Spiritual Guidance in Ninth-Century Byzantium: the Letters of Theodore the Studite to Eirene the Patrician

The Doctoral Students from the Medieval Studies Department of the Central European University in Budapest and the Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies (CEMS) at CEU are pleased to announce Spiritual Guidance in Ninth-Century Byzantium: the Letters of Theodore the Studite to Eirene the Patrician, a CEU & CEMS International Doctoral Workshop held on October 19–20, 2012 at Central European University, Budapest.

This year’s workshop is dedicated to the epistolary collection of Theodore the Studite (759–826), abbot of the Studios Monastery in Constantinople, a zealous opponent of iconoclasm and a prominent Byzantine writer and monastic reformer. The aim of the workshop is to produce the first English literary translation of Theodore’s eight epistulae to a certain Eirene the Patrician, a noble woman, and Theodore’s supporter during the iconoclastic debates, and to equip the translation with a historical and philological introduction and commentaries.

The epistulae under scrutiny will provide the participants with an example of a widespread practice in Byzantium, i.e., a long-lasting teacher-disciple spiritual relation between a spiritual father and a noble woman, who lived and acted under Theodore’s direct guidance. The workshop aims at shedding more light on issues such as gender and monks-laymen relations in the ninth–century Byzantium. Thus, the participants are encouraged to address topics such as: Spiritual Guidance in Byzantium: Monk-Laymen Connections; Role of Women in Ninth-Century Byzantine Society; The Dignity of Patrician in Ninth-Century Byzantium; Female Iconodules – Role of Women in the Iconoclastic Debates, etc.

The letters have been critically edited by George Fatouros: Theodori Studitae Epistulae, ed. George Fatouros. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1991, vol. II, ep. 55 (pp. 160-161); ep. 77 (pp. 198-199); ep. 87 (pp. 207-209); ep. 156 (pp. 276-277); ep. 372 (pp. 503-504); ep. 412 (pp. 575-576); ep. 508 (pp. 754-755), ep. 526 (pp.784-785). As the seminar will consist in translating, analyzing and contextualizing the above-mentioned letters, all participants are expected to carry out independent translation work prior to the workshop.

By courtesy of the Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies (CEMS) and the Birnbaum Memorial Fund, travel costs will be reimbursed and accommodation in Budapest will be provided for the duration of the workshop. 

Participants:

Adashinskaya, Anna (CEU, adashinskaya_anna@ceu-budapest.edu)
Buzási, Gábor (CEU, Instructor, Department of Medieval Studies, buzasig@ceu.hu)
Gara, Katarzyna (Jagiellonian University, km.gara@gmail.com)
Gaul, Niels (CEU, Associate Professor, Department of Medieval Studies, gauln@ceu.hu)
Ivanišević, Dora (CEU, ivanisevic_dora@ceu-budapest.edu)
Kraft, Andras (CEU, kraft_andras@ceu-budapest.edu)
Manolova, Divna (CEU & Koç University’s RCAC, manolova_divna@ceu-budapest.edu)
Menze, Volker (CEU, Associate Professor, Department of Medieval Studies; Director of CEMS, menzev@ceu.hu)
Minasidis, Dimitris (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, dminasid@hotmail.com)
Mitrea, Mihail (CEU, mitrea_mihail@ceu-budapest.edu)
Riehle, Alexander (University of Vienna, Faculty Member, Institut für Byzantinistik and Neogräzistik, alexander.riehle@univie.ac.at)
Spingou, Foteini (University of Oxford, foteini.spingou@keble.ox.ac.uk)
Stambolov, Alexey (University of Sofia, a_stambolov@abv.bg)
Sykopetritou, Paraskevi (University of Cyprus, s.sykopetritou@gmail.com)
Zagklas, Nikolaos (University of Vienna, nikolaos.zagklas@gmail.com)

Friday, October 19 (Faculty Tower, Room 409)

12-14: Registration

14-16: Session One

Welcome & Opening Remarks (Katalin Szende, Head of the Department of Medieval Studies, CEU; Volker Menze, Director of CEMS)
Text & Context: Ninth-Century Byzantium (Sykopetritou)
Letters as Genre (Spingou)
Letters, Letter-Collections, and Women’s Participation in the Epistolary Discourse (Riehle)
“Convey a Letter to Your Brother” - Correspondence and Network Building in the Middle Byzantine Period (Adashinskaya)
Monks vs. State: Stoudios Monastery during the Late Eighth and Early Ninth-Century Byzantium (Stambolov) 
Theodore the Studite. Biography & Œuvre (Mitrea)
The Epistolary Collection of Thedore the Studite (Kraft)

16-16.30: Coffee Break

16.30-18.30: Session Two
Letters 55 & 77 - Reading, Translation & Commentary

Saturday, October 20 (Faculty Tower, Room 608)

9-11: Session Three
Letters 87 & 156 - Reading, Translation & Commentary  

11-11.30: Coffee Break

11.30-13 Session Four
Letters 372 & 412 - Reading, Translation & Commentary

13-14.30: Lunch Break

14.30-16.30: Session Five
Letters 508 & 526 - Reading, Translation & Commentary

 16.30-17: Coffee Break

17-19: Session Six
Spiritual Guidance in Ninth-Century Byzantium.
The Letters of Theodore the Studite to Eirene the Patrician (Roundtable discussion)

Concluding Remarks (Gaul)