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KRIS4104 - New Testament Theology

Course content

A key concept in the Pauline letters and the Johannine writings of the New Testament is the Spirit. The Spirit is simultaneously a power in the creation and the agent in the form of which the risen Christ relates to his believers throughout history. Probably, the Pauline as well as the Johannine Spirit was inspired by Stoic philosophy. In Stoic physics, the Spirit constitutes the creative as well as the epistemological power.
These two aspects of the Spirit have given rise to two very different traditions in contemporary Christian theology. On the one hand, we find the revivalist movement of Pentecostalism. Pentecostalism seems to be the way that the challenges of modernity are met in the postcolonial cultures of Africa and Latin America. The focus on the latter aspect of the Spirit’s work offers acknowledgement and empowerment of the individual believer.
On the other hand, we find attempts to make the New Testament Spirit the starting point of a theological conception of the world that coheres with science, especially the idea of evolution. Facing the climate crisis, the traditional focus on anthropology – that is, the latter aspect of the Spirit’s work – has left Christianity in a theological void. Theologians now feel obliged also to take the first aspect of the Spirit’s work into consideration and develop a theology for the redemption of nature.
Taking the New Testament writings on the Spirit as our starting point, we will study the way that these texts inspire theological responses to burning issues in various cultures.
Besides the curriculum, the students will be encouraged to read the Swedish author Per Olov Enquist’s historical novel Lewi’s Journey on the history of the Pentecostal revivalist movement in Sweden.

Learning outcomes

The course will introduce to the philosophy that enables us to understand, first, the role of the Spirit in the Pauline and Johannine writings and, next, why the New Testament Spirit may inspire the solution of a variety of contemporary theological problems.
The students will be acquainted with some of the problems and discussions that the clash between modernity and theology has generated in various cultures: The science-theology problem, which has been addressed primarily by Western theologians, and the identity problem that the postcolonial condition poses and Pentecostalism addresses.
Having analyzed the role of Scripture in the development of the theological responses to these problems, the students will be encouraged to reflect on the role that theology and sacred writings continue to play in various cultures.
The diversity of students in the class will provide an opportunity for recontextualizing the theological reception of the New Testament Spirit.
The oral and written presentations of the curriculum as well as the discussions that these generate will train the students in basic academic skills.

Admission

Contact the faculty administaration for admission to the course if your not a student at the program.

Students at UiO must apply for courses in StudentWeb.

International applicants, if you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

The examination in this course is not available for external candidates. Only students admitted to the course may sit for the examination.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisites

80 credits in Theology and Christianity or Religion.

Teaching

The course alternates between lectures and seminars with discussions. The discussions have the students’ oral presentations of the curriculum (examination requirements) as starting point.

After the discussion, the student (re-)writes the presentation and summarizes the discussion in his or her paper and both are placed in the student’s portfolio.

Teaching takes place throughout the semester.

Exam information

The student’s portfolio will be the basis for her or his evaluation. The portfolio consists of two curriculum presentations (each of 1500 words) and of one essay based on the examination requirements (ca. 3000 words). In the evaluation, the curriculum presentations weight 25% (each) and the essay weights 50%. The portfolio will be evaluated with a single grade.

Exam resources

No special exam resources are allowed.

Assessment and grading

Course grades are awarded on a descending scale using alphabetic grades from A to E for passes and F for fail. Read more about the grading system .

Explanations and appeals

Students can request an explanation of their grades, and can also appeal against their grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals

Possibility of make-up exams and re-takes

You can usually resit an exam, but the conditions depend on whether you had a valid reason for absence from the regular exam. Read more about resitting an exam .

Withdrawing from exams and limits on re-takes

A student can sit for this exam up to 3 times. If a student wishes to withdraw from the exam, s/he must do this in StudentWeb at least two weeks prior to the first day of the exam. Failure to do so will be counted as one of the three opportunities to sit for the exam.

Exam options for students with special needs

Students may apply for access to alternative exam resources or exam forms on the basis of chronic illness and/or special needs that create a marked disadvantage to other students in the exam situation. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.

Evaluation of this course

Feedback from our students is essential to us in our efforts to ensure and further improve the high quality of our programmes and courses. As a student at the University of Oslo you will therefore be asked to participate in various types of evaluation of our courses, facilities and services. All courses are subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students on a particular course to participate in a more comprehensive, in-depth evaluation of this course, a so called "periodic evaluation".

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