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, but in late antiquity church councils became one of the instruments for ruling the church. For some general church councils, such as the Council of Chalcedon in 451, even the minutes survive, and in recent years, many of these conciliar acts have been made available in translation. This has led to increased interests in church councils, and particularly during the last decades, not only theologians but also historians have started contextualizing conciliar texts.
Program
Thursday, October 12 2023
13.00: Registration
13.15: Volker Menze, Opening remarks
13.30-15.00
Chair: Richard Price
Uta Heil, Which council counts? Strategic evaluations of Athanasius, Hilary and Sabinus
Jennifer Berry, Remembering Shadow Councils: Athanasius of Alexandria and the Problem of Tyre
15.00-15.15: Coffee
15.15-16.45
Chair: Uta Heil
Craig Caldwell, Rival Reenactments of Nicaea at the Councils of Serdica (343)
Mark DelCogliano, Coordinating the Double-Council of Ariminum and Seleucia: Ideals and Reality
16.45-17.00: Coffee break
17.00-18.00: Evening Lecture
Richard Price, 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
Christie Pavey, The African councils under Augustine and Aurelius: The key to understanding Late Antiquity?
Cristian Gaşpar, 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
Ephrem Isaac, Nicaea in the East and West Syriac Synods
Madalina Toca, Epistolary Canons and the West Syriac Reception of Early Church Councils
12.45-14.30: Lunch break
14.30-16.45
Chair Sabine Panzram
Thomas Graumann, Council Acts between East and West
Paulo Pachá, The General Councils of Toledo between Theory and Practice
Sebastian Scholz, 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
Claire Fauchon-Claudon, Accommodation during Church Councils: Logistical Challenges, Issues and Tensions
Sabine Panzram, The Making of a Conciliar City: The Case of Toletum
18.30-18.45: Closing remarks
19.00: Reception