Universities & Professors
Across Copenhagen, Lund and Oslo
RRE connects you with the research communities of Copenhagen, Lund and Oslo, bringing together specialists in ancient religions, Jewish and Christian origins, and European encounters with Islam and the Qur’an. You study with scholars whose research shapes the questions you explore in class, drawing on the expertise of a core teaching team alongside contributions from other scholars.
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Sweden
Lund University
Founded in 1666, Lund University has a long tradition of studying Judaism, early Christianity and their relationships. Its Centre for Theology and Religious Studies brings together research in Jewish Studies, Islam, the early Church and monasticism. The university sits at the heart of a student city, where campus life, international communities and long-standing student traditions are part of everyday life.
At Lund, you can expect to explore the early Church in the wider world of Late Antiquity, alongside a research tradition in monasticism and religious learning. The Collegium Patristicum Lundense contributes to this field through its journal, Patristica Nordica Annuaria. Research on early monasticism and monastic sayings asks how religious ideas were taught, passed on and reshaped, tracing their influence across European culture.
Andreas Westergren
Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor in Church History
Andreas is a church historian whose research explores early Christianity, monasticism and the transmission of religious traditions. His interests include how communities preserve and reshape inherited practices, from ancient monasteries to Orthodox churches today. His RRE teaching covers the emergence of the traditions, and law and religion.
Karin Zetterholm
Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor in Jewish Studies
Karin researches rabbinic Judaism and its formation in interaction with Christianity. Her work examines how encounters between communities helped shape religious identities, with particular attention to Jews who followed Jesus. Her RRE teaching focuses on classical rabbinic texts, and law and religion, introducing students to Jewish interpretation and debate.
Magnus Zetterholm
Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor in New Testament Exegesis
Magnus researches the early Jesus movement and the development of Christianity in relation to Judaism. His work examines Paul’s Jewish context and the changing relationships between Jewish and non-Jewish followers of Jesus. His RRE teaching covers ancient religion and the emergence of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Norway
University of Oslo
At the University of Oslo, RRE connects with research in biblical texts and their reception, interreligious relations, Eastern Christianity and monasticism. Coptic manuscripts, ancient literature and comparative ritual studies offer further areas to explore. Outside your studies, Oslo combines city life with access to the waterfront, forests and outdoor activities by public transport.
At Oslo, you can take your language learning beyond the classroom. Reading groups at the university and the nearby Norwegian Institute of Philology offer opportunities for RRE students to practise Greek, Syriac, Coptic and Armenian through reading ancient texts together. Projects such as New Contexts for Old Texts have explored the manuscripts and monastic communities of early Egypt. The faculty also led a national Interdisciplinary Research School for PhD students.
Anne Katrine de Hemmer Gudme
Professor at Faculty of Theology
Anne researches the Hebrew Bible in its ancient cultural contexts, with particular interests in ritual, sacrifice, meals and hospitality. Her work explores religious life through material practices: giving gifts, sharing food and making offerings. Her RRE teaching examines ritual in early Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Denmark
University of Copenhagen
Founded in 1479, Denmark’s oldest university brings together research in biblical studies, church history, ancient languages and Qurʾān studies. RRE students study at the Faculty of Theology on South Campus, with purpose-built classrooms, reading rooms and library facilities. Beyond the campus, Copenhagen offers the cultural life of a capital city, with museums, historic collections and waterfront spaces to explore.
At Copenhagen, RRE is based in the Faculty of Theology, where the Biblical Studies Section studies the Hebrew Bible, New Testament and Qur’an through ancient languages, archaeology and history. The faculty helped lead The European Qur’an, an international research project exploring the Qur’an’s place in European culture. Beyond your core studies, the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre offers workshops and seminars connecting theology, philosophy and literature, including events in English and online. These communities place your studies within a wider conversation about religious texts, ideas and their influence across history.
Martin Ehrensvärd
Associate Professor and RRE Coordinator at Copenhagen
Martin specialises in Semitic languages and the linguistic history of biblical texts. His research examines how language can—and cannot—help scholars determine when biblical texts were written. He coordinates RRE at Copenhagen and teaches Hebrew and Arabic within the programme, supporting students in working directly with original sources.
Jan Loop
Professor of Early Modern History and Religious Cultures
Jan researches the religious and intellectual history of Europe and the Near East, particularly European engagement with Islam and the Qur’an. His work explores how religious texts are read and interpreted across cultural boundaries. His RRE teaching covers ancient religion, holy scriptures and Qur’anic texts.