On August 18, VID Specialized University (Stavanger, Norway) organized a public PhD defence for Rev Olivier Randrianjaka, Lutheran Graduate School of Theology (Fianarantsoa, Madagascar). Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the defence took place on Skype.

The PhD committee consisted of:

  • Professor Jean Koulagna, l’Institut OEcuménique de Théologie Al Mowafaqa, Rabat
  • Professor emeritus Karl William Weyde, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society, Oslo
  • Professor Hilde Wallem Nielssen, NLA University College, Bergen
  • Professor Tina Dykesteen Nilsen, VID Specialized University, Stavanger

The defence started with a trial lecture by Randrianjaka on a topic given by the PhD committee: “Potentials and problems with comparative approaches in African biblical hermeneutics”.

Then followed the public defence of Randrianjaka’s PhD thesis, which is entitled “Sin, purification and sacrifice: Analysis and comparison of texts from the Book of Leviticus and Malagasy traditional rituals”. Professors Koulagna, Weyde, and Wallem Nilsen served as opponents.

Rev Olivier Randrianjaka