In Denmark, the childrenâs Bible as a literary genre has undergone a significant resurgence in recent decades. This article examines a selection of widely read bestsellers on the Danish market as manifestations of Christian and societal memory mobilization (e.g., de Vries 1960; Møllehave 1996; Garff 2007; Barrett 2010; Fupz Aakeson 2021 and Dalevi 2024). While the authorized Bible constitutes a partially forgotten archive, childrenâs Bibles embody a culturally remembered biblical canon. The study explores how these childrenâs Bibles construct âthe biblicalâ through mechanisms such as normative transmission, synchronicity and syntopicity, textual selection, intratextual connections, textual harmonization, and cultural adaptation. In the context of modern secularism and pluralism, the most popular Danish childrenâs Bibles preserve âthe biblicalâ as an element of cultural heritage by engaging both ecclesial Christianity and cultural Christianity.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
Aadland, I. 2023. âCasting Biblical Narratives: Gendered Power Hierarchies and Cultural Imagination in Scandinavian Childrenâs Bibles.â Studia Theologica 77 (1): 40â61. https://doi.org/10.1080/0039338x.2022.2075461.
Aller, E. 2009. Børns bibelhistorier â sprogbrug, historie og funktion. Frederiksberg: Aros Underviser.
Assmann, A. 2008. âThe Religious Roots of Cultural Memory.â Norsk Teologisk Tidsskrift 109 (4): 270â92.
Assmann, A. 2010. âCanon and Archive.â In Cultural Memory Studies: An International and Interdisciplinary Handbook (Media and Cultural Memory, 8), edited by A. Erll, and A. Nünning, 97â108. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Barrett, S. 2010. Sigurd fortæller bibelhistorier. Illustrated by S. Rosenberg. Copenhagen: Politikens Børnebøger and Danmarks Kirkelige Mediecenter.
Beal, T. 2012. âChildrenâs Bibles Hot and Cold.â In Text, Image, & Otherness in Childrenâs Bibles: What is in the Picture? (Society of Biblical Literature Semeia Studies, 56), edited by C. Vander Stichele, and H. S. Pyper, 313â9. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature.
Beaman, L. 2020. The Transition of Religion to Culture in Law and Public Discourse. London: Routledge.
Bylund, L. H. 2021. Børnebibler som traditionsformidling â en litterær og teologisk undersøgelse af fem populære danske børnebibler fra 2010âerne. PhD diss. Aarhus University.
Bylund, L. H. 2023. âThe Bibleness of Childrenâs Bibles: Paratextual and Material Aspects of Nordic Childrenâs Bibles.â In The Nordic Bible: Bible Reception in Contemporary Nordic Societies (SBR, 24), edited by M. Bjelland Kartzow, K. B. Larsen, and O. Lehtipuu, 179â91. Berlin: de Gruyter.
Connerton, Pl. 1989. How Societies Remember (Themes in the Social Sciences). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Dalevi, S. 2024. Børnenes bibel. Illustrated by M. Petterson, translated from Swedish by C. Ekstrand and N. Mose. Copenhagen: Eksistensen.
Davie, G. 1990. âBelieving Without Belonging: Is This the Future of Religion in Britain?â Social Compass 37 (4): 455â69. https://doi.org/10.1177/003776890037004004.
de Vries, A. 1939. Groot Vertelboek voor de Bijbelse Geschiedenis. Kampen: J.H. Kok.
de Vries, A. 1959. Barnas bibelbok. Translated into Norwegian by E. Thowsen. Oslo: Ansgar.
de Vries, A. 1960. Børnenes bibelbog. Translated into Danish by G. S. Geil with foreword by H. Fuglsang-Damgaard. Fredericia: Lohse.
de Vries, A. 1961. Barnens Bibel â Bibeln Berättad För Barn. Translated into Swedish by B. G. Hallqvist. Ãrebro: I.P.C.
de Vries, A. 1983b. Børnenes bibelbog. Translated into Danish by G. S. Geil, 2nd ed. Fredericia: Lohse.
de Vries, A. 1993. Børnenes bibelbog. 13th printing. Translated into Danish by G. S. Geil, 2nd ed. Fredericia: Lohse.
de Vries, A. 2008. Børnenes bibelbog. Translated into Danish by G. S. Geil. Revised by T. B. Mikkelsen, 4th ed. Fredericia: Lohse.
Donald, M. 2001. A Mind So Rare: The Evolution of Human Consciousness. New York: Norton.
Erll, A., and A. Nünning, eds. 2010. Cultural Memory Studies: An International and Interdisciplinary Handbook (Media and Cultural Memory, 8), 97â108. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Fupz Aakeson, K. 2021. Barnets bibel â bøgernes Bog for børn. Illustrated by S. Kjær. Copenhagen: Carlsen.
Gadamer, H. 1960. Wahrheit und Methode. Grundzüge einer philosophischen Hermeneutik. Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr [Paul Siebeck].
Garff, S. 2007. De mindstes bibel. Illustrated by L. Brøgger and C. Thau-Jensen. Copenhagen: Bibelselskabet.
Hartman, B. 1998. Historiefortællerens børnebibel. Illustrated by S. Poole translated by S. Hestbæk Sørensen. New edition 2021. Frederiksberg:Unitas.
Hobsbawm, E., and T. Ranger, eds. 1983. The Invention of Tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Iversen, H. R. 1997. âKulturkristne, kirkekristne og karismatiske kristne.â Fønix 21 (1): 51â72.
Jessen, I. 2016. Bibelhistorier. Illustrated by H. Bartholin. Copenhagen: Bible Society.
Johansson, S. 2017. âJohannes og Bestsellerne.â BT. March 21, Section 1: 6.
Kartzow, M. Bjelland, and K. Neutel. 2023. ââGod Speaks Our Languageâ: Recent Scandinavian Bible Translation and the Heritagization of Christianity.â In The Nordic Bible: Bible Reception in Contemporary Nordic Societies (SBR, 24), edited by M. Bjelland Kartzow, K. B. Larsen, and O. Lehtipuu, 163â78. Berlin: de Gruyter.
Knudsen, M. Nygaard. 2010. âBørnebibler nÃ¥r ud til et bredt publikum.â Kristeligt Dagblad, September 3, Section 2: 8.
Larsen, K. B. 2019. âBørnebibelen som kulturelt erindringssted mellem kirkekristendom og kulturkristendom.â Prismet 70 (2): 125â40. https://doi.org/10.5617/pri.6956.
Lindhardt, T. 1998. Sesamâs børnebibel. Text selection by P. Alexander, illustrated by L. Baxter. Copenhagen: Sesam.
Meyer, B., and M. de Witte. 2013. âHeritage and the Sacred: Introduction.â Material Religion 9 (3): 274â80. https://doi.org/10.2752/175183413x13730330868870.
Ministry of Culture. 2006. âKulturkanonen.â https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104122/http://kum.dk/uploads/tx_templavoila/KUM_kulturkanonen_OK2.pdf (accessed March 29, 2026).
Ministry of Culture. 2016. âDanmarkskanonen.â https://regeringen.dk/nyheder/2016/danmarkskanon-befolkningen-har-valgt-10-vaerdier-for-fremtidens-samfund/ (accessed March 29, 2026).
Ministry of Education. 2019. âKristendomskundskab â læseplan.â https://emu.dk/sites/default/files/2020-09/Gsk_læseplan_kristendomskundskab.pdf (accessed March 29, 2026).
Ministry of Education. 2025. âNu er den nye litteraturkanon klar: Flere kvindelige forfattere og nye stemmer.â https://www.uvm.dk/aktuelt/nyheder/uvm/2025/september/250926-nu-er-den-nye-litteraturkanon-klar-flere-kvindelige-forfattere-og-nye-stemmer (accessed March 29, 2026).
Møllehave, J. 1996. Børnebibelen. Illustrations by S. Krage, Second 2017 edition. Copenhagen: Bibelselskabet. Illustrations by C. Pardi.
Nielsen, M. Vejrup. 2016. âKulturkristen â en deskriptiv eller normativ betegnelse i Danmark i dag.â Religion (2 June): 64â70.
Nora, P., eds. 1984-1992. Les lieux de mémoire. Paris: Gallimard.
Nygaard, E. M. 2005. âDen pastelfarvede børnebibel.â Kristeligt Dagblad. August 17, Kirke og tro: 4.
Ãhrstrøm, D. 2017. âFra bjørnen Bjørn til bibelhistorier og Luther.â Kristeligt Dagblad. January 20: 10. https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/mennesker/fra-bjoernen-bjoern-til-bibelhistorier-og-luther (accessed March 29, 2026).
Ãhrstrøm, J., and D. Ãhrstrøm. 2022. Den lille bibel. Illustrated by M. ten Berge. Copenhagen: Bibelselskabet.
Olick, J. K., V. Vinitzky-Seroussi, and D. Levy, eds. 2011. The Collective Memory Reader. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Pedersen, A. 2011. âMøllen maler millioner.â Ekstra Bladet. August 7, Flash: 10.
Pew Research Center. 2018. âBeing Christian in Western Europe.â http://www.pewforum.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2018/05/Being-Christian-in-Western-Europe-FOR-WEB1.pdf (accessed March 29, 2026).
Schelde, N. 2010. âBørnebibel topper hitliste.â Kristeligt Dagblad. May 4. https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/kirke-tro/børnebibel-topper-hitliste (accessed March 29, 2026).
Sharrock, A. 2000. âIntratextuality: Texts, Parts, and (W)Holes in Theory.â In Intratextuality: Greek and Roman Textual Relations, edited by A. Sharrock, and H. Morales, 1â39. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
âSigurds børnebibel solgt i 40.000 eks.â 2011. Udfordringen, March 24, section 1: 5.
Sørensen, J. 2023. Why Cultures Persist: Toward a Cultural Immunology. Aarhus: Aarhus Universitetsforlag.
Tutu, D. 2010. Guds børn â bibelhistorier. Copenhagen: Alfa.
Wilkowski, R. 2025. Make Way for Traditions: Echoes of Auslegungsgeschichte in Retellings of Genesis 1â3 in Select Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant Childrenâs Bibles. PhD diss. Dublin: Trinity College.
Wittrock, S. 2021. âHvad mener du? Hvad skal vi med en børnebibel?â Politiken, 25 September, Bøger: 5.
| å ¨é¨æé´ | è¿å»ä¸å¹´ | è¿å»30天 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| æè¦æµè§æ¬¡æ° | 38 | 38 | 18 |
| å ¨ææµè§æ¬¡æ° | 21 | 21 | 12 |
| PDFä¸è½½æ¬¡æ° | 48 | 48 | 24 |
In Denmark, the childrenâs Bible as a literary genre has undergone a significant resurgence in recent decades. This article examines a selection of widely read bestsellers on the Danish market as manifestations of Christian and societal memory mobilization (e.g., de Vries 1960; Møllehave 1996; Garff 2007; Barrett 2010; Fupz Aakeson 2021 and Dalevi 2024). While the authorized Bible constitutes a partially forgotten archive, childrenâs Bibles embody a culturally remembered biblical canon. The study explores how these childrenâs Bibles construct âthe biblicalâ through mechanisms such as normative transmission, synchronicity and syntopicity, textual selection, intratextual connections, textual harmonization, and cultural adaptation. In the context of modern secularism and pluralism, the most popular Danish childrenâs Bibles preserve âthe biblicalâ as an element of cultural heritage by engaging both ecclesial Christianity and cultural Christianity.
| å ¨é¨æé´ | è¿å»ä¸å¹´ | è¿å»30天 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| æè¦æµè§æ¬¡æ° | 38 | 38 | 18 |
| å ¨ææµè§æ¬¡æ° | 21 | 21 | 12 |
| PDFä¸è½½æ¬¡æ° | 48 | 48 | 24 |