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
2--5 April 2025
Nicaea 2025: Context, Event, and Reception (Rome, Augustinianum/Angelicum)
Conference on the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. Plenary speakers include Lewis Ayres, Alberto Camplani, Mark del Cogliano, Samuel Fernández, Helene Grelier-Deneux, David Hunter, Uta Heil, Johan Leemans, Christoph Markschies, Giulio Maspero, Sébastien Morlet, Emanuel Prinzivalli, Angelo Segneri, Peter Van Nuffelen, Rowan Williams, Alfons Furst.
For details and information, click here.
27--29 April 2025
6th International Colloquium on St. Maximus the Confessor: “Maximus the Confessor and the Mystery of Divine Revelation,” Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade
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). 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. 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.
Deadline for submissions: December 1, 2024
For details and information, click here.
22--24 April 2025
Annual Meeting of the North American Patristics Society (NAPS), Chicago, IL
The North American Patristics Society is a scholarly organization dedicated to the study of the history, literature, and theology of ancient Christianity. Founded in 1970, the Society welcomes a diversity of disciplinary and methodological approaches and invites the participation of scholars at all stages of their careers; NAPS boasts a large and active graduate student membership. It's annual meeting is held each year in Chicago.
Call for papers is closed.
Registration is now open.
For details and information, click here.
9--11 May 2025
Los desafíos del Primer Concilio de Nicea (325 d.C.): Ecumenicidad, Cosmopolitismo, Universalidad
Perspectivas históricas y relevancia contemporánea (Bucharest, Romania)
El simposio tiene como objetivo analizar las importantes contribuciones del Primer Concilio de Nicea, con énfasis en el contexto histórico del mismo. De particular interés es la transición tentativa de las formas locales a las universales de legislación sinodal, tal como fue iniciada en Nicea. También examinaremos la interrelación de las dimensiones religiosa y política dentro de la articulación del Concilio, la aspiración a una solución ecuménica a la tensión entre el localismo y el universalismo, así como el impacto perdurable de la ecumenicidad nicena dentro y fuera del ámbito eclesial, en el diálogo interconfesional e intercultural. Ofrecemos un espacio interdisciplinario para el fomento y la problematización de la visión nicena desde nuevas perspectivas, con conexiones temáticas innovadoras y aplicaciones prácticas novedosas.
See event poster here.
For details and more information, click here.
3--6 June 2025
Augustine on Order: An International Workshop on Early Christian Philosophy (Padua)
A two-day international workshop on Augustine’s De ordine will be held in Padua on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 June 2024.
For details and information, click here.
3--6 June 2025
3rd Annual Paideia Conference: 'The Beauty of a God Who is Among Us' (Antiochian Village, PA)
'Paideia,' a community of Orthodox Christian scholars, clergy, and laity, invites proposals for papers of 25-30 minutes, centering on the theme, 'The Beauty of a God Who is Among Us.' This theme focuses on the incarnational character of the Christian worldview, which sees the whole of created reality, culminating in the Incarnation of Christ, as a symbolic and sacramental structure proclaiming the goodness and holiness of the Creator. This year's keynote speakers are Andrew Gould and Edith M. Humphreys.
Deadline for submissions: February 25, 2025
For details and information, click here.
3--7 June 2025
Nicaea and the Church of the Third Millenium: Towards Catholic-Orthodox Unity (Rome, IOTA/Angelicum)
This conference will focus on articulating this common faith in today’s world with a view of moving two churches closer to full communion. Over 100 experts from different Christian traditions will discuss such topics as the doctrines of the trinity and incarnation, synodality and primacy, heresy and schism, the date of Easter, and other practical matters in light of the First Ecumenical Council. Lewis Ayres, Mark DelCogliano, George Demacopoulos, Fr. Hyacinthe Destivelle, Paul Gavrilyuk, Cyril Hovorun, Andrej Jevtić, Dimitrios Keramidas, Young Kim, Cardinal Kurt Koch, Matthew Levering, Bishop Kyrillos (Los Angeles), David Luy, Amphilochios Miltos, Irina Paert, Aristotle Papanikolaou, Katerina Pekridou, Metropolitan Job of Pisidia, Mark S. Smith, Richard Swinburne, Julija Naett Vidovic, Thomas Joseph White, Myriam Wijlens, Archbishop Rowan Williams, Gayle Woloschak.
For details and information, click here.
15--17 July 2025
Creeds, Councils, and Canons: Ecclesiastical History Society Summer Conference
2025 is the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, widely recognised as the Church's first Ecumenical Council. This drew on and popularised a tradition which has
been widely adopted by churches throughout the world, of church leaders and/or representatives meeting to deal with matters doctrinal, ethical, disciplinary, missionary
and liturgical, and documenting them in creeds and canons. The recognition or not of councils and their documents has also become a way in which churches tell their own
institutional history, and situate themselves with regard to one another. Proposals for twenty-minute papers on 'Creeds, Councils and Canons' are welcomed.
Deadline for submissions: 15 April 2025 (15 January 2025: early deadline)
See event poster here.
For more information, click here.
24--29 August 2025
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.
Call for papers deadline: April 30, 2025.
For more details and information, click here.
Lectures
Saturday, 25 March 2024, 6:30 pm (St Michael's College, Toronto)
1700 Years Nicene Creed (325-2025): Sources, Meaning, and Lasting Impact
Hubertus Drobner (Paderborn)
For information and details, click here.
Friday, 4 April 2024, 12:00 pm EST (online)
North American Society for the Study of Christian Apocryphal Literature
First Fridays Workshops
The NASSCAL First Fridays online workshop series is a forum for discussing new and in-progress work on apocryphal Christian texts. The workshop meets on the first Friday of every month during the North American Fall and Winter semesters (September, October, November, December, February, March, April, May).
For information, click here.
Saturday, 24 April 2024, 7:30 - 9:00 pm (Harvard Divinity School)
Boston Area Patristics Group
Maia Kotrosits (Harvard University), TBD
For information, contact Andrew Jacobs.
Friday, 2 May 2024, 12:00 pm EST (online)
North American Society for the Study of Christian Apocryphal Literature
First Fridays Workshops
The NASSCAL First Fridays online workshop series is a forum for discussing new and in-progress work on apocryphal Christian texts. The workshop meets on the first Friday of every month during the North American Fall and Winter semesters (September, October, November, December, February, March, April, May).
For information, click here.
Saturday, 3 May 2024, 10am - 12pm (Providence College/Zoom)
Providence Patristics Group
Colum Dever (Providence College), “The Figure of Echo in the Passio Perpetua et Felicitatis”
For information, contact Susan Harvey or Arthur Urbano.
Courses and Workshops
9--13 June 2025
London International Paleography School
The London International Palaeography School is a series of intensive courses in Palaeography and Manuscript Studies. The Summer School runs annually in London, while online courses run throughout the year. In addition to courses on the palaeography of manuscripts from a wide range of regions and time periods, subject areas include illuminated manuscripts, codicology, and manuscript editing. The 2025 Summer School includes Introduction to Palaeography and Manuscript Studies (Katherine Hindley and Laura Cleaver); Textual Editing: philosophical and theological texts throughout the Middle Ages (Zita Toth and Dr Daniel Hadas); and other courses.
For more information, click here.