Latin, Medieval Latin, Paleography, Text Editing, Greek, Medieval Christianity

My scholarship centers on the question how medieval authors appropriate and reconfigure seemingly authoritative texts into new and sometimes subversive literature. Currently, I am finishing the critical edition and study of an eighth-century pastoral florilegium, related to the famous Merovingian Liber Scintillarum. The edition will appear with the publisher Brepols (Belgium) in the series Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina. I am also preparing with Albrecht Diem the edition and translation of Latin monastic rules from before the Rule of Benedict. In my dissertation (2006) I investigated how Nicholas of Cusa († 1464), a German bishop, member of the papal court and one of the most creative minds of his generation, attempted to redefine traditional Christian theological concepts in terms of Neoplatonic philosophy.

• Fall 2010 – 2022: Assistant Professor of Classics, Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, Syracuse University.
• Spring 2008 – Spring 2010: Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies and The Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CEMERS), Binghamton University
• Fall 2007: Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Syracuse University

“Patristic knowledge and pastoral care in Otmar’s times. The florilegium Harley 5041 and the Liber Scintillarum” in Gordon Blennemann and Sebastian Scholz (eds.), Otmars Welten, De Gruyter, Berlin (forthcoming)

Translation of Walahfrid Strabo’s Vita Otmari (in English), in cooperation with Albrecht Diem, in Gordon Blennemann and Sebastian Scholz (eds.), Otmars Welten, De Gruyter, Berlin (forthcoming)

“Divus Dionysius: Jean Gerson, Nicholas of Cusa and the interpretation of Pseudo-Dionysius’ mystical theology,” in Viator 44/2, (2013), pp. 323-342

“Intellige semper spiritaliter, The role of the Bible in the philosophy of Nicholas of Cusa,” in Mediaevalia, An Interdisciplinary Journal of Medieval Studies World Wide (Binghamton University) 31 (2010), pp. 83-98

“World without end. Nicholas of Cusa’s view on time and eternity,” in Zweder von Martels, Alasdair A. Macdonald and Jan Veenstra (eds.), Christian Humanism. Essays in Honor of Arjo Vanderjagt, Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions, 142, Leiden: Brill Publishers, 2009, pp. 317-337

“Imago und participatio. Das Verhältnis zwischen dem Bildsein und der Teilhabe des Geistes in De coniecturis, De filiatione dei und Idiota de mente,” in Klaus Reinhardt and Harald Schwaetzer (eds.), Nicolaus Cusanus. Perspektiven seiner Geistphilosophie, Regensburg: S. Roederer Verlag, 2003, pp. 65-78

In collaboration with Bruce Venarde (Pittsburgh): translation of the prologue of Hildemar of Civate’s Expositio Regulae, at www.hildemar.org

• The Harley Florilegium – a manual for preaching monks? Workshop at the Radboud University, Nijmegen, June 27, 2022. Organizer: Rutger Kramer (University of Utrecht/Nijmegen).
• “Eighth century monasticism through the lens of florilegia. The Liber Scintillarum and the Florilegium in codex BL Harley 5041” at the medieval seminar of the Israel Institute of Advanced Studies, Jerusalem, convener: Yaniv Fox, March 10th, 2022.
• “Smaragdus the teacher. Remembering Smaragdus ca. 12 hundred years after the publication of the Expositio in Regula S. Benedicti abbatis,” Kalamazoo (MI), Int. Med. Conference, May 15th, 2021.
• “Alium (...) ex sanctorum doctorum homiliis (...) conjunxit librum. Benedict of Aniane’s florilegiums in context,” Int. Medieval Congress, Leeds (UK), July 5th, 2021.

Edition: Codex British Library, Harley 5041, for the series Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina, Brepols, Turnhout (together with Albrecht Diem and Gordon Blennemann).

Edition: The Regulae Ferrioli, Aureliani, Cassiani, and Tarnatensis, in the series Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, Vienna (together with Albrecht Diem)

Translation: The Regulae Ferrioli, Aureliani, Cassiani, and Tarnatensis, in the series Translated Texts for Historians, Liverpool UP (together with Albrecht Diem)

Renie S. Choy, Intercessory Prayer and the Monastic Ideal in the Time of the Carolingian Reforms, Oxford 2016, for Speculum, 93/3 (2018), pp. 816-817.

Thomas Frank and Nobert Winkler (eds.), Renovatio et Unitas - Nikolaus von Kues als Reformer. Theorie und Praxis der reformatio im 15. Jahrhundert, Göttingen 2012, for the Renaissance Quarterly 66/1 (2013), pp. 277-279.

Martin Thurner (ed.), Nicolaus Cusanus zwischen Deutschland und Italien, Berlin 2002, for Theologie und Philosophie 80 (2005), pp. 104-106.

Nicolai de Cusa opera omnia, Sermones IV (1455-1463) fasciculus 3: Sermones CCXXXII-CCXLV, Hamburg 2002, for Philosophisches Jahrbuch 111 (2004), pp. 207-208.

Harald Schwaetzer (ed./tr.), Nikolaus von Kues. Textauswahl in deutscher Übersetzung, vol. 5, Über die Gotteskindschaft, for Litterae Cusanae. Informationen der Cusanus-Gesellschaft 2/2 (2002), pp. 77-78.

Inigo Bocken (ed./tr.), Cusanus. De leek over de geest (Dutch translation of Nicholas of Cusa’s Idiota de mente), for Millenium. Tijdschrift voor middeleeuwse studies 16 (2002), pp. 178-179.

“Eighth century monasticism through the lens of florilegia. The Liber Scintillarum and the Florilegium in codex BL Harley 5041” at the medieval seminar of the Israel Institute of Advanced Studies, Jerusalem, convener: Yaniv Fox, March 10th, 2022.

“Smaragdus the teacher. Remembering Smaragdus ca. 12 hundred years after the publication of the Expositio in Regula S. Benedicti abbatis,” Kalamazoo (MI), Int. Med. Conference, May 15th , 2021.

Alium (...) ex sanctorum doctorum homiliis (...) conjunxit librum. Benedict of Aniane’s florilegiums in context,” Int. Medieval Congress, Leeds (UK), July 5th , 2021.

“Melius est conferre quam legere – 8th century florilegia and their readers,“ invited lecture for the conference Otmars Welten, St. Gallen (Switserland), June 21, 2019.

“Editing a ninth century work-in-progress: Glosae collectae in regula S. Benedicti,“ workshop at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, March 29, 2019. • “Benedict’s Bible, or Thoughts on the abbot as vicar of Christ,” Leeds, UK, International Medieval Congress, July 7, 2017.

“Carolingian collectors of texts and their classical predecessors - continuities, innovations, and omissions,” Kalamazoo, MI, International Medieval Conference, May 11, 2017.

“The edition of a ninth century schoolbook Glosae collectae in regula S. Benedicti” presentation on April 18, 2017, for MedRen, interdepartemental workshop at Syracuse University.

“How the author of the Glosae in regula S. Benedicti used the Liber Glossarum,” in Paris, France, at the Colloque “Libgloss 2016: Le Liber glossarum (s. VII-VIII). Sources, composition, réception,” May 25-27, 2016, under direction of Anne Grondeux.

“Ein neuentdeckter Kommentar zur Regula Benedicti im Kontext der Karolingischen Regelrezeption,” invited lecture, June 16, 2016, in Vienna, Austria, Institut für Mittelalterforschung, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, director: M. Diesenberger. • presentation of paper “Problems of editing a ninth century work-in-progress: Glosae collectae in regula S. Benedicti,” at the Conference Ars Edendi, Stockholm, Sweden, August 17-19, 2016.

“Copying, Collecting, Writing: Smaragdus of St. Mihiel and the Glosae in Regula S. Benedicti” at the Conference “The pre-modern Book in a Global Context: Materiality and Visuality,” CEMERS, Binghamton University, October 19-20, 2016.

“Beyond Benedict: The Rule between the lines in early medieval monasticism,” invited lecture at the Dept. of History, Princeton University, April 19, 2016.

“Turning Benedict into a shepherd – How pastoral is Smaragdus‘ interpretation of the Rule of Benedict?“ at the International Medieval Congress, Leeds, UK, July 6, 2015.

“Smaragdus and Benedict of Aniane – complementing or competing programs?“ at the conference Norm and Exercise, Turin, Italy, June 22, 2015.

“Theology à la carte. News from Smaragdus’ Patristic Pantry“ at the International Medieval Conference at Kalamazoo, MI, May 9, 2014.

“Will and Grace again! A contribution to Carolingian theology of monasticism“ American Historical Association, Washington, D.C., January 2, 2014.

“Auctor and auctoritas in the Carolingian age. Smaragdus of St.-Mihiel and the Church-fathers“ Return of the Text. A Conference on the Cultural Value of Close Reading, LeMoyne College, Syracuse NY, September 26, 2013.

“Prisca theologia in the philosophy of Nicholas of Cusa?“ International conference The Place of Renaissance Humanism in the History of Philosophy, Dept. of Philosophy, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Netherlands, June 12, 2013.

“The ‘Valenciennes commentary’ on the Regula Benedicti. The critical edition and study of a 9th century glossary and florilegium for the study of the Rule of Benedict,“ Colloquium at the Dept. of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, March 29, 2013.

“Jerusalem or Athens? Jean Gerson, Nicholas of Cusa and the 15th-century debate on Christian Platonism“ Invited lecture for MedRen working group, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, November 9, 2012.

“The Valenciennes-Commentary on the Regula Benedicti. An excerpt from Smaragdus’ Commentary or its ‘Vorlage’?” at the Conference Texts and Contexts, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, October 26, 2012.

“A comparison of Smarargdus of St. Mihiel with Hildemar of Civate” at International Studies on Hildemar of Corbie: First International Workshop, Toronto ON, November 23, 2012.

“The essential Benedict: an unpublished commentary on the Rule of Benedict” at the International Medieval Congress at Leeds, UK, July 2012.

“Teaching with the Regula Benedicti: the Valenciennes-gloss” at the International Medieval Conference at Kalamazoo, MI, May 2012.

“Gerson and Cusa as interpreters of Pseudo-Dionysius” at the International Medieval Conference at Kalamazoo, MI, May 2011.

“Nicholas of Cusa on the authority of Scripture” at the The Twelfth Biennial Conference of the International Seminar on Pre-Reformation Theology at Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary and The American Cusanus Society, Gettysburg, PA, October 2010.

“Trade in philosophy. Commercial metaphors in the work of Nicolas of Cusa and the medieval market in ancient books” at Negotiating Trade, CEMERS Conference, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, September 2010.

“Ut scias sapientiam non esse in arte oratoria. Nicholas of Cusa’s ambivalence towards rhetoric” at The 55th Annual Meeting of the Renaissance Society of America, Los Angeles, CA, March 2009.

“Apocalypse and eternity. Nicholas of Cusa on the end of time,” CEMERS lecture series, Binghamton, NY (invited lecture), September 2008.

“The dead and the living image. The aesthetics of Nicolas of Cusa and Leon Battista Alberti rethought,” International Medieval Conference, Kalamazoo, MI, May 2006.

“Nicholas of Cusa’s reception of Plato’s Parmenides” at the The 51st Annual Meeting of the Renaissance Society of America, Cambridge, UK, April 2005.

Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics Outstanding Research Award, September 2020, for the Project Glosae in Regula Benedicti ad usum Smaragdi Sancti Michaelis abbatis.