FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2025
Istanbul, Turkey — From April 24–26, 2025, a distinguished gathering of global theologians, scholars, and church leaders convened in Istanbul and Nicaea for a historic academic symposium titled The Council of Nicaea (325 CE): An Academic Symposium of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Officially organized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and generously sponsored by the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Hellenic College Holy Cross, the event offered a unique opportunity to the world’s most eminent scholars and authors of Nicaea to explore and discuss the enduring theological, spiritual, and ecclesiastical legacy of the First Ecumenical Council.
Convened by the symposium’s organizing committee—chaired by Fr. John Chryssavgis in association with Fr. Hieronymos Sotirelis (Ecumenical Patriarchate), Prof. Evangelia Amoiridou (University of Thessaloniki), and Elena Kontogli (Huffington Ecumenical Institute)—the conference commenced on April 24 with an opening address by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and a keynote presentation by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, on Nicaea’s theological and political significance in the light of the work of Erik Peterson.
Throughout five intensive sessions marked by vibrant conversation held at the Marasleios Urban School next to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, speakers addressed central themes of Nicene theology and its contemporary significance. Speakers included:
Prof. John Behr (University of Aberdeen) on the continuity of Trinitarian language before and after Nicaea
Prof. Lewis Ayres (University of Durham and the Angelicum) on the “Christological surplus” of Nicaea
Prof. Frances Young (University of Birmingham) on the term homoousios and the mystery of the Cross
Prof. Paul Blowers (Emmanuel Christian Seminary) on the reception of Nicene theology in Maximus the Confessor
Prof. Alberto Melloni (University of Bologna) on Nicaea’s ecumenical implications
Prof. Uta Heil (University of Vienna) on Psalm 109:3 and Trinitarian controversy
Prof. Samuel Fernández (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile) on the homoousios and divine fatherhood
Prof. Demetrios Bathrellos (Holy Cross School of Theology) on Nicaea’s insights into primacy and conciliarity
Prof. David Hunter (Boston College) on the ecumenical and canonical implications of Canon 8
Prof. Christoph Markschies (Humboldt University of Berlin) on modern Protestant misunderstandings of the Nicaean Creed
Worship and fellowship punctuated the theological dialogue, including Vespers at and a tour of the Phanar, as well as a full-day pilgrimage to sites including Hagia Sophia, Chora Monastery, and Nicaea itself, where the final session of the symposium was held and where the Nicaean Creed was recited over the ruins of the foruth-century church of St. Neophytos.
The symposium fostered deep engagement with the Council’s theological legacy, highlighting its continued relevance for Orthodox theology, ecumenical dialogue, and the Church’s witness in the modern world.
This year, as the Church commemorates the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council, the symposium stands as a milestone event, bridging scholarly rigor, ecclesial reflection, and spiritual renewal.
Papers will be published in due course, while photos and recordings will be shared on the website of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at HCHC.
About the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at HCHC
The Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Hellenic College Holy Cross seeks to facilitate and advance dialogue with other churches and faiths, particularly around theological and ethical, as well as pastoral and practical dimensions of contemporary issues and social challenges of our time. It strives to explore and express the fundamental ethos of the Orthodox Church in open encounters and honest engagement with other confessions and communities.
For further information, contact Elena Kontogli at ekontogli@hchc.edu.