The University of Balamand is pleased to announce its participation in the 14 th World Congress of Syriac Studies (Symposium Syriacum) and the 12 th Conference of Christian Arabic Studies (Arabicum), held in Bucharest, Romania, from August 3 to 7, 2026.

The University was represented by Professors Souad Slim, Marlène Kanaan, Elie Dannaoui, and Fr. Hareth Ibrahim. Their participation reflects the University’s continued commitment to advancing scholarly research and international academic exchange in the fields of Christian Arabic studies, as well as to promoting the rich intellectual heritage of the Christian communities of the Middle East.

The University of Balamand delegation made a significant contribution to the academic program, presenting 5 scholarly papers during the joint conference. Dr Dannaoui also contributed to the organization of the international panel entitled “The Grammar of Doctrine: Logic, Lexicon, and the Systematization of Christian Arabic Theology”.

Professor Marlène Kanaan presented a paper entitled La Pseudo-Autobiographie de Denys l’Aréopagite selon de nouveaux témoins arabes inédits: Balamand 153, 154, et 156, examining newly identified Arabic witnesses to the pseudo-autobiographical version attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite.

Professor Souad Slim presented a paper on Les Waqfs chrétiens dans les cours de justice ottomanes, exploring their legal and institutional dimensions within the Ottoman judicial system.

Professor Elie Dannaoui presented a paper entitled The ‘Chalcedonian Lexicon’: A Study of the Philosophical and Theological Sources and Methodology of at-Taʿlīm al-Awwal in Šarḥ al-Amāna al-Mūstaqīma.

Fr. Hareth Ibrahim contributed paper entitled Tabarani: an obscure Ninth-Century Simple Monk Becomes an Apologist. He also presented, on behalf of. Fr. Loay Hanna, a paper entitled The Circumstances that Led to the Production of the Arabic Liturgical Gospel at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The University’s participation in this major international double Conference provided an important platform for presenting ongoing research, engaging with scholars from around the world, and contributing to contemporary scholarly discussions on the rich and diverse intellectual traditions of Syriac and Arabic Christianity.

The conference also provided an occasion to pay tribute to Fr. Hareth Ibrahim in recognition of his dedicated efforts at Center for Manuscripts' Conservation and Restoration at the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand.

Through its active participation in Symposium Syriacum and Arabicum, the University of Balamand reaffirmed its commitment to fostering international scholarly collaboration and to advancing research in the fields that fall within the expertise of its Faculty members.