On 20 and 21 April 2006, the Radboud University Nijmegen (Netherlands) will host a conference entitled Preaching the Virtues in the Middle Ages. The conference is organized by the research programme A Genealogy of Morals: The Cardinal Virtues in the Middle Ages, directed by István Bejczy and co-sponsored by the Netherlands Organisation of Scientific Research (NWO) and the Radboud University Nijmegen (see http://www.let.ru.nl/~I.Bejczy). Organizers of the conference are István Bejczy and Michael Hohlstein.

The conference focusus on the role of virtues in Latin sermons and other homiletic works composed between 1200 and 1500. Papers should concentrate on one or more virtues – that is, on particular virtues named in the sermons themselves, not on general items like “good behaviour”, “moral uprightness” or “Christian values” – and address questions such as the following: Do preachers follow traditional, academic schemes and conceptions of the virtues, or do they develop their own views? Do they favour particular virtues, or sets of virtues, in particular contexts? Do their interpretations depend on their audience? Do the virtues function as remedies against the vices or rather as qualities in their own right? Are virtues always interpreted as religious categories, or do the preachers leave room for secular views?

The conference language is English. Abstracts of about 250 words specifying your choice of texts, virtues and approach should be sent by e-mail before 1 December to both organizers: I.Bejczy@let.ru.nl and M.Hohlstein@let.ru.nl.

It is the intention of the organizers to publish a collection of articles on the basis of the conference proceedings.