Closing date for proposals 24th February 2014
2014 ISNS Conference (Lisbon, June 16-21)
CFP for the panel: Neoplatonism and Christianity in Byzantium: Dialogue, Appropriation, Refutation
During the Early Byzantine period (4th-7th centuries AD) Platonism, on the one hand, significantly contributed to the development of Christian doctrines and, on the other hand, remained a rival world view that was perceived by Christian thinkers as a serious threat to their own intellectual identity. This problematic relationship was to become even more complex during the following centuries. The Byzantines made numerous attempts to harmonize Neoplatonic doctrines with Christianity as well as to criticize, refute and even condemn them. The panel aims to explore the complexity of the relationship between the Neoplatonic heritage and Christian doctrines in Byzantium. We seek contributions that examine various attempts to integrate (Ps.-Dionysios, Bessarion) and to refute (John Philoponos, Nicholas of Methone) Neoplatonic doctrines throughout the entire Byzantine period (4th to 15th centuries). The panel also welcomes contributions that investigate the relationship between Neoplatonism and Christianity within such Byzantine authors as Michael Psellos and John Italos who do not fit easily into a simplistic scheme of opposition between the two rival world views but require new and more sophisticated methodological approaches.
If you wish to propose a paper, please send your proposal to Sergei Mariev (s.mariev@lmu.de)
All abstracts are due by February 24, 2014. Papers may be presented in English, French, German, Spanish, or Italian.
FMRSI 