
Since I started to work at the university level, on numerous occasions I received a similar question: “What do you actually do?”. There is a strong sense in our culture that historians don’t really work at all. People assume that the only thing we have to do is give lectures two or three times per week, and that’s it! However, that is not the case. Needless to say, we are not all the same. Different people focus on different things in their work. Some people spend a lot of energy and time on university politics with the aim of improving working conditions and the quality of the faculty they work at. I applaud their passion and patience. However, that is not my cup of tea. So, what do I do apart from lectures, exams, and consultations with my students?
Unlike the conclusion my parents arrived at, finishing Ph.D. does not mean that you can rest until your pension. It is exactly the opposite: the real work begins after your Ph.D. is over! As you probably know, my dissertation was related to early Christian history – specifically the 2nd and 3rd centuries. I wrote about the relationship between the “Great Church” (proto-orthodoxy) and the Valentinian Gnostic School. However, already at the end of my doctoral studies, I directed my research interest toward a new goal. To explain it, I have to go back to the time of my employment at the university. In accordance with the rules, when I arrived at the faculty, I received an institutional mentor whose main task was to monitor my scientific and teaching work. To my general satisfaction, the institutional mentor I got was Marko Jerković – a professor I knew from my student days. His scientific profile was very similar to that of my doctoral mentor. And he was known as one of the best experts in the Middle Ages. Our collaboration was excellent from the very beginning and he was the main reason why I slightly changed the trajectory of my research interest. His research is mostly related to medieval religious orders. Accordingly, he suggested that I also focus on an individual or a community within the framework of Christian monasticism. I immediately decided that it would be St. Pachomius and his federation of monasteries in Egypt during the 4th century. There were two main reasons for my choice:
- I didn’t want to make a big-time transition because that’s an extremely complex thing to do. For example, I believe it is impossible to deal first with ancient history and then jump to the period of the 18th century. Especially if you want to do it well! I believe it is impossible to be a great expert both in ancient history and the history of the 18th century. The time gap is enormous. Consequently, the 4th century was the best choice since I already had a good foundation from doing research on early Christian history for the purposes of my dissertation.
- Since I know the Greek language, Pachomius’ community was a natural choice. The earliest sources about Pachomius and his successors were written in Greek.
Meanwhile, I also met Albrecht Diem (University of Syracuse) – a world authority on early medieval monasticism. Fortunately, we quickly established a great collaboration that gave birth to my two current projects. For the purposes of this post, the first project is the most important. What is it about?
I am currently researching the ways in which the dominant ecclesiastical structure in 4th century Egypt sought to incorporate Pachomius’ federation of monasteries into its own authority, creating, among other things, the image of an “orthodox” Pachomius. More specifically, I analyze the discursive forms in Greek sources that indicate the formation of the ideal image of Pachomius as an “orthodox” monk who was thus incorporated within the episcopal structures led by the bishop of Alexandria – the most powerful Christian figure in the 4th century Egypt. One familiar way this has been done is by portraying Pachomius as a fierce opponent of Origenist heresy – James Goehring has done remarkable work in that field. But, there are other ways people who wrote about Pachomius made him in the image of the “orthodox” Church. Such an image of Pachomius, of course, does not correspond to objective reality. In other words, that is not the “historical Pachomius”. Regardless, this process was an important reason why Pachomius is today considered a saint by Christians around the world. If the outcome had been different, Pachomius could have ended up like hundreds of other Egyptian monks and ascetics who were forgotten. So, my plan is to write at least one serious scientific article about it in English by the end of the year.
Besides researching Pachomius and his followers, I’m involved in two separate projects. The first one is called “Enterprising humility: The Cultural Imprints of Religious Communities in Croatia and Europe”. The intention of this project is to continue with the research of the religious culture in Croatian and European territories, which started at the Faculty of Croatian Studies already in 1999/2000. The head of the project is, of course, my institutional mentor and boss (even though he doesn’t like to be called “boss”). Working on such a project entails several conferences and the publication of Conference proceedings. Furthermore, I’m involved in a bilateral project of the Faculty of Croatian Studies and the Dresden University of Technology – Research Center for Comparative History of Religious Orders called “Saints and shaping of religious identities”. Similarly, this project also includes several things among which the Workshop at Dresden makes me happy!
Apart from those formal things, being a historian means you have to refresh your previously gained knowledge. So, my daily routine is to read a little bit of Greek – just to stay in touch with that amazing language! Currently, I’m reading parts of Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical history – a magnificent work from the early Christian world! Moreover, I have started to learn French because I want to be able to read scholarly articles and books written in French. There is a huge pile of great scholars who wrote their works in French, but they have never been translated either to English or German. So, I would like to be fluent enough in French so I can read scholarly articles.
Occasionally, I do get an opportunity to do something really interesting (even though, I find all the above fun and amazing!). So, next week I’ll be visiting Sarajevo where I’ll deliver a short lecture to high school students about the Truth and Fiction in the movie Da Vinci code! It will be a special challenge! I have never taught in front of teenagers. I hope they won’t fall asleep!