October 13-15, 2011
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
Brookline, Massachusetts
The Stephen and Catherine Pappas Patristic Institute of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology is pleased to announce its annual thematic conference on “Family and Children in the Patristic Tradition,”which will be held next Fall on the school’s campus in Brookline, Massachusetts beginning Thursday evening, October 13, and ending with dinner on Saturday, October 15, 2011.
The Conference Theme: Children play a surprising role in several of the narratives in the canonical gospels. They are even viewed by Jesus as paradigmatic of the Kingdom of God,– “to such as these the Kingdom of Heaven belongs” (Mat 19:14). In other writings of the New Testament, and in the later patristic corpus, the treatment of children is more varied and complex, including shared viewpoints with the Greco-Roman culture. The purpose of our conference is to engage those patristic writings, Greek, Latin and Syriac, that treat the subjects of family and children; we will seek to examine both theological and socio-historical treatments of the family and children, attempting to deal with any gaps between the theoretical and the historical. Paper proposals that examine the use of “family” and “children” as metaphors will also be welcomed, including those treating monasticism.
If you would be interested in presenting a paper related to the topic of the conference (approximately 20 minutes in length), please submit a one-to-two paragraph abstract of your paper between December 15, 2010 and February 15, 2011. Abstracts should: 1) present a clear thesis; 2) indicate knowledge of the sources; 3) show awareness of relevant methodological, historiographical, or philosophical issues; and 4) treat subject matter that falls within the parameters of Late Ancient and Patristic studies. Please send your abstract, registration, or any inquiries, to Dr. Bruce Beck, Director, Pappas Patristic Institute (pappaspatristic@comcast.net). All papers will be considered for publication in our series Holy Cross Studies in Patristic Theology and History published annually by Baker Academic.
Please register at your convenience by email to Dr. Bruce Beck at pappaspatristic@comcast.net, with your name, institutional affiliation, address, and phone number. There is a $125 registration fee, which also includes all the meals and breaks during the conference. This fee is payable upon check-in. The registration fee for students is $40.00. The registration fee is waived for those presenting a paper. The conference hotel is the Sheraton of Needham. Shuttle service will be provided between the conference hotel and the campus.
Founded in 2003 by a generous grant from the late Stephen Pappas and his wife Catherine, the goal of the Pappas Patristic Institute is the advancement and promotion of primarily eastern patristic studies and education in the service of the academy and the Church.
