The Transmission of Knowledge in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages

Sun, 26/04/2026

The conference will be held on Zoom. The link to the meeting will be sent to the participants 2 days prior to the meeting.

 

This workshop examines how knowledge was transmitted in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, asking how texts, ideas, and practices moved across time, places, and communities. Through a range of case studies, participants will explore the roles of authors, readers, translators, scribes, and institutions in shaping intellectual traditions, and consider how historical, social, and religious contexts influenced the ways knowledge was received and reused. By viewing transmission as an active and creative process, the workshop offers fresh perspectives on intellectual exchange between the fourth and the tenth centuries

Organizers:

Sabrina Inowlocki, University of Haifa

Mor Hagbi, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
 

The Transmission of Knowledge in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages Online Workshop via Zoom — April 26, 2026

09:00 – 09:15 | Welcome and Opening Remarks:

Yitzhak Hen (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Director of IIAS

Sabrina Inowlocki (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Mor Hagbi (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

09:15 – 10:00 | Plenary: Josh Timmermann (University of British Columbia)

(Flavius) Josephus as a (Jewish) Father of the (Catholic) Church in the (Latin) Early Middle Ages? Qualitative Considerations in Light of Quantitative Data

10:00 – 10:30 | Yaniv Fox (Bar Ilan University)

Transmitting the Ineffable: Gregory I and the Problem of Exegetical Knowledge Transfer

10:30 – 11:00 | Yakir Paz (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Translation of Bones and Transmission of Knowledge: Finding Joseph’s Coffin in Jewish, Samaritan and Christian Sources

11:00 – 11:15 — Break

11:15 – 11:45 | Mor Hagbi (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Augustine’s Anti-Apocalyptic Theology: Between Adaptation and Rejection

11:45 – 12:15 | Graham Barrett (Durham University)

The Literacy of Imperfect Knowledge: Text and Transmission in Late Antiquity

12:15 – 12:45 | Josh Werrett (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

The Transmission of Alchemical Literature in the Early Byzantine Era

12:45 – 13:45 — Lunch Break Connection remains open for informal conversation

13:45 – 14:15 | Scott Bruce (Fordham University)

A Patriarch’s Purchase: The Transmission and Reception of the Writings of Gregory of Nazianzus in the Early Medieval West

14:15 – 14:45 | Laetitia Ciccolini (CNRS / Sorbonne, Paris)

Optimising the Use of a Handbook: The Structuring of Augustine’s Enchiridion in Late Antique and Medieval Manuscripts

14:45 – 15:15 | Closing Remarks and General Discussion

Yitzhak Hen (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

CfA: Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 

The ERC project Local Law under Rome is offering a number of Postdoctoral fellowships at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem beginning October 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. Scholars who have received their Ph.D. after October 1^st 2021 or will submit their Ph.D. no later than the beginning of the Postdoctoral period are eligible to apply.

The successful candidate will be a part of an interdisciplinary team which will be engaged in comparative study of local legal cultures within their Roman imperial context. Together we seek to enhance the understanding of provincial legalism in its multiple manifestations.

We are seeking experts in one (or more) of the following legal traditions, who are committed to a contextual and historical analysis of legal materials:

(1) Legal papyrology (2) Roman law in the provinces, (3) Greek law during the Roman period, or (4) Early rabbinic law.  

The appointed fellow is expected to work closely with other team members. S/he will participate in the project’s ongoing activities and is expected to contribute to its collaborative outputs, produce project-related publications and provide materials for the comparative digital platform.

The scholarship is subject to review at the end of each year, and may extend up to 3 years. The fellow will receive a monthly stipend of approximately 11,000 NIS. Additional funding for travel for academic meetings will be available following approval. Preferably, the fellow will spend much of the academic year in Jerusalem, alongside other project members; however, there is room for flexibility pending on the project’s needs. Knowledge of Hebrew is not required.

Candidates are requested to submit the following documents (in one PDF file) to the project’s email: local.law@mail.huji.ac.il   

Ø  Introduction Letter describing your academic experience and motivation for participating in the project (2-3 pages).

Ø  Curriculum vitae

Ø  Abstract of the PhD dissertation

Ø  Writing Sample: dissertation chapter or a paper that has been published or accepted for publication (no more than 30 pages)

In addition, please arrange for two Reference Letters to be sent directly.

You are welcome to contact us for any additional information.

Applications will be Reviewed beginning May 15, 2024 (and later if necessary). 

—

Prof. Yair Furstenberg

Louis Ginzberg Professor of Talmud

Talmud Department;  Mandel Institute for Jewish Studies

Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

yair.furstenberg@mail.huji.ac.il; 972-2-588-0426; 972-52-3938-376 

https://yairfurstenberg.huji.ac.il/

https://local-law.huji.ac.il/ 

ORCID ID 0000-0003-0082-6243