In my forthcoming book, I reconstruct the historical Dioscorus, patriarch of Alexandria (444-451), within the context of the Christological controversy in the time of the Second Council of Ephesus (449) and the Council of Chalcedon (451). While we do not have enough evidence to write a classical biography, it is possible to reconstruct Dioscorus’s career and endeavors as patriarch and situate him within the ecclesiastical history of Alexandria whose influence peaked under his leadership in 449/50. I consider such a study a desideratum as most scholarly studies still regard Dioscorus as destructive, radical, and violent successor of the great Cyril, and one goal of my book is to do justice to the historical Dioscorus. As a historian, I am particularly interested in the political aspect of the ecclesiastical controversy that led to the Council of Ephesus in 449 and the Council of Chalcedon in 451, and I believe that my monograph with its detailed historical study of the years 444-451 from Dioscorus’s and the Alexandrian perspective substantially enhances our understanding of the ecclesiastical developments in the fifth century.
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Meeting ID: 955 9462 8576
Passcode: 699248
CEMS Research Seminars are informal, lunchtime gatherings at which CEMS members present their current or recent research in a friendly, low-stakes environment. The presentations are brief (15-20mins) and ample time is left for discussion. The idea is to become more familiar with one another's research and encourage conversations within CEMS. In this way, we hope to strengthen the internal community and benefit from the excellent scholarship in which our colleagues are engaged.