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Global History of Christianity and Orthodox Christian Studies

General Discription

The Global History of Christianity with a focus on the history and present of worldwide Orthodoxy is an area of research that has a formative influence on the Faculty of Theology in Halle, with content overlaps with Church History, Eastern Church Studies, and Christian Oriental Studies.

Staff

Jun.-Prof.  Dr. Stanislau Paulau

Research assistent: Paulien Wagener

Student assistents: Conrad Theilemann, Julius Balski

Guest researchers: Prof. Dr. Cristian Sonea and Prof. Dr. Paul Siladi (Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, Romania)

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News

9–10 October 2025
Conference "Oriental Orthodox Christianity in a Globalized World"

Oriental Orthodox Christianity in a Globalized World

Oriental Orthodox Christianity embodies one of the world’s oldest and most enduring Christian traditions, carrying a profound spiritual, theological, and cultural heritage. Today, however, these ancient churches are experiencing profound transformations, shaped by migration, globalization, and rapidly changing social and political landscapes.

Once centered primarily in the Middle East, Northeast Africa, and parts of Asia, Oriental Orthodox communities are now firmly present across the globe, including Europe, where they have become part of the everyday religious and cultural fabric.

This conference explores the challenges and opportunities Oriental Orthodox Christianity faces in an interconnected and pluralistic world. It brings together scholars and practitioners from a wide range of fields to examine how these churches respond to contemporary realities, particularly in the diaspora. Special attention will be given to their role in fostering social cohesion and their contribution to Europe’s religious and cultural diversity.

• Further Information    

Wittenberg Autumn School “Transnational Luther”

Scholarships are currently available for the Wittenberg Autumn School “Transnational Luther” from 6.10.-01.11.2025. Further information.

Lecture Series "Global Histories"

The Chair of Global History of Christianity and Orthodox Christian Studies, together with the Chair of Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology, conducts the lecture series "Global Histories".

Octobre 21st 2025

Lecture by Prof. Dr. Harutyun Harutyunyan (Yerewan/Armenia)

„Christianity in the South Caucasus: Past and Present“

6.15 p.m.

Faculty of Theology, Hörsaal II
Franckeplatz 1, Haus 30

About the lecture series:

“Global Histories” is a lecture series held several times a year at  the Faculty of Theology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. The  lectures are conducted in either English or German and are conveyed by  the Chair of Religious Studies/Intercultural Theology and the Chair of  Global History of Christianity and Orthodox Christian Studies.

Why “Global Histories”? In the context of this series, history is  understood not as something distant or antiquated. Instead, history is  seen as a string of specific contingent events situated in time and  space, interpreted and conveyed through historiography. Historiography,  in turn, is viewed as a function of the present, shaped by its  categories, topics, and modes of representation. The title “Global  Histories” reflects the multiplicity of contexts and perspectives, each  rooted in local conditions yet interconnected through global  entanglements.

The thematic focus of the series is shaped by the academic expertise  of its organizers. “Global Histories: Lectures on Christianity and  Religions” is further enriched by the complementary and innovative  series “Perspectives on Christianity and Religions.” Together, these  initiatives foster dialogue around dominant narratives and  counter-narratives.

For further information, please contact the organizers, Prof. Dr. Daniel Cyranka and Jun.-Prof. Dr. Stanislau Paulau.

Course offerings

Winter Semester 2025/2026

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Stanislau Paulau:

• VL Christentum: Globalgeschichte des ersten Jahrtausends
• HS Rewriting Luther. Wittenberg, Reformations and Religious Legacies
• Ü Autumn School in Wittenberg: Transnational Luther.  Wittenberg, Reformations and Religious Legacies
• S Religious Studies and Global Christianities
• Forschungskolloquium

Paulien Wagener:

• Ü Connected Christianities. The Early Ecumenical Movement in its Contexts

Summer Semester 2025

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Stanislau Paulau:

• Blockveranstaltung: Religion in Transitions: A Romanian Perspective (together with Prof. Cristian Sonea and Prof. Paul Siladi
• Ü Summer Academy in Armenia "Historical Narratives and Current Challenges: Culture, Religion and Society of Armenia"
• Exkursion: Von der Seidenstraße nach Unter den Linden. Auf den Spuren des frühen asiatischen Christentums in Berlin

Paulien Wagener:

• Ü Mütter, Huren, Gottesdienerinnen? Biblische Frauenfiguren in der Literatur des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts
• Exkursion: Von der Seidenstraße nach Unter den Linden. Auf den Spuren des frühen asiatischen Christentums in Berlin

Winter Semester 2024/2025

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Stanislau Paulau:

• HS Kirchen in den sozialistischen Diktaturen Mittel- und Osteuropas

• Exkursion   in die Tschechische und in die Slowakische Republik zum Hauptseminar   „Kirchen in den sozialistischen Diktaturen Mittel- und Osteuropas“

Guest Professor Dr. Li Tang:

• VL Von Mesopotamien nach China: Mittelalterliche Christentumsgeschichte entlang der Seidenstraße
• Ü Late Antique and Medieval History of Christianity in China and Central Asia: Selected Sources (in English)

Paulien Wagener:

• PS Geschichte(n) des Christentums

Summer Semester 2024

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Stanislau Paulau:

• HS "Was ist Globale Christentumsgeschichte?"
• Excursion: Study trip to Armenia
• Research colloquium

Paulien Wagener:

• Ü "Maria: Magd und Himmelskönigin. Bilder einer Frau"

Winter Semester 2023/2024

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Stanislau Paulau:

• OS "Neuere  Forschungen zur Globalen Christentumsgeschichte (in the context of the annual conference of the Ecumenical Research Forum 17.–19.11.23 in Hamburg)"
• International Workshop "Global Christianity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Prospects" in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
• HS "When Christians First Met Muslims: Early Encounters between Eastern Christianity and Islam"
• Ü "Orthodoxe Theologien vor der Herausforderung Krieg"

Paulien Wagener:

• Ü "Orthodoxe Kirchen in Deutschland"

Saeed Radawi:

• Introduction to Geʽez

Summer Semester 2023

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Stanislau Paulau:

• S "Halle und der Christliche Osten: Vernetzungen,  Abgrenzungen, Wechselwirkungen (Forschungsseminar)"
• S "Vormoderne Christentumsgeschichte Afrikas in Quellen"

Winter semester 2022/2023

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Stanislau Paulau:

• Ü  "Christentum und Krieg interkulturell. Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig im  Spiegel russischer und deutscher Erinnerungskulturen, 1813–1913–2023"
• VL "Grundzüge globaler Christentumsgeschichte von der Antike bis zur Reformation"

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