In January 2023, Associate Professor Doru Costache, the AIOCS Founding Director, participated in two major academic events of the Orthodox world, the second conference of the International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA) and the final workshop of the coordinators of the eight interdisciplinary groups of Science and Orthodoxy around the World (SOW), a project running at Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation, Greece.
The IOTA conference took place in Volos, from 11-15 January, being attended by over four hundred participants, with more than three hundred presentations being scheduled in ninety or so parallel sessions. The parallel sessions included regular papers, as well as panel discussions and book reviews. Costache presented for the session “Natural Theology and the Orthodox Tradition,” of IOTA’s Philosophy of Religion Group, a session chaired by Professor Richard Swinburne, as well as for the panel “Church and the Pandemic,” a plenary session chaired by Professor Gayle Woloschak. He also gave the paper “Towards a Scientifically Engaged Theology: Traditionally Anchored Methodological Considerations” for the session “Old Dogmatic Wine in New Hermeneutical Wineskins” of Dogmatic Theology Group, a session chaired by Professor Paul Ladouceur.
Here are photos from the three sessions:
L2R: Doru Costache, Christopher Knight, Antonios Kaldas, Richard Swinburne, David Bradshaw
Doru Costache. Photo courtesy of IOTA (iota-web.org)
L2R: Alexei Krindatch, Vasilios Thermos, Hermina Nedelescu, Christopher Knight, Doru Costache, Gayle Woloschak
L2R: Nikolaos Loudovikos, Mikonja Knezevic, Paul Ladouceur, Peter Bouteneff, Doru Costache
And here are the video recordings of his contributions:
The conference was attended by a large contingent of lecturers from Saint Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College, with which Costache cooperates since 2017. Here is a snapshot of several St Cyril’s participants:
L2R: Anthony St Shenouda, Michael Ibrahim, Doru Costache, Daniel Fanous, Samuel Kaldas
The Athens event took place from 16-17 January, gathering academics and researchers from three continents. Costache reported on the work of the “Cosmology” group, which he chaired with Dr Alexei Nesteruk for the last three years. Here are some photos from the workshop and after:
Costache and Nesteruk
L2R: Bruce Seraphim Foltz, Alexei Nesteruk, Doru Costache, Stoyan Tanev, Elizabeth Theokritoff, Gayle Woloschak, Efthymios Nicolaidis, Kostas Tampakis, Eudoxie Delli, Nikos Livanos, Christopher Knight
L2R: Sandy Sakorrafou, Nikos Livanos, Otilia Costache, Gerasimos Merianos, Efthymios Nicolaidis, Doru Costache