Church history is a combination of history and theology. We examine Christianity, Christians and churches as well as religious movements and phenomena – the dynamics of the past that continue to shape the present.
Religion is one of the strongest historical and social forces. The study of church history thus helps us understand how religious tradition takes shape and is passed on from generation to generation. It examines the role of different forms of Christianity in society and the larger historical perspective, and in doing so, it intersects with other historical and social sciences as well as the humanities.
The wide spectrum of our research reflects the breadth of the field. Our staff are world-class scholars in ancient history, the Middle Ages, the Modern Age and the present, and our research field encompasses the whole world: recent theses have looked at Finnish, Estonian, British and Pakistani church history alike. Time-wise, our work spans from the Middle Ages to the Reformation, the Enlightenment and even to twenty-first century church history. Our research studies both the most prominent proponents and the most fierce opponents of Christianity.
Below is a list of persons employed by the Department of Church history. Professors emeritus/emerita and grant-funded researchers can be searched by name in the University’s Research Portal.