Research Projects

See research projects in Helsinki University research database TUHAT

The Birth and Transmision of a Holy Tradition

Kinneret Excavations

Social Changes in Late Second Temple Judaism in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Conflicting Identities. Social and Religious Identities in Light of the Qumran Material from Judaen Desert

Textual Criticism of the Septuagint

Explaining Early Jewish and Christian Movements: Ritual, Memory and Identity

Gnosticism and Formation of Early Christianity

Gender, Social Roles, and Occupations in Early Christianity

• The Birth and Transmission of a Holy Tradition
  01.08.2007–31.07.2012, the leader of the research project: dos. Juha Pakkala

   

  The main aim of the project is to understand the main lines of birth, transmission and development of a Hebrew text that became to be regarded as holy by the Jewish and Christian faiths, the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament respectively.
  
  Project website: The Birth and Transmision of a Holy Tradition

• Kinneret Excavations
  1998– , dos. Juha Pakkala

  The Kinneret Regional Project is a European expedition to the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee under the auspices of the Universities of Bern (Switzerland), Helsinki (Finland), Leiden (The Netherlands) and Mainz (Germany). Its research focus is to explore the site of Tel Kinrot – ancient Kinneret – and its environs. The project is led by Stefan Münger (Bern), Juha Pakkala (Helsinki) ja Jürgen Zangenberg (Leiden).

  Project website: Kinneret Excavations

• Social Changes in Late Second Temple Judaism in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls

  2011–2013, The leader of the research project: PhD Jutta Jokiranta

  Project website: Social Changes in Late Second Temple Judaism

• Conflicting Identities. Social and Religious Identities in Light of the Qumran Material from Judaen Desert

  The funding period: 1.1.2008 - 31.12.2010, funded by the Academy of Finland
  The leader of the research project: Professor (emerita), docent Raija Sollamo

  In Helsinki, during the past two decades, an internationally acknowledged tradition of Qumran scholarship has been established. The new project aims at continuing and broadening this tradition. The project aims at increasing our knowledge about the different Jewish groups of the Second Temple Judaism, their self-understanding, potential internal tensions and attitudes to other groups.

  Project website Conflicting Identities

 

• Textual Criticism of the Septuagint

  2004–2006, 2009–2012, The leader of the research project : prof. Anneli Aejmelaeus

  Project website Textual Criticism of the Septuagint

 

• Explaining Early Jewish and Christian Movements: Ritual, Memory and Identity
  1.1.2007-31.12.2010, The leader of the research project: Petri Luomanen

   

  The project address the question how religious identities and traditions were formed and transmitted among competing smaller groups and factions. We seek to cast light on this question by drawing on the recent developments in the field of cognitive study of religion and social psychology. If there are regularities in the religious behavior and community formation, an one possible explanation lies in the basic structures of human cognition.

  
  Project website: Explaining Early Jewish and Christian Movements
  
  

• Gnosticism and Formation of Early Christianity
  1.1.2007–31.12.2011, The leader of the research project: prof. Ismo Dunderberg
  
  Project website Gnosticism and Formation of Early Christianity

• Gender, Social Roles, and Occupations in Early Christianity
  2009–2012, The leader of the research project: prof. Antti Marjanen
  

  The goal of the research project is to deal with four themes in the study of early Christian social history which have so far attracted less attention than they deserve: (1) the role of women who hosted first- and second-century house churches, (2) the role of and the attitude toward merchants in early Christian texts and communities, (3) Christian attitudes toward soldiers and the enlistment of the Christians in the army, and (4) the masculinity of Jesus in light of Greco-Roman and Jewish understandings of the ideal manly character. A common starting-point for the study of the four subjects is to map out the general background of the phenomena in antiquity and then assess the relevant Christian texts in light of their social-historical context.
  
  Project website: Gender, Social Roles, and Occupations in Early Christianity