[1][3][4] Gerd Lüdemann was born on July 5, 1946, in Visselhövede, a town in the district of Rotenburg an der Wümme in Lower Saxony, Germany.

Lüdemann was a born again Christian by conversion at a “tent mission” of his home town, Visselhövede, in May 1963, but eventually he lost his faith.

After returning to the University of Göttingen in 1975, while he served as academic assistant of New Testament to Georg Strecker [de] (1975–1977), his Habilitation thesis, Paulus, der Heidenapostel Band I. Studien zur Chronologie, was accepted (D.

[2]: (Ad Personam) Lüdemann was awarded Heisenberg-Scholarship of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (1980–1983), and the scholarship enabled him free intensive research without teaching obligation.

In 1983, as the successor to Ulrich Luz, Lüdemann was appointed to the head of New Testament in the Evangelical Theological Faculty at the University of Göttingen.

As Lüdemann put it, "the person of Jesus himself becomes insufficient as a foundation of faith once most of the New Testament statements about him have proved to be later interpretations by the community".

[5][6] The Confederation of Protestant Churches in Lower Saxony called for his dismissal from the Chair of New Testament Studies, because he did not agree with their mission.