Nikos Kazantzakis and Orthodox Christianity

4 April, 2024

We are deeply honoured to welcome Professor Basilius Jacobus (Bert) Groen, Professor Emeritus of Liturgical Studies and Sacramental Theology at the University of Graz, Austria, to lead a session of the Eastern Christianity in Interfaith Contexts Reading Group.

Here are the details of this fascinating event.

Title: Nikos Kazantzakis and Orthodox Christianity

Abstract: Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957) was a Greek, Cretan writer who became world-famous for his fascinating novels and their film versions, such as Zorba the Greek, Christ Re­crucified / The Greek Passion and The Last Temptation [of Christ]. A conspicuous feature of his immense oeuvre is its spiritual and religious character, which expresses itself in the writer’s continuous search for the Divine. Having been raised and saturated with the Greek Orthodox tradition, he has undergone numerous other influences and crafted his peculiar synthesis. My talk will especially examine the impact of Orthodoxy and the way how the writer has tailored it to his own insights, adopting and adjusting some elements, while rejecting other ingredients.

Speaker’s Biography: Professor Dr Basilius Jacobus (Bert) Groen is Professor of Liturgical Studies and Sacramental Theology, as well as Director of the Institute for Liturgy, Christian Art and Hymnology, at the University of Graz, Austria, where he also holds the UNESCO Chair of Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue in Southeastern Europe. He is a Visiting Professor at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. During the academic year 2011-12, he was a senior research fellow and visiting professor at Yale Institute of Sacred Music. Professor Groen specialises in the areas of liturgy and religious popular culture, East-West ecumenism and interreligious dialogue in Southeast Europe.

Chair: Professor Sebastian Brock, FBA, University of Oxford, UK.

Date: 4 April, 2024

Time: 17:00-18:00 BST | 9:00-10:00 PDT | 12:00-13:00 EDT

Venue: online

If you would like to join the Eastern Christianity in Interfaith Contexts Reading Groupplease sign up here.

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