Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) will hold its 1st Annual Academic Symposium on October 27-29, 2022. 

The keynote address is open to the public for in-person and online attendance on Oct. 27, 2022 at 7:00 PM EDT, hosted in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium. The address, given by The Rev. Canon Maxwell E. Johnson, PhD, is entitled: Lex orandi est lex credendi: Alexander Schmemann’s Liturgical Theology in Ecumenical Context. The remainder of the symposium is private, attendance is by invitation only.

Professor Johnson describes his upcoming talk in the following words: 

This lecture will provide, first, an overview of Alexander Schmemann's approach to liturgical theology, especially his use of the formula "lex orandi est lex credendi" and his articulation of the Ordo as the basic underlying structure and theology of liturgy, in relationship to the classic articulation of "ut legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi'' of Prosper of Aquitane. The second part will focus on how some contemporary liturgical theologians have used Schmemann's approach to articulate positions which, while seeming to build on him, may actually have misunderstood him. The lecture will conclude with a focus on ecumenism and suggest a new line of liturgical theology and liturgical theologians.

The 1st Annual Academic Symposium at SVOTS focuses on Liturgy and Theology. Seminary Faculty will interact with leading voices in the liturgical studies field from around the world, and have plans to build upon this event by participating in other exchanges, as well as to publish more work in the academic sphere which contributes to Orthodox theological viewpoints on matters of liturgics, patristics, Church history, and biblical studies.

Speakers presenting during the in-house portion of the symposium include Metropolitan Job (Getcha), Fr Thomas Pott, Nina Glibetic, Dn Daniel Galadza, Stig R. Frøyshov, Dn Vitaly Permiakov, Dn Mark Roosien, and Fr Arsenius Mikhail. Portions of the Symposium will be recorded and published on the SVOTS Youtube channel after the conclusion of the event.

About Professor Maxwell Johnson:  

The Rev. Canon Maxwell E. Johnson is a noted scholar, author and teacher, as well as professor of liturgical studies at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN. An ordained Lutheran minister, Dr Johnson has a doctorate in theology, with an emphasis in liturgical history, from Notre Dame; he also has master’s degrees in theology from St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN, and from Notre Dame. In addition, he has a Master of Divinity from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA.

Some of Dr Johnson's main research interests include the origins and development of early Christian Liturgy, with a special focus on the early history of the rites of Christian initiation, the early eucharistic liturgy, and the feasts and seasons of the liturgical year. He has published important translations of patristic works from Greek into English, including St Cyril of Jerusalem’s Lectures on the Christian Sacraments, published by SVS Press in 2017.

Watch the keynote address recording