Media Library

Episode 4: Vera Shevzov (July 2020)

The Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University is delighted to present the third episode of its webinar series highlighting the scholarly insights and academic careers of female scholars whose research and writing explore some facet of the history, thought, or culture of Orthodox Christianity.

This episode features an interview with Vera Shevzov, Professor of Religion and Director of the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Program at Smith College. Trained in Russian history at Yale University, where she received her bachelor’s and Ph.D., as well as at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, where she received her M.Div, she has published on a wide range of topics related to Orthodox Christianity in modern, Soviet, and post-Soviet Russia. Supported at various stages by the American Academy of Religion, the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Mellon Foundation, her publications have engaged lived religion and religious thought and their interface with: history, liturgy, and sacred memory; notions of “the West;” revolution and visual violence; the culture of icons; and the image of Mary.

Her book, Russian Orthodoxy on the Eve of Revolution (Oxford University Press), was awarded the Elizabeth D. Brewer Prize of the American Society of Church History. Most recently, she co-edited a volume of essays on Mary in modern, Revolutionary, and Post-Soviet Russian culture. She is a former co-chair of the steering committing for the Eastern Orthodox Studies unit of the American Academy of Religion, and is currently co-editor of the Journal of Orthodox Christian Studies (Johns Hopkins University Press). This past year, she was a fellow at the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University.

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Women Scholars of Orthodox Christianity

Episode 3: Dame Averil Cameron (June 2020)

The Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University is delighted to present the third episode of its webinar series highlighting the scholarly insights and academic careers of female scholars whose research and writing explore some facet of the history, thought, or culture of Orthodox Christianity.

This episode features an interview with Dame Averil Cameron. Dame Averil is one of the world’s most accomplished scholars of late antiquity and Byzantium, with major contributions to our understanding of early Christian historical writing, devotion to the Theotokos, and the intersection of Christianity with the Roman Empire. While teaching at Kings College London  from 1965 until 1994, she founded the Centre for Hellenic Studies and served as the editor for the Journal of Roman Studies. In 1994, she was elected warden of Keble College, Oxford, a position she held until her retirement in 2010. She is the author or editor of more than twenty books and, among her many honors, she was named “Commander of the Order of the British Empire” in 1999 and “Dame Commander” in 2006. She has recently written on contemporary appeals to the Byzantine heritage and the concept of orthodoxy in Byzantium. Her most recent book is Byzantine Christianity: A Very Brief History (SPCK, 2017).

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Women Scholars of Orthodox Christianity

Episode 2: Nadieszda Kizenko (June 2020)

The Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University continues its webinar series highlighting the scholarly insights and academic careers of female scholars whose research and writing explore some facet of the history, thought, or culture of Orthodox Christianity.

This episode features an interview with Dr. Nadieszda Kizenko, Professor of History at the State University of New York at Albany. Dr. Kizenko specializes in Russian history with a focus on religion and culture. Her work has explored topics such as the history of Orthodox Christianity, saints’ lives as a historical source, lived religion, political liturgy, women’s written confessions, and depictions of religion in film. She is interviewed by Center Co-Director Aristotle Papanikolaou.

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Women Scholars of Orthodox Christianity

Episode 1: Susan Ashbrook Harvey (May 2020)

The Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University is delighted to introduce a webinar series highlighting the scholarly insights and academic careers of female scholars whose research and writing explore some facet of the history, thought, or culture of Orthodox Christianity.

Susan Ashbrook Harvey, PhD, is the Willard Prescott and Annie McClelland Smith Professor of History and Religion at Brown University. Dr. Harvey specializes in late antique and Byzantine Christianity, with Syriac studies as her particular focus. She has published widely on topics relating to asceticism, hagiography, women and gender, hymnography, homiletics, and piety in late antique Christianity.

 

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"Science and Orthodoxy around the World"

Interview with Prof. Aristotle Papanikolaou

Interview with Center Co-Director Dr. Aristotle Papanikolaou for the project "Science and Orthodoxy around the World," by Eudoxie Delli & Nikos Livanos, Institute of Historical Research, National Greek Research Foundation 2016-2019.

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Augustine and the Orthodox: The "West" in the East

Webinar featuring OCSC Co-Director Professor George E. Demacopoulos | Feast of St. Augustine | June 15th, 2020

Sponsored by the St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine & the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine (FL)

The St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine, located in Saint Augustine, Florida is delighted to present its inaugural webinar, a presentation by Dr. George Demacopoulos entitled “Augustine and the Orthodox: The ‘West’ in the East,” on Monday, June 15, the Feast of Saint Augustine of Hippo. The webinar is part of a dual observance shared between the Saint Photios Shrine and Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Augustine. Both Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics celebrate the memory of the prolific theologian of the fourth century, Saint Augustine of Hippo, though on different days. His legacy in Eastern and Western Christian traditions is markedly different.

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Contemporary Easter Orthodox Identity and the Challenges of Pluralism and Sexual Diversity in a Secular Age

Residential Conference, University of Oxford, August 2019

In August 2019, with support from the British Council, the Fordham-Exeter Bridging Voices project on "Contemporary Eastern Orthodox Identity and the Challenges of Pluralism and Sexual Diversity in a Secular Age" gathered fifty scholars from across the globe at a conference in Oxford.

Watch a short video introduction to the Oxford conference.

 

 

Watch a longer video featuring participants' reflections on the conference.

 

 

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The Face of God: The Orthodox Church on Climate Change

2019 Documentary Film

Interview with OCSC Co-Directors George E. Demacopoulos & Aristotle Papanikolaou

An interview clip with theologians, Aristotle Papanikolaou and George E. Demacopoulos, regarding an Orthodox response to the environment and the leadership in this field of His All-holiness, The Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew.

 

 

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The Future of Orthodox Christianity in Ukraine

December 4, 2018 
Georgetown University

A co-sponsored event of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center (Fordham University) & the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs

In October of 2018, the Orthodox Church’s Istanbul-based leader, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, announced that he will grant autocephaly (independence) to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has been under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church. As religious tensions between the newly established Kiev Patriarchate and the Moscow Patriarchate develop, the future of the Orthodox Church remains uncertain. Panelists will discuss the political, theological, historical, and geopolitical dimensions of these recent events in their commentary, as they assess the current status and future opportunities for the church in Ukraine.

 

 

Featuring Center Co-Directors George Demacopoulos and Aristotle Papanikolaou 
Also featuring: 
José Casanova, Georgetown University 
Shaun Casey, Georgetown University 
Nadieszda Kizenko, SUNY Albany

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Presenting Byzantium in the Modern World

2018 Orthodoxy in America Lecture

Presented by
Helen Evans, Ph.D.
Mary and Michael Jaharis Curator of Byzantine Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Today, as the study of the past is questioned, it is critical to consider ways to present Byzantium so that the relevance of its art, religion, and culture are recognized in the modern world. Exhibitions using the visual voice of the empire and its related cultures can demonstrate the inaccuracy of Edward Gibbon’s long-lasting, negative definition of the state. This talk considers modern presentations of Byzantine art with special emphasis on American contributions to effectively defining the lasting importance of the empire the Romans ruled from Constantinople from 330 to 1453.

 

 

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Women of the Church: Faith, Service, and Leadership

On October 9, 2018, the OCSC assembled a panel of accomplished Orthodox women to discuss the challenges and opportunities for women within the Orthodox Christian community. They responded with reflections on the nature of Christian vocation, candid notes of frustration, and anecdotes offering hope for the flourishing of women's gifts and talents for the Orthodox community.

 

 

Featuring:
Donna Rizk Asdourian, Ph.D.
Fellow, Orthodox Christian Studies Center, Fordham University

Ann Bezzerides, Ph.D.
Director of the Office of Vocation and Ministry
Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology

Tamara Grdzelidze, D.Phil., Ph.D.
Ambassador of the Republic of Georgia to the Holy See (Vatican)

Sister Vassa Larin, Ph.D.
Coffee with Sr. Vassa (Podcast)
Member, Commissions of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church (Liturgy and Church Art; Canon Law)

Moderated by Patricia Fann Bouteneff, D.Phil.
Director, Pan-Orthodox Women’s Network

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The Church for Academia: Bridging Scholarship with Ecclesiastical Life
Oriental Orthodox Studies Seminar Day

On April 10, 2018, Research Fellow Donna Rizk, Ph.D. moderated a panel of Oriental Orthodox (Armenian, Syrian, and Coptic) bishops to discover the ways to engage scholarship with the Church. The gulf between academia and the life of the average lay person often remains wide; formative study and the Church many times are perceived as two distinct worlds that should not and cannot merge. However, the academy and the Church can each contribute towards the others enrichment and growth.

Watch video of "The Church for Academia".

 

 

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"Religion in America through Orthodox Eyes: The Travelogue of a Nineteenth-Century Russian Orthodox Thinker"

The 2016 Annual Orthodoxy in America Lecture
Presented by Vera Shevzov, Professor of Religion, Smith College

Watch Professor Shevzov's lecture.

 

 

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Interview with Ancient Faith Radio on "Tradition, Secularization, Fundamentalism"

On May 20, 2016, George Demacopoulos and Aristotle Papanikolaou were interviewed by Bobby Maddex of Ancient Faith Radio about the Patterson Triennial Conference on "Tradition, Secularization, Fundamentalism."

Listen to the interview.

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Panel: "Divorce and Remarriage: Explorations in Faith"

On March 7, 2016, the Orthodox Christian Studies Center hosted an interreligious panel discussion on divorce and marriage.

Read about the panel and listen to the discussion on the Fordham News site.

 

 

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Installation of Father John Meyendorff and Patterson Family Chair of Orthodox Christian Studies

On October 5, 2015, George Demacopoulos was installed as the inaugural Father John Meyendorff and Patterson Family Chair of Orthodox Christian Studies.

Watch a video of the installation ceremony and inaugural lecture, or read the article on the Fordham News site.

 

 

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"The Decisive Importance of Councils in the Life of the Church"

His Eminence Metropolitan Kallistos Ware

On June 26, 2015, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware delivered the keynote address for the "Conference in Preparation for the Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church."

Watch Metropolitan Kallistos' lecture.

 

 

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Panel: "Putin, Religion, and Ukraine"

This panel discussion was made possible through gifts received from the Jaharis Family Foundation, Inc., the Nicholas J. and Anna K. Bouras Foundation, Inc., and donors to the Orthodox Christian Studies Center.

On November 4, 2014, an international panel of experts convened at the Orthodox Christian Studies Center to discuss the complicated role that religion is playing in the tension between Ukraine and Russia, and the way in which religion is being used both to construct and resist a new 'East-West' divide.

For more about the panel, please

Watch "Putin, Religion, and Ukraine."

 

 

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Cambridge Scholar Argues Liturgy's Relevance

2014 Orthodoxy in America Lecture

In Fall 2014, Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, made an argument for the relevance of the liturgy in today's world as part of the Orthodox in America Lecture Series, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate of human letters, honoris causa.

For complete details,

Watch Rowan Williams' ceremony and lecture.

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Sharing the Good News in a Multi-Religious Country: Theological Reflections on Other Religions

Archbishop Anastasios, Primate of Albania

2013-14 Orthodoxy in America Lecture

For more information, you can watch a video of the event. or

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Fordham Installs First Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture

Fordham University and members of the Orthodox Christian community celebrated a milestone on Nov. 18 with the installation of Aristotle Papanikolaou, Ph.D., as Fordham's first Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture.

Watch a video of the event.

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Panel: "Syria in the Crosshairs: Religion, Violence, and the Legacy of Exploitation in the Arab World"

Moderated by George E. Demacopoulos, Professor of Historical Theology
Director and Co-Founder of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center

This event was possible because of support from the Fordham University Office of Alumni Relations, the Deans of the Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Theology.

March 2014 marked three years since the Syrian civil war began. However, as a panel at Fordham University revealed, the cause of the unfettered violence in the region and how the world ought to respond still remain largely unclear.

The panel discussion featured:

• Michael Wahid Hanna, Fellow at the Century Foundation
• Nadieszda Kizenko, Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Albany, State University of New York
• Joseph Massad, Associate Professor of Modern Arab Politics and Intellectual History in the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University
• Christopher Awad, FCRH '14, Orthodox Christian Studies student

Watch a video of the event.

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"The Way of the Pilgrim: How the Orthodox Philokalic Tradition Came to Modern America--And what America Made of it"

2012 Annual Orthodoxy in America Lecture
by Very Rev. John A. McGuckin, Columbia University, and Union Theological Seminary

The Very Rev. John Anthony McGuckin is the Ane Marie and Bent Emil Nielsen Professor in Late Antique and Byzantine Christian History, Union Theological Seminary; Professor of Byzantine Christian Studies, Columbia University; Director, Sophia Institute, the William and Maria Spears International Center for Orthodox Thought and Culture. Rev. McGuckin was introduced by William G. Spears, Chairman and Founder, Spears Abacus.

Watch the video of Fr. McGuckin's Lecture.

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Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Receives Honorary Degree from Fordham University

October 27, 2009

The Spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians visits with students and bestows his blessing upon Fordham's Orthodox Christian Studies Program.

• View pictures of the ceremony
• View the degree Ceremony

 

 

• View the Patriarch's address