“Det var som att Guds eget hjärta höll på att brista” – Receptionen av Jesu korsfästelse och död i tre svenska barnbiblar.

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse how three Swedish children’s bibles explain the assumed problematic topic of the crucifixion and death of Jesus. The children’s bibles which will be analysed are Barnens bästa bibel, Stora berättarbibeln, and Bibel för barn. With a method from Lesleigh Cushing Stahlberg, which proceeds from the three aspects of approach, stance and filter, the children’s bibles are analysed and compared with the gospels of Bibel 2000. The analysis concludes that the three children’s bibles very clearly are based on the gospels, even if the degree which the children’s bibles are based on varies. The analysis also concludes that what is common for the three children’s bibles are that they harmonise the four gospels, they shorten the texts and they cite unique phrases from certain gospels. Because of these three characteristics the authors may be seen as if they had written their own gospels, mixing the evangelists four theological approaches into one. They also tend to give the reader more information than what the gospels do, often involving environmental and emotional descriptions, the title of the thesis “It was like God's own heart were about to break” from Stora berättarbibeln is an example of these emotional descriptions. Besides this, have the authors not erased parts, or changed the text to a degree where the whole message disappears. The three authors are clear that Jesus dies on the cross, this may be because of the central part the texts about Jesus’ crucifixion and death play for Christianity.