Thessalia Conference Center, Melissatika (Volos)

May 9-11, 2019

Starting: Thursday, May 9,

at 6.00 p.m.

With simultaneous translation into English!

For Registrations please visit the official website: www.acadimia.org

For more Information please call +302421093553/573 or sent e-mail at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Registration here will be open by May 3, 2019.

On May 9-11, 2019, a conference on the general theme “Figures of Christian Narrative Texts: Theological and Secular Approaches” will take place in Volos (Thessalia Conference Center, Melissiatika), organised by the Volos Academy for Theological Studies. The speakers of the conference will critically examine how biblical and general Christian texts shape and present their narrative characters, but also how the narrative itself leads to the encounter and the dialogue of theology with various disciplines and sciences such as history, hermeneutics, literature, pedagogy, psychology and more.

The conference draws on the wide development of the use of the narrative analysis and criticism in the field of biblical studies and more generally of systematic and philosophical theology since the 80s.

The purpose of the conference is twofold: On the one hand, it aims at highlighting the timeliness, importance and prospects of narrative analysis and criticism for clarifying the theological messages of biblical and general Christian texts, as well as for discovering new theological perspectives. On the other hand, it aims at bringing to a creative dialogue theological and secular approaches of the Christian narrative texts.

Thus, in the various thematic sections of the conference, narrative characters and topics from Old Testament and New Testament texts and from the lives and martyrdom of saints will be analysed on the basis of the narrative analysis, while biblical and generally Christian narrative characters and narrative topics will be examined from the point of view of the literature and its dialogue with theology, ethics, pedagogy (particularly in relation to religious education), psychology or even psychotherapy.

Timetable Program

Thursday May 9, 2019

18.00 Registrations

18.30 - 19.00 Welcome

Session Ι

Moderator: Dr. Pantelis Kalaitzidis , Director, Volos Academy for Theological Studies

19.00 - 19.30 Dr. Christos Karakolis, Professor, Faculty of Theology, University of Athens; Member of the Board of Directors of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies

The “open” history of Nicodemus in the Gospel of John

19.30 - 20.00 Dr. Symeon Paschalidis, President and Professor of the Department of Pastoral and Social Theology of the Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; Director of the Patriarchal Institute of Patristic Studies

Christian faith as dialogue: Models - Functions- Transformations of the dialogical patristic and hagiological texts

20.00 - 20.30 Discussion

20.30 Dinner

Friday May 10

Session ΙΙ

Moderator: Rev. Meletis Meletiadis , Pastor of the Evangelical Church of Volos, Director of the Board of the Greek Biblical Society

9.30 - 10.00 Dr. Myrto Theocharous, Professor of the Greek Biblical College

Biblical Laws as Concentrated Narratives: A Narrative Analysis in the Laws of Deuteronomy

10.00 - 10.30 Dr. John Fotopoulos, Associate Professor, St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana (U.S.A.)

On the Betrayal of Judas : John Chrysostom and Narrative Analysis

10.30 - 11.00 Dr. Aikaterini Tsalampouni, Associate Professor, Faculty of Theology, University of Thessaloniki; Member of the Board of Directors of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies

Judas, the slave and deceit: Narrative function, collective memory and the intake of his death

11.00 - 11.45 Discussion

11.45 - 12.15 Coffee Break

Session III

Moderator: Dr. Gregory Stournaras , Archeologist

12.15 - 12.45 Dr. Dimitrios Moschos, Associate Professor, Faculty of Theology, University of Athens; Member of the Board of Directors of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies

Contesting teachings on anthropology and history in narratives of the
ascetic literature

12.45-13.15 Dr. Fotis Vassiliou, Assistant Professor of the Department of History, Ionian University

Women's heroism and holiness in the Byzantine popular stories

13.15 - 13.45 Discussion

13.45 - 15.00 Lunch

Session IV

Moderator: Dr. Nikolaos Asproulis , Deputy Director of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies, Teaching at the Hellenic Open University

15.00-15.30 Dr. Nikos Kouremenos, Research Fellow at the Foundation for Religious Studies (Fscire, Bologna), Academic Associate, Volos Academy for Theological Studies

The conversio regis as a narrative motive for the spread of Christianity during the Late Antiquity

15.30-16.00 Dr. Stavroula Konstantinou, Associate Professor of the Department of History, University of Cyprus

Characters and Narration in the Life of Saint Alexios, the Man of God

16.00 - 16.30 Discussion

Saturday May 11, 2019

Session V

Moderator: Dr. Nikos Kouremenos, Research Fellow at the Foundation for Religious Studies (Fscire, Bologna), Academic Associate, Volos Academy for Theological Studies

9.30 - 10.00 Dionysios Skliris, PhD Sorbonne University

Theology as performace: Making room for ambiguity in our theological narrative.

10.00-10.30 Marios-Kyparissis Moros, PhD candidate, Faculty of Letters, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Cain's sign: a poetic conversation of Zoe Karelli and Melissanthi on Genesis

10.30 - 11.00 Discussion

11.00 - 11.30 Coffee Break

Session VI

Moderator: Fr. Nehme Saliba , MA in Law, PhD Candidate on Islamic-Christian relations, Head member of the Committee for Ecumenical relations of the Movement of the Orthodox Youth (MJO) of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch

11.30 - 12.00 Rev. Evangelos Ganas, Electrical and Mechanical Engineer, Parish Priest St. Meletios, Athens

Gospel and Novel: The Limits of Narrative Theology

12.00 - 12.30 Dr. Pantelis Kalaitzidis, Director, Volos Academy for Theological Studies; Visiting Fellow, KU Leuven; Member of the Executive Committee of the European Academy of Religion

Narrative theology and the quest for dialogue between theology and literature

12.30 - 13.00 Discussion

13.00 - 14.30 Lunch

Session VII

Moderator : Ioanna Georgiadou, Social Clinic Psychologist MSc, Systemic Psychotherapist, PhD Candidate of the University of Thessaly

14.30 - 15.00 Dr. Konstantinos Kornarakis, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Theology, University of Athens

Psychodynamic aspects of forgiveness in ascetic narratives

15.00 - 15.30 Eleni Karagianni, Psychiatrist

Face to face: genuine encounters between human and divine.

15.30 - 16.00 Dr. Dimitris Karagiannis, Child Psychiatrist-Psychotherapist, Director of the Child Psychopathic Health Center

The interaction - the therapeutic touch, the miracle

16.00 - 16.45 Discussion

16.45 - 17.15 Coffee Break

Session VIII

Moderator: Dr. Christos Karakolis, Professor of Theological School of Athens, Member of the Board of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies, President of "Kairos", the Greek Theological Association for the Improvement of the Religious Education

17.15 - 17.45 Dr. Marios Liagis-Koukounaras, Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Theology, University of Athens

Narration and storytelling in the classroom: The role of the person and the community

17.45 -18.15 Apostolos Barlos, MTh, Adult Trainer, Member of the Training Team for Teachers of Religious Education of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies

The Narrative Biblical Texts and Their Teaching at School. An example of a teaching approach to a narrative text based on the Educational Drama technique

18.15 - 18.45 Discussion

19.00 Closing remarks

Sunday May 12, 2019

7.30 - 10.30 Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. Constantine

Timetable progam in pdf format here