Asia-Pacific Early Christian Studies Society

Our Origins

 

At a social gathering of scholars at St. Benet's Hall, Oxford, on Thursday evening 23 August, 2003, during the 14th International Conference of Patristic Studies, the idea was proposed of creating a regional society for scholars, graduate students, and other interested people in the countries of the western Pacific rim involved in early Christian and late antique studies, along the lines of the North American Patristics Society (NAPS) and the Canadian Society for Patristic Studies (CSPS). This grew out of the informal interactions that have taken place between some Japanese and Australian scholars over the previous several years. The idea of a society designed to advance research and teaching in these fields in these countries and to promote international co-operation and collaboration among scholars of the region was welcomed warmly by the Japanese, Australian, and other international guests of the evening social event. The society would be open to others from throughout the rest of the world.

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A small steering committee of scholars from Australia and Japan formed itself to turn this idea into a practical reality by organizing the inaugural conference for Tokyo in September 2004. During that conference discussions were held to see whether the establishing of such a society as an ongoing concern was viable. We were guided and driven by the vision and enthusiasm of Prof. Shinro Kato of Japan and Prof. Pauline Allen of Australia. The positive response to the conference saw the formation of Western Pacific Rim Patristics Society (WPRPS). The idea was to hold a conference in one of the countries included in the western Pacific rim each year (except for years when the International Association of Patristic Studies met in Oxford for its quadrennial conference) to provide a forum for those interested in early Christian and late antique studies throughout the region.

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In 2009 we decided on a name change from Western Pacific Rim Patristics Society to Asia-Pacific Early Christian Studies Society (APECSS). This was to reflect more accurately the scope of the group as integrating both New Testament and patristics scholars.

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