 They concentrate on the Hebrew Bible and Rabbinic texts relevant for a critical analysis of the New Testament in order to reconstruct the historical environment of Jesus in all its complexity, to provide a deeper understanding of his life and teachings.His achievements found national and international acknowledgment, recognized by the admission into the Göttingen Academy of Sciences in 1948 and the award of honorary doctorates from the universities of Leipzig, St Andrews (Britain), Uppsala (Sweden), and Oxford (Britain).He was also made a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1958 and the British Academy.