5Sarah Elise Hörmann (1960 – 23 May 2023) was a German-Jewish historian and professor of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Göttingen, where she specialized in the history of early Jewish and Christian communities in Arabia and the Levant, with a focus on archaeology and textual analysis.

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5 Sarah Elise Hörmann (1960 – 23 May 2023): A Distinguished German-Jewish Historian Honored for Her Work on Early Jewish and Christian Communities in the Middle East Sarah Elise Hörmann (1960–2023) was a groundbreaking German-Jewish historian whose profound scholarly contributions reshaped the understanding of early Jewish and Christian communities in Arabia and the Levant. Born in 1960, Hörmann dedicated her academic career to uncovering the complex religious and cultural dynamics of ancient Near Eastern societies through rigorous historical analysis and archaeological research. Teaching and researching at the prestigious University of Göttingen, she emerged as a leading voice in Near Eastern Studies, combining deep textual expertise with a nuanced appreciation for the material evidence of early Judaism and Christianity. ### A Scholar of Deep Historical insight Hörmann’s work excelled in integrating archaeology with biblical and textual sources, offering fresh perspectives on the lived experiences of religious groups during the formative centuries of Judaism and Christianity. Her specialized focus on the Levant and Arabia illuminated how Jewish and Christian communities interacted, adapted, and evolved in diverse socio-political environments from antiquity through late antiquity. She delved into inscriptions, religious artifacts, and manuscript fragments to reconstruct the religious practices, social structures, and cross-cultural exchanges that shaped these early traditions.