The Bible in Middle Eastern Manuscript Traditions (2026 MEMaT Workshop)

The Bible in Middle Eastern Manuscript Traditions (2026 MEMaT Workshop)
22-24 April 2026, Rome
Venue: University of Rome Tor Vergata
Convenors: George A. Kiraz and Sabine Schmidtke (Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton NJ), Valentina Sagaria Rossi (University of Rome Tor Vergata)

Call for Proposals:
This interdisciplinary workshop aims to explore the rich and complex role of biblical manuscripts within Middle Eastern cultures, past and present. The event seeks to highlight the diverse scribal practices, transmission histories, and cultural interpretations that have shaped the reception of the Bible across the region.
Topics may include manuscript production in (Judeo-)Arabic, Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopic, Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, and (Judeo-)Persian, including multilingual copies of (parts of) the Bible and polyglots; the movement of texts across linguistic and religious communities; the use of biblical material in liturgy, theology, and polemic; and the significance of material culture—such as script, text arrangement and chapter divisions, illumination, codicology, and binding—in expressing local and regional identities. The workshop also invites reflections on the afterlives of biblical manuscripts in modern collections, digital preservation, and cultural heritage debates.

Titles and abstracts (750–1000 words) should be submitted by January 1, 2026 to Uta Nitschke-Joseph at nitschke@ias.edu.
Scholars are expected
to fund their travel to/ from and accommodation in Rome.
Lunches will be provided. Speakers will be invited to contribute
to a proceedings volume. All contributions will undergo a double-blind peer-review process.

For Middle Eastern Manuscript Traditions (MEMaT), a multidisciplinary project which aims at studying various aspects of manuscript production, utilization, and transmission history, see https://www.ias.edu/hs/islamic-world/memat