Syriac and Christian Arabic Studies scholars to meet in Malta

The Committee of the Syriac and Arab Christian Symposiums, the Aram Society for Syro-Mesopotamian Studies at the Oriental Institute (University of Oxford), the Department of Oriental Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Malta, in collaboration with the Faculty of Theology, University of Malta are holding the Eleventh Syriac Symposium between 16-18 July. Syriac is a variety of the Aramaic language.

The conference will be immediately followed by the Ninth Conference on Christian Arabic Studies, between 19-21 July. Both conferences will be held at the University of Malta Valletta Campus. Around 300 delegates will participate.

During the Syriac Symposium, papers will be read and presentations made about the following themes: Syriac and Semitic philology, Neo-Aramaic dialects, modern Syriac, Syriac Patristics, Syriac liturgy, Syriac theology, contemporary Syriac Christianity and western churches, Syriac Christianity and Oriental churches, Syriac Christianity and Islam, hagiography, chronicles and Acta Sanctorum, Syriac philosophy, asceticism and monasticism, apologetic literature, the Sassanid and early Arab periods, the Mongol and Mamluk periods, manuscripts and codicology, Syriac astrology, astronomy, medicine and magic.

During both conferences, a number of academic projects will be presented.

The full programme of the two conferences is available at:

www.um.edu.mt/events/ss-ccas2012/home