Gunkel started his career in New Testament studies at Göttingen in 1888. However, he was soon transferred to Halle (1889-1894) and told to concentrate on the Hebrew Bible by the Prussian academic appointments authority. He went on to teach in Berlin (1894-1907), where he made many inter-disciplinary contacts. His 1895 book, "Creation and Chaos in the Primeval Era and the Eschaton", compared the symbolism in Genesis and Revelation 12. In 1901, he produced the first of three editions of commentary on Genesis, "Genesis Translated and Explained".