The interuniversity conference “Occidens Orthodoxus: Latin Christian literature of the first millennium”

November 7, 2023, scientists and students of the Moscow and St. Petersburg Theological Academies, the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Humanitarian University (PSTGU), the National Research University Higher School of Economics and the Institute of World Literature named after M. Gorky of the Russian Academy of Sciences gathered at the Elizabethan Hall of the Moscow Academy of Sciences to take part in «Occidens Orthodoxus: Latin Christian literature of the first millennium» conference. 

It became a playground for presenting current researches in Latin Patrolology. The moderators were Evgeniy Viktorovich Tkachev, a senior lecturer and a researcher at the MThA Department of Theology, and Hierodeacon Grigory (Trofimov), an assistant at the MThA Department of Philology. 

Hegumen Dionisy (Shlenov), Head of the MThA graduate school and Director of the “Patrology and Christian Literature” Master’s program opened the conference by his report on “The Doctrine of the Universal and Particular Church in Western Patristics and Scholasticism”. The report analyzed the usage of Ecclesia universalis and Ecclesia particularis in the works of the Western fathers of the first millennium and later European scholars.

The ecclesiology topic in the works of Latin fathers was continued by Georgy Evgenievich Zakharov, Head of the Department of Systematic Theology and Patrolology (PSTGU), PhD in Historical Sciences in his report “Magnaeecclesiae in the ecclesiology of the Latin fathers at the turn of the IV and V centuries”. It talked about the universal unity of the Church formed in the Latin patristic tradition in the IV and V centuries. The researcher paid special attention to the legacy of the popes from Damasus I to Boniface I, St. Ambrose of Milan and St. Augustine.

The report made by priest Vasily Andronikov, a graduate student (PSTGU) on “The term schisma in the understanding of St. Augustine” raised a lively discussion as the speaker conducted a comparative analysis of the understanding of the schism of St. Basil the Great and St. Augustine, touched upon the topic of dealing with schism by accepting schismatics and heretics in the Church.

Priest Sergius Kim, Associate Professor of the Departments of Theology and Philology at the Moscow Academy of Sciences, gave a report on “The Life of St Martin of Tours in Russian Translation: Problems of Interpretation”.

Maria R. Nenarokova, a leading researcher at the IMLI RAS, Dr. of Philology, closed the morning session with her presentation on “The Idea of ​​Unity and Separation in Beat Liebansky.” The typological interpretation of the Apocalypse concerned numerology, ecclesiology and Christology. Particular attention was paid to the theme of the Holy Spirit in the works of medieval authors.

After a short break, the afternoon session began with a report by Evgeniy Grigorievich Malyuta, an MThA teacher, a junior researcher at the IMLI RAS, on “Semi-legendary enlighteners of Gaul and information about them in the second half of the VI century”.

The report of Alexander V. Karpuk, Master's student of St. Petersburg Theological Academy, “On the question of the biography of Gaius Maria Victorinus” dedicated to an analysis of the life, a social status, religious and philosophical worldview of the Christian Neoplatonist of the III-IV centuries Gaius Maria Victorinus (281/291–382/386), who made a great contribution to the development of Theology in the Christian West.

Deacon Vladislav Yurchenko, an MThA graduate student, made a presentation on “Rule of faith - baptismal questions - declarative confession of religion: on the question of the origin of the ancient Roman Creed.” The speech was based on a profound research in the field of doctrinal formulas, a comparison of various ancient texts and their variations.

Peter Al. Pashkov, a teacher at St’ Tikhon’s Humanitarian Univarsity and a senior researcher at the Orthodox Encyclopedia Center, gave a report on “St. Hilary of Pictavia on the Passion of Christ: possible interpretations and prospects for further research”.

The topic was continued in the report made by Elena S. Marey, Associate Professor at the School of Historical Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, National Research University Higher School of Economics, PhD in Historical Sciences, “The Image of the Cleric in the Works of Valery Berdigensky (late VII Century)”.

The final report “The problem of sources of theological and exegetical material “Morals on Job” by St. Gregory the Great: preliminary observations”” was presented by the conference moderator Hierodeacon Gregory (Trofimov), an assistant at the Philology Department of the Moscow Theological Academy.

At the end of the conference, words of gratitude were said to the organizers and participants and plans for further scientific work were briefly discussed.

MThA Press Office