Academic Dean presents St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary Faculty Seminar
The Academic Dean of the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Fr. Christiaan Kappes, was invited by the Academic Dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary to present to the theological faculty and select students of St. Vlad’s.
The virtual seminar took place on 4 October 2022 and focused on Fr. Christiaan’s work in the field of Mariology. Fr. Christiaan shares that, due to the warm and cordial relations between the two institutions, and especially the two representatives of intellectual formation, there have been increasing opportunities for exchanging letters and academic texts to aid each formational institution in providing students with the richness of the Byzantine theological tradition.
As a result of more informal connections between the two institutions, and due to the support of B.C.S. for the work of St. Vlad’s in faithfulness to the Byzantine Catholic Seminary’s Statement of Institutional Purpose (which includes ecumenism as part of its identity and commitment), Fr. Christiaan was able to edify academic peers and students at St Vlad’s by presenting the latest advances in Biblical and patristic theology that further solidify Mary’s dogmatic status as a virgin at her conceiving of Jesus, during the period of her pregnancy, and even postpartum, since Mary’s phrase: “I do not know man” (Luke 1:34), has proven in Greek, Latin, and Syriac traditions to be a hearkening back to a passage of Greek Scripture (LXX Judges 11:39), wherein the only perpetual virgin of the Old Testament proves to be a type of Mary according to St. Luke’s Gospel.
Furthermore, Fr. Christiaan provided philological and other allied disciplines’ support for this ancient and patristic reading of Luke 1:34. The talk then proceeded to show how the New Testament rightfully serves as the basis for Mary’s title as triple virgin: “before, during, and after” conception, more commonly expressed as “ever-Virgin.” After taking questions, the faculty and students agreed that future virtual or even onsite visitations should occur to continue dialogue about and appreciation for the Byzantine Christian tradition.