Address

University of Helsinki, Faculty of Theology
P.O.Box 33 (Aleksanterinkatu 7) 00014 Finland
Phone: +358 - (0)9 - 1911
Fax: +358-(0)9 - 191 22124

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http://www.helsinki.fi/teol/english/departments.htm

Scholars Involved

Prof. Ismo Dunderberg, Professor of New Testament Studies

Prof. Aila Lauha, Professor of Church History, Dean

Prof. Martti Nissinen, Professor of Old Testament Studies 

Prof. Risto Saarinen, Professor of Ecumenics

Prof. Kirsi Tirri, Practical Theology/Religious Education

Prof. Ismo Dunderberg

Professor of New Testament Studies

Department of Biblical Studies
Faculty of Theology
P.O. Box 33
00014 University of Helsinki
Finland

Phone: +358-(0)9-191 24341
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Homepage: http://www.helsinki.fi/teol/hyel/english/prof.htm#

Research Profile

Previous studies on 1) interrelationships between the New Testament gospels (dissertation on John and the Synoptics); 2) John and the Gospel of Thomas; 3) the Nag Hammadi Library and gnosticism, with focus on the school of Valentinus.

Current areas of interest: Johannine epistles; the Gospel of Judas; early Christian ethics and ancient moral philosophy; early Christianity in the Greco-Roman society.
 
Prof. Dunderberg supervises five doctoral theses (on gnosticism and the Book of Revelation) and is leader of the research group “Gnosticism and the Formation of Early Christianity” (2008-11), funded by the University of Helsinki and the Academy of Finland.

Teaching Profile

Has taught courses on New Testament and early Christianity at all levels since 1991. The topics include, e.g., New Testament theology; the Book of Revelation; Johannine literature; the Gospel of Thomas; persecutions of early Christians.

Selected Publications

Beyond Gnosticism: Myth, Lifestyle and Society in the School of Valentinus. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008.

The Beloved Disciple in Conflict?: Revisiting the Gospels of John and Thomas. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Johannes und die Synoptiker: Studien zu Joh 1-9. Helsinki: Finnish Academy of Sciences and Letters, 1994.

ed. (with Christopher Tuckett and Kari Syreeni), Fair Play: Diversity and Conflicts in Early Christianity: Essays in Honour of Heikki Räisänen. NovTSup 103. Leiden: Brill, 2001.

“The School of Valentinus.” Pages 64-99 in A Companion to Second-Century Christian “Heretics”. Eds. Antti Marjanen & Petri Luomanen. VigChrSup 76. Leiden: Brill, 2005.

“Valentinian Teachers in Rome.” Pages 157-74 in Christians as a Religious Minority in a Multicultural City: Modes of Interaction and Identity Formation in Early Imperial Rome. Eds. Michael Labahn & Jürgen Zangenberg. JSNTSup 243. London: T & T Clark International, 2004.

“Judas’ Anger and the Perfect Human.” Forthcoming in The Judas Codex: Proceedings of the International Congress on Codex Tchacos held at Rice University, Houston, Texas, March 13-16, 2008. Ed. April D. DeConick. NHMS. Leiden: Brill.

“Gnostic Interpretations of Genesis.” Forthcoming in The Oxford Handbook to the Reception History of the Bible. Eds. Michael Lieb, Emma Mason, Jon Roberts. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Prof. Aila Lauha

Professor of Church History, Dean

University of Helsinki, Department of Church History
Faculty of Theology
B.O. Box 33
FI-00014 University of Helsinki
Finland

Phone: +358 (0)9 191 23037
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Homepage: www.helsinki.fi/teol/khl

Research Profile

Prof. Lauha's scholarly work is focused on Contemporary Church History, the Ecumenical Movement and International Cooperation of the Churches, Churches and National Identity, Churches and Cold War, Nordic Churches after the second World War, Churches in the 1960s as well as Finnish History of Theology in the 1920s. Currently she focuses on the situation of the Lutheran Church of Finland in the 1960s and the Nordic Churches after the second World War.

Teaching Profile

Prof. Lauha has taught church history at the University of Helsinki since the 1980s at all academic levels. She focuses on contemporary church history in Finland and in the Nordic countries, the political role of the churches and on the ecumenical movement. She is currently supervising fourteen doctoral dissertations. She takes an active part in international doctoral training especially within the Nordic countries.

Selected Publications

"Suomen kirkon ulkomaansuhteet ja ekumeeninen osallistuminen 1917*1922" (Foreign Relations and Ecumenical Participation in the Church of Finland 1917-1922. 1917*1922. Mit deutscher Zusammenfassung.) Suomen Kirkkohistoriallisen Seuran toimituksia 150. Diss. Jyväskylä 1990.

"Die auswärtigen Beziehungen der finnischen Kirche und das Ökumenische Engagement in den Jahren 1917-1922," in Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte. Heft 1/1991.

"Nathan Söderblom and the Nordic Countries and Churches from a Finnish Point of View," in Nathan Söderblom as a European. Sam Dahlgren, ed., Uppsala, 1993.

"Suomen kirkon kansainväliset suhteet 1923-1925" (Foreign Relations in the Church of Finland 1923-1925/Die internationalen Beziehungen der finnischen Kirche 1923-1925. Mit deutscher Zusammenfassung.) Suomen Kirkkohistoriallisen Seuran toimituksia 159. Jyväskylä 1993.

"Foreign relations for nationalistic goals. The activity of Finnish theologians abroad during the years of Russification between 1908-1914,"  in Church and People on Britain and Scandinavia. Ingmar Brohed, ed., Bibliotheca Historico-ecclesiastica Lundensis 36. Lund 1996.

"Die finnische Kirche und die Kriegsschuldfrage," in Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte, Heft 2/1999 (2000).

"Finland: Ansvar för folket förblir kyrkans kallelse," both articles in Nordiske Folkekirker i opbrud. National identitet og international nyorientering efter 1945. Jens Holger Schjoerring, ed., Århus, 2001.

"The Lutheran Church of Finland and Finnish Society in the 1920s and 1930s," in Hungary and Finland in the 20th Century. Studia Historica 68. Helsinki, 2002.

"Finnish Christianity & Urho Kekkonen, the Grand Man of Finland's Politics during the Cold War & Martti Simojoki," in Nordic Folk Churches. A Contemporary Church History. Grand Rapids, Michigan/Cambridge, UK 2005.

With H. McLeod/A. Lauha, North European Churches from the Cold War to Globalisation. Tampere: Finnish Church Research Institute, 2006.

Prof. Martti Nissinen

Professor of Old Testament Studies

University of Helsinki
Department of Biblical Studies
P.O. Box 33
FIN-00014

Phone: +358-9-191-24012

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Homepage: http://www.helsinki.fi/teol/hyel/english/prof.htm#

Research Profile

Prof. Nissinen's scholarly work is focused on biblical and ancient Near Eastern texts — “biblical” referring to the Jewish and Christian Bible and the “ancient Near East” referring to the Eastern Mediterranean cultures in a broad sense. His special topics are (1) prophecy and (2) gender and its interpretation, in the Bible and in the ancient Near East. The study of prophecy is motivated by the opportunity to make  scholars aware of "new” sources, such as the Neo-Assyrian prophecies, contributing to a new understanding of prophecy as a common phenomenon in the ancient Near East. The gender perspective also enables an important contribution of biblical scholarship to modern society: the encounter between historical study and modern concerns.

Teaching Profile

Prof. Nissinen has taught biblical studies at the University of Helsinki since 1985 at all academic levels , from basic Hebrew Bible courses through major studies in the Old Testament. He is currently supervising eleven doctoral dissertations, and he also takes an active part in international doctoral training.

Selected Publications

"Prophetie, Redaktion und Fortschreibung im Hoseabuch: Studien zum Werdegang eines Prophetenbuches im Lichte von Hosea 4 und 11," Alter Orient und Altes Testament 231. Kevelaer: Butzon & Bercker / Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1991. 406 pp. (doctoral thesis).

"References to Prophecy in Neo-Assyrian Sources," State Archives of Assyria Studies 7. Helsinki: Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project 1998. 194 pp.

Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspecive. Translated by Kirsi Stjerna. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998. 208 pp.   

Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East. With Contributions by Choon-Leong Seow and Robert K. Ritner. SBL Writings from the Ancient World 12. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature / Leiden: Brill, 2003. 273 pp.

“Spoken, Written, Quoted and Invented: Orality and Writtenness in Ancient Near Eastern Prophecy.” Ehud Ben Zvi & Michael H. Floyd (eds.), Writings and Speech in Israelite and Ancient Near Eastern Prophecy. SBL Symposium Series 10. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000: 235-271.

“Akkadian Rituals and Poetry of Divine Love.” R. M. Whiting (ed.), Mythology and Mythologies: Methodological Approaches to Intercultural Influences. Melammu Symposia 2. Helsinki: The Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, 2001: 93-136.

“Das kritische Potential in der altorientalischen Prophetie.” Matthias Köckert & Martti Nissinen (ed.), Propheten in Mari, Assyrien und Israel. FRLANT 201. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2003:1-32.

“Neither Prophecies nor Apocalypses: The Akkadian Literary Predictive Texts.” Lester L. Grabbe & Robert D. Haak (eds.), Knowing the End from the Beginning: The Prophetic, the Apocalyptic, and their Relationships. Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha, Supplement Series 46, London and New York: T&T Clark, 2003: 134-148.

“What Is Prophecy? An Ancient Near Eastern Perspective.” John Kaltner & Louis Stulman (ed.), Inspired Speech: Prophecy in the Ancient Near East. Essays in Honor of Herbert B. Huffmon. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Supplement Series 378. London and New York: T&T Clark, 2004: 17-37.

“Song of Songs and Sacred Marriage.” Martti Nissinen & Risto Uro (ed.), Sacred Marriages: The Divine-Human Sexual Metaphor from Sumer to Early Christianity. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns (forthcoming).

Prof. Risto Saarinen

Professor of Ecumenics

University of Helsinki
Department of Systematic Theology
P.O. Box 33
FIN-00014

Phone: +358-9-1911
Fax: +358-9-191 23033

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Homepage: www.helsinki.fi/~risaarin

Research Profile

Prof. Saarinen's research focuses on two distinct areas: in ecumenism, he publishes mostly on the bilateral dialogues of the Lutheran churches.  He also  regularly update hsis Homepage on the various ongoing Lutheran-Orthodox dialogues.  In historical scholarship, he publishes on late medieval, Renaissance and Reformation thought.  His recent historical work involves the concepts of will, freedom and self-control, so-called "philosophical psychology," and the theological applications of gift exchange, gratitude and hospitality.  As with freedom and gift exchange, in some cases historical topics intersect with modern ecumenical and theological discussions.

Teaching Profile

Prof. Saarinen's teaching concentrates on the theological profile of Lutheranism in its ecumenical activities, in particular on bilateral dialogues and the role of the Lutheran World Federation.  He also teaches on multilateral ecumenism and the theology of religions.  He follows the discussion on religion and violence, with a special emphasis on the work of René Girard.  On the postgraduate level, he supervises work done on late medieval, Renaissance and Reformation thought.

Selected Publications

Gottes Wirken auf uns: Die transzendentale Deutung des Gegenwart-Christi-Motivs in der Lutherforschung. Veröffentlichungen des Instituts für Europäische Geschichte 137, Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1989.

Weakness of the Will in Medieval Thought: From Augustine to Buridan. Studien und Texte zur Geistesgeschichte des Mittelalters 44, Leiden: Brill, 1994.

Faith and Holiness: Lutheran - Orthodox Dialogue 1959-1994. Kirche und Konfession 40, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1997.

(with A. Birmelé/T. Dieter/M. Root) Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification: A Commentary by the Institute for Ecumenical Research. Strasbourg/Geneva/Hong Kong: LWF, 1997.

ed. with M. Root, Baptism and the Unity of the Church. Grand Rapids/Geneva: Eerdmans/WCC, 1998.

God and the Gift. An Ecumenical Theology of Giving. Unitas Books, Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 2005.

ed. with J. Kraye, Moral Philosophy on the Threshold of Modernity. Synthese Historical Library, Dordrecht: Springer, 2005.

with H. McLeod/A. Lauha, North European Churches from the Cold War to Globalisation. Tampere: Finnish Church Research Institute, 2006.

Prof. Kirsi Tirri 

Professor for Practical Theology/Religious Education

P. O. Box 33 (Aleksanterinkatu 7)
FIN-00014
University of Helsinki
Finland

Phone:+ 358 40 743 7269
Fax:+358 9 191 23855
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http://www.helsinki.fi/~ktirri

Research Profile

Prof. Tirri's research focuses on broad areas of educational research and pedagogy. In addition to religious education in homes, churches and schools, her interests include values education and moral education. She has published internationally on teaching and learning, teacher education and gifted education. Her recent interests include research on spirituality and multiple intelligences. She uses a variety of empirical approaches ranging from narrative analysis to sophisticated quantitative modeling. She has lead several research projects funded by the EU and the Academy of Finland. She is also President of the European Council for High Ability (ECHA).

Teaching Profile

Prof. Tirri concentrates on current pedagogical issues. She has led master's seminars on topics such as spirituality in education, ethical education and religious education in multicultural society. Prof. Tirri has given several keynote addresses in Europe, Asia and USA and has been a visiting professor or visiting scholar in several European and American Universities. She has experience in teaching  both international students and teaching on-line. At the postgraduate level, she supervises work about challenging urban schools, ethical sensitivities of urban school students and teachers' pedagogical thinking.

Selected Publications

Kansanen, P., Tirri, K., Meri, M., Krokfors, L., Husu, J., & Jyrhämä, R, "Teachers' pedagogical thinking: Theoretical landscapes, practical challenges," American University Studies XIV: Education. New York: Peter Lang, 2000.

Tirri, K. & Kansanen, P. (guest eds.), Special Issue: Current research on moral education: International perspectives. Educational Research and Evaluation 9:1 (2003)

Tirri, K., Tallent-Runnells, M. & Nokelainen, P, "A cross-cultural study of preadolescents' moral, religious and spiritual questions," British Journal of Religious Education 27 (2005): 207-214.

Tirri, K. (ed.), Religion, Spirituality and Identity. Bern: Peter Lang, 2006.

Tirri, K., Nokelainen, P., Ubani, M, "Conceptual definition and empirical validation of a spiritual sensitivity scale," Journal of Empirical Theology 19:1 (2006), 37-62.

Tirri, K. (ed.), Values and Foundations in Gifted Education. Bern: Peter Lang, 2007.

Husu, J., & Tirri, K., "Developing whole school pedagogical values - a case of going through the ethos of 'good schooling'," Teaching and teacher education 23:4 (2007), 390-401.