CALL FOR PAPERS
The Desire for Perfection in Late Antique Christianity
Martyrs, Ascetics, and Ordinary Christians
Throughout Late Antiquity, the pursuit of perfection was a lasting aspiration. While Christian writers devoted themselves to exploring and defining this elusive ideal, their ideas permeated among simple believers. These guides suggested and nuanced various practical exercises that encompassed both personal and communal aspects of life, leading to diverse paths for pursuing perfection, ranging from extreme to ordinary approaches. No wonder, then, that Christians in Late Antiquity, as portrayed in written sources, consistently endeavored to harmonize their lives with the divine ideal, be it through solitary asceticism in the desert or by embracing an ordinary life in the city.
In view of this, the workshop aims to explore the following questions:
- How do early Christian authors articulate the ideal of perfection in their works?
- What is the ideal level of perfection expected of Christians? How are martyrdom and asceticism portrayed as unique paths towards attaining perfection?
- How can ordinary Christians strive for this ideal in their daily lives? How is it nuanced for simple believers?
For the 2024 Oxford Patristics Conference (August 5–9, 2024), we are soliciting papers for a workshop (two afternoon sessions) on the discourse of Perfection in Late Antique Christianity.
Possible research fields: Monasticism, Homiletics, Treatises.
In addition to Greek and Latin traditions, the organizers welcome papers that explore sources from Christian communities and languages that have been historically underrepresented (e.g. Armenian, Coptic, Geʽez, Georgian, Syriac). The timeframe of interest encompasses Late Antiquity in a broad sense. We particularly welcome proposals from junior scholars.
After the conference, the organizers will consider publishing the papers presented during the workshop. In that event, it is important to note that being accepted to present at the workshop does not guarantee acceptance for publication.
Abstract Submission Deadline is July 31, 2023. Please send an abstract of max. 250 words with a title and contact information (email and surface mail address) to perfection.oxford2024@gmail.com. The organizers will review submissions and notify applicants of decisions by August 07, 2023. If your proposal is not accepted to this workshop, you may still submit it through the general submission portal for a short communication.
Individual abstracts, which have been selected, are still required to be submitted by the invited participants by August 31, 2023, using the Oxford submission system, but they must be connected to this workshop (note that the submission portal refers to workshops as "symposia").
The steering committee will also submit a separate proposal outlining the rationale, speakers, and paper titles for the entire workshop. By October 31, 2023, the conference organizers will inform us whether or not the workshop has been accepted.
This workshop is organized in cooperation with the KU Leuven.
Co-organizers: Prof. Peter Gemeinhardt (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen); Johanna Jürgens (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen); Prof. Johan Leemans (KU Leuven); Laura Mariotti (KU Leuven); Aashu Alexander Mattackal (KU Leuven).