Patristic Symposia

With the blessing of our college Dean, His Eminence Archbishop STYLIANOS of Australia, the Eighth Patristic Symposium took place at St Andrew’s from 24-25 August. The theme of this year’s Symposium was ‘Saint Irenaeus of Lyons: History, Theology & Significance of the Apologists’, and was organised by Professor James Harrison (Director of Research, Sydney College of Divinity) and Dr Philip Kariatlis (Academic Director and Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology, St Andrew’s).

On 23-24 September 2016, Professor James Harrison (Director of Research, Sydney College of Divinity), Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache (Senior Lecturer in Patristic Studies, St Andrew's), Dr Adam G. Cooper (Senior Lecturer, John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family), and Dr Mario Baghos (Lecturer in Church History, St Andrew’s) convened the Seventh St Andrew's Patristic Symposium. Featuring keynote speakers Professor Pauline Allen and Dr Wendy Mayer, from the Centre for Early Christian Studies at the Australian Catholic University (Brisbane QLD), the Symposium offered insightful presentations on the Church Father from scholars in a broad range of disciplines. These contributed to an intricate portrait of the saint as a great theologian, exegete, shepherd, preacher, and humanist.

On 26-27 September 2014, the Very Revd Dr Doru Costache (Senior Lecturer in Patristic Studies, St Andrew's) and Dr Adam G. Cooper (Senior Lecturer, John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family), convened St Andrew's Sixth Patristic Symposium, 'From Alexandria to Cappadocia and Back Again'. Featuring keynote speakers Professor Paul M. Blowers (Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Tennessee, USA) and Dr Bronwen Neil, FAHA (Assistant Director of the Centre for Early Christian Studies, ACU, Brisbane), the symposium primarily explored the connections between the Alexandrian and the Cappadocian traditions in Late Antiquity, more precisely the ways in which the two centres influenced each other. The symposium also offered a range of insightful presentations on the Alexandrian and Cappadocian traditions and their representatives along with other relevant figures and themes.

Convened by the Very Revd Dr Doru Costache and Dr Philip Kariatlis, St Andrew's Patristic Symposium on St Cyril of Alexandria, which was held on the 20-21 September, 2013 at the Theological College, was a huge success. Opened by His Grace Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis with prayer and introductory remarks Keynote speakers Professor Pauline Allen FAHA (Director of the Centre for Early Christian Studies, ACU Brisbane, QLD) and Professor David Bradshaw (Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Philosophy Department at the University of Kentucky, Lexington KY, USA).

Officially opened by His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos of Australia and college dean on 31 August 2011, the symposium was convened every Wednesday subsequently for five weeks finishing on 28 September 2011. The theme of this year’s Symposium was ‘St Gregory of Nyssa’, and was convened by the Very Revd Dr Doru Costache and Dr Philip Kariatlis (Academic Director and Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology, St Andrew’s). Gifted scholars from amongst both the faculty of St Andrew’s and the broader academic community were given the opportunity to contribute fresh insights into Nyssen’s thought and legacy. The keynote papers were delivered by Dr Anna M. Silvas FAHA (UNE, Armidale NSW) and Dr Bronwen Neil (ACU, Brisbane QLD).

St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College, a member institute of the Sydney College of Divinity (SCD), hosted for the second year in a row a patristic symposium. Beginning on September 1 2010, the symposium was convened every Wednesday subsequently for five weeks finishing on the 6 October 2010. The Symposium was inaugurated on Wednesday 1 September, by the first keynote paper, offered by the College’s Dean, His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos of Australia, who addressed various aspects pertaining to the personality of the great “ecumenical teacher” under the title Spiritual Portrait of St Gregory the Theologian.

With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos, our College Dean, a group of full-time lecturers and other staff members of the Faculty of St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College (a Member Institute of the Sydney College of Divinity) held a series of meetings nearing the end of 2008. The purpose of these was to analyse the current state of the College and to come up with a strategy for the College's improvement in the various aspects of its life, namely, the scholarly, missionary, pastoral and the spiritually formative. More specifically, one of the outcomes of these meetings was the idea of organising a series of public lectures, on an academic level, with the intention of offering – to a broader audience than our students and alumni – glimpses of the Faculty’s scholarly standing and research interests. Given the ecclesial and traditional character of our College, it was only natural that the area in which the Faculty could genuinely and originally contribute would be the field of Patristics (the study of the Holy Fathers, their meaning and legacy). After careful consideration His Eminence decided – at the proposal of the aforementioned group – that the inaugural St Andrew’s Patristic Symposium 2009 be dedicated to the personality and perennial significance of St Basil the Great, the renowned Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia (d. 379).