Person

• Lectors in the Early Church: The Public Reading of John's Gospel during the First Two Centuries C.E.

I am currently involved in four major avenues of research: early Christian reading culture, hymns in the New Testament, literary style in antiquity, and Bible translation.

Early Christian Reading Culture
My main research focus is directed towards reading culture in early Christianity. Reading culture is primarily a social phenomenon, which includes how, why, by whom, and in which settings texts are read. In my dissertation (Public Reading in Early Christianity: Lectors, Manuscripts, and Sound in the Oral Delivery of John 1–4 [Novum Testamentum Supplements 163; Leiden: Brill, 2015]), I investigated the public reading of John’s Gospel during the first and second centuries C.E. Since there are few surviving accounts of such readings, I focus on how lectors (i.e. trained public readers) analyzed and delivered literary writings for audiences. The study includes inquiries into distinctive features of early Christian manuscripts, the identity and function of lectors, and the use of sound structure and stylistic analysis in the preparations for public reading. The insights from these areas are applied to the text and the public reading of John’s Gospel.

Hymns in the New Testament
In the research project "Ancient Hymns or Contemporary Rhetoric? Style, Sound, and Literary Seams in Supposed Hymnic Passages of the New Testament" (financed by the Swedish Research Council) I critically examine earlier identifications of hymns in the New Testament. The passages are analyzed from the perspectives of rhetoric, sound, style, and thematic topoi to ascertain their nature. The project, which runs between 2016 and 2019, will result in a monograph.

Literary Style in Antiquity
In the research project ”Style as an Interpretative Factor in New Testament Writings” I examine presentations of literary style from the first centuries B.C.E. and C.E. and develop of method of analyzing style in New Testament writings. Rather than use style to determine the authorship of disputed texts, I approach literary style as the manner in which an idea or message is embodied in a text. It thus involves the integration of form and content in ancient literary writings and can be used to better understand both their composition and oral delivery.

Bible Translation
I am also involved in studying aspects of Bible translation, especially (but not exclusively) of translations into Swedish. My main interests are the recent test translation (of Galatians and parts of Luke) from the Swedish Bible Society, the use of gender-inclusive language, and translations for/of performance.

Books (3)

• Nässelqvist, D. (2015). Public Reading in Early Christianity : Lectors, Manuscript, and Sound in the Oral Delivery of John 1-4. Supplements To Novum Testamentum, 163. Brill Academic Publishers.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2014). Public Reading and Aural Intensity : An Analysis of the Soundscape in John 1–4. Dissertation.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2014). Nytestmentlig grekiska. Studentlitteratur AB.

Articles (7)

• Nässelqvist, D. (2018). The Question of Punctuation in John 1.3-4: Arguments from Ancient Colometry. Journal of Biblical Literature, 137, 175-191. SBL (Society of Biblical Literature).
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• Nässelqvist, D. (2016). Könsinkluderande språk i nästa svenska bibelöversättning. Svensk exegetisk årsbok, 81, 169-216. Svenska exegetiska sällskapet.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2016). Könsinkluderande språk i nästa svenska bibelöversättning. Svensk exegetisk årsbok, 81, 169-216. Svenska exegetiska sällskapet.
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• Nässelqvist, D. (2015). Svenska Bibelsällskapets provöversättning i ett internationellt perspektiv. Svensk Teologisk Kvartalskrift, 91, 154-163. Gleerups Utbildning AB.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2012). Stylistic Levels in Hebrews 1.1−4 and John 1.1−18. Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 35, 31-53. SAGE Publications.
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  • External full text
• Nässelqvist, D. (2010). Kollektbönen i svenska evangelieböcker 1562-2003: En analys av förändringar och deras orsaker. Kyrkohistorisk årsskrift, 110, 27-65. Svenska kyrkohistoriska föreningen.
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• Nässelqvist, D. (2009). En kvinna klädd i solen: En tolkning av kvinnan i Uppenbarelseboken 12. Svensk exegetisk årsbok, 74, 103-126. Svenska exegetiska sällskapet.
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Book chapters (6)

• Nässelqvist, D. (accepted/in press). How John Uses Style. In Estes, D. & Sheridan, R. (Eds.) Resources for Biblical Study, How John Works : Storytelling in the Fourth Gospel, 84. Society of Biblical Literature.
• Naesselqvist, D. (2018). Kontrasterande bilder av lärjungaskap i Markusevangeliet. In Lillas-Schuil, R., Samuelsson, G., Walser, G. A. & Ålöw, T. (Eds.) LIR.skrifter.varia, "Må de nu förklara…" Om bibeltexter, religion, litteratur : Festskrift för Staffan Olofsson (pp. 115-138). Göteborgs universitet.
• Naesselqvist, D. (2018). Underexplored Benefits of Sound Mapping in New Testament Exegesis. In Lee, M. E. (Ed.) Biblical Performance Criticism Series, Sound Matters: New Testament Studies in Sound Mapping (pp. 121-133), 16. Cascade Books.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2016). Dual Conventions : The Oral Delivery of New Testament Writings in Light of First-Century Delivery Practices. In Byrskog, S., Hakola, R. & Jokiranta, J. M. (Eds.) Novum Testamentum Et Orbis Antiquus/Studien zur Umwelt des Neuen Testaments (NTOA/StUNT) , Social Memory and Social Identity in the Study of Early Judaism and Early Christianity (pp. 111-124), 116. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2016). Style. Resources for Biblical Studies, How John Works : Storytelling in the Fourth Gospel, 86, 23-39. SBL Press.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2012). Translating the Aural Gospel: The Use of Sound Analysis in Performance-Oriented Translation. In Maxey, J. A. & Wendland, E. R. (Eds.) Translating Scripture for Sound and Performance (pp. 49-67). Cascade Books.

Encyclopaedia entries (8)

• Nässelqvist, D. (2017). Lector. In Thatcher, T., Keith, C., Person, R. F. & Stern, E. R. (Eds.) The Dictionary of the Bible and Ancient Media (pp. 203-203). Bloomsbury T&T Clark.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2017). Publication (in antiquity). In Thatcher, T., Keith, C., Person, R. F. & Stern, E. R. (Eds.) The Dictionary of the Bible and Ancient Media (pp. 319-320). Bloomsbury T&T Clark.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2015). Apostle. In Barry, J. D. (Ed.) Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press/Logos.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2015). Disciple. In Barry, J. D. (Ed.) Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press/Logos.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2015). John the Apostle. In Barry, J. D. (Ed.) Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press/Logos.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2015). Last Supper. In Barry, J. D. (Ed.) Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press/Logos.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2015). Prison. In Barry, J. D. (Ed.) Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press/Logos.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2015). Slavery. In Barry, J. D. (Ed.) Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press/Logos.

Conference contributions (7)

• Nässelqvist, D. (2013). Public Reading from Early Christian Manuscripts.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2013). The Function of Distinctive Features in Early Christian Manuscripts.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2012). Audience Participation in First-Century Performances.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2012). Pedagogiska utmaningar och arbetet med en ny lärobok i nytestamentlig grekiska.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2011). Hearing Christ Proclaimed: Mapping the Aural Features of John 1:19–51.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2011). Levels of Style: A Bridge between the Composition and Delivery of New Testament Writings.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2010). Ancient Conventions of Delivery and the Performance of John.

Reviews (2)

• Nässelqvist, D. (2012). Rivew of New Testament Theology: An Introduction. Svensk Teologisk Kvartalskrift, 88, 38-39. Gleerups Utbildning AB.
• Nässelqvist, D. (2011). Perikoper og kirkeår i oldkirken: Jerusalem, Konstantinopel og Rom. Patristica Nordica Annuaria, 26, 112-113. Collegium Patristicum Lundense.

Newspaper articles (2)

• Nässelqvist, D., Berglund, B., Buratti, L., Evertsson, M., Gustafsson, D., Hjort, D., Runesson, A. & Tillberg, K. (2012). Obligatoriskt med språk. Kyrkans tidning, 14-14. Svenska kyrkans press.
• Nässelqvist, D., Berglund, B., Buratti, L., Evertsson, M., Gustafsson, D., Hjort, D., Runesson, A. & Tillberg, K. (2012). Rädda bibliska grundspråk. Kyrkans tidning, 15-15. Svenska kyrkans press.