Torrey Seland
From Aug. 2005, a Professor in New Testament Studies at The School of Mission and Theology, Stavanger, Norway.
From 1988 to 2005, Assistand/Associate/Professor at Volda College, Volda, a regional college located at the western part of Norway.
The School of Mission and Theology is an university level institution with a variety of study programmes in theology, religion, intercultural communication and global co-operation,
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Last updated: April 2. 2007
and has an inclusive and international student and staff fellowship, and
a highly qualified academic staff and well organised research library.
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My Resource Pages
Born in 1948, at Gyland,
Flekkefjord, Norway. Married in 1970 to Anne Margrete, b. Rygg. Three children, Torgny, Laila Mary and Vidar.
Studied theology in Oslo from 1969, and received the degree of
cand.theol. in 1976 at The Norwegian Lutheran
School of Theology, Oslo.
Ordain as pastor in the Church of Norway in June 19, 1977, and served as a Military Chaplain in 1977-78, and then as a Pastor in Bakklandet Parish, Church of Norway, in Trondheim 1978-84 (as a second pastor in 1978-81, the main pastor 1981-84).
Due to a one-year scholarship from The Norwegian Lutheran School of Theology,
and a three-year scholarship from The Norwegian Research Council for Science
and the Humanities (NAVF), I was a Research Fellow through the years of 1983 and 1985-87 at The Department of Religious
Studies, University of Trondheim. My advisor was Prof. Peder Borgen.
From Aug 2005, Professor in New Testament Studies at The School of Mission and Theology, Stavanger, Norway.
My publications
Scholarly interests
Other Research Activities
Member of the Advisory Board
of The Studia Philonica Annual - Studies in Hellensitic Judaism. Published once a year by the Society of Biblical Literature.
Member of the following
scholarly and professional societies:
then an Associate Professor from 1991, and from 2000 as a Professor in Biblical
Studies.
In 2000 elected Dean of Department of Social Sciences for a three years period (2000-2003); re-elected 2003-.
fall mainly within the field of New Testament, its social
world, and of Philo of Alexandria. See further the bibliography below.
focus on
Philo of Alexandria; the social world of the Diaspora; the 1. letter of Peter; Paul's letter to Philemon; and more general: the life and theology of Paul, the Apostle. Furthermore, I am interested in the application of Cultural Anthropology in Biblical Studies, and the use of Computer Technology in Teaching and Studies.
Member of The International Philo Bibliography Project.
Each volume of The Studia Philonica Annual contains an annotated bibliography of Philonic studies prepared by the team of the International Philo Bibliography Project under the directorship of David Runia.I am responsible for scholarship written in Scandinavian languages.
Bibliography
"Andreas Lavik som frikirkemann og statskirketilhenger," Fast Grunn 25 (1972): 339-353.
"Talene i Acta som historisk problem," Ung Teologi 9 (1976): 41-60.
"Collegium Kai Ekklesia: Nyere Synspunkter på de Gresk-romerske foreninger som modell for og parallell til de urkristne forsamlinger." Ung Teologi 1984):49-65,
(Eng: "Recent viewpoints on the Greco-Roman Associations as a
model and parallell to the early Christian communities.")
"Jødene og Kristendomsforfølgelsene." Per Beskow (ed.), Judendom och
Kristendom under de førsta Århundradena (Stavanger, 1986), pp. 147-172,
(Eng. "The Jews and the Persecutions against the Christans.")
"Forbønn hos Filo av Aleksandria." P. Borgen et. al. (eds.), Teologi på
Tidens Torg: Festskrift Til Peter Wilhelm Bøckman (Trondheim, 1987), pp.
155-178,
(Eng. "Intercessory Prayer in the Works of Philo.")
"Jesus as a Faction Leader: On the Exit of the Category "sect"" Peter Wilhelm Böckman and Roald E. Kristiansen (eds.), In Context: Essays in Honor of Peder Borgen (Trondheim, 1987), pp. 197-211.
"Derfor formaner jeg dere: Litt om hvordan Paulus begrunner sine
formaninger." Fornying I Kyrkja: Festskrift Til Biskop Ole Nordhaug,
Tidsskrift for Kirke Religion Samfunn, Tilleggshefte nr. 1. Volda,
1991, pp. 49-59,
(Eng. ""I appeal to you therefore:" On how Paul legitimates his parenesis.")
"Mediterranean Cultures and Studies of the New Testament World. Some Problems and Prospects in Recent Research." Tidsskrift for Kirke, Religion og Samfunn 5 (1992):75-90.
"Skrifttolkning i Det nye Testamente og i Oldkirken." Jan-Olav Henriksen
(ed.), Tegn, Tekst og Tolk: Hermeneutikk i fortid og nåtid (Oslo,
1992), pp. 18-50,
(Eng. "Interpretation of the Scriptures in the New Testament and the Early Church.")
"The `Common Priesthood' of Philo and 1 Peter: A Philonic Reading of 1 Peter 2.5,9." Journal for the Study of the New Testament 57 (1995):87-119.
"Philo and the Clubs and Associations of Alexandria." In John S.
Kloppenborg and Stephen G. Wilson (eds.), Voluntary Associations in the
Graeco-Roman World (London, Routledge, 1996), pp. 110-127.
A
preliminary version is still available here.
"Once More- The Hellenists, Hebrews, and Stephen: Conflict and
Conflict-Management in Acts 6-7."
in Peder Borgen, Vernon K. Robbins &
David Gowler (eds.), Recruitment, Conquest and Conflict. Strategies in Judaism, Early Christianity, and the Greco-Roman World. (Atlanta, Georgia, Scholars Press, 1999), pp. 169-207.
"Kirken og Internett: Kan vi lære noe av Paulus," in Per Magne Aadnanes og Jan Ove Ulstein (red.), "Jeg gikk meg over sjø og land..." Bidrag til Kyrkjefaga. Festskrift til Ottar Berge (Trondheim; Tapir, 2001), pp.139-161.
"Paroikos kai Parepidemos; Proselyte Characterizations in 1 Peter?" Bulletin for Biblical Research 11.2 (2001):239-268.
"Saul of Tarsus and early Zealotism: Reading Gal 1,13-14 in light of Philo's writings," Biblica (Rome) 83 (2002): 449-471.
"Priska og Akvilas: de første teltmisjonærer", (Prisca and Aquilas; the first tent-missionaries), 5/56 Fast Grunn (2003):296-302.
"(Re)presentations of violence in Philo,"
in SBL 2003 Seminar Papers 2003 (Atlanta, Georgia, 2003), pp. 117-140.
"The Moderate Life of the Paroikois: A Philonic Reading of 1 Pet 2:11." in Philo und das Neue Testament. Wechselseitige Wahrnehmungen. Internationales Symposium zum Corpus Judaeo-Hellenisticum Novi Testamenti. Herausgegeben von Roland Deines und Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr 2004. XXIII, 435 Seiten. (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 172), pp. 241-264.
"Philo, Magic and Balaam: Neglected Aspects of Philo's Exposition of the Balaam Story," in John Fotopoulos (ed.), The New Testament and Early Christian Literature in Greco-Roman Context. Studies in Honor of David E. Aune. (Supplements to Novum Testamentum 122), Brill, Leiden, 2006, pp. 333-346
Book Reviews:
Review of
Rebecca Skaggs, The Pentecostal Commentary on 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Jude.
The Pentecostal Commentary: New Testament (Cleveland, Ohio: Pilgrim, 2004). pp. xiv + 176. Paperback,
in Review of Biblical Literature 2005.
Review of
Todd Penner, In Praise of Christian Origins: Stephen and the Hellenists in Lukan Apologetic Historiography,
Emory Studies in Early Christianity, 10 (New York: T&T Clark, 2004), pp. xl + 400. Paperback,
in Review of Biblical Literature June 26. 2005.
Review of
Kenneth Schenck, A Brief Guide to Philo
Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2005pp. xi + 172, Paperback, in Review of Biblical Literature July 7. 2005.
Review of
John G. Nordling, Philemon. Concordia Commentary.
Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2004. Pp. 379 , in BrynMawr Classical Review 2005.10.29. Oct. 2005.
Review of
Jonathan S. Perry, The Roman Collegia. The Modern Evolution of an Ancient Concept. Mnemosyne Supplement 277. Leiden: Brill, 2006. Pp. xii, 247, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2007.01.20
Review of
James Ware, The Mission of the Church in Paul's Letter to the Philippians in the Context of Ancient Judaism. Supplements to Novum Testamentum, 120
Leiden: Brill, 2005. pp. xvi + 384. Reviewed in Review of Biblical Literature, March 31. 2007.
Edited works:
Torrey Seland (red.), Kyrkja som kallsmarknad. Foredrag ved konferansen om Utdanning til kyrkjeleg kallsmarknad 23. - 25 okt. 1991 (Volda: Møre og Romsdal distriktshøgskule, 1992).
David E. Aune, Torrey Seland & Jarl Henning Ulrichsen (eds.), Neotestamentica et Philonica: Studies in Honor of Peder Borgen, Novum Testamentum, Supplements 106 (Brill, Leiden, 2002).
Books
Establishment Violence in Philo & Luke: A Study of Non-Conformity to
the Torah & Jewish Vigilante Reactions. Biblical Interpretation Series
15. Leiden: E.J.
Brill, 1995, (Dissertation, 353 pp).
Can be bought online here
(Brill), or here
(Amazon, USA).
(Forskningsrapport nr. 34), HVO, Volda,1998. New revised edition Fall 2004, see below. Readings in 1 Peter; Studies in 1 Peter in its Social World of the Diaspora (Notat 3/99; Høgskulen i Volda, Volda 1999)119 pp.
Paulus i Polis: Paulus' sosiale verden som forståelsesbakgrunn for hans liv og forkynnelse, Kyrkjefag profil nr. 4
(Tapir Akademisk Forlag, Trondheim 2004, 288pp.; sterkt revidert utgave av ovennevnte utgave fra 1998)).
The book has its own webpage: www.torreys.org/paulus.
Tekster og tolkninger. Arbeidshefte i bibeltolkning. Notat 1/2005 (Høgskulen i Volda / Møreforsking, Volda, 2005). 57 pp.
Strangers in the Light: Philonic Perspectives on Christian Identity in 1 Peter. Biblical Interpretation Series 76 (Leiden, Brill, 2005), 218pp.
In Process/Forthcoming
Article on Mission in 1 Peter.
Working on aspects of the social world of Alexandria as presented by Philo of Alexandria.
Books:
'Lær meg din veg': Hovedtrekk i katekesens historie (arbeidstittel/Lærebok) 2006?
Last updated: April 2. 2007.