The State of Patristics in North America

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This paper offers a set of reflections upon the state of patristic studies in North America. It first surveys the professional landscape of patristic studies on the North American continent by discussing the roles and history of several scholarly organizations, the primary conferences at which patristics scholars meet and present their ideas, and some of the main outlets for the publication of relevant work. Throughout its course the essay highlights the interdisciplinary nature of patristic studies in its North American setting, a trend that has accelerated with the convergence of patristic studies and the expanding field of late antique studies. This development, it suggests, has both broadened the scope of North American patristic studies and presented the discipline with a number of new challenges. Several of the latter are treated through attention to five specific areas: modern historical perspectives, women’s and gender studies, material and visual culture, Syriac studies, New Testament Studies, and contemporary theology. The paper closes by posing the question of whether or not the term Patristics is still adequate to the task of defining the many kinds of vital work that “patristics scholars” now do.