Dr. Aleksey Volchkov at the Institute
Birgit Hallmann
by Dennis Lindsay
We were pleased to host a visit this past month from Dr. Alexey Volchkov. Alexey is a native of St. Petersburg and an ordained Russian Orthodox priest. Because of his critical stance on the war in Ukraine, it is not currently possible for him to serve in his homeland, but here in Tübingen he ministers to a diaspora congregation comprised of both Russian and Ukrainian Christians. Holding a doctoral degree in theology, Alexey is also a research assistant to one of the New Testament professors of the Protestant faculty at the University of Tübingen where he has contributed to a current research project on Nicene Council. He presented a paper in our English-German Colloquium last semester on the topic of "common prayer" at the Council of Nicea (325 AD), and we are looking forward to a further presentation in the upcoming summer semester from his research work on prayers in the "Didache" (early 2nd century). Alexey works regularly with Protestant "free churches" and was delighted to make contact with our Institute for the Study of Christian Origins—a topic close to his heart. We are exploring ways to partner with him and his ministry of reconciliation.