Mor Ephrem Monastery in the Netherlands, with the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God and the statue of the previous archbishop, Mor Julius Jesu Cicek. This article was first published in Dutch in Handelingen. Tijdschrift voor praktische theologie en religiewetenschap, 46 (2019), nr. 1. Many thanks to SyriacPress who arranged for this article to be translated into… Continue reading #36 The Syriac Orthodox Community in the Netherlands
#35 Oriëntaalse christenen in Europa (1970-2020)
Vorige week werd bekend dat de European Research Council mijn voorstel voor een groot onderzoeksproject over de oriëntaals orthodoxe christenen in Europa heeft goedgekeurd en gaat financieren via een ERC Advanced Grant (#ERCAdG). Het project gaat uitgevoerd worden aan de Radbouduniversiteit in Nijmegen, bij de Faculteit der Filosofie, Theology en Religiewetenschappen, in samenwerking met het Instituut… Continue reading #35 Oriëntaalse christenen in Europa (1970-2020)
#34 Rewriting Global Orthodoxy: Oriental Christianity in Europe between 1970 and 2020
Last week, my project Rewriting Global Orthodoxy: Oriental Christianity in Europe between 1970 and 2020, has been granted funding by the European Research Council. This ERC-Advanced project (#ERCAdG) is scheduled to start in October 2019, at Radboud University Nijmegen, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies in cooperation with the Institute of Eastern Christian Studies. The… Continue reading #34 Rewriting Global Orthodoxy: Oriental Christianity in Europe between 1970 and 2020
#33 December readings: Faber, Saadawi, Antoon, Khoury, Werfel
Last week I was mentioning some novels to my students, and promised them to list a few good reads – mostly related in one way or another to Middle-Eastern Christianity, and one rather different one which I will introduce first. This is Michel Faber’s The Book of Strange New Things – his completely believable (and… Continue reading #33 December readings: Faber, Saadawi, Antoon, Khoury, Werfel
#32 Sense and Sadness: Syriac Chant in Aleppo – Tala Jarjour, Oxford 2018
When I came across the announcement of Tala Jarjour’s study of the chanting in Saint George’s parish of the Syriac Orthodox in Aleppo, I hoped that it would provide me with the tools to better understand Syriac Orthodox ecclesiastical music. I had been listening – in churches and monasteries as well as via YouTube –… Continue reading #32 Sense and Sadness: Syriac Chant in Aleppo – Tala Jarjour, Oxford 2018
#31 Teaching Theology in the Middle East
‘La Théologie a-t-elle encore un avenir ?’ Recently (26-28 April, 2018) I participated in a small symposium on the teaching of theology in the Middle East, at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), co-organized by the Faculté Pontificale de Théologie and the Aachen-based Missio, directed by Prof. dr. Harald Suermann. Most of the contributors… Continue reading #31 Teaching Theology in the Middle East
#30 The Arabic Bible in The Journal of Eastern Christian Studies 70, 2018, 1-2
Proud to announce the first issue of the 70th volume of The Journal of Eastern Christian Studies. This issue includes five highly interesting and timely articles on the history of the Arabic Bible in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions of the Middle East, written by Arik Sadan, Juan Pedro Monferrer-Sala, David Thomas, Ute… Continue reading #30 The Arabic Bible in The Journal of Eastern Christian Studies 70, 2018, 1-2
#29 Steen op tafel
In de kerstvakantie bezocht ik de tentoonstelling ‘Jerusalem Stone’ van fotograaf Ad van Denderen in Huis Marseille in Amsterdam. Sommige foto’s lijken vooral documentair, registrerend wat er gebeurt, aan de Israëlisch-Joodse kant en aan de Palestijnse kant van het conflict. Anderen worden abstracte kunstwerken, waarbij nog af te bouwen of alweer verlaten huizen in de… Continue reading #29 Steen op tafel
#28 Armenians in Jerusalem
One of the highlights of a student trip to Jerusalem last summer was a tour through the Armenian compound. I’d been visiting the Armenian St. James Church a number of times, usually when the vespers were sung and the church is open for the general public. This time, with the help of someone within the… Continue reading #28 Armenians in Jerusalem
#27 ‘Voelt u zich meer of minder schuldig?’
Dat was een van de vragen die een studente van de UvA me voorlegde toen ik de tentoonstelling ‘Heden van het slavernijverleden’ in het Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam achter me liet. De vraag bleef aan me knagen, ook nadat ik er in het snelle invullen een ‘niet zo erg’ op had geantwoord. De goed uitgewerkte maar… Continue reading #27 ‘Voelt u zich meer of minder schuldig?’
Globalization, Christianity and the Middle East 