The continuous movement of ideas, peoples and land boundaries has characterized the geography of faiths and the faithful from the beginning. The fluid interaction of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, paganism, secularism and other belief systems has engendered a creative, but also conflicted and competitive relationship. The same religious sites often in turns served as shrines to different faiths. Relics and pilgrims roamed about from place to place. Parallel religious ceremonies and rites were adapted to suit different religions. Ethnic and religious groups moved about, sometimes by choice, often by necessity, bearing their heritage from place to place, but at the same time acquiring new traditions. This international conference will bring together scholars from a variety of disciplines to explore in depth the changing boundaries of belief and practice.

The conference is sponsored by the Commission internationale d'histoire écclésiastique comparée

The CIHEC is an umbrella organization bringing together twenty-nine countries in which there are active organizations which deal with church history. The CIHEC holds a large conference every three years. The conferences held under the auspices of the CIHEC cover all historical periods and geographical regions since the founding of Christianity. The papers presented at these conferences have been published (e.g., the two volumes entitled La christianisation des campagnes, ed. J.-P. Massaut and M.-E. Henneau [Turnhout: Brepols, 1996], and selected papers from the Exeter conference to be published in Studies in Church History). In the past, papers have been presented in French, German and English.

Communications should be about 20-30 minutes in length in English, French or German. Those wishing to participate or organize a session should send the title of their papers, a c.v. and a 500 word abstract no later than 15 January 2006 to:
For early Christianity, Dr. Aryeh Kofsky at
kofsky@research.haifa.ac.il
For the medieval period, Prof. Michael Goodich at
goodich@research.haifa.ac.il
For the modern period, Prof. Haim Goren at goren@telhai.ac.il

Tentative program of the conference:

1. Scientific projects designing some aspects of the religious map of Europe and / or the Mediterranean.

2. Contested territories: Attempts to define borders of territories by placing sacred objects and / or sacred bodies in strategic places.

3. Regions in transition: Religious consequences of migration which produce new religious minorities and new religious conflicts.

4. Metropolitan centers as a testing-ground for religious tolerance: The cases of London, Rome, Constantinople

5. Competing and exclusive territorial claims: The struggle for sovereignty over Jerusalem.

6. Missions and the Division of Territory