Conferences

The 5th International Patristic Conference on the theme: Synodality in the Early Church will take place in Lublin, Poland, on October 7-9, 2025, at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland. If you would like to  deliver a lecture during this conference, please send the provisional  title, abstract and a scientific CV to patristic@kul.pl. The deadline for proposals is February 15, 2025.

The Centre for Patristics and Early Christianity at McMaster Divinity College (Hamilton, ON, Canada) is holding its second annual student conference, and all students are invited to attend. To submit a proposal, email cpec@mcmaster.ca with your name, current institution, paper title, and an abstract of up to 200 words. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 15, 2024. One paper will be awarded the best essay prize, with the offer of publication in Patristic Theology, our recently-launched journal. The Centre is also pleased to offer a limited number of travel bursaries to qualified students who are interested in exploring research programs at McMaster Divinity College.
          https://mcmasterdivinity.ca/exploring-early-christianity
          https://mcmasterdivinity.ca/journals/patristictheology

Call for Papers

International Seminar: 
“The Council of Nicaea (325), a Theological Event”

September 1-4, 2025

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Santiago de Chile

The year 2025 will mark the 1700th anniversary of the meeting of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.

The Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile is organizing an International Seminar in Santiago de Chile, seeking to build bridges between the theological and historical aspects of the Council of Nicaea.

The Seminar also hopes to highlight the ecumenical dimension of the Council, inviting and expecting the participation of researchers from the three great Christian traditions, and will culminate with an ecumenical liturgical celebration on Friday, September 5, 2025.

The organizers of the Seminar invite proposals for original scientific papers on the Council of Nicaea, the various aspects of its historical contextualization, its development, the theological, ecclesiastical and political challenges posed by its meeting, and the history of its reception and its effects at all levels, with the aim of contributing to an interdisciplinary dialogue between theologians and historians.

Information about the event, the format of the papers, the deadlines and the call for papers can be found here: https://rb.gy/ljsnxi 

Coordination and reception of proposals: Prof. Xavier Morales, xavier.morales@uc.cl

Call for Papers

6th International Colloquium on St. Maximus the Confessor
Theme: "Maximus the Confessor and the Mystery of Divine Revelation"
Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade
April 27-29, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for the 6th International Colloquium on St. Maximus the Confessor, focused on the theme "Maximus the Confessor and the Mystery of Divine Revelation." This conference is organized by the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, in collaboration with the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Károli Gáspár University of the Protestant Church in Hungary (Budapest, Hungary) and the International Center for Orthodox Studies (Niš, Serbia).

The conference will be held at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, from April 27 to April 29, 2025.

In Honor of Professor Paul M. Blowers

This colloquium is dedicated to honoring Professor Paul M. Blowers, a distinguished scholar and authority on St. Maximus the Confessor, on the occasion of his 70th birthday. The conference proceedings will be published as a Festschrift in Professor Blowers' honor within the Subsidia Maximiana series by Brepols.

Conference Theme

The overarching theme of the conference is divine self-revelation in the theology and exegesis of St. Maximus the Confessor. Papers are invited on various aspects of this theme, including (but not limited to):

• Divine self-revelation within the Trinity

• Theologia and oikonomia in Maximus

• Apophatic and kataphatic discourse in Maximus’s theology

• Theophanies and Christophanies in the Bible (e.g., the Transfiguration)

• The “law of nature” and the “law of Scripture” in Maximus's writings (e.g., Ambiguum 10)

• Maximus's biblical hermeneutics, including influences from Origenian and monastic traditions

• Exegetical themes in Maximus’s major works, such as Quaestiones ad Thalassium, Quaestiones ad Theopemptum, Exposition of Psalm 59, and Exposition of the Lord’s Prayer

• Maximus’s role in the patristic interpretation of biblical themes

• Revelation and incarnation in Maximus’s thought, including the relation between the Logos and the logoi

• The scriptural foundations of Maximus’s ethics

• Use of Scripture in Maximus’s spiritual writings

• Maximus’s scriptural exegesis during the Monothelete Controversy

• The reading of Scripture in the liturgy according to Maximus’s Mystagogia

Submission Guidelines

We invite scholars to submit abstracts of up to 250 words, including a title and contact information (affiliation and email). Abstracts should be sent to:

• Daniel Heide: daniel.heide@ifdt.bg.ac.rs

• Alex Leonas: alex_leonas@yahoo.com

• Vladimir Cvetković: vladimir.cvetkovic@ifdt.bg.ac.rs

The deadline for abstract submission is December 1, 2024. The conference organizers will review the submissions and notify applicants of their acceptance.

Registration Fee

Upon acceptance of the abstract, a registration fee of 100€ will be required to confirm participation.

We look forward to your contributions and participation in this significant scholarly event.

For more information, please visit https://maximus.ifdt.bg.ac.rs/

Call for Papers
NICAEA AT 1700: THE FIRST COUNCIL AND THE ‘WAY TOGETHER’
Oct. 2–4, 2025

Sacred Heart Major Seminary, 2701 Chicago Blvd., Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.

The Council of Nicaea in 325 had a significant bearing upon the unity of the universal church, such that its creed continues to be prayed by Catholics, Orthodox, and Evangelical Christians alike. Nicaea at 1700: The First Council and the ‘Way Together’ seeks to explore the relationship between the Council of Nicaea and the local church. Reexamining the theology, documents, and canons of Nicaea presents a moment of ressourcement for the church today. How did Nicaea and its implementation help inform the Church’s understanding of the dialectic between the universal and the particular church, especially for priests, deacons, and lay ecclesial ministers in the New Evangelization? Nicaea at 1700 will feature keynote lectures from Khaled Anatolios, Andrew Hofer, and Lewis Ayres. 

Scholars are encouraged to submit an abstract of no more than 300 words exploring the theme of the conference through the lens of their own research, which they may present during break-out sessions. Following the conference, break-out session presenters will be invited to submit their work for a conference proceedings publication. Relevant topics include but are not limited to…

• Scripture and Nicaea
• Nicaea and its Texts—Definition, Anathematization, Canons
• Nicaea and Reception History
• Nicaea’s Proponents
• Nicaea’s Opponents
• Early Western Reception of Nicaea (e.g., Augustine, Boethius, etc.)
• Philosophical Foundations of Nicene Orthodoxy
• Nicaea and Church-State Relations
• The Nicene Creed in Liturgical Traditions
• The 318 Fathers of Nicaea
• Nicaea and Ecumenism
• Nicaea and the New Evangelization
• Ressourcement and the New Evangelization
• Nicaea as a Model/Caution for Synodality

 
Deadline for submission: Nov. 30, 2024

To submit an abstract or for more information, please visit www.shms.edu/nicaea2025 or email nicaea2025@shms.edu.

Call for Proposals: Individual Identity Formation among Christians in Antiquity

Michael Glowasky (Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Berkeley / University of Ottawa) Theodore de Bruyn (University of Ottawa)

We know today that individual identity formation is an ongoing process involving a complex set of factors, including one’s life experiences, exposure to diverse worldviews, and affiliation with different social groups, as well as changes to one’s geographical location and cultural context. We also know that one’s sense of identity can be profoundly shaped by religious instruction, participation in ritual performance, and engagement in spiritual practices. However, while scholars in recent years have considered in detail the processes involved in social identity formation and individualization in antiquity, less attention has been given to processes used to shape or maintain individual identity within religious contexts during this time. What educational, ritual, relational, or other processes were used to cultivate individual identity in religious contexts? How did these processes interact with dimensions of an individual’s agency or sense of self? How were these processes shaped by specific contexts or factors?

Answering these questions about a period so far removed from our own requires not only careful consideration of the relevant source material, but also deliberate attention to both theory and method. We believe that it would be instructive and productive to bring together scholars who are currently seeking to draw out insights into individual identity formation by applying a particular theoretical approach to materials relating to Christianity in antiquity (2nd to 7th centuries CE). Various theoretical approaches could be relevant, bearing on cognition, education, affect, identity, ritual, performance, gender, or class, to name a few. Whatever the theoretical approach, there are common questions that could be the basis of a fruitful exchange, such as: (1) what aspect(s) of individual identity formation does a given theoretical approach illuminate? and (2) how does one deal with the evidence from antiquity in applying that theoretical approach?

We are hoping to organize such a discussion at the Oxford Patristics Conference (August 5 – 9, 2024), ideally in the form of a workshop, with the goal of publishing the papers in Studia Patristica (subject of course to the review processes of the conference organizers). If you are interested in participating in such a workshop and contributing a paper, we invite you to contact us by April 30, 2023 (emails below). In your reply, please specify: (1) the aspect of individual identity formation you are working on; (2) the theory or theories you are drawing on; and (3) some methodological considerations entailed in applying this theoretical approach to the evidence you are working with. If you already have a provisional title for a paper, please state it as well.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: mglowasky@dspt.edu and/ortdebruyn@uottawa.ca.We also welcome comments on the formulation of the workshop.  

La conférence explore l'évolution des calendriers liturgiques et du choix des lectures (surtout des Évangiles) qui y sont liées.

Elle permettra de croiser les sources (tétraévangiles, lectionnaires, typica, influences iconographiques, ...) et les aires linguistiques (arabe, arménien, éthiopien, grec, latin, slavon, syriaque, ...), afin de réévaluer et de préciser les tendances qui se sont dégagées de l'examen du système des péricopes, notamment le phénomène de "byzantinisation" (Galadza 2018). Les axes de la conférence sont détaillés dans le document joint.

La date limite pour l'envoi d'un titre et d'un résumé est le 31 mai 2023 (m.geiger@lmu.de). La réponse est prévue pour début juillet.

Les frais de transport et d'hébergement sont pris en charge, au moins partiellement (les informations précises seront données avec la réponse).

The conference aims at exploring the evolution of liturgical calendars and their readings (especially from the Gospels).

It will cross sources (Tetraevangelia, Lectionaries, Typica, iconography, ...) and linguistic areas (Arabic, Armenian, Ethiopian, Greek, Latin, Slavonic, Syriac, ...), in order to re-evaluate and clarify the main tendencies that emerged from the examination of the different pericope systems, in particular the phenomenon of "Byzantinization" (Galadza 2018). The main lines of the conference are detailed in the attached document.

Deadline for submission (title and abstract): 31 May 2023 (m.geiger@lmu.de). The answer will be given not later than the beginning of July.

Travel and accommodation costs will be covered, at least partially (precise information will be given with the response).

Call for Papers: The Late Antique Cult of Saints in Eastern Christianity, 4–5 May 2023, The Ertegun Scholarship Programme House, University of Oxford

Scholarship on Late Antique Christianity has long focused on the Christian West, often ignoring communities and liturgical traditions in the Eastern regions of the early Christian world. This resulted in a relative lack of interest, and therefore, scholarship, on numerous communities whose heritage is in danger of disappearing. However, the last couple of decades has seen an increasing focus on these arguably long-forgotten ‘Christianities’ and their communities, heritage, and literary productions. Following this crucial shift in scholarship, we wish to invite young scholars to a conference at the University of Oxford to further explore the various traditions cultivated in Christian communities residing in these marginalised areas of the Late Antique world. As a tribute to Peter Brown’s legacy in the study of Late Antiquity, the conference will survey these communities through the prism of the cult of saints.

The use of certain saints in narratives and objects provides a glimpse into their function vis-á-vis congregants and the local authorities, whilst also reflecting socio-political and religio-cultural shifts that triggered their creation, canonisation, or abandonment. An examination of the cult of saints of Eastern Christian liturgical traditions will shed light on the complex circumstances experienced by their members, from religious persecution to economic prosperity.

Due attention will be given, therefore, to the function of saints within Eastern Christianity in Late Antiquity, focusing on, but not limited, to Syriac, Armenian, Greek, Ethiopic, Coptic, and Arabic communities. From the strategic translation of a saint’s relics to the propagation of a local cult, holy men and women were used to mediate communal identity and facilitate power. Equally relevant are the saints’ roles in encounters with other religious and ethnic groups: incidents such as sharing a cultic site with another religious group or destroying a temple in the name of a saint demonstrate the ways in which early Christians utilised saints to construct the Other. Recognition will also be given to the use of saints in the secular and domestic sphere, as another way of constructing the Self, including epistolary texts, amulets, or colophons invoking miraculous figures.

We welcome proposals on a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to:

• The role of saints within the Christian community as models of intercession
• Divination and magical practices within the cult of saints
• Gendered saints and gendered cults, and the contribution of women to the cultivation of narratives and practices
• The developing theology of the cult of the saints
• The construction of saints’ narratives
• Bodily practices associated with the cult of the saints
• The utilisation of saints in legal contexts and legislation around saints and their worship
• Appropriation and adoption of saints and their holy sites by other religious or Christian traditions
• Saints and martyrs as intermediaries and interconnectors between different religious or Christian traditions
• The economic and political functions of saints and their shrines

Doctoral students and early career researchers from disciplines such as archaeology, philology, gender and sexuality studies, anthropology, theology, religious studies, art history, the social sciences, and history, are welcome to participate in order to create a critical, fruitful, and interdisciplinary platform for discussion. Papers may last no more than 20 minutes and will be followed by 5 minutes for questions. A number of accepted speakers will be asked to submit a shortened version of their paper to Oxford University’s The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity Database (http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/) following the conference. Interested scholars are asked to submit an abstract of no more than 200 words alongside a short academic bio (max. 100 words) and an academic CV (max. 2 pages) to easternsaints.conf@gmail.com before 6st March 2023. For more information, please see the conference's website: https://easternsaintsconf.wixsite.com/my-site.

THE CONFERENCE

On 17-20 October 2023, the ERC-funded project PASSIM (Patristic Sermons in the Middle Ages), based at Radboud University Nijmegen, will organise an international conference on the medieval reception and transmission of patristic sermons and the collections in which they are compiled. The conference will take place at the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR).

The sermons preached by the Latin Church Fathers – Augustine, Leo, Gregory, and their contemporaries – had a dynamic afterlife. Throughout the medieval period, they were widely copied, manipulated, and (re)organised in a wide array of collections. These processes of transmission are important not only because they reveal medieval attitudes to the patristic heritage, but also because the medieval mediation of this corpus has greatly impacted which sermons survived and in what shape they reached modern times. When, why and how were patristic sermons combined, (re)organised, and adapted to their medieval contexts?

The conference aims to give due attention to the mediators in the transmission of patristic sermons in the middle ages: the often-inconspicuous compilers and scribes whose creative intellectual activities formed crucial conduits for the transmission of late-antique sermons to new audiences. We intend to go beyond the reconstruction of the original form and context of individual sermons, and to focus mainly on medieval collections and manuscripts in their own right, as well as the practices of compilation that shaped them.

MAIN PERSPECTIVES

To understand the compiler’s work, we need insights into both the philological aspects of sermons and sermon collections – their texts, sources and organisation – and the compilers’ and manuscripts’ historical context. As such, the conference aims to bring together philological, historical, theological, and literary perspectives.

We encourage speakers to combine multiple perspectives in their presentations. In addition, we aim to include papers that examine the processes of compilation in specific manuscripts or sermon collections, as well as studies that reflect on (digital) tools and methodologies to understand how sermon compilation worked in practice. While we mainly concentrate on Latin sermons, we are also interested in comparative studies of compilation practices in other traditions.

We welcome proposals on a wide range of topics, including (but not limited to) the following:

• -  Individual manuscripts and collections

  • individual manuscripts and sermon collections, their content, context, and materiality

  • the origins, organisation and evolution of late-antique sermon collections

  • points of contact and connections between sermon collections

• -  Understanding the compiler

  • the compiler and his motives, resources, and context

  • tangible evidence of mediators (e.g. prologues, annotations, user marks)

  • the tools and support structures for compilation (e.g. libraries, catalogues, networks)

• -  Practices of sermon compilation

  • authorial attribution and anonymity in sermon collections

  • collections that illustrate how the medieval and the patristic meet

  • comparative perspectives in other languages, genres or religious traditions

• -  Approaches to the study of compilations

  • sermon collections and the tradition of textual criticism of patristic sermons

  • methodologies to chart and analyse compilation practices

  • digital tools and approaches to the study of sermon compilations

The 4th International Patristic Conference on the theme: The Christians of the Patristic Period in Relation to the Nature will take place in Lublin, Poland, on October 18-20, 2022, at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. If you would like to deliver a lecture during this conference, please send the provisional title, abstract and a scientific CV (all max. 2000 characters) to patristic@kul.pl. The deadline for proposals is February 15, 2022.

The Center for Patristic Studies and Ancient Christian Literature of the “Babeş-Bolyai” University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, organizes an International Symposium on the Reception of St. Gregory of Nyssa in the Christian Traditions, which will take place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, at the “Babeş-Bolyai” University.

The Center for Patristic Studies and Ancient Christian Literature encompasses four Faculties of Theology (Roman-Catholic, Greek-Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant) and tries to promote the common values of Christianity from the first millennium.

The deadline for registration is 1st of June.

The 11th Nordic Patristic Meeting will take place at Aarhus University on Wednesday 24- Friday 26 August 2022.

An international colloquium on St. Augustine's De civitate Dei and its reception will be held in Leuven, 27-29 Jan 2022. If you would like to deliver a lecture during this conference, please send the provisional title, abstract (max. 500 words) and a concise CV (max. 500 words) before 31 March 2021, to Marina Giani.