Teologi generelt og Bibelvitenskap spesielt i 2015

Og dette skjer, som jeg har sett både for andre og opplevd selv. Så er det altså ofte bedre å være taus, rett og slett, når man ikke er sikker på om man er helt innenfor “mainstream”. Dermed er det tydelig at tema “ytringsfrihet” er mer innviklet enn mange skjønner. Her i vesten kan du i teorien være fri til å si hva du vil, men så kan det i praksis komme ulike typer ubehagelige konsekvenser hvis du ikke har fulgt kodeksen som råder.

Så da går vi med en gang over fra “Teologi generelt” til “Bibelvitenskap spesielt”:

Jeg har nettopp fått anledning til å skrive en spalte for Gorgias Press, forlaget som publiserte festskriftet til Hallvard Hagelia som ble overrakt ham på hans 70-årsdag. Her er et utdrag av hva jeg skrev der:

The Bible is a fascinating, quite often challenging collection of ancient texts that have shaped the Western world profoundly over millennia. … Though the Bible has been scrutinized for millennia, there is still more to detect. New – especially linguistic - methods help to understand new aspects of the texts´ meaning; the excavation of new documents from Israel and the ancient Near East improve the understanding of the historical-cultural context of biblical texts.

However, being engaged in biblical studies is not only fun. Bitter antagonisms between various schools representing different worldviews … may deter from the core project, the deepening of the understanding of this important collection of texts.

Against this background, attempts to build bridges and thereby promote real diversity are needed and can help to further knowledge in the field of biblical studies. One such initiative is the “Norwegian Summer Academy of Biblical Studies”. It will hold its second international meeting 10-11 August 2015 on the premises of Ansgar Theological Seminary in Kristiansand, Norway. … This meeting will deal with the question “Interreligious Relations – Biblical Perspectives”. It does not need special explanation why this topic is important in a globalized world in which direct contacts between adherents of different religious traditions have become all-pervasive, and very often marked by serious problems. Theological reflection on the challenges of such relations is important, but for the most part confined to scholars working in the field of systematic theology or religious studies. The goal of the upcoming meeting is to approach the topic from the unique perspective of biblical scholarship, a discipline that is normally not engaged at the forefront of the discussions on interreligious relations, with the hope that insights gleaned from a close reading of various biblical texts by expert exegetes may shed new and helpful light on some crucial aspects of the problem. As in the first meeting, the biblical scholars invited to present papers on various aspects of the topic represent a broad range of scholarly traditions across the various aisles of the guild. Another specialty of the meeting is that papers will not only be presented, but made accessible in advance and discussed thoroughly during the meeting, in order to promote dialogue and a process of mutual interaction that enables continued learning on the side of all participants. At the same time, the lectures and discussions are open to the public. For further information please go here

Konferansen som er nevnt her er høydepunktet i dette årets program i bibelvitenskap her på huset. Jeg håper at også mange som ikke driver med bibelvitenskap til daglig vil ha anledning til å være med 10.-11. august!

Markus Zehnder