Professor Josef Lössl

Biography

Education and qualifications

• PhD Theology (Historical Theology), University of Regensburg (1996)
• PhD Habil. History of the Early Church, Patristics and Christian Archaeology, University of Münster (2001)
• Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University College London (2003)

Career overview

• 2010-       Professor, Historical Theology, Intellectual History (Patristics and Late Antiquity), Cardiff University
• 2006-2010 Reader, Religious Studies and Theology (Patristics and Late Antiquity), Cardiff University
• 2006-2006 Senior Lecturer, Religious Studies and Theology (Patristics and Late Antiquity), Cardiff University
• 2003-2006 Lecturer, Religious Studies and Theology (Patristics and Late Antiquity), Cardiff University
• 2002-2003 Humboldt Research Fellow, Classics (School of Greek and Latin), University College London
• 2000-2002 Junior Research Fellow, Theology (Patristics and Church History), Catholic University Leuven
• 1996-2000 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Theology (Early Christianity and Patristics), King's College London
• 1993-1996 PhD Research Student, Theology (Early Christianity), University of Regensburg

Honours and awards

• Leverhulme International Academic Fellowship, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau, 2019
• Cardiff University, AHSS Research Leave Award, 2013
• Visiting Senior Fellowship, Excellenz-Cluster 'Religion und Politik', University of Münster, 2010
• Alexander-von-Humboldt Fellowship (Feodor Lynen), University College London, 2002
• Visiting Junior Fellowship, Catholic University Leuven, 2000
• Postdoctoral Overseas Award, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), King's College London, 1997
• OBAG (EON) Prize for outstanding PhD of the year, University of Regensburg, 1996

Professional memberships

• Senior Fellowship, Higher Education Academy (HEA)
• Fellowship, Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation
• Member, Association internationale des études patristiques (AIEP)
• Director, International Patristics Conference, Oxford
• Member, Standing Doctrinal Committee, Church in Wales

Academic positions

• 2010-       Professor, Historical Theology, Intellectual History (Patristics and Late Antiquity), Cardiff University
• 2006-2010 Reader, Religious Studies and Theology (Patristics and Late Antiquity), Cardiff University
• 2006-2006 Senior Lecturer, Religious Studies and Theology (Patristics and Late Antiquity), Cardiff University
• 2003-2006 Lecturer, Religious Studies and Theology (Patristics and Late Antiquity), Cardiff University
• 2002-2003 Humboldt Research Fellow, Classics (School of Greek and Latin), University College London
• 2000-2002 Junior Research Fellow, Theology (Patristics and Church History), Catholic University Leuven
• 1996-2000 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Theology (Early Christianity and Patristics), King's College London
• 1993-1996 PhD Research Student, Theology (Early Christianity), University of Regensburg

Speaking engagements

• 18 January 2020: "Inspiration and Institutionalisation in Second Century Christianity - A Feminist Angle" - Ecclesiastical History Society Annual Winter Meeting, Birmingham, UK (Key note)
• 18 December 2019: "Gottesdiensträume und Unterrichtsräume im frühen Christentum" - Institut für Religionspädagogik, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany (Public lecture)
• 16 December 2019: "Beobachtungen zur Entwicklung der frühchristlichen Lehre von Gott im zweiten Jahrhundert" - Institut für neutestamentliche Studien, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany (Public lecture)
• 3 December 2019: "Irenäus, Tertullian und Hieronymus zu Tatian und den Enkratiten" - Fachbereich Literatur-, Kunst- und Medienwissenschaften, Latinistik, Universität Konstanz, Germany (Seminar)
• 11 November 2019: "Paulus und die römische Theologie des zweiten Jahrhunderts" - Facolta Valdese di Teologia, Rome, Italy (Key note)
• 20 September 2019: "Beobachtungen zu Tatian's Rede an die Griechen (or. 3,6): Ein Werkstattbericht" - Arbeitskreis Zweites Jahrhundert, Benediktbeuern, Germany (Key note)
• 22 August 2019: "The Demonogony of Tatian's Ad Graecos" - Eighteenth International Conference on Patristic Studies, Oxford (Workshop)
• 21 March 2019: "Tatian - A Precursor of Mani?" - First Conference on Augustine, Manichaeism and Early Christianity, University of Pretoria, South Africa (Key note)

Committees and reviewing

• Executive Editor, Vigiliae Christianae: A Review of Early Christian Life and Language
• Editorial Board, Vigiliae Christianae Supplements
• Managing Editor, Journal for Late Antique Religion and Culture
• Editorial Board, Studia Patristica
• Associate Editor, Journal of Late Antiquity
• Peer reviewer, The Journal of Theological Studies, The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Journal of Early Christian Studies, Journal of Ancient Christianity, Augustinian Studies, Augustinianum, Augustiniana (Leuven), Adamantius, Millennium-Studien, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Bloomsbury Academic, Edinburgh University Press

Publications

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Teaching

Teaching profile

• My teaching is focused on Early Christian Studies, Religion in Late Antiquity, History of Religion, Intellectual History, Ethics, and Reception and Memory Studies
• I also teach Classical and Hellenistic (New Testament) Greek and Classical and Late-Antique Latin

Undergraduate modules

• Foundational Ethics
• Early Christianity and Late Antiquity

Postgraduate taught modules

• Themes in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies
• Religion and Culture in Late Antiquity
• Rhetoric and Philosophy in Late Antiquity
• Augustine of Hippo and His Time

Postgraduate students

I am currently supervising the following PhD and MPhil projects:

• Ewan Davies, An Analysis of the Greco-Latin Debate Concerning the Moment of Eucharistic Consecration at the Council of Florence
• Saodétouo Francis Kouseble Somda, Le Christianisme de la Didachè comme modèle? Une herméneutique de l'idéal chrétien de la koinonía à l'épreuve de son aspect utopique et son message pour les communautés chrétiennes de base au Burkina Faso (PhD thesis supervised at the Faculty of Catholic Theology, Leopold-Franzens-Universität, Innsbruck, Austria)

My research is in the field of Greek and Latin Patristics and in Early Christian studies. My interest is in the way early Christian and Patristic texts convey historical, biblical, philological, philosophical, theological and scientific learning. I am also interested in the rhetorical and literary forms and transformations of these texts. I am pursuing, among others, the following themes and projects:

Julian of Aeclanum and the Hirpini in Late Antiquity

Having already published extensively on Julian of Aeclanum I am continuing to undertake research on various aspects of his life, writings, thought, and reception with the aim of producing a comprehensive study of this fascinating figure of late-antique Latin Christianity.

Tatian, Ad Graecos / To the Greeks. Translation with introduction and commentary

The aim of this project in the field of early Christian literary and intellectual culture is to produce a commentary, with introduction and new translation, of a second-century Greek apology in the series Kommentar zu frühchristlichen Apologeten (KfA). As part of the project I was awarded a Leverhulme International Academic Fellowship to visit the Institute of New Testament Studies at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, during the academic year 2019/20.

Biblical and Philosophical Exegesis in Late-Antique Latin

This project emerged from a longterm project of comparing Latin and Syriac commentarial literature. It constitutes the Latin part of that project and consists of a number of ongoing projects on biblical and philosophical exegetes and their work including Jerome, Marius Victorinus, Victorinus of Pettau, Augustine, Pelagius and Julian of Aeclanum, and aims at a comprehensive study of late-antique biblical and philosophical exegesis in Latin. In connection with this project I am working towards a Patristic commentary of Romans 1-3 for the series Novum Testamentum Patristicum.

Classical and Early Christian Historiography

This project is closely linked with my contribution (as sub-editor for Antiquity and Late Antiquity) to the Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle-project. I am interested in the origins of historiography and in links between ancient classical, biblical, early Christian and late-antique historiography and between 'histories', 'chronicles' and other forms of historiography (including 'lives', 'letters', 'commentaries' etc.).

Themes in Early Christian and Late-Antique Intellectual Culture

I am also engaged in a number of studies, some already published, some awaiting publication, or being in preparation, which touch upon a variety of issues concerning religion in Late Antiquity, and especially Christianity:

• Consolation: The transformation of a genre in Late Antiquity
• Narrative, system and ritual in ancient cosmologies and their reception
• Demons and demonology in early Christian thought and doctrine
• Social ethical themes in early Christian and late-antique thought
• The role of memory in the formation of Christian identity
• Education and intellectual formation in early Christianity
• History and prophecy

Groups

I am a member of the following research groups and centres:

• Centre for Late Antique Religion and Culture
• Religion in Late Antiquity

Supervision