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Call for Papers

The Asia-Pacific Early Christian Studies Society invites proposals for papers to be delivered at its thirteenth annual conference to be held at Trinity Theological College, Singapore, from Thursday morning, 7 September to Saturday afternoon, 9 September, 2023, convened by Rev. Dr. Leonard Wee with the assistance of Dr. James Lim. Papers are 30 minutes in duration (20 minutes delivery and 10 minutes for discussion). The Society welcomes all proposals that explore any theme relevant to the early Christian world from the New Testament to the end of Late Antiquity, and especially those that focus on this year’s theme: Pluralistic Contexts in Early Christianity.

 

What was it like to live as a Christian in the first few centuries of the Common Era, when Christianity was still a minority movement in the larger Mediterranean world, and especially when there were significant elements of exclusivism in its faith-based claims? With this question in mind, the conference seeks to encourage papers on the strategies evinced in early Christianity for negotiating a pluralistic world, where philosophical ideas, religious claims, politics, and social practices sometimes clashed significantly, or even explosively, with certain Christian tenets. How such strategies were developed between the two poles of fidelity and relevance, and the intra-mural controversies that they generated will also be of interest to the conference. While some of these issues may have been well-explored in the scholarly literature, a fresh look at them is still welcome. In addition, it is hoped that neglected features of this negotiation may be surfaced and henceforth receive due scholarly attention, such as onomastics, marriage practices, and rites of passage..

A 150-word abstract should be sent by 28 February, 2023 to Rev. Dr. Leonard Wee (leonard@ttc.edu.sg) and Assoc. Prof. Geoffrey D. Dunn (gdd62au@hotmail.com) as an attachment. Please indicate in your email what technological requirements you have in terms of Powerpoint and the like. Also see information on Trinity Theological College's website at  APECSS Conference - Trinity Theological College (ttc.edu.sg) Further questions can be addressed to Dr. Wee. Other proposals besides the conference theme are most welcome. Papers are presented in English (or other languages as appropriate). Our practice is that all conference presenters distribute copies of their papers (minus notes) in English to participants to minimise language difficulties. Presenters need to bring their own copies for distribution (typically about 20-30 per session). Registration forms and further details will be available soon on this website shortly. There will be an opportunity for some cultural event in Singapore on the Friday afternoon, before a conference dinner that evening.

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