The international conference “The Beginnings of Christianity in Romania” brought together theologians, historians, and archaeologists from Romania and Germany in Bucharest.
One goal was to raise awareness in the West about the antiquity and uniqueness of Christianity in Romania.
The conference, which took place at the patriarchal palace on September 16-17, focused mainly on Scythia Minor. Discussions included an interdisciplinary examination of early Christian basilicas, funeral rites, and martyr crypts.
Their Perspective on Our World
“Our region of Dobruja, known as Scythia Minor, is a beautiful territory with a remarkable array of early Christian basilicas that we aim to present to the West. Our goal is for researchers from different historical contexts to engage with our history and share how they perceive our world and history,” said Rev. Professor Daniel Benga from Munich, one of the event’s organizers, speaking to Trinitas TV.
“The ultimate goal of the conference is to publish a volume that will make the beginnings of Christianity in Romania known.”
“Another aim is to bring together multiple perspectives, as a lot of detailed work has been done. For instance, someone conducts archaeological digs in one place, while another researches literary sources, and yet another performs anthropological analyses on the discovered relics.”
“All these elements are brought together in dialogue, from which we hope to reconstruct the life of the early Christians, the veneration of the first martyrs in our country, and the first monastic settlements and monasteries that have been archaeologically discovered in Dobruja,” detailed Father Daniel Benga.
The conference was organized in partnership with several German theology faculties and the “Justinian Patriarch” Orthodox Theology Faculty of the University of Bucharest. Renowned specialists from Germany and the German-speaking world, as well as professors from the Bucharest Theology Faculty, participated.
Internationalization of the Bucharest Theology Faculty
“The event highlights the openness of the Bucharest Theology Faculty and supports our internationalization strategy,” explained the institution’s dean, Father Cosmin Pricop.
“An internationalization effort aimed at connecting the professors and teaching staff of the Bucharest Theology Faculty with European academic discourse and that presented by the leading experts today.”
On Tuesday, the Patriarch of Romania received the conference participants at the patriarchal residence.
After the event, guests will visit key archaeological sites in the Dobruja region.
Photo: Lumina Newspaper
Source: basilica.ro
