Should Nenilava Remain Silent?” A Malagasy Reading of First Corinthians 14:33b-40
Project period
september 2023–august 2026
Supervisors
- Professor Anna Rebecca Solevåg, VID vitenskapelige høgskole
- Professor Tom Sverre Bredal-Tomren, VID vitenskapelige høgskole
About the project
This project examines the contradiction within the Malagasy Lutheran Church (MLC) between the exclusion of women from theological leadership, justified through traditional readings of 1 Corinthians 14:34–35, and the enduring authority of Prophetess Nenilava (Tall Mother), a celebrated female spiritual leader. Drawing on African Biblical Hermeneutics and African Feminist Hermeneutics, the project re-reads this contested text in the Malagasy context, using Nenilava’s ministry as a model of indigenous, woman-centered authority. The aim is to expose patriarchal assumptions in ecclesial interpretation and to propose theological frameworks that affirm women’s spiritual leadership in the MLC.
Background
Master i teologi, Misjonshøgskolen, vår 2015
Research group
CollECT