Research areas

Identity and ideology

Research in this area concerns the ideology of biblical texts, with a focus on different types of identity construction. This may involve family language and children’s agency in the Hebrew Bible (Mikael Larsson), persecution and Christ identification in New Testament texts (James Kelhoffer, Jonas Holmstrand), and identity formation within the Qumran movement (Cecilia Wassén). Contact person: Mikael Larsson.

Language and translation

This area studies various aspects of primarily the biblical languages Hebrew and Greek. It involves studies of words, metaphors (Mikael Larsson), syntax, text structures (Jonas Holmstrand), and genres. Translation is also studied and practised within this area (Cecilia Wassén, Jonas Holmstrand, James Kelhoffer). Contact person: Jonas Holmstrand.

Early Jewish texts

This field of research concerns early Jewish literature related to the texts of the Hebrew Bible. The Dead Sea Scrolls bear witness to a diversity of interpretations, including new versions of traditional stories. This also includes early rabbinical interpretive tradition. The area covers, among other things, legal interpretation in Qumran, the historical Jesus, and more specifically the Gospel of Matthew (Cecilia Wassén). Contact person: Cecilia Wassén.

Early Christian texts

This area studies the New Testament writings together with other early Christian sources from the 1st and 2nd centuries in order to understand developments, debates, and diversity within the early church. These sources include the Apostolic Fathers, e.g., the Second Epistle of Clement (James Kelhoffer) and the Didache (Jonas Holmstrand), apocryphal texts, and “Gnostic” writings, e.g., Pistis Sophia. Contact person: James Kelhoffer.

Modern reception

Research in this field deals with contemporary Bible use and its consequences, e.g., in art forms such as fiction and film (Mikael Larsson), but also in politics, social life, and other media. The field is characterized by interdisciplinarity and an interest in theory development. Contact person: Mikael Larsson.