2023 St. Nersess Spring Semester Zoom Public Lecture Series

St. Nersess Seminary invites you to join the second half of our Spring Semester Public Lecture Series with a new six lecture series on Armenian Martyrdoms.
Presenter Dr. Ani Shahinian will examine the historical, social, and theological contexts of Armenian Martyrdoms to address the following questions: how has martyrdom shaped Christian identity in general, and Armenian Christian identity in particular? What is the continuing legacy of martyrdom in contemporary society? And what does Armenian Christian witness look like today?
A graduate of UCLA and Oxford University, Dr. Shahinian brings to her work a rich background in government, law, apologetics, philosophy, and theology.
Lectures will take place by ZOOM, on Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:00 PM, on
March 23, 30; April 13, 20, 27; May 4
All lectures will be recorded. To register and attend by Zoom, click the button.

“An Introduction to Medieval Armenian Poetry, Part 2″, with Dr. Jesse Arlen
This two-semester public lecture series introduces the public to the medieval Armenian poetic tradition.
In the Fall 2022, Part 1 was offered. It consisted of six lectures and included material on sharagans (hymns), taghs (odes), and other genres of sacred liturgical song, biblical epic, penitential poetry, and laments composed after the capture of cities.
This Spring 2023, Part 2 will offer six lectures and will survey lyrical love and wisdom poetry and other texts such as riddles written in Middle Armenian, a form of the language closer to the spoken vernacular of the time.
Please join us on the following Thursday evenings: February 2, 9, 23, March 2, 9, 16
All sessions are offered on Zoom from 7 PM – 8 PM.

On February 23, the lecture coincides with the start of the North American debut tour of The Naghash Ensemble, a musical group that performs the poetry of Mkrtich Naghash in original compositions arranged by John Hodian.
The lecture and performances offer a one-of-a-kind opportunity to delve into the life, context, and works of this little known but very talented and profound poet of the fifteenth century and experience medieval poetry alive today in the twenty-first century.
For a list of tour dates and to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.naghashensemble.com/tours
On March 11th, the Naghash Ensemble performs at Carnegie Hall in NYC: https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2023/03/11/The-Naghash-Ensemble-of-Armenia-Songs-of-Exile-0730PM