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Översättning från engelskan Mattias Martinson. Original: "Theses upon Art and Religion Today", ur Adorno: Gesammelte Schriften bd 11, red. Rolf Thiedemann

The present Bachelor thesis deals with the portrayals of evil in the two novels Dvärgen (The Dwarf) and Bödeln (The Hangman), both written by Swedish author Pär Lagerkvist and published in the first half of the twentieth century. The theoretical starting point of the thesis is based on a text centered analysis in which I will assume that the fictional characters can be treated as if they were real. In two separate analyses of how evil is portrayed and what functions it can fill, I illuminate a number of examples of how evil is expressed in the narratives. I also show that evil can be portrayed as something that creates meaning within the framework of the literary texts. 

This study examines how the Church of Sweden's episcopal expression has changed over the past 40 years. The purpose of the study has been to see the change and understand the consequences it may have given the church. What emerges from the study is that there has been a change in the episcopal expression and with the help of the essay's method, it can be said to be an expression in a change that can be explained as from an egalitarian episcopal order to a decentralized episcopal order. The expression of the change could be said to culminate with the recent crisis in the diocese of Härnösand and the causes of the crisis can be said to be linked to the proven change egalitarian-decentralized episcopate.

Throughout the postclassical period (c. 650/1250 to 1300/1900) commentaries on earlier texts dominated the literary output of Muslim theologians. Scholars have debated whether these commentaries were repetitive and unoriginal, symptomatic of stagnant traditionalism, or whether they often made profound contributions to ongoing theological conversations. This study extends these debates by exploring the potential significance of the commentarial format for constructive Islamic theology within the academic field of systematic theology. It suggests that commentaries may still contribute to dialogue between past and present theologians, but that this would require a considerable renewal of their usual forms and functions as well as a greater hermeneutic awareness of theology as an ongoing interpretative process taking place within particular traditions. 

The study draws on Alasdair MacIntyre’s concept of traditions as historically extended arguments in which certain agreements are defined and redefined in terms of both internal and external conflicts. This concept contributes both to the analysis of commentarial literature, which arguably exemplifies it more than any other format, and to understanding the study of Islamic theology as taking place within different, albeit overlapping, traditions. 

The first part of the study (Chs. 1–3) outlines MacIntyre’s concept in relation to Islamic theology, examines Islamic commentarial practices until today and introduces the material explored in the second part: the manuals and commentaries of the North African Ashʿarī theologian Muḥammad b. Yūsuf al-Sanūsī (d. 895/1490). The second part (Chs. 4–6) consists of a threefold commentary on al-Sanūsī’s most famous manual, al-ʿAqīdat al-ṣughrā, focusing on meta-ethics, natural theology and prophetology. Each chapter contains its own theological inquiries and arguments, critically engaging the Ashʿarī tradition to which al-Sanūsī belonged. Taken together they provide a case for the enduring relevance of commentaries and an example of how the format may be renewed today. The study as a whole contributes to the ongoing discussion about critical and constructive approaches to Islamic theology – within systematic theology and philosophy of religion – going beyond the exclusively historical approach that still dominates contemporary Islamic studies.

This study deals with the way how people think about life after death from the perspective of individualization. Individualization is something that affects all aspects of society, especially in

Sweden, which is of the most individualized countries. It also affects how people think about their own death.

I have compared what people think about life after death with five theologians who have different views; Per Block, Sallie McFague, Krister Stendahl, Maurice Wiles and Jürgen Moltmann.

I have compared the difference between individualism and individualization, and

formulated some problems regarding how to think of individualism in terms of good and bad. Finally, I have finally discussed how I think Svenska kyrkan, the Church of Sweden, should meet the individualization, individualism and people´s opinion about life after death.

The main question of the essay is partly unanswered because there is very little material and studies made about life after death contra individualization. One conclusion of my study, however, that I have reached is that people are allowed to choose freely nowadays, and that leads to a big difference in the system of beliefs. Svenska kyrkan should be sensitive about the change in society and be open for discussions. At the same time I would suggest that Svenska kyrkan should be clear about the different theological stands and be ready to tell what they believe.

In March 2011, Swedish Nuclear Fuel Management Co (SKB) submitted an application to the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM), and the Nacka Land and Environmental court to build a repository for high-level spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in the municipality of osthammar. The purpose of this paper is (1) to present the KBS-3 method for the direct disposal of high-level SNF and the debate about the method, (2) to analyze the ethical principles involved, and (3) how to resolve possible conflict between these principles. The paper is divided in three parts. Part 1 contains a presentation of the KBS-3 method and different items in the debate about it. Part 2 concerns the ethical dimension of the method and the different ethical principles that can be discerned explicitly or implicitly in the discussion and the regulatory framework that informs the discussion. Part 3 contains an analysis of the conflicting principles and how this conflict can be resolved. For example, it is argued that some kind of ethical meta-norm might be formulated and that the ethical principles involved in the management of SNF might be assessed in reference to such ethical meta-norm. Finally, it is discussed if and how the conflict between different principles for the management of SNF might be resolved through closer consideration of the relationship between ethical principles and technical practice.

Five new essays about negative theology and a new translation of some sections in Johannes ocf Damasus' Outline of the Orthodox Faith.

Three main questions give the fundamental structure for this master thesis: 1) In what way is the notion of law being perceived in the following theologians respectively; David P. Scaer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Wolfhart Pannenberg? 2) In what way is the notion of law being perceived in the encyclical Veritatis Splendor? 3) Which similarities and divergences can be found in the respective expositions of the notion of law?For the purpose of comparison, I have employed four questions of analysis. These are: A) What is “the law”? B) Is the law being effected, or is it working, in the world and if so - in what ways and for what purposes is it meant to serve? C) Does human beings have any capacities to understand and/or live in accordance to the law? D) Does the Gospel, perceived as the earthly life, actions, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, effect any alteration with respect to the purpose, range, function or interpretation of the law?In order to better understand Roman-Catholic concepts of law, the treatise on law of Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica is briefly presented. I have also analyzed and presented the encyclical Evangelium Vitae, so as to see whether it can add to the understanding of the Roman-Catholic notion of law as found in Veritatis Splendor. The Lutheran reception of Veritatis Splendor has been briefly discussed.Finally, I have compared the positions of these theologians in order to find similarities and divergences. Notable similarities are the tendency of John Paul II and David P. Scaer to view law as a unity, related to the essence of God. Each of the theologians also perceive a notion of law related to creation, expressed in terms of “natural law” and the concept of “the natural” found in Bonhoeffer. Furthermore they all have a high regard for the Decalogue, and find in it an expression of moral norms that can be said to be universal and appropriate for every human society. Notable divergences are the question of the absolute binding power of law, where Pannenberg and particularly Bonhoeffer answer in the negative whereas John Paul II answers in the affirmative. There are also apparent disagreements between the theologians in the questions of how the law relates to the Christian, and how the law relates to and functions in society.

The disestablishment of the Church of Sweden in the year 2000 has been a catalyst for an intensified debate on the identity of the Church of Sweden and the ecclesiological heritage from one of its most important theologians of the 20^th century, Einar Billing (1871–1939). This paper discusses the contemporary critique of Billing’s folk church ecclesiology. Critics tend to focus on Billing’s understanding of the church as an institution for the distribution of grace and point out that his thinking lacks a theological understanding of the church as a social reality. In a secular welfare society, describing the church as an institution might reduce the church to an actor of the welfare market. In this paper it is argued that while an ecclesiology that understands the church as a service provider is problematic, the best alternative is not to forward an ecclesiology focussing on the community of believers as a social body, since it makes the authenticity of the church dependent on the qualities of a social community. From a Lutheran point of view, both perspectives do not take the idea of the church as the creatura verbi seriously enough. The major problem with contemporary folk church ecclesiology is rather to be found in the inherent hegemonic claims of the concept folk church.

I kapitlet görs en idéanalytisk studie av Eberhard Jüngels gestaltning av den lutherska rättfärdiggörelseläran.

Recension av Svenungson, Jayne: Den gudomliga historien - profetism, messianism och andens utveckling. Göteborg: Glänta produktion, 2014.

Recension av Doften av rykande vekar - reformationen ur folkets perspektiv. Red. Fredrik Heiding S.J. och Magnus Nyman. Artos & Norma förlag, 2016.

Recension av Petrus Canisius: Katolikernas lilla katekes. Hagberg, Johnny (red.). Skara stiftshistoriska sällskap 2017.