by Juha Pakkala
In cooperation with the Faculty of Protestant Theology at the University of Münster (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster), team three of the CSTT organized a workshop on Editorial Techniques in Light of Empirical Evidence. The workshop was held at Agora, a conference center by the Aasee (Lake Aa), in Münster on March 17-19, 2015. Continue reading How Ancient Scribes Inserted Larger Passages into Older Texts? Editorial Techniques in Light of Empirical Evidence
The science magazine of the University of Helsinki published in its most recent issue (3/15) an interview with Academy Research Fellow Jutta Jokiranta, the leader of team four in our Centre of Excellence. In the article, Jokiranta sheds light on the significance of the most important archaeological find of the 20th century. In the spotlight of the article is the Qumran community, its relationship with Second-Temple Judaism and the significance of the texts discovered from the caves. Continue reading Finnish Qumran Studies Featured in Popular University Magazine
Helsingin yliopiston tiedelehti julkaisi uusimmassa numerossaan (3/15) huippuyksikömme nelostiimin johtajan, akatemiatutkija Jutta Jokirannan haastattelun. Artikkelissa Jokiranta valottaa 1900-luvun merkittävimmän arkeologisen löydön taustoja ja vaikutuksia. Jutun keskiössä on Qumranin yhteisö, sen yhteys aikansa juutalaisuuteen ja luolista löytyneiden tekstien merkitys. Continue reading Suomalainen Qumran-tutkimus esillä Yliopisto-lehdessä
The cognitive turn in the study of the human mind emerged in academia already over fifty years ago. But how has it effected history of religions and biblical studies—or has it? And should it? Continue reading What Have Biblical Studies to Do with Cognitive Science?
I have spent the academic year 2014/2015 in Tübingen, which is a small medieval academically-oriented town in Baden-Württemberg, Southern Germany. I chose Tübingen for several reasons. Firstly, I was fascinated by its traditional status: the university is founded in 1477 and thus it is one of the oldest universities in Europe. Tübingen has been historically central to theologians. Continue reading Research Stay in Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
Vihdin lukion opiskelijat vierailivat 12. maaliskuuta yliopistolla tutustumassa huippuyksikön työhön. Vierailu oli osa lukion omaa soveltavaa kurssia Lähi-idän historia, uskonnot ja kulttuurit. ”Kurssi on historian ja uskonnon yhteiskurssi, jonka tavoitteena on eheyttää Lähi-itään liittyviä, moniin eri kursseihin sirpaloituneita asiakokonaisuuksia. Pyrkimyksenä on ymmärtää Lähi-idän kulttuurisia juuria ja alueen nykypäivän monimutkaista poliittista tilannetta”, kertoo kurssin opettaja Lauri Laine. Continue reading Ruukunpalasista älypuhelimiin – tutkimusta lukiolaisille
Migration is an age-old phenomenon. Also the Fertile Crescent got its demography and cultures shaped by migration, whether by so-called ‘forced migration’ (deportation) or so-called ‘barbarian invasions’ (mass migration of nations) or by other migration phenomena. Such diversifications, especially when seen over several generations, lead to questions about belonging and calls for reflection on the definition of terminology, in particular ‘ethnicity’ and ‘minority’. These issues are addressed with a focus on the first millennium BCE in a conference, entitled: “What Is ‘Ethnicity’ and Who Belongs to a ‘Minority’ in the Fertile Crescent?” Continue reading Mini-conference: “What Is ‘Ethnicity’ and Who Belongs to a ‘Minority’ in the Fertile Crescent?” (Helsinki, April 21)
Huippuyksikön jäsen, assyriologian tutkija Saana Svärd vieraili tiistaina 10. maaliskuuta MTV3:n Huomenta Suomi -ohjelmassa. Svärd kommentoi ääri-islamilaisen Isisin maaliskuun alkuviikkoina tekemiä iskuja Nimrudin alueelle ja Hatran kaupunkiin. Continue reading ISIS tuhoaa korvaamatonta kulttuuriperintöä
The Hebrew Bible is a collection of layered works. Its books in their various forms have been creatively edited and interwoven by ancient redactor-scribes in various historical situations using multiple sources from different time periods. In order to understand these editorial processes and use the texts in reconstructing history, scholars use the method of redaction criticism. Building on the observations of literary criticism (that is ”source criticism”), redaction criticism asks, for example: what is the ideology/theology behind the editing? What has been included or left out in the work and why? What is the community behind the editor(s)? How can the different textual layers be dated? Continue reading Why the Septuagint Can No Longer Be Ignored in Redaction Criticism
To understand changes in sacred texts, it is necessary to understand changes in the cultures that produced them. The 9th Melammu Symposium, which will be held in Helsinki and Tartu on May 18-24, 2015, will be an exciting opportunity for all interested scholars to get a close look on the latest developments on the themes of continuity, transformation, and diffusion in the Near East and surrounding areas. Continue reading Melammu Symposium 9: “Conceptualizing Past, Present and Future”
