“THE LIVING SPIRIT OF NICAEA”
A Symposium Commemorating the 1700th Anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council (325 AD)
St Athanasius College is honoured to host a landmark symposium marking 1700 years since the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325 AD)—a pivotal moment in the history of Christianity. The Council of Nicaea played a foundational role in defining Christian belief, discipline, and practice, establishing the Nicene Creed as a unifying expression of faith across Christian traditions. This event offers an opportunity to reflect on the enduring significance of the Council in today's world and offers a unique opportunity to celebrate the common faith that continues to unite Christians across the world.
The symposium will feature a rich program of presentations by 15 national speakers, 3 international speakers, and 2 distinguished keynote speakers:
Prof. Sebastian Brock (University of Oxford)
Prof. Peter Bouteneff (St Vladimir's Seminary, New York)
Speakers will explore the legacy of Nicaea from a variety of perspectives—historical, theological, liturgical, iconographic, as well as social and contemporary issues.
Event Details:
Date: 20–22 June 2025
Format:
Friday 20 June & Sunday 22 June: Fully online presentations
Saturday 21 June: In-person presentations at SACs city campus at 279 La Trobe St. (live-streamed for online participants)
If you have any questions about this event, please email the organisers at nicaea@sac.edu.au.
Prof. Sebastian Brock is the foremost academic in the field of Syriac Studies, and is Emeritus Reader in Syriac Studies at Oxford University, a Fellow of the British Academy, and universally, a respected scholar, teacher, and much loved 'father' of Syriac Studies. He is also one of the most prominent scholars in the wider field of Aramaic Studies and the author of countless publications on Classical Syriac language, literature and history. He remains a popular speaker on Syriac Christianity.
Prof. Peter Bouteneff is a Professor of Systematic Theology at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and the Kulik Professor of Sacred Arts. His extensive career includes significant contributions to theological dialogue, particularly with the World Council of Churches. He has authored several acclaimed books and is the co-founder of the Arvo Pärt Project, in addition to directing the Institute of Sacred Arts that fosters the intersection of theology and culture.
Symposium Schedule:
Friday 20 June (6:15pm - 8:30pm): Completely online via zoom.
Saturday 21 June (9:15am - 6pm): Papers will be presented in-person at our Melbourne city campus (279 La Trobe St), and will also be broadcast live via zoom.
Sunday 22 June (1:15pm - 4:30pm): Completely online via zoom.
Registration & Payment:
Symposium Program
Friday, 20 June
(Papers presented via zoom. Online attendance only)
6.15pm – 6.30pm: Welcome and introduction
6.30pm: How to Describe the Unprecedented: Translating the Nicene Creed into Syriac
*Prof. Sebastian Brock (keynote) | University of Oxford
7.30pm: “God Made Himself Small Like Us for Our Sake”. The Mystical Reception of Nicene Christology in the Homilies of Macarius
Fr Dr Markos El Makari | St Macarius Monastery Scetis / St Athanasius College, University of Divinity
8.00pm: Nature, Modernity, and Nicaea. Why the Council of Nicaea Matters Today
Fr Dr Antonios Kaldas | St Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College, Sydney College of Divinity
8.30pm: Close
Saturday 21 June
(Papers presented in-person + zoom option for online attendance)
9.15am – 9.30am: Welcome / introduction
9.30am: Enanthropesanta: The Far-Reaching Implications of a Nicene Term
*Prof. Peter Bouteneff (keynote - online) | St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, New York
10.30am: Incarnate and Became Human: The Paschal Mystery in the Coptic Orthodox Nicene Tradition
Fr Alexander Aziz | St Athanasius College, University of Divinity
11.00am: Re-Baptism between Nicaea and the Coptic Tradition
Fr Dr Gregorios Awad | St Athanasius College, University of Divinity
11.30am – 11.45am: Morning tea
11.45am: The Date of Easter
Mina Samy | St Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College, Sydney College of Divinity
12.15pm: Origen’s Legacy in Athanasius’ Christology and Biblical Interpretation
Marco Attia | St Athanasius College, University of Divinity12.45pm: Can the Cappadocians Agree on How to Invoke the Divine Father, Son and Spirit? Consistency within the Rites of the Coptic Orthodox Church
Abraam Mikhail | St Athanasius College, University of Divinity
1.15pm – 2pm: Lunch
2pm: St Athanasius’ Incarnational Theology and his Defence Against Arianism: A Synthesis by Fr Matta al-Miskīn
Dr Wagdy Samir | St Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College, Sydney College of Divinity
2.30pm: “One Lord Jesus Christ”: Creed, Incarnation, and Eucharist in the Copto-Arabic Book of Elucidation
Fr James Nessim | St Athanasius College, University of Divinity
3pm: The Impact of Nicaea on Miaphysite Christology and its Potential to Enhance Orthodoxy's Theology of Margins
Fr Dr Jacob Joseph | St Athanasius College, University of Divinity
3.30pm: In the Shadow of Nicaea: The Nicene Paradigm as both Challenge and Opportunity for the Contemporary Church
Michael Ibrahim | St Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College, Sydney College of Divinity
4pm – 4.15pm: Afternoon tea
4.15pm: “O My Savior, who hath rent Thy raiment?” The Vision of St. Peter of Alexandria and the Reception of the Council of Nicaea in Byzantine Visual Art with Special Emphasis on the Serbian Medieval Lands
Fr Dr Nebojsa Tumara | St Athanasius College, University of Divinity
4.45pm: St Athanasius in Iconographic Memory
Kirollos Kilada | University of Toronto
5.15pm: Reassessing Canon 1 of the First Ecumenical Council: A Theological and Canonical Inquiry into its Relevance for Gender Transition in Cases of Gender Dysphoria
Fr Dr Shenouda Boutros | St Athanasius College, University of Divinity
5.45pm: Close
Sunday 22 June
(Papers presented via zoom. Online attendance only)
1.15pm – 1.30pm: Welcome / introduction
1.30pm: St Antony the Great’s Nicenism
Fr Dr Doru Costache | St Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College, Sydney College of Divinity
2pm: Veiled Voices: Women’s Soft Power in the Nicene-Arian Controversy (318–381 CE)
Dr Katherin Papadopoulos | St Athanasius College, University of Divinity
2.30pm: The Word Made Flesh: The Doctrine and Revelation of the Trinity through the Iconography of Nicaea
Maggie Tawadros | Claremont Graduate University, California
3pm – 3.15pm: Break
3.15pm: Suffering, Psychotherapy, and the Nicene Creed
Ireni Farag | University of Western Sydney / St Athanasius College, University of Divinity
3.45pm: The Veneration of Athanasius in the Writings of Severus of Antioch
Dr Youhanna Youssef | St Athanasius College, University of Divinity / Institut français d'archéologie orientale
4.15pm: Symposium close