INSTITUTE FOR STUDIES IN EASTERN CHRISTIANITY
AT UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK
ENGAGING ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY
WITH TODAY'S WORLD
ENGAGING ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY WITH TODAY'S WORLD.
The Institute for Studies in Eastern Christianity (ISEC) of Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, with the blessing of Bishop Jerome (Shaw), is happy to announce the upcoming fall 2024 conference on the theme of
2024 CONFERENCE
HESYCHASM: PHILOSOPHY, PRACTICE AND MODERNITY
HESYCHASM: PHILOSOPHY, PRACTICE AND MODERNITY
Saturday, Dec 14th, 2024
Conference Schedule
All Events via Zoom. We follow Eastern Standard Time (NYC)
Panel Schedule: Virtual James Chapel Main Room, Virtual Stewart Room & Virtual Bonhoeffer Room
8:45 – 10:15: Early Presentation Sections
Panel I: (in Greek): Imageless Prayer, Kenosis and the Iconicity of Hesychasm
Virtual Stewart Room
Ioannis Bekos, The Ecclesiastic Academy of Cyprus
The Challenge to the Self: Kenosis in St. Sophrony the Athonite and Modernity
Marina Dimitriadou, Hellenic Open University
The Influence of Hesychasm on Orthodox Art: The Relationship between the Christology of Gregory Palamas and the Hesychastic Iconography
Andreas P. Zachariou, Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University
Hesychast Method of Prayer: Some Observations on its History and its Use by Nicodemus the Hagiorite and by an Anonymous Monk of the 19th Century
Moderator: Eirini Artemi, Hellenic Open University
Panel II: (in Russian): Cordocentrism and Sacralization in Prayer Pradition
Virtual Bonhoeffer Room
Eutichius Dovgan, ISEC
Welcome Talk
Andrii Bobryk, the Center for the Study of the Heritage of New Martyrs and Confessors of the 20th Century, Kyiv.
Cordocentrism as an Anthropological Integrity in the Teachings of the Syrian Mystics of the 7th and 8th Centuries
Igor Spasskii, Odessa State University
Classical, Neoclassical and Post-Classical Discourse in the Context of Hesychia
Vitaly Ignatiev, Rivne State Humanitarian University
Hesychasm and Philosophy, Contradiction and Synthesis
Moderator: Sergey Trostyanskiy, CCNY
10:15 – 10:30: Commencement: Welcome Talk
Virtual James Chapel Main Room
Blessings from Bishop Jerome (Shaw)
Judith Scott, Conrad Fischer & Eutichius Dovgan: the Results of ISEC’s Reoundables on Hesuchasm
10:30 – 12:00 The Assembly Panel I (in English)
Prayer in the Byzantine World
Virtual James Chapel Main Room
John McGuckin, University of Oxford
Noetic Prayer in the Byzantine Fathers
VK McCarty
General Theological Seminary
Basil’s Irresistible Longing: Ascetical Prayer in Troubling Times
Eirini Artemi
Hellenic Open University
Gregory’s Palamas and Gregory of Nyssa on the Uncreated Divine Light and the Cloud of Darkness
Moderator: Moderator: David Pratt, Georgetown University
12:00 – 12:15: Virtual Coffee Room
Virtual Coffee is Served Virtually
12:15 – 1:45: Midday Presentation Sessions
Breakout Rooms
Panel I (in English): Bible, Philosophy, Neuroscience and Contemplative Prayer
Virtual James Chapel Main Room
Stamenka Emilova-Antonova, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Parallels of Breathing and Prayer Practices in the Early Jewish and Rabbinic Tradition and in the Eastern Christian Tradition
Viktar Niachayeu
University of Göttingen
The Neuroscience of Hesychasm: How Spiritual Practices Shape the Brain
Alina N. Feld
CUNY
Anacarnation: Toward a Philosophy of Breathing or Thinking with the Heart
Moderator: Will Bellamy, UTS
Panel II: (in Greek): Hesychasm and its Adversaries in the 14th Century
Virtual Stewart Room
Ioanis Anastasopoulos, Vatvakeio Gymnasio &
Basiliki Tsouni, The Experimental High School of Athens
The Movement of Hesychasm: The Controversy of Palamas vs Varlaam
Eirini Artemi
Hellenic Open University
Gregory's Palamas and Gregory of Nyssa on the Uncreated Divine Light and the Cloud of Darkness
Moderator: Marina Dimitriadou, Hellenic Open University
Panel III: (in English): Women, Iconography and Christian Formation in the Context of Hesychia
Virtual Bonhoeffer Room
Carrie Frederick Frost, Western Washington University
Women Practitioners and Teachers of Hesychasm?
Julia Yingnan Ji, St. Vladimir’s Seminary
Seek ye Thy Face - A Personal and Communal Journey of Christian Formation
Dumitrița Daniela Filip, National Museum of Union Alba Iulia
Ascetic Monks – Sources of Spiritual Authority in Maramures. A survey of the 18th- early 19th Century Iconographic Program of the Wooden Churches
Moderator: Ted Dedon, Creighton University
Panel IV (in English): Prayer in Spiritual and Cyber Dimensions
Virtual Room 207
Nikolaos Barakos, National and Capodistrian University of Athens
Physical Exercise, Sports and Prayer in Christians’ Lives. A Combination of Biblical References about Physical Exercise and Gregory’s Palamas Ideas for Prayer
Mariia Alexandrovna Podlesnaia, Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS
Supersocial, Social and Artificial Realities as Three Contours of Human Life
Sujit Thomas, Villanova University
The Relationship Between the Three Aspects of the Soul to Contemplation in Hesychios the Priest’s on Watchfulness and Holiness.
Jennifer Anna Rich, Regent College
The Jesus Prayer: Becoming Still in a World of Anxiety
Moderator: Judith Scott, UTS
1:45 – 2:00: Virtual Coffee Room
Virtual Cookies are Served Virtually
2:00 – 3:30: The Assembly Panel II: (in English)
Spiritual, Moral and Medicinal Aspects of Prayer
Virtual James Chapel Main Room
Conrad Fischer
Touro University
Evagrius On Prayer as an Unexplored Treatment for Depression: What the World Needs Now
David Pratt
Georgetown University
Hesychasm as Moral Theology: Knowledge for Theosis
Alessia Brombin
Sulkhan-Saba Orbelian University Tbilisi Georgia
Hesychast Wisdom in the Modern World: Exploring Catherine de Hueck Doherty's Integration of Orthodox Prayer and Western Spirituality
Moderator: VK McCarty, General Theological Seminary
3:30 – 4:00: Debriefing Meeting and Next Steps:
An open discussion for the Institute
The Conference will be held online on Saturday, Dec 14th, 2024.
Contemplative prayer is one of the key aspects of Christian Orthodoxy. Normally understood as part and parcel of monastic spirituality, the tradition of silent prayer initially known as prayer of the heart or noetic prayer, has recently moved beyond the limits of monastic compounds, thus penetrating social and political spheres of life. It is nowadays practiced by various lay communities all around the globe. Yet, its history was not uncontroversial. This tradition has been often subject to contention. This conference aims to explicate its historical and conceptual underpinnings along with its role in communal well-being.
Peace, tranquility, and calm, both physical and mental, are necessary is centered on eirenic topics. We constantly pray and supplicate for peace. Yet, the real life of human beings is often deprived of peace. Ongoing military clashes, revolutions, rebellions, and civil unrest are common phenomena of our civilization. Hence, peace is not to be easily found on earth.
Once this exterior peace is found, we rejoice. Yet, the exterior calm is only part of the whole blessed life. The enemy can also approach us from within, bypassing the body and infesting the soul through corrupted logoi.
Even the most distinguished spiritual athletes, i.e., the ascetic monks, thus engage in a continuous contest with the corrupted logoi, induced by malignant spiritual powers, to obtain peace. Hence, a dispassionate state, a tranquil and blessed contemplative repose, is the eschatological expectation and hope for us.
Even more to this: as soon as we give up our spiritual contest, as soon as we lose ground, we face spiritual death. The questions of this conference are about the meaning of peace, calm, and tranquility; about the legitimacy of violent response to corrupted societal structures from the Orthodox perspective; about violence in general; about our theological and metaphysical apprehension of peace and war; and about our spiritual contest to achieve true peace and harmony with the neighbor in and through God.
The Rev. Dr. Conrad Fischer
Chair, Institute for Studies in Eastern Christianity (ISEC)
