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
