Outi Lehtipuu

Outi Lehtipuu serves as Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies at the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Theology, holding the title of Docent in New Testament Exegesis. She supervises doctoral candidates in both the Theology and Religious Studies program and the Gender, Culture, and Society program, while participating in the Nordic Network for the Study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the First Millennium.

Her research centers on New Testament exegesis and Early Christianity, with emphasis on the movement's diversity within Late Antiquity. Current work investigates biblical text usage across contexts, particularly examining reciprocal relationships between authoritative texts and their early readers—how texts transfer authority to users while simultaneously gaining enhanced authority through application. Key thematic threads include resurrection theology, gender dynamics, and identity construction in formative Christian communities.

Lehtipuu's publication trajectory since 2015 reveals sustained engagement with New Testament interpretation through interdisciplinary lenses, consistently integrating gender analysis with historical and textual studies. Her scholarship demonstrates particular attention to apocryphal literature, ascetic discourse, and the social embeddedness of early Christian thought.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Faculty of Theology Recognition Award (2020)
• Teacher of the Year (2020)

As principal investigator for the Academy of Finland's 'Lived Scriptures in Late Antiquity' project (2017-2022) and former Academy Research Fellow (2012-2017), she secured significant research funding. Her leadership extended to chairing the 2018 Society of Biblical Literature International Meeting and serving as President of the European Association of Biblical Studies (2018-2021), where she supervised 228 academic activities including doctoral committees and international collaborations.

Lehtipuu co-founded the Nordic Network for First Millennium Religious Studies and contributed to the Centre of Excellence in Reason and Religious Recognition (2014-2019), establishing interdisciplinary research frameworks connecting biblical scholarship with contemporary religious discourse.