Scholars Involved 

MF Norwegian School of Theology

   Prof. Geir Sigmund Afdal, Professor of Christian Education

   Prof. Harald Hegstad, Professor of Practical Theology

   Prof. Jan-Olav Henriksen, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy of Religion

   Prof. Corinna Körting, Professor of Old Testament Studies

   Prof. Karl Olav Sandnes, Professor of New Testament Theology

University of Oslo

   Prof. Svein Aage Christoffersen, Professor of Ethics and Philosophy of Religion

   Prof. Halvor Moxnes, Professor of Biblical Studies (New Testament)

   Prof. Tarald Rasmussen, Professor of Church History

   Prof. Jone Salomonsen, Professor of Gender Studies

   Prof. Trygve E. Wyller, Professor of Systematic Theology and Diaconal Studies

MF Norwegian School of Theology

Address

Pb. 5144 Majorstuen
N-0302 OSLO
Norway
Phone: +47 22 59 05 00
Fax +47 22 69 18 90
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http://english.mf.no/

Prof. Geir Sigmund Afdal

Professor of Christian Education

Danseberget 13
1792Tistedal, Norway
Phone (office): (+47) 22 59 06 07 

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Homepage: http://www.mf.no/index.cfm?id=180127

Research Profile

Prof. Afdal's research interests are within the field of education, values and society. He has worked on how values and knowledge in education may be understood on the background of processes of difference and globalization, both empirically and theoretically. His research interests also include the relation between theory, practice and research, religious education and the understanding of context, and learning and knowledge-creation in congregations.

Teaching Profile

Prof. Afdal teaches courses in religious education, empirical methods and philosophy of science and in moral philosophy and pluralism, at all levels.

Selected Bibliography

Prof. Harald Hegstad

Professor of Practical Theology

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Research Profile

Hegstad's main research has been within the field of systematic theology/dogmatics (theological epistemology and ecclesiology) and within the field of empirical research on church and religion. He has been especially active in congregational studies, and is presently working on questions related to church organization and congregational development.

Teaching Profile

Courses on church organization and development, church sociology and sociology of religion. Courses on ecclesiology and spirituality.

Selected publications

Folkekirke og trosfellesskap. Et kirkesosiologisk og ekklesiologisk grunnproblem belyst gjennom en undersøkelse av tre norske lokalmenigheter, KIFO Perspektiv 1, Trondheim: Tapir forlag 1996 ("Folk church and community of faith. A fundamental problem for church sociology and ecclesiology investigated through an empirical study ...")

Kirke i forandring. Fellesskap, tilhørighet og mangfold i Den norske kirke, Luther forlag, Oslo: 1999 ("Church in transition. Community, belonging and plurality in the Church of Norway").

"A Minority within the Majority. A Norwegian case study on the Relation between the Church as Folk Church and as a Community of Believers," Studia Theologica 53 (1999): 119–131.

"Evangelical Movements and Churches in the Nordic countries in a Historical and Contemporary Perspective,"  l’Observatoire des religions en Suisse: Les Dynamiques européennes de l’évangélisme. cahier no 2. Université de Lausanne, 2001. 

"Hva er menighetsutvikling, og hvorfor behøves det?" Halvårsskrift for praktisk teologi 20 (2003): 4–9 (What is Congregational Development and Why is it Needed?).

"The parish under pressure. New ways of organizing the local church in the Church of Norway," in The Second International Conference on Church Leadership. Uppsala University, Uppsala, 2005: 47–53.

”Misjonerende folkekirke. Selvmotsigelse eller mulighet?” Norsk Tidsskrift for Misjon 58 (2004): 213–224 ("Missionary Folk Church. Contradiction or Possibility?").

Prof. Jan-Olav Henriksen

Prof. theol. Prof. phil., Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy of Religion

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Research Profile

Henriksen’s main interest is the present conditions for faith and religion in a postmodern culture marked by pluralism and diversified approaches to religion.  He has worked on hermeneutics, postmodern moral philosophy, the critique of religion (esp. Nietzsche), and theological anthropology. He is presently working on how insights from Christology can be articulated by postmodern philosophy.  His interests also include psychology and the sociology of religion. He is the Editor in Chief of Studia Theologica Nordic Journal of Theology. 

Teaching Profile

Henriksen teaches all fields of systematic theology, mainly on the Master's and doctoral level. His present doctoral students are working on topics such as Theodicy, Ricoeur, Ecclesiology in the WCC, The Ethics of Aid, How to interpret death from a normative theological point of view, and professional ethics.

Selected publications

The Reconstruction of Religion: Lessing, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. W.B. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 2001.

"Creation and Construction: On the Theological Appropriation of Postmdern Theory," The Richardson Fellowship Lecture, Durham University, 5.12.2000, in Modern Theology (2002): 153-169.

"Feeling of Absolute Dependence or Will to Power? Schleiermacher vs. Nietzsche on the Conditions for Religious Subjectivity," Neue Zeitschrift für Systematische Theologie und Religionsphilosophie 45 (2003): 313-327.

"Postmodernism and the Unchangeability of God" Studia Theologica 57 (2003): 87-102.

"The Absence of God in the Presence of Desire," in C.-R. Bråkenhielm, ed. Negativ Teologi. Uppsala, 2003: 83-106.

"The Moral Self in Femininst Discourse," in C.-H. Grenholm/N. Kamergrauzis, ed. Feminist Ethics: Perspectives, Problems and Possibilities. Uppsala Studies in Social Ethics 29, 2003: 53-67.

"The Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms – Challenged by Secularization and Privatization," in: N.H. Gregersen et al., eds. The Gift of Grace: The Future of Lutheran Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004: 277-290.

"Theo-logy in the Science and Religion Discourse: Its Conditions, Tasks, and Contents," in N.H. Gregersen/M. Vejrup Nielsen, ed. Preparing for the Future: The Role of Theology in the Science-Religion Dialogue. Proceedings from the Danish Science-Religion Forum vol. 3: 3-26.

"The Human Being as Co-Creator: Freedom and Responsibility for Whom? Preliminary Theological Reflection on the Cloning of Human Individuals," in U. Görman et al., ed. Creative Creatures: Values and Ethical Issues in Theology, Science and Technology. Issues in Science and Theology 9. ondon/New York :T&T Clark Publ, 2005: 152-161.

"The Crucifixion as the Realisation of Identity: The Gift of Recognition and Representation," Modern Theology 22 (2006): 197-220.

Prof. Corinna Körting

Professor of Old Testament Studies

Phone: (+47) 22590583

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Homepage: http://www.mf.no/index.cfm?id=180127

Research Profile 

Teaching Profile

Dead Sea Scrolls
Hermeneutics (Old Testament)
Israel (Ancient Israel)
Judaism (Second Temple Period)
Psalms
Biblical Research 

Selected Bibliography

Der Schall des Schofar: Israels Feste im Herbst. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 285, Berlin et al.: de Gruyter, 1999.

Zion in den Psalmen. Forschungen zum Alten Testament 48, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2006.

"Der Mantel des Propheten: Amtsübergabe von einer Generation an die nächste", in: Ch. Burbach/F. Heckmann (ed.): Generationenfragen: theologische Perspektiven zur Gesellschaft des 21. Jahrhunderts, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2007.

"כי בענן אראה על־הכפרת: Gottes Gegenwart am Jom Kippur", in: E. Blum/R. Lux (ed.): Festtraditionen in Israel und im Alten Orient. Veröffentlichungen der Wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft für Theologie 28, Gütersoh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2006, 221-246.

"Jom Kippur", in: WiBiLex 2007, www.WiBiLex.de, Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2007 (last accessed: May 21, 2009).

"Fest/Festverständnis/Festkalender", in: WiBiLex 2007, www.wibilex.de, Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft  2007 (last accessed: May 21, 2009).

"Sacharja 5,5-11 - Die Unrechtmässigkeit wird an ihren Ort verwiesen", in: Biblica 87, Roma 2006.

"Zehnt: I. Altes und Neues Testament", in: Theologische Realenzyklopädie, vol. 36. Berlin: de Gruyter, 2004, 488-490.

"Theology of Atonement in the Feast Calendar of the Temple Scroll - Some observations", in: Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament 18, 2004.

"Wallfahrt/Wallfahrtswesen: II. Altes Testament" in: Theologische Realenzyklopädie, vol. 35. Berlin: de Gruyter, 2003, 416-418.

Prof. Karl Olav Sandnes

Prof. theol., Professor of New Testament Theology

Research profile

Prof. Sandnes' interest has focused on Paul's theology and how it was formed by encountering the Greek legacy and the ancient world.  He is interested in how NT texts were received by Christians living in the Graeco-Roman world.

Teaching profile

Prof. Sandnes' teaching responsibilities are much wider than the focus of his research and he regularly teaches classes on Paul and his letters, John's Gospel, 1 Peter and Hellenistic culture. From time to time  he also teaches introduction and method, Luke's Gospel and the parables.

Selected Publications

"Paul and Socrates: The Aim of Paul’s Areopagus Speech," Journal for the Study of the New Testament 50 (1993): 13-26.

"Prophecy – a Sign for Believers (1 Cor 14,20-25)," Biblica 77 (1996): 1-15.

"'I have called you Friends:' An Aspect of the Christian Fellowship within the Context of the Antique Family" in The New Testament in its Hellenistic Context. Studia Theologica Islandica 10, Reykjavik 1996: 95-111.

"Revised Conventions in early Christian Paraenesis: 'Working Good' in 1 Peter as an Example" in J. Starr/T. Engberg-Pedersen, ed. Early Christian Paraenesis in Context. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft. 125, Berlin/New York: de Gruyter, 2004: 373-403.

"Beyond 'Love Language': A Critical Examination of Krister Stendahl’s Exegesis of Acts 4:12," Studia Theologica 52 (1998): 43-56.

"The Role of the Congregation as a Family within the Context of Recruitment and Conflict in the early Church," in P. Borgen et al., eds. Recruitment, Conquest, and Conflict. Strategies in Judaism, Early Christianity, and the Graeco-Roman World. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1998: 333-346.

Paul – One of the Prophets? A Contribution to the Apostle’s Self-Understanding. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2:43. Tübingen: Mohr/Siebeck, 1991.

A New Family: Conversion and Ecclesiology in the Early Church with Cross-Cultural Comparisons. Studies in the Intercultural History of Christianity 91. Bern: Peter Lang, 1994.

Belly and Body in the Pauline Epistles. Monograph series: Society for New Testament Studies 120. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002 (Paperback 2005).

University of Oslo

Address

Faculty of Theology
P.O.Box 1023, Blindern
0315 Oslo
Norway

Phone: +47 228 50300
Fax: +47 228 50301
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Webpage: http://www.tf.uio.no/english/

Prof. Svein Aage Christoffersen

Professor of Ethics and Philosophy of Religion 

Faculty of Theology
P.O.Box 1023, Blindern
N-0315 Oslo, Norway

Phone: +47 228 50320
Fax: +47 228 50301
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Homepage: http://www.tf.uio.no/english/people/aca/perm/sveinc/index.html

Research Profile

Prof. Christoffersen has analyzed a wide range of problems in ethics and philosophy of religion from a hermeneutical and phenomenological point of view, especially with regard to the foundation of ethics, medical ethics/health care ethics, animal ethics, professional ethics, and aesthetics of religion. In his writing he has (among others) dealt with Søren Kierkegaard, Martin Luther, Knud E. Løgstrup, Rudolf Bultman and Gerhard Ebeling. He is conducting the research project “Sensibility and Transcendence: The Holy and the Sublime in the Perspective of the Aesthetics of Religion”. 

Teaching Profile

Prof. Christoffersen currently focuses on teaching Aesthetics of Religion and Professional ethics.

Selected Publications

"Art and Human Experience," in: Transfiguration: Nordisk tidsskrift for kunst og kristendom, 2009.

"Ambiguity and the Fullness of Time: The Sacred and the Profane in Caravaggio's Paintings," in: Negotiating Heritage: Memories of the Middle Ages.  Brepols, 2008.

Sovereign Expressions of Life, Virtues and Actions: A Response to MacIntyre, in: S. Andersen/K. van Kooten Niekerk (ed.s),  Concern for the Other. Perspectives on the Ethics of K.E.Løgstrup.  University of Notre Dame Press, 2008.

The works of faith in a Christian ethics, vol. I:  Lidenskab og stringens.  Forlaget ANIS, 2008.

"Behold the World! Critique of Modernity in the Aesthetics of K.E.Løgstrup," in: Transfiguration: Nordisk tidsskrift for kunst og kristendom, 2007.

"The Contribution of Feminism to Christian Ethics," in: C.-H. Grenholm (ed.),  Feminist Ethics. Uppsala Universitet, 2008.

Prof. Halvor Moxnes

Professor of Biblical Studies (New Testament)

Faculty of Theology
P.O.Box 1023, Blindern
N-0315 Oslo, Norway

Phone: +47 228 50318
Fax: +47 228 50301
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Homepage: http://www.tf.uio.no/english/people/aca/perm/hmoxnes/

Research Profile

Prof. Moxnes's main area is the study of the New Testament and Early Christianity with the use of social anthropology and other social science methods. Over the last years the main thematic focus has been the historical Jesus and gender studies, especially masculinity. Other areas of research are presentations of the historical Jesus studied in the context of the rise of nationalism in 19th century Europe, and hermeneutics and the use of the Bible in multi-cultural and multireligious contexts.

Teaching Profile

Prof. Moxnes's teaching areas include Jesus and the gospels, Jesus and modern identities, the Bible and inter-religious hermeneutics, gender and sexuality in early Christianity.

Selected publications

ed. together with W. Blanton/J. Crossley: Jesus Beyond Nationalism: Constructing the Historical Jesus in a Period of Cultural Complexity. London: Equinox, 2009.

Putting Jesus in His Place: A Radical Vision of Household and Kingdom. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2003.

(ed.) Constructing Early Christian Families: Family as Social Reality and Metaphor. London: Routledge, 1997.

The Economy of the Kingdom: Social Conflict and Economic Relations in Luke's Gospel. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1988.

"Landscape and Spatiality: Placing Jesus," in: D. Neufeld/R. E. DeMaris (ed.s): Understanding the Social World of the New Testament. London: Routledge, 2010, 90-106.

"What is it to write a biography of Jesus? Schleiermacher's Life of Jesus and nineteenth century  nationalism,” in: Jesus Beyond Nationalism (see above), 27–42.

"Body, Gender and Social Space: Dilemmas in Constructing Early Christian Identities," in: B. Holmberg/M. Winninge (ed.s): Identity Formation in the New Testament. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008, 163 - 181.

"From unique personality to charismatic movement: 100 years of shifitng paradigms in historical Jesus research," in: I. Furseth/P. Leer-Salvesen (ed.s): Religion in Late Modernity. Essays in Honor of Pål Repstad. Trondheim: Tapir, 2007, 187-200.

"Jesus in Gender Trouble," in: Cross Currents, 54 (2004), 31-46.

"Asceticism and Christian Identity in Antiquity: A Dialogue with Foucault and Paul," in: Journal for the Study of the New Testament 26 (2003), 3- 29. 

Prof. Tarald Rasmussen

Professor of Church History

Faculty of Theology
P.O.Box 1023, Blindern
N-0315 Oslo, Norway

Phone: +47 228 50325
Fax: +47 228 54123
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Homepage: http://www.tf.uio.no/english/people/aca/perm/taraldr/

Research Profile

Late Medieval and Early Modern Spirituality and Theology. Comparative Perspectives on North European Reformations. The uses of the Reformation in Nordic Protestantism in the 19th and 20th centuries. Currently leader of interdisciplinary research project ”Death in Early Modern Culture”, funded by the Norwegian Research Council (2010 – 2013).

Teaching Profile

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Reformation. Theoretical and methodological challenges to Reformation History. Late Medieval and Early Modern Spirituality and Theology. Scandinavian Church History since the Reformation.

Selected Publications

with N. Gilje: Tankeliv i den lutherske stat, 1537 – 1814. Norsk idéhistorie bind 2, Oslo 2002.

with G. Hestmark/L. Bliksrud: Vitenskapens utfordringer, 1870 – 1920. Norsk idéhisitorie bind 4, Oslo 2003.

Luthers reformasjon. Hovedtekster 1517 – 1520. Oslo 2004.

Frans av Assisi: Verdens hellige skrifter. Oslo 2005.

"Bridging the Middle Ages and the Renaissance: Biblia Pauperum, Their Genre and Hermeneutical Significance," in: M. Sæbø (ed.): Hebrew Bible/Old Testament: The History of its Interpretation, Vol. II, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2007.

"Hell Disarmed? The Function of Hell in Reformation Spirituality," in: Numen 56 (2009), 366–384.

"The Biblical Canon of the Lutheran Reformation," in: E. Thomassen (Ed.): Canon and Canonicity: Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 2010, 143–158.

"Nyere forskning i reformasjonshistorie," in: A. Jarlert (ed.): Kyrkohistoria: Perspektiver på ett forskningsämne. Kungl Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, Konferanser 70, Stockholm 2009, 31–44.

"Luther som kjetter." in: T. Hägg (ed): Kjetterne og kirken: Fra antikken til i dag. Oslo 2007, 123–140. (German edition 2010)

"Kjetterrett i middelalderen," in: R. Jensen/D. Thorkildsen/A. V. Tønnessen (ed.s): Kirke, protestantisme og samfunn: festskrift til professor dr. Ingun M. Montgomery, 2006, 15–26.

Prof. Jone Salomonsen

Professor of Gender Studies

Faculty of Theology
P.O.Box 1023, Blindern
N-0315 Oslo, Norway

Phone: +47 228 50373
Fax: +47 228 50301
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Homepage: http://www.tf.uio.no/english/people/aca/perm/jonesa/

Research Profile

Trained both as theologian and social anthropologist, Prof. Salomonsen's research focuses on (women’s) theological agency and ritual performance at the intersection of institutional religion (Christian) and popular culture (Pagan/Traditional). Eethnographic fieldwork in USA and Norway, feminist Witchcraft and emerging new rites of Christian confirmation. Presently works in a South African township, learning about women’s post-traditional attempts at instigating social change by reinterpreting indigenous resources (symbol, narrative, ritual).

Teaching Profile

Her teaching areas include contemporary religion, method, ritual studies, constructive theology and feminist theory.

Selected Publications

"Shielding Girls at Risk of AIDS by Intertwining Zulu and Christian Ritual Heritage," in: N. Richardson (ed.),  Broken Bodies and Healing Communities: Faith-based responses to HIV and AIDS in South African township. Pietermaritzburg: Cluster Publications, 2009.

"The Power and Ambiguity of Symbols: Contemporary Religion and the Search for a Feminine Divine," in: L. Sjørup (ed.), Pieties and Gender. Leiden: Brill, 2009.

"Witches' Initiation - A Feminist Cultural Therapeutic?" in: J. Lewis (ed.), Handbook in Contemporary Paganism. Leiden: Brill, 2009. 

"From Africa to the Americas and Back: Ritual Transport and Transformation at the Crossroads Between Indigenous and Christian Worship," in: S. J. Stålsett (ed.),  Religion in a Globalised Age: Transfers and Transformations, Integration and Resistance.  Novus Forlag, 2008.

"Initiation to Adulthood: The Challenge of Modernity, the Paradox of Ritual and the Gifts of Confirmation in a Norwegian Context," in: T. E. Wyller/U. S. Nayar (ed.s): The Given Child: The Religion's Contribution to Children`s Citizenship. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2007.

"Transformation of Religious Ritual in the Wake of World Christianity: Sacrifice and Possession from Africa to the Americas and back," in: J. A. Jørgensen/K. B. Nielsen/N. H. Gregersen (ed.s), Spirit and Spirituality: Proceedings of the 15th Nordic Conference in Systematic Theology. Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen, 2007.

"Faith with a licence to kill? God unmediated by moral law in Knutby, Sweden," Tidsskrift for kjønnsforskning 2006.

Prof. Trygve E. Wyller

Professor of Systematic Theology and Diaconal Studies

Faculty of Theology
P.O.Box 1023, Blindern
N-0315 Oslo, Norway

Phone: +47 228 50359
Fax: +47 228 50301
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Homepage: http://www.tf.uio.no/english/people/aca/perm/twyller/

Research Profile

Dissertation on questions in fundamental theology related to studies of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, K.E. Løgstrup and Oswald Bayer. A specific interest in the relation between universality and the specific in Christian thought. The last fifteen years publications and research in the field of Diaconal Studies with focus on studies of otherness, spacing and citizenship.

Teaching Profile

Prof. Wyller has given courses on all levels from BA to PhD, in topics within systematic theology, professional ethics, diaconal studies and theory of phenomenology and hermeneutics.

Selected Publications

ed. with H.-G. Heimbrock: Perceiving the Other. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 2010.

ed.: Heterotopic Citizen: New Research on Religious Work for the Disadvantaged. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2009.

"The heterotopic citizen? Some Aspects for a 'Science in the Making'," in: Heterotopic Citizen: (see above).

"Compassion as an Interruption of the Power of Inscription: A Contribution to Diaconal Studies," in: H. Streib/A. Dinter/K. Söderblom (ed.s): Lived Religion - Conceptual, Empirical and Practical-Theological Approaches. Leiden: Brill, 2008.

"Otherness in an Embodied Church: The Impact of Phenomenology in the Study of Christian Social Service," in: H.-G. Heimbrock/C. P. Scholtz (ed.s): Religion: Immediate Experience and the Mediacy of Research, Interdisciplinary Studies in the Objectives, Concepts and Methodology of Empirical research in Religion. Research in Contemporary Religion 1. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2007.  

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MF Norwegian School of Theology

   Prof. Geir Sigmund Afdal, Professor of Christian Education

   Prof. Harald Hegstad, Professor of Practical Theology

   Prof. Jan-Olav Henriksen, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy of Religion

   Prof. Corinna Körting, Professor of Old Testament Studies

   Prof. Karl Olav Sandnes, Professor of New Testament Theology

University of Oslo

   Professor Svein Aage Christoffersen, Professor of Ethics and Philosophy of Religion

   Professor Halvor Moxnes, Professor of Biblical Studies (New Testament)

   Professor Tarald Rasmussen, Professor of Church History

   Professor Jone Salomonsen, Professor of Gender Studies

   Professor Trygve E. Wyller, Professor of Systematic Theology and Diaconal Studies