Editing, Translating and Interpreting the Greek Fathers in the French-Speaking Regions of Europe (1450–1650), Institut d’histoire de la Réformation (IHR), UNIGE, Geneva, November 3–4, 2022

In the last thirty years, patristic studies have increasingly tackled the renewed use of the Fathers between Humanism and the Reformation. Among others, Irena Backus, long time professor at the IHR, greatly innovated the investigation of the reception of Greek patristics in the West by focusing on the specific context of editions, translations, as well as reinterpretations. The 2022 IHR Fall Seminar plans to pursue further this line of enquiry and examine the early stages of the written circulation of the Greek Fathers, the vast panorama of printed editions and the influence of the editorial process on readers. Stemming from the SNFS Ambizione project The Greek Imprint on Europe, the conference also marks the launch of AGAPE, a new, open-access database mapping Greek patristic editions issued in any language from 1460 to 1600 and describing their contents at both textual and paratextual level.

By favouring an approach that is at once historical, theological and philological, the conference will shed a comparative light on the different editorial projects and production contexts that contributed to the spread of Greek patristic works and to their resignification. The regional and linguistic focus is intended as an encouragement to fill gaps in today’s literature and highlight the permeable boundaries between the diverse confessional milieux which took shape in the period under examination. Special attention will be given to the printers, publishers and translators active in the French-speaking intellectual centres, from Geneva, Lausanne and Neuchâtel to the French Flanders, encompassing Paris, Lyon and other French cities; room will also be made for hubs in the immediate surroundings (e.g., Antwerp, Strasbourg, and Basel).

To define the boundaries of the patristic corpus, we adopt the inclusive list provided by the Clavis Patrum Graecorum, ed. by M. Geerard and J. Noret, 7 vols, Turnhout, 1974-2018. 

Particularly welcomed are case studies and comparative analysis of: 

• the printed Nachleben of single works or Fathers across the religious spectrum and in different languages (Greek, Latin, French, etc.)
• vernacular translations, their features and targets
• issues of pseudepigrapha and contested authorship
• anthologies and collection of texts concerning one or more topics
• the activity of specific publishers, editors, or translators
• paratextual material, scholarly correspondence and treatises, as well as annotated copies shedding light on the reception of one or more editions

This call is open to established and early career scholars as well as PhD candidates. Papers must be delivered in English or French, not exceeding 20 minutes in length.