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
12 October 2024
Dionysius and Maximus: Dionysius Circle Symposium III
The Dionysius Circle is an academic community dedicated to advancing the study of the Eastern Patristic tradition, with particular emphasis on the works of St. Dionysius the Areopagite. Its third annual symposium will feature presentations by Vladimir Cvetković (University of Belgrade), "Maximus the Confessor and the Porphyrian Tree Revisited," with comments by Dominic V. Cassella (CUA); Jonathan Bieler (CUA), "Participation vs. analogia entis? Comparing Maximus the Confessor and Aquinas by way of Dionysius," with comments by Andrew Summerson (University of St. Michael's College); Hans Boersma (Nashotah House), "A Metaphysic of Love: God beyond Being," with comments by Luke Togni (Saint Mary's University); Travis Dumsday (Concordia University), "The Problem of Divine Hiddenness: Insights from St. Dionysius the Areopagite & St. Maximus the Confessor," with comments by Derek King (Lewis House)
For details and information, click here.
1--3 November 2024
Patristic, Medieval, and Renaissance Conference (PMR), Villanova University
49th International Patristic, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies Conference makes an open call to scholars, institutions, and societies to propose Papers, Panels, or Sponsored Sessions in all areas and topics in late antiquity/patristics, Byzantine Studies, Medieval Studies, Islamic Studies, Jewish Studies, and Renaissance & Reformation Studies. This year's theme is Ever Ancient, Ever New: The Tensions of Tradition and Mission, featuring plenaries by Han-Luen Komline (Western Theological Seminary) and Neslihan Senocak (Columbia University).
Submission deadline: July 31, 2024
For details and information, click here.
13--15 November 2024
'I Saw the Lord' (Isa 6.1): Entangled Jewish and Christian Perspectives on the Encounter with God
The third annual academic symposium of Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary gathers leading Orthodox Christian and Jewish scholars from around the world, who will reflect on the manner in which theophanic texts—biblical accounts of Divine Revelation to the patriarchs and prophets—have always been and remain foundational to their respective doctrinal and spiritual traditions. Features presentations by Archbishop Alexander Golitzin and Rabbi Reuven R. Kimelman.
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 forthcoming.
For details and information, click here.
Lectures
Sunday, 13 October 2024, 1:00pm EDT (GMT -4)
Panel of Recent Shohet Scholars Grant Recipient, International Catacomb Society
Gregory Given (Harvard University)
Open Letters: Ignatius of Antioch and the Reconstruction of Early Christianity
Rebecca Harris (Messiah University)
Living in the Liminal: The Present as a Place of Access in Qumran Literature
Rachel Patt (Notre Dame University)
Portraits and Pothos in the Premodern Mediterranean: A Work-In-Progress Update
See event poster here.
Visit the ICS website here.
To register, click here.
Wednesday, 23 October 2024, 7:00pm (Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Boston)
Douglas E. Christie (Professor Emeritus, Loyola Marymount University, LA)
Night in the Desert: An Ancient Monastic Ecology of Darkness
Co-sponsored by the Huffington Ecumenical Institute and the Pappas Patristic Institute of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, this talk will consider the meaning of night in the desert as early Christian monks lived and imagined it. It will also ask how this ancient monastic "ecology of darkness" can help us recover a sense of the immense value of the night at a moment when the twenty-four-hour economy and unceasing light pollution are threatening to banish darkness completely from our world.
See event poster here.
For additional information, click here.
To register, click here.
Saturday, 7 December 2024, 10am - 12pm (Brown University/Zoom)
Providence Patristics Group
Michael Motia (University of Massachusetts - Boston), “Late Ancient Reds”
For information, contact Susan Harvey or Arthur Urbano.
Saturday, 8 February 2024, 10am - 12pm (Brown University/Zoom)
Providence Patristics Group, Boston Area Patristics Group
Maria Doerfler (Yale University), “Ephrem and the Emperors: Exploring Civic Identity at the Edges of the Roman World”
For information, contact Susan Harvey or Arthur Urbano​
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.