Eivor Andersen Oftestad

Short description

I teach and research religious studies and especially the history of Christianity. My area of specialization is medieval and early modern history.

My PhD concerned the tradition of the Ark of the Covenant within the high altar of San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome. The results was published in Studies in the History of Medieval Religion at the Boydell Press: The Lateran Church in Rome and the Ark of The Covenant. Housing the holy relics of Jerusalem. 

See blogpost at Boydell & Brewer and some reviews: 

Sandrine Lerou, Cahiers de civilisation médiévale, 249 | 2020, 43-45.

Leslie Knox, Speculum, Volume 96, Number 2

Kordula Wolf, Sehepunkte, vol 20 (2020)

Julia M. H Smith, The English Historical Review, Volume 136, Issue 582, October 2021

At the MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society, Oslo, I was an initiator and central member of the research project «Tracing the Jerusalem Code: Christian Cultures in Scandinavia» (NFR-funded, 2015-2018), and at The Faculty of Theology, University of Oslo I was a one of the central researchers in «Death in Early Protestant Tradition» (NFR-funded, 2010-2013).

See presentation video from Tracing the Jerusalem Code

I am currently active in two research groups:

Dannelse, Verdier og Kulturarv at HINN. Interdisciplinary research group, starting January 2023.

TRANSLATIO, Temporalities in the long twelfth century. Translatio is an interdisciplinary research group studying notions of time and history in medieval Europe, centering on Rome and the long twelfth century. "Time" and "history" are notions dependent on culture. We look to medieval time constructions with an awareness of actuality in a modern Europe faced with an increasing level of conflicting political and religious narratives. It is the group’s contention that the past is a resource of sustainable knowledge. Through case studies and comparisons, we thus seek to deepen our understanding of medieval Europe, but also to contribute to shed critical light on time constructions in contemporary politics. My contribution to this research group concern the Christening of Scandinavia – from the perspective of Roman time constructions.

My research interests also cover the history of the ideas of human reproduction and childhood, where my monography, Vi lager barn. Reproduksjon gjennom 500 år, is a main work.

See review