1st International Conference on the Church of the East in China and Central Asia 2003
In 2002, Roman Malek, Director of the Monumenta Serica Institute, served as a visiting professor in Salzburg, where he lectured at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Salzburg on the traditional religions of China, particularly Daoism and Confucianism. In the course of a discussion with Peter L. Hofrichter, Professor of Church History and Patrology and then head of the Pro Oriente Syriac Dialogue, the idea emerged to organize an academic conference on the topic of so-called Nestorian Christianity in China (Jingjiao). This led to the first international Salzburg Conference in 2003.
Roman Malek contributed his extensive international network and supported the selection and invitation of experts from Europe, Asia, Australia, and China. The organizational framework was provided by the University of Salzburg in cooperation with the Church-run Institute for the Christian Orient (the predecessor of ZECO). With around 40 participants from across the world who came to Salzburg, the conference proved highly successful. It was accompanied by an exhibition of Chinese Christian art and a presentation of tombstone findings from Quanzhou.The conference proceedings were subsequently published by Roman Malek in the series of the Monumenta Serica Institute. The volume, including its comprehensive bibliography, remains a milestone in the academic study of Christianity in China.
