International Scientific Conference “The Church in the Age of the Holy Emperor Constantine the Great”
May 25, 2013
Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the University of Belgrade is hosting a two day International Scientific Conference “The Church in the Age of the Holy Emperor Constantine the Great”. It was solemnly opened on the Feast day of the Holy brothers, equal-to-the-apostles, Sts Methodius and Cyril, the illuminators of Slavs. The official beginning of the Conference was preceded by the celebration of the Holy Liturgy in the Faculty chapel dedicated to Saint John the Theologian, which was presided by His Eminence Kyr Antony (Pakanych), Metropolitan of Boryspil, Rector of the Kiev Orthodox Theological Academy (Ukraine), and concelebrated by His Grace Kyr Ambrose (Ermakov), the Right Reverend Bishop of Petergof, Rector of the St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy (Russia), together with a large number of presbyters and deacons, conference participants, Faculty professors and students.
The Conference officially started with the opening remarks of the Faculty Dean, protopresbyter-staurophoros Predrag Puzovič, Th.D., delivered in the Faculty grand amphitheatre, followed by the inspiring words of His Eminence Kyr Antony (Pakanych), Metropolitan of Boryspil, His Grace Kyr Ambrose (Ermakov), the Right Reverend Bishop of Petergof, Dr. Sc. Jure Zečević, professor of the Catholic Faculty of Theology of the University of Zagreb (Croatia), and His Excellency Monsignor Orlando Antonini, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Serbia.
The first day Conference program was divided into two sessions and the following lectures were delivered:
1. Antony (Pakanych), Metropolitan of Boryspil, The Edict of Milan in the Research of Russian Church Historians;
2. Ambrose (Ermakov), Bishop of Petergof, The Edict of Milan in the Research of Russian Church Historians;
3. Radomir Popović, Th.D., Constantine and Licinius – Co-rulers and Adversaries;
4. Ivan Ivanov, Ph.D., Liturgy and Prayer of the Ancient Church in the Era of Emperor Constantine the Great;
5. Dr. Ioannis Panagiotopoulos, The Making of the New Monarchy;
6. Dr. Sc. Ivan Bodrožić, Constantine’s Notion of Faith and Religious Freedom According to Lactantius’ work De mortibus persecutorum;
7. Richard Schneider, M.Phil., Constantine Without Eusebius: the Church policy of his actions -- laws, coins, buildings, etc. -- and the consequences for Orthodox Ecclesiology;
8. Ivica Čairović, Th.M., Constantine’s Conversion as a Paradigm of the Baptism of Anglo-Saxon kings in the 7th Century;
9. Goran Janićijević, MA, Constantine the Great and the Church – an artifact based interpretation of the phenomenon;
10. Dragomir Sando, Th.D., Church Catechesis in the IV Century.
Finally, at the very conclusion of this part of the Conference, protopresbyter-staurophoros Radomir Popović, Th.D., and Mr. Goran Janićijević, MA, officially opened the exhibition Constantine’s Heritage in Serbia displaying the art work of the students of the Serbian Orthodox Church Academy for Arts and Conservation. The exhibition was organized to coincide with the Conference and hosted by the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the University of Belgrade.
Saturday, May 25, 2013, saw the second day of the Conference “The Church in the Age of the Holy Emperor Constantine the Great”. The official sessions were preceded by the celebration of the Holy Liturgy in the Faculty chapel.
The second day program was divided into two sessions. First session included the following lectures:
1. Radivoj Radić, Ph.D., Constantine the Great and the Constantines (several examples);
2. Vladislav Puzović, Th.D., Constantine the Great and the Edict of Milan in Serbian Historiography;
3. Dr. Sc. Anto Barišić, Religious Policy of Constantine and After the Council of Nicaea of 325 AD;
4. Presbyter Konstantin Kostromin, Context of the Idea of the Medieval Sacred Imperial Universe;
5. Boris Stojkovski, M.Phil., Roman Catholic Hagiographies of the Holy Emperor Constantine and Empress Helen;
6. Dr. Sc. Jure Zečević, The Edict of Milan Within the Context of Church Unity and Social Coexistence in its Own Time and Today;
7. Dr. Sc. Slavko Slišković, Constantine and the Church. Freedom or Slavery?
After the first session was concluded, agreements on academic cooperation were signed by protopresbyter-staurophoros Predrag Puzovič, Th.D., Dean of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the University of Belgrade, on one side, and His Grace Kyr Ambrose (Ermakov), the Right Reverend Bishop of Petergof, Rector of the St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy (Russia), and His Eminence Kyr Antony (Pakanych), Metropolitan of Boryspil, Rector of the Kiev Orthodox Theological Academy (Ukraine), on the other. This was followed by a confirmation of an earlier signed convention on academic cooperation between the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the University of Belgrade and the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. Speeches underscoring the great significance of these agreements were then delivered by His Grace Kyr Irinej, Th.D., the Right Reverend Bishop of Bačka and professor of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the University of Belgrade, His Eminence Kyr Antony, Metropolitan of Boryspil, His Grace Kyr Ambrose (Ermakov), Bishop of Petergof, Most Rev. Enrico dal Covolo, S.D.B., Rector Magnificus of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, and protopresbyter-staurophoros Predrag Puzovič, Th.D., Dean of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the University of Belgrade.
The second session of the Conference included the following lectures:
1. Most Rev. Enrico dal Covolo, S.D.B., Historical-Religious Etiology of the So-called “Constantine Shift”;
2. Mirko Sajlović, Th.D., Emperor Constantine in the Eyes of the Church;
3. Dragan Ašković, D.M.A., Constantine’s Capital City and its Advantages in the Creation and Development of Byzantine Musical Tradition;
4. Zoran Devrnja, Th.M., The Two Constantine’s Councils (Arles 314 AD – Nicaea 325 AD).
Immediately upon the conclusion of the second session protopresbyter-staurophoros Radomir Popović, Th.D., Faculty professor and president of the Conference Organizing Committee, delivered the closing remarks highlighting the significance of this Conference as a contribution of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the University of Belgrade, as its highest educational institution, to the solemn marking of the 1700th centenary of the Edict of Milan. Professor Popović concluded that the publication of written versions of the lectures delivered at this Conference would most certainly make an important contribution to the sciences of theology and history.
