Conferences 2025

The Concept of Matter and the Concept of Spirit

The concept of Matter…

  • … in Judaism: Dr. Tanja Werthmann, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel)
  • … in Christianity: Prof. Dr. Richard Bell, University of Nottingham (United Kingdom)
  • … in Islam: Prof. Dr. Jon McGinnis, University of Toronto (Canada)

The concept of Spirit…

  • … in Judaism: Prof. Dr. Elliot R. Wolfson, University of California Santa Barbara (USA)
  • … in Christianity: Prof. Dr. Martin Rötting, Paris Lodron University Salzburg (Austria))
  • … in Islam: Prof. Dr. Mohammad Azadpur, San Francisco State University (USA)

The conference took place in Erlangen from 25 to 26 June 2025 in a hybrid format.

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The video series “Matter & Spirit” presents the academic papers from the 2025 KCID Conference at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg. In these presentations, international experts provide an in-depth analysis of the complex relationship between physicality and spirituality in Christianity and Islam. The talks cover a wide range of topics, from ancient philosophy to modern physics.

The Concept of Religious Leaders and the Concept of the Religious Community

The concept of Religious Leaders…

  • … in Judaism: Dr. Nathanael Riemer, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany)
  • … in Christianity: Prof. Dr. Justin A. Irving, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville (USA)
  • … in Islam: Prof. Dr. Safi Louay, College of Islamic Studies, Hamad bin Khalifa University (Qatar)

The concept of Religious Community…

  • … in Christianity: Prof. Dr. Kristin Merle, University of Hamburg (Germany)
  • … in Islam: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatih Varol, Istanbul University (Turkey)

The conference took place online from 19 to 20 February 2025.

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The video series “Religious Leaders” presents the academic papers from the 2025 KCID Conference at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg. In these presentations, international experts provide in-depth analyses of concepts of authority and legitimacy in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The talks cover a wide range of topics, from biblical roots to modern models.