanzo' and was named a Person of Cultural Merit in 2022.
- Awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure (瑞宝重光章) in November 2024 (official Gazette).