From Ctesiphon to Toledo: A Comparative View on Early Church Councils in East and West
Keynote speaker: Richard Price (University of London)
Central European University, Vienna
The 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 325 is approaching, and the importance of the first ecumenical council for the doctrinal and institutional development of the Christian Churches is manifest. Unfortunately for historians, Nicaea itself remains badly documented. Nevertheless, in late antiquity church councils became one of the instruments for ruling the church, and for some general church councils, such as the Council of Chalcedon in 451, even the minutes survive. In recent years, many of these conciliar acts have been made available in translation. This has led to increased interests in church councils, particularly during the last decades, as not only theologians but also historians have started contextualizing conciliar texts.
Conference program
Thursday, October 12 2023
13.00: Registration
13.15: Volker Menze (CEU), Opening remarks
13.30-15.00
Chair: Richard Price (University of London)
Uta Heil (University of Vienna), Which council counts? Strategic evaluations of Athanasius, Hilary and Sabinus
Jennifer Barry (University of Mary Washington), Remembering Shadow Councils: Athanasius of Alexandria and the Problem of Tyre
15.00-15.15: Coffee break
15.15-16.45
Chair: Uta Heil (University of Vienna)
Craig Caldwell (Appalachian State University), Rival Reenactments of Nicaea at the Councils of Serdica (343)
Mark DelCogliano (University of St. Thomas), Coordinating the Double-Council of Ariminum and Seleucia: Ideals and Reality
16.45-17.00: Coffee break
17.00-18.00: Keynote lecture
Richard Price (University of London), The Lateran Synod of 649 and the Council of Constantinople of 680-81: concord and striking divergence
19.00: Dinner
Friday, October 13 2023
09.30-11.00
Chair: Thomas Graumann (Cambridge University)
Christie Pavey (Royal Holloway, University of London), The African councils under Augustine and Aurelius: The key to understanding Late Antiquity?
Cristian Gaşpar (CEU), Spoken like a Bishop? Sociolinguistic Notes on Linguistic (In)competence and the Dynamics of (Extra)ordinary Communication in the Greek Acts of Fifth-century Councils
11.00-11.15: Coffee break
11.15-12.45
Chair: Volker Menze (CEU)
Ephrem Aboud Ishac (Austrian Academy of Sciences), Nicaea in the East and West Syriac Synods
Madalina Toca (University of Vienna), Epistolary Canons and the West Syriac Reception of Early Church Councils
12.45-14.30: Lunch break
14.30-16.45
Chair: Sabine Panzram (University of Hamburg)
Thomas Graumann (Cambridge University), Council Acts between East and West
Paulo Pachá (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro), The General Councils of Toledo between Theory and Practice
Sebastian Scholz (University of Zurich), The Problem of Church Property in the Frankish Synods of the 6th and 7th Century
16.45-17.00: Coffee break
17.00-18.30
Chair: Sebastian Scholz (University of Zurich)
Claire Fauchon-Claudon (Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon), Accommodation during Church Councils: Logistical Challenges, Issues and Tensions
Sabine Panzram (University of Hamburg), The Making of a Conciliar City: The Case of Toletum
18.30-18.45: Closing remarks
19.00: Reception
Please note that external guests need to register for events. If you are an external guest, please send an email to guclu-menzee@ceu.edu by October 11 at the latest. We will request a visitor card for you, which you can pick up from the reception desk when you arrive for the event.