Halvor Moxnes

De hellige tre konger er et av de mest kjente religiøse ikoner som finnes. Det har sin opprinnelse i en fortelling i Matteusevangeliet, om «vismennene fra Østen» som kom for å tilbe barnet Jesus. Det er vidt spredt i kirkekunst gjennom århundrer, og som folkefromhet, særlig gjennom julekrybber. Der er de hellige tre konger blitt et symbol på det universelle og verdensomfattende ved kristendommen. Men hva skjer når kongene havner i en kryssild av debatt om rasisme, kolonihistorie og slavehandel? Kirken Ulmer Münster i Tyskland hadde en 100 år gammel julekrybbe, som hvert år hadde en sentral plass i advents- og juletiden. Men i 2020 ble det annerledes. I lys av Black Lives Matter- bevegelsen, som .kk stor oppslutning i Tyskland, og debatten om rasisme som fulgte, fant menighetsrådet at den svarte kongen hadde klart rasistiske trekk. Det bestemte derfor at gruppen med de hellige tre konger ikke skulle stilles opp i juletiden i 2020. Avgjørelsen .kk enorm mediedekning og skapte diskusjon. I denne boka forteller Halvor Moxnes om hvordan legenden om vismennene vokste og ble til historien om de hellige tre konger som fikk et eget liv og senere universell betydning. Men hvordan hadde det seg at den ene kongen ble fremstilt svart? Moxnes bruker historien om de hellige tre konger som et prisme til å vise hvordan religiøse tradisjoner er en del av politiske sammenhenger, og til å vise at kirken er nødt til å møte rasismens utfordringer, globalt og lokalt.

This is a different book about Jesus. It does not study the Gospels as sources for the historical Jesus, but reads them as memories about Jesus, each Gospel with its characteristic picture of Jesus. The book traces the transmission and growth of memories of Jesus in various contexts and in different historical periods. It also introduces readers to the little known counterstories to Christian memories in Jewish sources, as well as to the rival stories in the Quran. A central perspective in the book is the troubling fact that for centuries the memories of Jesus contributed to hate speech against the Jews in Europe. The passion narratives in the Gospels put the blame for the death of Jesus upon Jewish leaders, and these stories were transmitted across the centuries as historical truth. Memories of Jesus have served as identity markers not only for churches but also for societies and countries. The last chapters focus on how the memories of Jesus have played an important role in supporting the identity of oppressed and marginalized groups, in particular in the contemporary United States.

The question of contextual theology and its relevance to Africa in this time of globalization, whereby there are rampant uncontrolled changes in cultures, technologies, economic policies, and even people's religious lives, is very urgent. How is contextual theology relevant in the ever-changing contexts of the church in Africa? Indeed, there are a number of challenges which contextual theology faces within the church in Africa, which need to be addressed contextually. Some such challenges include poverty, rampant violence, homosexuality, alcoholism, the resurgence of prosperity gospel materialistic prophets and incurable illnesses like Ebola, HIV and AIDS, and the current coronavirus (COVID-19). However, which context in Africa? Context in Africa, as in other parts of the world, is always in flux; it is complex and fluid. There is no permanent context. The experience of Jesus in such a changing context needs to be rediscovered depending on what transpires in each particular place at a particular time. This book addresses some of the overarching challenges that face contextual theology and how such challenges should be addressed by the church in Africa in contemporary ever-changing context for it to be relevant in Africa. It also highlights the need to move from liberation and inculturation theologies to reconstruction theology in dealing with the challenges of the current church. Hence, the book is important to students and scholars engaging in practical, systematic, biblical, and contextual theologies in all their branches.

The question of contextual theology and its relevance to Africa in this time of globalization, whereby there are rampant uncontrolled changes in cultures, technologies, economic policies, and even people's religious lives, is very urgent. How is contextual theology relevant in the ever-changing contexts of the church in Africa? Indeed, there are a number of challenges which contextual theology faces within the church in Africa, which need to be addressed contextually. Some such challenges include poverty, rampant violence, homosexuality, alcoholism, the resurgence of prosperity gospel materialistic prophets and incurable illnesses like Ebola, HIV and AIDS, and the current coronavirus (COVID-19). However, which context in Africa? Context in Africa, as in other parts of the world, is always in flux; it is complex and fluid. There is no permanent context. The experience of Jesus in such a changing context needs to be rediscovered depending on what transpires in each particular place at a particular time. This book addresses some of the overarching challenges that face contextual theology and how such challenges should be addressed by the church in Africa in contemporary ever-changing context for it to be relevant in Africa. It also highlights the need to move from liberation and inculturation theologies to reconstruction theology in dealing with the challenges of the current church. Hence, the book is important to students and scholars engaging in practical, systematic, biblical, and contextual theologies in all their branches.

Moxnes følger opp suksessen med Historien om Det nye testamentet. Hvordan blir Jesus presentert i Bibelen? Og hvordan er de bibelske tekstene blitt lest og brukt fram til i dag? Moxnes er en anerkjent bibelteolog internasjonalt. I denne boken gir han oss også et innblikk i Jesusbruken i nyere norsk kunst og kulturliv, som i kapitlet «Jesus i Norge. Fra Arne Garborg til Bjørn Eidsvåg».

Bibelen - og ikke minst Det nye testamentet - har spilt en sentral rolle i vår kultur i mer enn tusen år. I denne boka forteller den inter- nasjonalt anerkjente teologen Halvor Moxnes den spennende historien om hvordan Det nye testamentet ble til og hvordan tekstene er blitt lest og brukt fram til i dag.

The study of Jesus has rarely looked at its own scholarly context, at how the representation of Jesus might be shaped by those who study him. 'Jesus beyond Nationalism' examines how - since the beginnings of historical Jesus studies in the nineteenth century - representations of Jesus have been used to promote hegemonic or mono-cultural views. The ideology behind such representation has operated to deny difference in society, difference in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. Examining depictions of Jesus in a range of contexts - from the Russian Christ and Jesus as 'Holy Anarchist' to Jesus in Muslim thought - Jesus Beyond Nationalism reveals the politics behind the ways in which Jesus has been constructed and presented.

The study of Jesus has rarely looked at its own scholarly context, at how the representation of Jesus might be shaped by those who study him. 'Jesus beyond Nationalism' examines how - since the beginnings of historical Jesus studies in the nineteenth century - representations of Jesus have been used to promote hegemonic or mono-cultural views. The ideology behind such representation has operated to deny difference in society, difference in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. Examining depictions of Jesus in a range of contexts - from the Russian Christ and Jesus as 'Holy Anarchist' to Jesus in Muslim thought - Jesus Beyond Nationalism reveals the politics behind the ways in which Jesus has been constructed and presented.

hva er KRISTENDOM gir flere engasjerende - og kanskje noen provoserende - svar på hva kristendom er. Fra kristendommens historie, etikk og menneskesyn, til kontroversielle temaer om kjønn og seksualitet, politikk og kristendommen i den globale verden. Dette er langt fra noen tradisjonell tekststudie av Bibelen, kirkehistorie eller troslære, men en bok som studerer kristendommen blant de store verdensreligionene - både innenfra og utenfra. Boken utfordrer lesere som har vokst opp i et vestlig samfunn tuftet på kristne verdier. Hvilke verdier er dette? Halvor Moxnes (f. 1944) er professor ved det teologiske fakultet, Universitetet i Oslo. Han har publisert en rekke artikler og bøker både nasjonalt og internasjonalt. Hans spesialfelt er bl.a. Det nye testamente, Den historiske Jesus, Familie, seksualitet og kjønnsroller (urkristendom) og bibelfortolkning.

This is a study of the Historical Jesus that pays close attention to the role of space and place, from house to kingdom, for understanding Jesus' identity. Halvor Moxnes employs a sociological and anthropological approach that promises to give greater depth to our perceptions of Jesus.