Upcoming gatherings on Early Christianity and Patristics
Upcoming talks by prominent scholars in the field
Summer programs, online courses, and more
Current exhibitions relating to the world of the Fathers
Opportunities to visit holy sites, monasteries, and ancient lands
Conferences
27--29 April 2026
7th International Colloquium on St Maximus the Confessor (University of Warsaw)
This year's Colloquium has as its theme "Maximus the Confessor: The Salvation of Nature." Selected papers will be published in the Subsidia Maximiana series (Brepols). Organizers are Alex Leonas, Vladimir Cvetković, Karolina Kochańczyk-Bonińska, and Bogna Kosmulska
The deadline to submit proposals is December 15, 2025.
For more details and information, click here.
21--23 May 2026
NAPS (North American Patristics Society)
The 2026 Annual Meeting of the North American Patristics Society will take place on May 21–23, 2026 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago
The deadline to submit proposals is November 19, 2025.
For more details and information, click here.
3--7 August 2026
Symposium Syriacum / Conference of Christian Arabic Studies
The 14th World Congress of Syriac Studies (Symposium Syriacum) and the 12th Conference of Christian Arabic Studies, which will be held for the first time in Southeastern Europe, in Bucharest, Romania, from August 3 to 7, 2026, under the auspices of the Romanian Academy.
The registration and abstract submission period is open from June 1 to December 1, 2025.
For more details and information, click here.
24--29 August 2026
25th International Congress of Byzantine Studies, Vienna
The International Congress of Byzantine Studies is the world’s largest academic event dedicated to the latest research and findings on the Byzantine Empire, its history, and culture. Since the first congress in 1924 in Bucharest, it has been held approximately every five years in different locations, attracting up to 1,500 participants in recent years. In 2026, the 25th Congress will take place in Vienna, where researchers from around the globe will present their work in hundreds of presentations. Cultural events and receptions will offer numerous opportunities for informal exchange. Exhibitions and collaborations with the city of Vienna and individual cultural institutions will also make the academic research accessible to a wider audience.
Inaugural Lecture: Maximilien Durand, Department of Byzantine and Eastern Christian Art, Louvre Museum, Paris
Call for papers deadline: October 31, 2025
For more details and information, click here.
25--26 September 2026
The Athonite Collections and Their Challenges: Open Access, Traveling Exhibitions, and Digital Surrogates
This symposium at Princeton University aims to tackle the challenges of studying the Athonite collections (including religious icons, liturgical objects, manuscripts and other documents containing valuable insights into the past) and other such religious repositories. These are challenges that restrict scholarly inquiry and therefore limit the development of new perspectives and the full appreciation of the unique collections and the history of the communities themselves.
Call for papers deadline: December 20, 2025
For more details and information, click here.
Lectures
19 February 2026, 7:30 - 9:00pm
Boston Patristics Group & Providence Patristics Group (Joint Meeting)
The Divine Hand in Jewish and Christian Iconography
Robin Jensen (University of Notre Dame)
In-person meeting at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School, with remote Zoom participation. Contact
For more details and information, contact Prof Susan Holman here.
19 March 2026, 7:30 - 9:00pm
Boston Patristics Group (Patristica Bostoniensia)
Michal Beth Dinkler (Yale Divinity School)
In-person meeting at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School, with remote Zoom participation. Contact
For more details and information, contact Prof Susan Holman here.
16 April 2026, 7:30 - 9:00pm
Boston Patristics Group (Patristica Bostoniensia)
Just How Miaphysite Was Egypt in the Sixth and Seventh Centuries?
Paul Ulishney (Boston College)
In-person meeting at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School, with remote Zoom participation. Contact
For more details and information, contact Prof Susan Holman here.
2 May 2026, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Providence Patristics Group
Spinning New Threads: A Sartorial Theology in the Works of Clement of Alexandria
Arthur Urbano (Providence College)
The Providence Patristics Group is an informal gathering of scholars in the Providence, RI area who meet twice a semester over light refreshments to discuss a pre-distributed
paper by one of our attendees. We have been especially interested in work in progress, and in rough draft form, in order to think through research problems, questions, and
possibilities in an open atmosphere of shared scholarly conversation and exchange. The Department of Religious Studies at Brown University and the Department of Theology at
Providence College have graciously hosted our meetings in alternate sessions since 2006.
For more details and information, contact Prof Susan Harvey here.
Courses and Workshops
June 22--26, 2026
Introduction to Arabic Manuscript Studies - online (HMML Summer School)
For graduate students, advanced undergraduates, faculty, and independent scholars with a research interest in Arabic manuscripts. The program welcomes international applicants. It is completely virtual.