Dietmar W. Winkler
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Dietmar Werner Winkler (born April 15, 1963, in Wolfsberg in
Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...
) is an Austrian scholar of
patristics Patristics, also known as Patrology, is a branch of theological studies focused on the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers, between the 1st to 8th centuries CE. Scholars analyze texts from both orthodox and heretical authors. Patristics e ...
and
ecclesiastical history Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of the ...
. He is a professor and the founding director of the Center for the Study of the Christian East at the
University of Salzburg The University of Salzburg (, ), also known as the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (''Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg'', PLUS), is an Austrian public university in Salzburg, Salzburg municipality, Salzburg (federal state), Salzburg State, ...
.


Career

Winkler studied Catholic theology, religious education, Philology and Ancient History at the Universities of Graz and
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
and completed postgraduate training in ecumenical theology at the Ecumenical Institute Château de Bossey of the World Council of Churches (
University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...
). He obtained the degrees Mag.phil., Mag.theol. and a Certificate in Ecumenical Studies. He received his doctorate in theology from the University of Innsbruck with a thesis on
Coptic Christianity Copts (; ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to Northeast Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt since antiquity. They are, like the broader Egyptian population, descended from the ancient Egyptians. Copts pre ...
. With a scholarship from the
Austrian Academy of Sciences The Austrian Academy of Sciences (; ÖAW) is a legal entity under the special protection of the Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every fi ...
, he completed his habilitation in patrology, dogma history and ecumenical theology at the University of Graz in 2000 with a thesis on
East Syriac Christianity The Church of the East ( ) or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church, the Chaldean Church or the Nestorian Church, is one of three major branches o ...
. In 1998 he was a visiting scholar at the "St. Ephrem Ecumenical Research Institute" of Mahatma Gandhi University in
Kottayam Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...
(
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, India) and a Fulbright Scholar at the Collegeville Institute of St. John's University (MN, USA) in 2001. At
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
(MA, USA), Winkler was Professor and associate director of the Division of Religious and Theological Studies from 2003 to 2005. In 2005, Dietmar W. Winkler was appointed Professor of Patristic Studies and History of Christianity at the
University of Salzburg The University of Salzburg (, ), also known as the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (''Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg'', PLUS), is an Austrian public university in Salzburg, Salzburg municipality, Salzburg (federal state), Salzburg State, ...
. He was several times head of the Department of Biblical Studies and Ecclesiastical History (2006-2009, 2013-2015, 2019-2023) as well as Dean of the Faculty of Catholic Theology (2015-2017, since 2023) and has been director of the Centre for the Study of the Christian East (ZECO) at the University of Salzburg since 2006. In 2012, he conducted research as visiting scholar at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA, USA) and in 2018 at the "Centre Paul-Albert-Février - Textes et Documents de la Méditerranée antique et médiévale" at the Université Aix-Marseille.


Scholarship

Dietmar W. Winkler is an expert on Oriental Christianity and its ecumenical relations. His work focuses on the cultural history and present of the
Eastern Churches Eastern Christianity comprises Christianity, Christian traditions and Christian denomination, church families that originally developed during Classical antiquity, classical and late antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean region or locations fu ...
, Oriental Christian literature and historical theology in their political contexts. At the University of Salzburg he established a research focus on the spread of Christianity along the Silk Road to
Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
and
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
(Salzburg International Conferences on Syriac Christianity in China and Central Asia). Winkler is a consultant to the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity The Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, previously named the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU), is a dicastery within the Holy See whose origins are associated with the Second Vatican Council which met intermittently fr ...
(Vatican), a member of the Theological Commission of the Austrian Bishops' Conference and a board member of the Pro Oriente Foundation. In 2010 he became a member of the
European Academy of Sciences and Arts The European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA, ) is a transnational and interdisciplinary network, connecting about 2,000 recommended scientists and artists worldwide, including 38 Nobel Prize laureates. The European Academy of Sciences and ...
. Among others, he is a member of the Society for the Study of the Christian East (GSCO), the North American Patristics Society (NAPS) and was chairman of the Association of Catholic Church Historians of Austria (AKKÖ) in 2016–2021. Winkler is editor of the scholarly series (LIT-Verlag, Münster/Germany et al.), ''Pro Oriente Studies in Syriac Tradition'' (Gorgias Press, Piscataway, NJ/USA) and, together with , of ''Wissenschaft und Religion'' (Peter Lang, Berlin et al.), as well as on the editorial board of ''Texts and Studies in Eastern Christianity'' (Brill, Leiden/NL et al.), ''Handes Amsorya: Journal of Armenian Studies'' (Mechitaristenverlag, Vienna) and ''The Harp: A Review of Syriac and Oriental Studies'' (Kottayam/India).


Books

* ''تاریخ مختصر کلیسای شرق'' (2023, ). Persian trans. of ''The Church of the East. A concise History''. * ''Biserica Asiriana a Rasaritului. O scurta istorie a crestinismului siro-oriental'' (2021, ). * ''Wann kommt die Einheit? Ökumene als Programm und Herausforderung'' (2014, ). * ''The Church of the East. A concise history''. Together with W. Baum (2003, ). * ''Ostsyrisches Christentum. Untersuchungen zu Christologie, Ekklesiologie und zu den ökumenischen Dialogen der Assyrischen Kirche des Ostens'' (2004, ). * ''Die Apostolische Kirche des Ostens. Geschichte der sogenannten „Nestorianer“'' (2000, ). * ''Die Ostkirchen. Ein Leitfaden'' (1997, ). * ''Koptische Kirche und Reichskirche. Altes Schisma und neuer Dialog.'' (1997, ).


Books edited on Ecumenism and Oriental Christianity

* ''Die katholischen Ostkirchen. Herkunft - Geschichte - Gegenwart.'' With C. Lange, K. Pinggéra, Hacik R. Gazer (2024, ) * ''Identity and Witness. Syriac Christians of the Middle East and India between homeland and global presence.'' With A. Schmoller (2023, ). * ''Synodalität als Möglichkeitsraum. Erfahrungen – Herausforderungen – Perspektiven.'' With R. Cerny-Werner (2023, ). * ''Patrologie und Ökumene. Theresia Hainthaler zum 75. Geburtstag.'' With P. Knauer SJ and A. Riedl (2022, ). * ''Silk Road Traces. .Studies on Syriac Christianity in China and Central Asia.'' With L. Tang (2022, ). * ''Artifact, Text, Context. Studies on Syriac Christianity in China and Central Asia.'' With L. Tang (2020, ). * ''Towards a Culture of Co-Existence in Pluralistic Societies. The Middle East and India.'' (2020, ). * ''Monastic Life in the Armenian Church. Glorious Past – Ecumenical Reconsideration.'' With J. Dum-Tragut (2018, ). * ''Winds of Jingjiao. Studies on Syriac Christianity in China and Central Asia.'' With L. Tang (2016, ). * ''Syrische Studien. Beiträge zum 8. Deutschen Syrologie-Symposium in Salzburg 2014.'' (2016, ). * ''From the Oxus River to the Chinese Shores. Studies on East Syriac Christianity in China and Central Asia.'' With L. Tang (2013, ). * ''Syriac Christianity in the Middle East and India: Contributions and Challenges.'' (2013, ). * ''Diakonat der Frau. Befunde aus biblischer, patristischer, ostkirchlicher, liturgischer und systematisch-theologischer Sicht'' (2010, 2nd ed. 2013 ). * ''Syriac Churches encountering Islam. Past experiences and future perspectives.'' (2010, ). * ''Vom Umbruch zum Aufbruch? Kirchliche und gesellschaftliche Entwicklungen in Ostmitteleuropa nach dem Zerfall des Kommunismus.'' (2010, ). * ''Hidden Treasures and Intercultural Encounters. Studies on East Syriac Christianity in China and Central Asia.'' With L. Tang (2009, 2nd ed. 2014 ). * ''Oikos Europa zwischen Oikonomia und Oikumene. Globale Marktwirtschaft, EU-Erweiterung und christliche Verantwortung.'' With W. Nausner: (2004, ).


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winkler, Dietmar W. Living people 1963 births People from Wolfsberg Patristic scholars Academic staff of the University of Salzburg