MF Norwegian School of Theology

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MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society
MF vitenskapelig høyskole for teologi, religion og samfunn
Det teologiske Menighetsfakultet logo.jpeg
MottoIn Principio Erat Verbum
Type Private
Established1907
Rector Vidar L. Haanes
Administrative staff
100
Students1,300
Location
Oslo
,
Norway
AffiliationsThe Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions; IMHE; the Nordic University Association
Website mf.no

Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society (1908), formerly the Free Faculty of Theology (Norwegian : Det teologiske Menighetsfakultet) and MF Norwegian School of Theology, is an accredited Norwegian Specialized University focused on Theology, Religion, Education and Social Studies, located in Oslo, Norway. [1] With three departments (the Department of Theology, the Department of Religious Education and Pedagogical Studies, and the Department of Religion and Society), the Norwegian School of Theology educates scholars (PhD), teachers, ministers, and other professionals at the undergraduate and graduate level for leadership and service both nationally and internationally. It is Norway’s largest school of theology, religion and social sciences, and enrolls approximately 1200 students from both Norway and other countries. [2]

Norwegian language North Germanic language spoken in Norway

Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken mainly in Norway, where it is the official language. Along with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a dialect continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional varieties, and some Norwegian and Swedish dialects, in particular, are very close. These Scandinavian languages, together with Faroese and Icelandic as well as some extinct languages, constitute the North Germanic languages. Faroese and Icelandic are hardly mutually intelligible with Norwegian in their spoken form because continental Scandinavian has diverged from them. While the two Germanic languages with the greatest numbers of speakers, English and German, have close similarities with Norwegian, neither is mutually intelligible with it. Norwegian is a descendant of Old Norse, the common language of the Germanic peoples living in Scandinavia during the Viking Era.

Contents

Beginning as a confessional school, today it is an ecumenical inclusive school offering education specific to a number of denominations (Lutheran, Methodist, Catholic, Salvation Army and Pentecostal). [3]

History

Campus Menighetsfakultetet.jpg
Campus

MF was founded in 1907 by a body of people (Norwegian academics, politicians, clergy and lay people) wanting to build the education and research on the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.

The main reason for the establishing of the School was an appointment to a professoriate at the Faculty of Theology at University of Oslo. The Chair of Systematic Theology was vacant after the death of Fredrik Petersen in 1903, and in 1906 the liberal theologian Johannes Ording was appointed to the Chair. Ording was appointed after a lengthy debate which almost led to a crisis in the Government of Norway. It was not supported by the other leading professors at the faculty, and Sigurd Odland at the Faculty of Theology and the Minister of Church Affairs Christopher Knudsen in the Government left their positions following the appointment. [4] [5] [6] [7]

University of Oslo Norwegian public research university

The University of Oslo, until 1939 named the Royal Frederick University, is the oldest university in Norway, located in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. Until 1 January 2016 it was the largest Norwegian institution of higher education in terms of size, now surpassed only by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The Academic Ranking of World Universities has ranked it the 58th best university in the world and the third best in the Nordic countries. In 2015, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked it the 135th best university in the world and the seventh best in the Nordics. While in its 2016, Top 200 Rankings of European universities, the Times Higher Education listed the University of Oslo at 63rd, making it the highest ranked Norwegian university.

Johannes Ording was a Norwegian theologian. He served as a professor of systematic theology at the Royal Frederick University from 1906 to 1926, and his appointment caused a stir because some saw him as too liberal.

Sigurd Odland Norwegian translator

Sigurd Vilhelm Odland was a Norwegian theologian and church leader.

Notable people in the society and the Church gathering around Odland then took steps to found an independent institution training the clergy. The founding charter was signed October 16, 1907, and the School was opened in the autumn of 1908 with only 8 students (a number that increased to 14 before the end of the first term). The earliest teachers were Sigurd Odland (New Testament), Edvard Sverdrup (Church history), Peter Hognestad (Old Testament), Ole Hallesby (Systematic theology). From 1919 the members of academic staff was granted the right to call themselves professors. [8] [9] [10]

New Testament Second division of the Christian biblical canon

The New Testament is the second part of the Christian biblical canon, the first part being the Old Testament, based on the Hebrew Bible. The New Testament discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christianity. Christians regard both the Old and New Testaments together as sacred scripture. The New Testament has frequently accompanied the spread of Christianity around the world. It reflects and serves as a source for Christian theology and morality. Extended readings and phrases directly from the New Testament are incorporated into the various Christian liturgies. The New Testament has influenced religious, philosophical, and political movements in Christendom and left an indelible mark on literature, art, and music.

Johan Edvard Sverdrup was a Norwegian educator, author and church leader. Sverdrup was one of the key theologians in the Church of Norway in the first few decades of the 1900s.

Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception.

The School grew steadily, and in 1913 MF was given the right to offer degrees in Theology, and also in Practical Theology from 1925. The School expanded in 1967 and an institute of Christian theology was founded giving a minor, major and a master's degree in Christian Studies. 1977 the school started to train Christian Educators (catechists). A major step was the right to award the doctoral degree in 1990. The School was the first private school given the right to do this, and in 2005 the school was accredited as a specialized university institution by the Norwegian authorities.

Theology Study of the nature of deities and religious belief

Theology is the critical study of the nature of the divine, and more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the supernatural, but also especially with epistemology, and asks and seeks to answer the question of revelation. Revelation pertains to the acceptance of God, gods, or deities, as not only transcendent or above the natural world, but also willing and able to interact with the natural world and, in particular, to reveal themselves to humankind. While theology has turned into a secular field, religious adherents still consider theology to be a discipline that helps them live and understand concepts such as life and love and that helps them lead lives of obedience to the deities they follow or worship.

Christian theology is the theology of Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theologians use biblical exegesis, rational analysis and argument. Theologians may undertake the study of Christian theology for a variety of reasons, such as in order to:

Catechesis Christian religious education

Catechesis is basic Christian religious education of children and adults. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the religion became institutionalized, catechesis was used for education of members who had been baptized as infants. As defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 5 :

Catechesis is an education in the faith of children, young people and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life.

Academics

MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society awards the following degrees: bachelor, master, candidatus/a theologiae and Ph.D.

It offers the following programmes of study that results in the mentioned degrees:

Notable alumni and faculty staff

Alumni

Politicians

Kjell Magne Bondevik, Valgerd Svarstad Haugland, Torild Skogsholm, Helen Bjørnøy.

Musicians

Bjørn Eidsvåg, Morten Harket

Authors

Jan Kjærstad, Ole Hallesby

Clergy

Faculty Staff

Old Testament Theology

New Testament Theology

Church History

Systematic Theology

Religious Studies

Social Sciences and Religious Education

Practical Theology and Missiology

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References

  1. ↑ Ministers, N.C. (2015). Joint Degrees and the Nordic Countries: Nordic Master Programme – Legal and administrative obstacles. TemaNord. Nordic Council of Ministers. p. 138. ISBN   978-92-893-4066-3 . Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  2. ↑ Tor Ivar Hansen. "Det teologiske Menighetsfakultet". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Presentasjon av Det teologiske menighetsfakultet". Det teologiske menighetsfakultet. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  4. ↑ Hallgeir Elstad. "Johannes Ording". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  5. ↑ Hallgeir Elstad. "Fredrik Petersen – norsk teolog". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  6. ↑ Hallgeir Elstad. "Sigurd Vilhelm Odland". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  7. ↑ Knut Dørum. "Christoffer Knudsen". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  8. ↑ Hallgeir Elstad. "Edvard Sverdrup". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  9. ↑ Hallgeir Elstad. "Peter Hansson Hognestad". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  10. ↑ Hallgeir Elstad. "Ole Hallesby". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved March 1, 2017.

Coordinates: 59°55′57.99″N10°42′48.67″E / 59.9327750°N 10.7135194°E / 59.9327750; 10.7135194

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