Annual lectures in Helsinki on Luther’s theology will give an overview of the Reformator’s theology. A special emphasis is laid on such topics as theology and philosophy, theology of love and doctrine of Trinity. Results of the recent Finnish scholarship on Luther’s theology are discussed in detail. No previous knowledge on Luther’s theology is required, but we strongly recommend that the student is familiar with the basic facts of Luther’s life before attending the lectures, since Luther’s life is not discussed in detail during the lectures. There are many biographies available on Luther, such as Martin E. Marty, Martin Luther (Viking Penguin, 2004) or Martin Brecht, Martin Luther, 3 vols. (Fortress, 1985-93).
The lectures will take place on Tuesdays, during the Spring term 2011 from January 17th to April 24th. Lecturer is Dr. Pekka Kärkkäinen, University Lecturer in Ecumenical Theology. For more information, see this page.
Last volume on Lutherjahrbuch (vol. 77, 2010) contains an article by Martin Hailer entitled: “Rechtfertigung als Vergottung? Eine Auseinandersetzung mit der finnischen Luther-Deutung und ihrer systematisch-theologischen Adaptation”. The author discusses the Finnish position critically mostly on the basis of some Mannermaa’s works, supplementing them with Risto Saarinen’s more general accounts of the Finnish interpretation of Luther. For the sake of comparison, he also drafts some general ideas of Bonhoeffer’s view of participation in God. More importantly, after the discussion of “the Finns”, he critically discusses views of Robert Jenson, seen as an elaboration of the Finnish position.
Miikka Anttila has successfully defended a doctoral thesis entitled “The innocent pleasure. A study on Luther’s theology of music”. Professor Bo Holm from the University of Aarhus acted as the external examinator in the defense. In his dissertation, Anttila focused on considering Luther’s theology of music from the viewpoint of pleasure. This general theme allowed him to discuss several related topics, such as Luther’s notion of gift, his view of emotions and esthetical views, insofar as they were connected to the theology of music. For more information of the dissertation see: https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/26118
For some preliminary results of Anttila’s study, see also his contribution to Engaging Luther
Registration for the 12th International Congress for Luther Research (Helsinki, August 2012) has opened. All scholars working in the field of Reformation studies are welcome to participate. For more information, see the congress website.
Annual lectures in Helsinki on Luther’s theology will give an overview of the Reformator’s theology. A special emphasis is laid on such topics as theology and philosophy, theology of love and doctrine of Trinity. Results of the recent Finnish scholarship on Luther’s theology are discussed in detail. No previous knowledge on Luther’s theology is required, but we strongly recommend that the student is familiar with the basic facts of Luther’s life before attending the lectures, since Luther’s life is not discussed in detail during the lectures. There are many biographies available on Luther, such as Martin E. Marty, Martin Luther (Viking Penguin, 2004) or Martin Brecht, Martin Luther, 3 vols. (Fortress, 1985-93).
The lectures will take place on Tuesdays, during the Spring term 2011 from January 18th to April 19th. Lecturer is Dr. Pekka Kärkkäinen, University Lecturer in Ecumenical Theology. For more information, see this page.
Finnish Luther scholars will host the 12th international congress for Luther research in August 2012. The website of the congress is located here: http://www.helsinki.fi/teol/pro/luther2012/index.htm The website contains information on plenary lectures, seminars and other activities. Registration for the congress opens in January 2011. A quotation from the homepage:
The overall theme of the congress is “Luther as Teacher and Reformer of the University”. The University of Helsinki, founded by Queen Christina of Sweden in 1640, is privileged to host the congress. Lectures and seminars will take place in the city center, on the campus surrounding the main building of the university.
The Finns have published a joint volume on various aspects of Luther’s theology. It is entitled Engaging Luther – A (New) Theological Assessment and edited by Olli-Pekka Vainio. Quotation from the book description:
The volume consists of articles written by scholars affiliated with the project known as “the New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.” The topics include Luther’s theological anthropology, Trinity, christology, sacraments, faith, theology of the cross, the Virgin Mary, sexuality, music, and the spiritual reading of the Holy Scriptures.
More on the volume from the publisher’s website: http://wipfandstock.com/store/Engaging_Luther_A_New_Theological_Assessment/
In a volume edited by Philipp Rosemann, there is a chapter on Luther as commentator of Peter Lombard’s Sentences written by myself, Pekka Kärkkäinen. For more information about the volume, see here.
Olli-Pekka Vainio has published an article entitled “The Doctrine of Justification in the Book of Concord—Harmony or Contradiction?” in the December 2009 issue of the Dialog. An electronic version of the article is available here.
Annual lectures on Luther’s theology in Helsinki will give an overview of the Reformator’s theology from the viewpoint of recent Finnish scholarship. The lectures will take place in 2010 on Tuesdays, from January 19th to April 27th. Speakers include several young and advanced Finnish scholars specializing in Luther and Reformation theology: Jari Jolkkonen, Ilmari Karimies, Jussi Koivisto, Kari Kopperi, Pekka Kärkkäinen and Antti Raunio.
