Church History Section

The Church History Section has a double scholarly profile. It combines classical textual sources and questions (intellectual history of Christianity and history of the institutional church within culture and society) with more aesthetic source-material and questions (the role of literature, music, architecture and art within Christianity). The Section carries out research in the history of Christianity from ancient times until today.

Photo: Rasmus Degnbol

This double profile lies at the back of a row of specific research themes dealt with at the Section: Christian historical narratives and their meaning for national self-conceptions; Christian life within and withdrawn from the world; the cultural heritage of Christian rituals; theological anthropology and its aesthetic framework in language, images and music; synergy between politics/law and theology in early modern and modern times and finally global encounters between Christianity and other religions and cultures.

These research themes go across the following research fields that have traditionally enjoyed special attention at the Section: Research in Medieval Theology, Luther-research, research in Christianity and the Arts, research in Danish Church History and research in Global Christianity.

In the years to come research fields such as Reformation theology, Danish Church History and History of Christianity and the Arts will be strengthened through the achievements of the Danish National Research Foundation Centre of Privacy Studies (2017-2023). Church History is one of the Centre’s four core disciplines (the other are History of Architecture, Legal History and History of Ideas). The on-going exchange and collaboration between the Centre and the Church History Section will contribute to scholarly developments at the Centre as well as the Section.

Read more about  Centre of Privacy Studies (PRIVACY)

It is a characteristic of the Section that besides specific research interests every staff member is obliged to teach the entire history of Christianity from ancient times to today. This obligation contributes to establishing a fruitful specialist environment within a broad historical framework.

 

 

 

 

Research Strategy 2020-2023 at the Church History Section

 

 

 

  • Ancient Church and Late Antiquity

Isolation, sociality, space and movement in the culture of theology and religious history; Christianity and mediality.

Topics: Processions and urban spaces in late antiquity; principles of isolation in early monastic culture; musical understanding and the use of classical rhetoric in early Christianity; piety culture and ritual practices. 

  • High and Late Middle Ages

Theology and philosophy; academic and religious culture; Christianity and holy wars.

Topics: Medieval theology and philosophy and its interactions with academic and religious culture (e.g. the culture of the orders); the Reformation’s roots in scholastic theology, mystical theology  and Renaissance humanism; the Cistercians; the Crusades, missions and power politics in German and Nordic Middle Ages.

  • Early Modern Era

The interplay between theology, philosophy, historiography, history of ideas, art, music, architecture, law and psychiatry between 1500 and 1800.

Topics: Luther’s theology, the Reformation in Germany and Denmark, Luther reception and the history of Lutheranism in Denmark; theological aesthetics in Protestant culture: the relationship between theology, poetry and music; interdisciplinary studies in privacy, 1500–1800; the relationship between Lutheran theology and law during the Enlightenment; the Moravians in and outside Denmark; the relationship between Lutheranism and psychiatry in the 18th century.

  • 19th and 20th century

Danish and global church history, mission history, church and national identity; philosophy og law; holy wars; religion and secularism; cultural heritage; theology and gender; the reception history of the Reformation.

Topics: Christianity and politics in Denmark and globally; studies in modernity and theology; The Church of Denmark; studies in Grundtvig and Kierkegaard theology and reception; studies in theological arguments for and against secularisation; female theologians and the ordination of women; Danish and German Luther research and Luther reception; studies in the christianity in Africa; nationalism and historiography in Orthodox Church communities; the relationship between nationalism, Christianity and the notion of holy war in contemporary Western currents of thought and political positions.

 

Researchers

Name Title Phone E-mail
Alexander Matchona K Mkandawire PhD Fellow +4535322079 E-mail
Anders Holm Associate Professor +4535323702 E-mail
Anna Vind Associate Professor +4535323618 E-mail
Anni Haahr Henriksen Guest Researcher +4535326392 E-mail
Asta Mønsted Postdoc   E-mail
Bastian Felter Vaucanson Guest Researcher +4535326936 E-mail
Beate Elise Skakkebæk Lindegaard Student   E-mail
Benedikte Emilie T Steensgaard Student FU +4535325696 E-mail
Benedikte Xenia B Dimpker Student FU   E-mail
Benjamin Brandt Christiansen PhD Fellow +4535323856 E-mail
Carsten Selch Jensen Dean +4535323781 E-mail
Catherine Susan Beck Guest Researcher +4535325797 E-mail
Christian Gottlieb Affiliate Professor +4535323581 E-mail
Christian Troelsgård Associate Professor +4551298742 E-mail
Christine Jeanneret Associate Professor +4524262485 E-mail
David Lebovitch Dahl Guest Researcher   E-mail
Ditte Johanne Rieder Kjær Student FU +4535334965 E-mail
Ellen Inger Fabricius Harms Student FU +4535325660 E-mail
Emma Klakk Christensen Academic Officer   E-mail
Fabio Gigone Guest Researcher +4535334633 E-mail
Florian Wöller Associate Professor +4535332259 E-mail
Hannah Katharina Hjorth PhD Fellow   E-mail
Hui-Yi Yang Guest Researcher   E-mail
Jelena Baki¿ Guest Researcher   E-mail
Jens Refslund Poulsen Teaching Assistant Professor +4535333301 E-mail
Johannes Ljungberg Assistant Professor +4535331626 E-mail
Jonas Kjøller-Rasmussen PhD Student +4535326490 E-mail
Lars Cyril Nørgaard Associate Professor +4535323713 E-mail
Lauge Nielsen Professor Emeritus +4535323613 E-mail
Lee Palmer Wandel Guest Researcher   E-mail
Liam Paul Benison Guest Researcher   E-mail
Louise Lillie Emerita +4535323628 E-mail
Maj Riis Poulsen Special Consultant +4535332232 E-mail
Maria del Carmen Garcia Sanchez Guest Researcher   E-mail
Marie Hammershøj Beck Student FU +4535336484 E-mail
Martin Almbjär Guest Researcher   E-mail
Martin Schwarz Lausten No job title VIP +4535323619 E-mail
Martin Wangsgaard Jürgensen Affiliate Professor   E-mail
Mette Birkedal Bruun Professor +4535323787 E-mail
Miriam Have Watts PhD Fellow   E-mail
Nanna Eva Nissen Postdoc +4535333482 E-mail
Natacha Klein Kafer Assistant Professor +4535332987 E-mail
Natalie Patricia Körner Guest Researcher   E-mail
Natália da Silva Perez Guest Researcher +4535331068 E-mail
Niels Kastfelt Associate Professor Emeritus   E-mail
Nils Holger Petersen Associate Professor Emeritus +4535323621 E-mail
Ninna Jørgensen Associate Professor Emerita +4535323620 E-mail
Nuno M da S C P Grancho Postdoc +4535336970 E-mail
Paolo Astorri Assistant Professor   E-mail
Paul Borenberg Guest Researcher   E-mail
Peter Balslev-Clausen Guest Researcher +4535333844 E-mail
Peter Buch Hvarregaard PhD Fellow +4535337902 E-mail
Rasmus H.C. Dreyer Assistant Professor +4535335217 E-mail
Rasmus Markussen PhD Student +4535323662 E-mail
Sara Ayres Guest Researcher   E-mail
Sara Taglialatela Postdoc +4535334738 E-mail
Sari Lilly Maria Nauman Guest Researcher   E-mail
Sigrid Nielsby Christensen Enrolled PhD Student   E-mail
Steffen Kjeldgaard-Pedersen Professor Emeritus +4535323626 E-mail
Sven Rune Havsteen Associate Professor +4535323634 E-mail
Søren Frank Jensen Postdoc   E-mail
Taís Tomazi Guest Researcher   E-mail
Theis Schønning Johansen PhD Fellow +4535325937 E-mail
Thomas Lyngby Guest Researcher +4524256542t E-mail
Tine Ravnsted-Larsen Reeh Head of Section +4535322394 E-mail
Viktor Anders Wretström PhD Fellow +4535328705 E-mail

Contact

Head of section 
Associate Professor
Tine R. Reeh
trr@teol.ku.dk
+45 35 32 23 94