The Church and the Otherness, Institute of Balkan Studies with Center of Thracology “Prof. Alexander Fol”, Sofia, November 8–9, 2023

The purpose of this conference is to emphasize the problem of “otherness” in the context of Church history. In the Bible, the Saviour defines two groups, those “blessed by My Father”, who will inherit the Kingdom prepared for them “since the creation of the world” (Matt. 25: 34-40), and the “cursed”, who will be sent to “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25: 41-46). The Lord reveals himself only to “the pure in heart” (Matt. 5:8).

Besides the identification of otherness, the Church prescribes the recipe for the birth of the “new” man: repentance. According to the ecclesiastic philosophers, the difference between righteous and sinners (between “us” and “them”) has been established according to the divine design of Creation.

The aim of this conference is to bring together researchers with common interests in a discussion on several leading questions: where are the categories “us” and “them” situated; who are the “others”; how is their image constructed. The international conference is open to specialists from different fields: historians, culturologists, theologians, art historians, archivists, philologists, philosophers, etc. The conference will be held in Sofia (Bulgaria) on 8-9 November 2023. Online participation will be very welcomed.

Main topics:

• Theological contributions to “otherness”
• Heretics and the Church
• The problem of the primacy of bishops
• The Crusades and the Church
• Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants
• Christianity vs. other religions
• New religious movements
• Church politics, ethnophyletism and the problem of identity.