Samuel Byrskog

Samuel Byrskog is a Professor of New Testament Exegesis at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Theology, Lund University, Sweden, where he has been employed since 2007. He previously served as Professor of New Testament and Hermeneutics at the University of Gothenburg (2000-2007) and as an Adjunct Professor at the Stockholm School of Theology (2003-2008). From 2015 to 2021, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Dean of Ph.D. and Th.D. studies at the Faculties of Humanities and Theology at Lund University.

His educational background includes a M. Div. (1986) and Th.D. (1994) from Lund University, where he also became Docent in 1994. He has held research positions including Humboldt Research Fellow at the University of Tübingen (1996) and Research Fellow at the University of Gothenburg (1996-2000).

Professor Byrskog's research focuses on Tradition and Transmission in Early Christianity, Orality and Scribality in ancient contexts, Social and Collective Memory, Hermeneutics, and the Historical Jesus. His work bridges biblical scholarship with contemporary memory theory and rhetorical analysis, examining how early Christian traditions were formed, transmitted, and interpreted.

His extensive publication record (98 research outputs) demonstrates consistent scholarly output across multiple subfields of New Testament studies, with recent work increasingly focusing on memory theory applications to biblical texts. His publications span diverse formats including book chapters, journal articles, specialist publications, and edited volumes, reflecting his active engagement with both academic and broader scholarly communities.

• Member of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (1995-)
• Member of The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities (2011-)
• President of The Swedish Academy of Biblical Studies (2003-2008)
• Editor of the Monograph Series Coniectanea Biblica
• Former Editor of Svensk Teologisk Kvartalskrift (2015-2021)

Professor Byrskog has supervised eight doctoral students to completion, with his most recent student (Joel Kuhlin) defending in 2024. He has served as a scientific expert for the Swedish Research Council (2014-2020), Independent Research Fund Denmark (2017-2020), and the Swedish Higher Education Authority (2014-). His leadership extends to editorial boards of prestigious journals including New Testament Studies and Journal for the Study of the New Testament.

He co-chairs international research seminars and serves on the steering committee of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, demonstrating his significant role in shaping global New Testament scholarship.