Christian Cultures of the Middle East (на английском языке)

Spread of Christianity in the Mediterranean. Early Christianity in its formative period (Apostolic Age). Christianity as religio illicita. Persecutions of Christians in the empire and their aftermath. Acta Martyrum. Christianization of the Eastern Roman empire. Christians and pagans in the fourth and fifth centuries. Formation and development of the Christian doctrine. Ecumenical Councils and their socio-political consequences for the Middle East. Expansion of Christianity in the Central Asia

The City and the Desert–the dichotomy of Egyptian Christianity. The ‘Greek’Christianity of Alexandria. The Catechetical School of Alexandria (Didascalia) and its notable teachers: Clemens, Origen, Peter, Didymus. The emergence of monasticism. Anthony the Great and Pachomius.Anachoresis, eremitic and coenobitic monasticism. Apophthegmata Patrum (Патерики). Monastic literature. The rise of Coptic. Coptic literature. Literary activity of Apa Shenoute. Apa Shenoute’s war on paganism. Coptic hagiography. Ecumenical councils and Egyptian bishops. The aftermath of the Chalcedon (451 CE). Formation of the parallel hierarchy and Formation of the parallel hierarchy in miaphysite community of Egypt. Islamic conquest and emergence of the independent Coptic Church. Coptic community throughout the Middle Ages. Coptic art. Manuscript production. The library of the White Monastery.

Gnosticism: definitions and problems. Sources and scholarship. The Nag- Hammadi Library. Hermetic corpus. Magic and magical texts. Manichaeism. Manichean literature. Manichaeans in the Middle East and Central Asia.

Syriac Studies research field. Classical Syriac and Aramaicspeaking Christianity. Bilingual science and education. The School of Edessa- Nisibis as the first university of the medieval East. The Academy of Gondishapur. Syriac Christianity as a cultural bridge between antiquity and Islamic intellectual thought. Translation activities of Sergius of Reshaina, Qusta ibn Luqa. The House of Wisdom in Baghdad. Syriac historiography. Poetry and hymnography. Mar Aphrem and his influence on medieval hymnography. Narsai, Jacob of Sarugh. The decline of Syriac literary culture and education. Gregory Bar Hebraeus. Syriac (Aramaic) Christian communities in our time. Fine arts and architectur: (Im)Material heritage of the Syriac Christian culture

Caucasus as part of the Greater Middle East. Christianization of the Caucasus. Church architecture of the Caucasus. The art of manuscript illumination. Formation of the written culture of Georgia. Early Georgian literature. The Martyrdom of Shushanik. The Martyrdom of Abo Tbileli. Georgian monasticism. Georgian monasteries in the Middle east. Medieval Georgian historiography and hagiography. The Knight in the Panther's Skin by Shota Rustaveli. Georgian Renaissance of the 16th-17th centuries, Ketevaniani by King Teimuraz. The problem of Caucasian Albania. Decipherment of the Caucasian Albanian script. Political problems in the study of Caucasian Albania. Armenian Christian culture. Formation and development of Armenian writing and culture in the 4th-7th centuries. Medieval Armenian historiography and the emergence of the national and religious identity of Armenians. Poetry and hymnography. Grigor Narekatsi’s literary works.

Arabic-speaking Christian communities in pre-Islamic times. Arab Christians and Islam. How did the Christian Middle East become predominantly Muslim? Syro-Arabic, Copto-Arabic and Melkite traditions. The Crusades and their impact on the Christians in the Middle East. Arabic Christianity in the Ottoman Empire. The role of Christians in the al-Nahda movement. Arabic Christian historiography, hagiography, and hymnography.

Christian population of the Ottoman empire. Genocide of the Christians in the early 20th century and the first mass exodus of Christians from the Middle East. Christians in the Middle East Today. Is there a future for Middle Eastern Christian communities? Culture and art of Christian communities in the Middle East today.