|
Name |
Highest Degree |
Specialty |
Faculty |
|
Right. Rev. Archimandrite Jack Khalil Dean of the Institute of Theology |
PhD Theology Thessaloniki, Greece |
New Testament |
Institute of Theology |
|
V. Rev. Protopresbyter Porphyrios Georgi |
PhD Theology Thessaloniki, Greece |
Dogmatics |
Institute of Theology |
|
Daniel Ayuch |
PhD Theology Muenster, Germany |
New Testament |
Institute of Theology |
|
Souad Slim |
PhD History Paris IV, France & PhD Islamology Birmingham, UK |
Church History |
Faculty of Arts and Sciences |
|
Marlène Kanaan |
Doctorat ès Lettres Beirut, Lebanon |
Philosophy |
Faculty of Arts and Sciences |
|
Right. Rev. Archimandrite Parthenios Al Laty |
PhD Oriental Canon Law Rome, Italy |
Canon Law |
Institute of Theology |
|
Rev. Fr. Bassam Nassif |
PhD Theology Balamand, Lebanon |
Pastoral Theology |
Institute of Theology |
|
Elie Dannaoui |
PhD Eastern Ecclesiastical Studies - History, Rome, Italy |
Church History |
Faculty of Arts and Sciences |
|
Nayla Nahas |
PhD Psychology, Tolouse Le Mirail, France |
Family Psychology |
Faculty of Arts and Sciences |
BIOGRAPHIES
RIGHT REV. ARCHIMANDRITE JACK KHALIL (PhD)
Dean of the St John of Damascus Institute of Theology
Professor of New Testament Studies
Fr. Jack holds a PhD degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and studied for 3 years as Visiting Fellow at the Eberhard-Karls-Universität in Tübingen, Germany.
He has been teaching at the St John of Damascus Institute of Theology - University of Balamand since 2000. Furthermore, he has been visiting Professor at many Orthodox Theological Faculties and Institutes over the world, e.g. University of Athens, Thessaloniki, IOCS (Cambridge) and St. Serge (Paris), University of North Eastern Finland, Theological School of the Church of Cyprus, et cetera.
His main fields of interest are the Epistles of St Paul and the Johannine Literature. He is the author of one book published in Greece, which has been admitted as a textbook reference at the University of Thessaloniki since 2005, and many chapters in books, researches and studies published in Lebanon, Greece, France, USA, Belgium, Germany, Estonia, and Bulgaria. He is known for his contribution on the contemporary Orthodox interpretation of the Justification by Faith in the Pauline Epistles.
Archimandrite Jack Khalil is a member of the Biblical Federation in Lebanon, the Hellenic Society of Biblical Studies, the Synodical Revision Committee of Liturgical Books, the Synodical Committee of preparing a modern translation of the New Testament. He was a member of the WCC Central Committee (20132022-), as he is a member of Faith & Order Commission since 2014. He was between 20072012- the Eastern Orthodox representative in the WCC Continuation Committee on “Ecumenism in the 21st Century”. He was for many years the Church representative of the Patriarchate of Antioch and All The East in the Committee of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches for the Collaboration with the United Bible Societies.
He can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
V. REV. PROTOPRESBYTER PORPHYRIOS GEORGI
Fr. Porphyrios Georgi, Professor of Dogmatic Theology. He is also a visiting professor in several theological faculties in the Europe. Professor Georgi holds a PhD degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece). His research in early Christianity, Eastern Theology, and contemporary Orthodox thought has been inspired by his interest in interpreting the Orthodox Dogma and Patristic Teachings in a pluralistic, culturally complex world. His study interests include Christian ecumenical discussions and Arabic literature. He maintains an active concern in Islamic Culture and religion.
Fr. Porphyrios has served as Dean of the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology between 2013 and 2020. He is a well-known productive scholar who has participated in many international conferences on early Christianity, late Byzantine Theology, Inter-Christian Dialogues, Eastern Spirituality, Patristic theology, and contemporary Orthodox thought. He has edited several books, namely a trilogy of conferences that took place in Balamand since 2007. His doctoral thesis The Resurrection and Life: The Eschatology of Saint Gregory Palamas has been adopted as a textbook for the undergraduate courses of Patristic Theology at the University of Thessaloniki since 2010 and has been translated to Romanian and published in Sibiu in 2015.
He is the President of the International Association of the Orthodox Dogmatic Theologians since June 2018. He has been a member of the faculty since 2006.
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DANIEL AYUCH
Daniel Alberto Ayuch is a full professor of New Testament at the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology at the University of the Balamand, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the field of New Testament studies. His research work is based on linguistic and narrative analysis and his fields of interest include the Lucan Diptych, the Synoptic Gospels, and the ancient and modern Arabic translations of the New Testament. He has been a member of the faculty since April 2000. His PhD degree (Dr. in theology) is from the University of Münster in Westphalia (Germany). His thesis on Lucan social ethics was published in Münster in 1998. In addition, he wrote several research papers for international conferences and consultations in the Middle East, Europe, North America, South America, and India.
Dr. Daniel Ayuch is a member of the Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies in the USA (OCABS), the Society of Biblical Literature in the USA (SBL), the Biblical Federation in Lebanon (FBL), the Argentine Biblical Association (ABA), and the Synodical Committee for a modern translation of the New Testament. He has been a visiting Professor at several faculties of Theology in Lebanon and abroad: at the University of Iasi in Romania, The University of Erlangen in Germany, the Catholic University of Santiago in Argentina, the Catholic Coptic Faculty in Cairo and the University of the Holy Spirit, the St. Paul Institute, the Near East School of Theology, and the Antonine University in Lebanon.
He has several chapters in books and articles in international scholarly journals. He participated in editing The Pastoral Bible in Arabic (2011), published the book “Jesus: Master and Redeemer” in Spanish, and wrote the commentaries on Matthew, Mark, and Acts of the Apostles in The Modern Arabic Commentary (2018).
He can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SOUAD SLIM
Professor Souad Slim was born in Beirut in 1952. She completed her first Doctorate at the Sorbonne Paris IV in History in 1984, and her second one at the University of Birmingham in Islamology in 2000. She currently occupies the positions of Director of the Center of Documentation and History at the Institute of History, Archeology and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Balamand and of Professor of History, Cultural Studies and Methodology at the Faculty of Art and Social Sciences and at the Institute of theology at the University of Balamand from 1988 She was the first to introduce the methodology of Serial and quantitative history to the History of Lebanon and the Near East.
She worked as the publishing supervisor of the Manuscripts and Archives Catalogs related to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch heritage at the University of Balamand.
Author of three books:
- Le Métayage et l’Impot au Mont Liban aux XVIII et XIX siècles. Dar El-Mashreq, 1987 - 1993, Collection: Homme et sociétés du Proche – Orient
- Balamand, Histoire et Patrimoine. Dar An-Nahar et Université de Balamand, 1995
- The Greek Orthodox Waqf in Lebanon during the Ottoman Empire published in 2007 by the Orient Institute of Beirut.
She can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
MARLÈNE KANAAN
Dr. Marlène KANAAN is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Civilization Sequence Program at the University of Balamand since 1990, where she headed the department of Philosophy and History and coordinated the CVSQ Program for 17 years. She received her BA, MA, and PhD in Lettres - mention Philosophie from the Jesuit Saint-Joseph University in Beirut, which was awarded to her in January 1989. Her PhD dissertation brought together issues in the philosophy of religion and the theology in the works of Georges Bataille which led to many publications in the subject. Starting 1996, Prof. KANAAN pursued a post-doctoral educational training Program in the Intercultural issues at the Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3 and Toulouse II - Le Mirail, France. Then she started another educational training Program in France under the patronage of the University of Strasbourg- Marc Bloch in the fields of Patristics, Hagiography and Apocryphal Literature. She has taught at several universities and is currently appointed as Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the Faculty of Arts and Science, the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology, CSPR, and The Sheikh Nahyan Center for Arabic Studies and Intercultural Dialogue at the University of Balamand. Prof. KANAAN is internationally renowned for her work and is actively engaged in teaching and advising students in the subjects of her expertise. She published in three languages (Arabic, French and English) over 70 articles, numerous studies in European Refereed Journals and Book chapters and participated in over 60 International conferences. Her multiform works reflect her interest in the philosophy of religion, Church Fathers writings, link between culture, philosophy and theology, the Hagiography, Apocryphal Christian Literature, and editing of Arabic Christians manuscripts. Prof. KANAAN is active member of five international groups of research working on a wide variety of topics in Philosophy, History of Ideas, and Theology. She is particularly known for her recent book Le Roman de Barlaam et Joasaph, version arabe chrétienne, Paris, Beauchesne, 2023. She is currently teaching the following courses: Ancient Greek Philosophy, Medieval and Modern Philosophy, Modern Arab Thought, Contemporary French Philosophy, in addition to various topics in the history of religions. She has supervised MA and PhD’s thesis and was member of many juries.
She can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
RT. REV. ARCHIMANDRITE PARTHENIOS AL LATY
Born in Christian Valley (Wadi Annasara) in Syria in 1980. The Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Parthenios Al Laty frequented a 4-year study of the civil engineering in Albaath University in Homs. Then he studied theology at St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology at the University of Balamand, from 2002 to 2006. In 2006, he moved to Rome and studied the Canon Law in PIO (Oriental Pontifical Institute) and obtained the PhD degree in 2011. He works in the patriarchal headquarters as assistant in the Patriarchal office. He teaches the Canon Law at St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology since 2013 - 2014.
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REV. FR. BASSAM NASSIF
Fr. Bassam Nassif’s research addresses contemporary pastoral and ethical challenges facing the Orthodox Church. He is concerned with embracing modern human sciences within pastoral theology and patristic anthropology, leading to the formation of a therapeutic pastoral care. In addition to his DMin in Pastoral Care, Fr. Nassif holds a PhD in Theology in which he deals with major pastoral implications of postmodernity on family life and humans, and their impact on the theology of marriage and anthropology. Besides teaching pastoral theology and researching ethical issues at the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology, University of Balamand, Fr. Nassif serves as a board member in several academic journals and pastoral care institutes. His research works include more than twenty articles in peer-reviewed academic journals and four book chapters. His latest books are: The Mystery of Marriage Amid Deconstruction: A Dialogue between Orthodox Anthropology and Postmodern Perspectives (published in both English and Romanian), and ‘On the Confirmation of the Law of Moses, the Gospel and Orthodoxy.’ A Treatise written in Arabic by Theodore Abu Qurrah, Bishop of Harran (c.755-c.829).
He can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ELIE DANNAOUI
Dr. Elie Dannaoui is an Associate Professor at the Institute of History, Archaeology and Near Eastern Studies (IOHANES) and Director of the Digital Humanities Center at the University of Balamand. He holds a PhD in Eastern Ecclesiastical Studies - History from the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. He achieved postgraduate studies in Computer Sciences at École Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique et d’Aérotechnique (ISAE-ENSMA) - France and a Master’s degree in Multimedia Engineering for Education from the University of Poitiers in France.
His research interests focus on Arabic Christian Manuscripts, Arabic Translations of the Gospels, Computational Linguistics for Arabic Language and Digital Cultural Heritage.
He can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
NAYLA NAHAS
Nayla Nahas (PhD in Psychology) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Balamand in Lebanon and a trained school and developmental psychologist. For over 20 years, Dr. Nahas has been researching and teaching educational and psychosocial processes that influence children’s development, adaptation and well-being. Her research focuses on exploring the relational, systemic, and “ecosystemic” processes underlying academic performance and students’ adaptation and well-being. She also focuses on the crucial role of family functioning in explaining children’s development and adaptation. Dr. Nahas utilizes surveys, case studies, interviews, focus groups, and functional observation methodologies and develops multiple assessment strategies and tools to explore both qualitatively and quantitatively the basic intra-psychic and interpersonal mechanisms involved in children’s and adolescents’ adaptation. In her research, she particularly looks into attachment strategies, stress and coping strategies, and self-esteem and self-efficacy processes in relationship with identity construction. Her research informed many of the actions and training of trainers and educators that she participated in with local communities to allow the planning, organization and implementation of interventions that focus on school or family education or reeducation. Academically Dr. Nahas participated in the reform of the curriculum of both the Education and Psychology Departments and introduced psychoeducational and psychosocial components to both curricula. She also served on many university committees (Orientation, Administrative, and curriculum committees). Dr. Nahas also served as the chair of the Department of Psychology from September 2015 to December 2019 and from March 2023 until now.
She is now leading or co-leading several research projects, as well as master’s and PhD studies related to the adaptation of marginalized populations (delinquency, refugees) in Lebanon, including the examination of the role of war exposure, daily hassles, identity threat, attachment strategies, loss of meaning as well as the efficiency of many implemented interventions as well as the translation to Arabic and the adaptation of assessment tools of the attachment and the theory of mind.
She can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
VISITING PROFESSORS
The Institute of Theology invites world renowned scholars from international institutions to lecture in their area of expertise for one semester or more. They become engaged in the life of the Institute and participate in its research and academic programs. Their contributions enrich the intellectual experience of the PhD candidates.
His Grace Bishop Romanos Al Hannat
PhD, Byzantine Music, Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece
V. Rev. Protopresbyter Chrysostomos Nassis
PhD, Theology, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece
V. Rev. Protopresbyter Michel Najim
ThD, Patristics, Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece
V. Rev. Protopresbyter Nikolaos Loudovikos
PhD, Theology, Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece
Bakas, Ioannis
PhD, Theology, Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece
Belezos, Konstantin
PhD, Theology, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
Hinshaw, Daniel Benjamin
MD, Emeritus of Surgery, Palliative Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Michigan, USA
Paparnakis, Athanasius
PhD, Theology, Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece
Paschalidis, Symeon
PhD, Theology, Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece
BIOGRAPHIES
HIS GRACE BISHOP ROMANOS AL HANNAT
His Grace Bishop Romanos Al Hannat is presently an Associate Professor of Church Music. He has been working in the field of music teaching since 1994. In 2003, he received a Diploma in Byzantine Music from the Greek National Conservatoire in Athens, and in 2011, he obtained a PhD in Byzantine Music from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He was the first in the Middle East to obtain a doctorate in Byzantine music, and he remains the only scholar to conduct studies about Byzantine music application in the Arabic language. Bishop Romanos joined the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology in 2014, and since then he has been teaching in the undergraduate and graduate programs. He has also taken part in numerous musical and non-musical conferences as well as in their preparations. Moreover, Bishop Romanos is a visiting professor at some European universities, teaching students in Bachelor’s and Master’s programs. At the Institute of Theology, Bishop Romanos has been the coordinator of the Byzantine Music Program, the only program of its kind in the region’s Arabic-speaking universities to date. The academic content of the courses taught by Bishop Romanos is distinguished by a blend of theory and practice, as the practical experience that dates back to 1814 continues to be practical and educational hitherto. Bishop Romanos could transmit this practical application to Bachelor’s and Master’s students on a university level. In his research, His Grace places special emphasis on the potential of practical application of ecclesiastical music on a larger scale due to its richness and great ease of use, compared to all existing oriental music types.
He can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
V. REV. PROTOPRESBYTER CHRYSOSTOMOS NASSIS
V. Rev. Dr. Chrysostomos Nassis has a B.A. in Religious Studies from Hellenic College (class of ’95), an M.Div. from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (class of ’98), and a Th.D. from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki’s Faculty of Theology (2006). He is currently a tenured Assistant Professor of Byzantine Liturgy and Liturgical Sources at the School of Social Theology and Christian Culture of the Faculty of Theology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he also directs the School’s Laboratory for Liturgical Studies. He has also served as a visiting professor at the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology of Balamand University in Tripoli, Lebanon, and the Supreme Ecclesiastical Academy in Thessaloniki.
Fr. Chrysostomos has published extensively in his field and has attended numerous academic conferences in Greece and abroad. He is a member of the Society for the Law of the Eastern Churches, the Society for Oriental Liturgy, and the International Orthodox Theological Association. He has served the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (19982000-) as a Writer-Translator of the Office of the Chief Secretary, the Deputy Coordinator of the Patriarchate’s Environmental Initiatives, and the International Dignitaries and Diplomatic Corps Liaison. When called upon, he continues to represent the Ecumenical Patriarchate in various academic, ecclesiastical, and ecumenical settings. Finally, Fr. Chrysostomos serves the Church of St. Anthony, which is a dependency of the Monastery of St. Theodora of the Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki.
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V. REV. PROTOPRESBYTER MICHEL NAJIM
The Very Rev. Dr. Michel Elias Najim is the President of AHOS, tenure Professor of Patristics and Church History at AHOS, Professor of Christian Ethics at PTS/AHOS, and Director of Saint Maximus the Confessor, former Dean of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Los Angeles, CA. Fr. Michel was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, and joined Balamand Ecclesiastical School in 1962 under the tutelage of Patriarch Ignatius IV and graduated from St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology in 1974. He obtained his MTh (1976), and his doctoral degree in theology (1985) from the University of Thessaloniki, where he studied under Fr. John Romanides and Prof. Nikos Matsoukas, while serving as Dean of the School of Theology in Balamand. After moving to the USA with his family, he worked with the newly converted Evangelical Orthodox at St. Athanasius Academy, from 1987 to 1996. Under his tutelage, AHOS became an accredited school in USA and Canada. Unassuming in his demeanor, Fr. Michel is a bearer of authentic Antiochian heritage, a deeply dedicated churchman and scholar. He is personally acquainted with many spiritual and ecclesiastical figures. Throughout his ministry, Fr. Michel has taught thousands of clergy including hierarchs, lay theologians and professors.
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V. REV. PROTOPRESBYTER NIKOLAOS LOUDOVIKOS
Fr. Nikolaos Loudovikos studied Psychology, Pedagogy, Philosophy, Theology and History of Religions at the Universities of Athens, Thessaloniki, Paris (Sorbonne 4, Institut Catholique de Paris) and Cambridge. He was a former Professor of Dogmatics and Philosophy at the University Ecclesiastical Academy of Thessaloniki, and a Professor of Dogmatics at the University Ecclesiastical Academy of Athens. He was recently appointed Professor of Religious Studies and Philosophy of Religion at the University of Ioannina. He is also a founding member and a Visiting Professor at the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge and at the Univ. of Balamand. He taught or gave lectures at more than 25 Universities around the world. He is the author of twenty books and numerous articles translated in ten languages. His last book in English: Analogical Identities: The Creation of the Christian Self. Beyond Spirituality and Mysticism in the Patristic Era (Brepols 2019); the second volume of this work, is forthcoming, with Brepols, in 2023.
He can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
IOANNIS BAKAS
Associate Professor Ioannis Th. Bakas comes from Nigrita (Greece). He studied Theology and History. His postgraduate and doctoral studies concern the History of Hellenism and the History of the Church. He worked as a scientific associate at the Society of Macedonian Studies and served in Secondary Education. He taught at the School of Language, Philology and Culture of Black Sea Countries of the Democritus University of Thrace and at the Master’s Program «Southeastern European Studies» at the Faculty of Law of the same University. He also taught, as an assistant professor, at the Department of Greek Language and Culture of the University of Adrianople (Edirne, Turkey). Since 2009, he has been working at the School of Social Theology and Christian Culture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the subject of the History of the Ancient Patriarchates. He has participated in over thirty international, pan-Hellenic and local conferences and has published four monographs and several articles.
He can be reached at:
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KONSTANTIN BELEZOS
Konstantin Belezos is a Greek-Otrhodox New Testament Professor at the Faculty of Theology of the School of Theology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Born in Chicago, Ill. USA (1965) and raised in Greece, he studied at the Universities of Athens, Regensburg, Tűbingen and Besançon and was acclaimed Doctor of Theology with the doctoral Thesis: The Interpretation of Oikoumenios on the Revelation of St. John (Historical and exegetical approach). Athens 1997.
He taught Religion for the secondary school education and since 1999 he serves in the Higher Educational System in Greece, working at the Department of Biblical Studies, Faculty of Theology of the School of Theology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
He teaches: Introduction to the Bible and NT Exegesis, Bible Hermeneutics and Didactics, Exegetical Methodology, Theology of Gender and Theology of Environment.
He is specialized in John’s Revelation and Paul, Patristic Exegesis, Ecotheology and the Reception of the Bible in the modern Literature and Philosophy.
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DANIEL BENJAMIN HINSHAW
Daniel B. Hinshaw, MD, is professor emeritus of surgery and consultant in palliative medicine at the University of Michigan. He has taught palliative care to medical professionals and clergy in multiple international settings. In addition to many scientific articles and chapters, he is the author of several books: Suffering and the Nature of Healing (2013), Touch and the Healing of the World (2017), Thriving in the Face of Mortality: Kenosis and the Mystery of Life (2023), and the forthcoming, Journey to Simplicity: The Life and Wisdom of Archimandrite Roman Braga.
He can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ATHANASIUS PAPARNAKIS
Athanasios Paparnakis is a Professor in the School of Social Theology and Christian Culture, Faculty of Theology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki since 2001. He is also a visiting professor of the Theological School of the Church of Cyprus and of the Theological School “St. Athanasius the Athonite” of the University of Kinsasa, Rep. of Kongo. He works on the Interpretation of the Old Testament, Biblical Theology, Patristic exegesis and Applications of Information technologies in theological research.
He can be reached at:
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SYMEON PASCHALIDIS
Symeon Paschalidis is professor of Patristics and Hagiography at the Department of Social Theology and Christian Culture, at the Faculty of Theology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Director of the Patriarchal Foundation for Patristic Studies, at Vlatadon Monastery/Thessaloniki. He is the author and editor of 10 monographs and more than 50 of articles and chapters, written in Greek, English, French, Russian and Italian.
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