Online lecture

Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Ready
DIALOGUE WITH JUDAISM:
A PATH OF DEEPENING ORTHODOX FAITH AND TRADITION

Thursday, May 15, 2025, 7 pm Paris time (CEST)

The next lecture of the series “Liturgy after the Liturgy”, the last one for the current academic year, will take place on Thursday, May 15th, 2025, at 7 pm Paris time (CEST). Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Ready (Director of Orthodox Christian Studies at Trinity College, University of Toronto, Canada) will present the topic “Dialogue with Judaism: A Path of Deepening Orthodox Faith and Tradition”. The event will be in French, and it will be moderated by Liesl Coffin-Behr. It will be accessible via the Zoom platform at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84913433453 and via the YouTube channel of the Vicariate at https://www.youtube.com/c/lalettreduvicariat . The series “Liturgy after the Liturgy” is co-sponsored by Volos Academy for Theological Studies, the Holy Metropolis of France, and the Vicariate of French-Speaking Parishes (Vicariate Sainte Marie de Paris & Saint Alexis d’Ugine, Ecumenical Patriarchate).

Dialogue between Jewish tradition and Orthodox Christianity often focuses on anti-Judaism in preaching, teaching, and worship. This presentation will instead highlight the riches that this dialogue can offer. Three themes will be explored: (1) rediscovering the profound connection between God and Israel, with a more accurate reading of Christian typology; (2) better understanding Orthodox liturgical practices from a Jewish perspective; and (3) rediscovering the living spirit of the patristic tradition, through a dynamic approach to dialogue and debate. By engaging in dialogue with the Jewish community, Orthodox Christians can renew their understanding of the faith and tradition of the Church.

Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Ready is Director of Orthodox Christian Studies at Trinity College, University of Toronto, Canada. He teaches liturgical theology, pastoral studies, and the Old and New Testaments. His research focuses on the narrative of God and Israel in Orthodox liturgy, Second Temple Judaism and Jewish-Christian origins, the “parting of the ways,” and the theological dialogue of Orthodox Christians with present-day Judaism. Father Geoffrey chairs “Orthodox Christians in Dialogue with Jews” ( https://ocdj.net/), a recently formed working group of theologians, liturgists, and scholars of Jewish-Christian theological dialogue. Its objective is to study and formulate recommendations for theological and liturgical renewal within the Orthodox Church, in order to correct or eliminate elements of anti-Judaism. Fr. Geoffrey holds a doctorate in liturgical theology from the School of Theology at the University of Toronto. He is also pastor of the Holy Myrrhbearers Orthodox Mission, an English-speaking multicultural mission of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). He produces a popular podcast on Orthodox liturgy and life, "Enacting the Kingdom," and represents the OCA Archdiocese of Canada on the Canadian Council of Churches' Commission on Faith and Witness.