István Perczel , a renowned scholar of Byzantine history and early Christianity, has been appointed as Mar Chrysostom chair at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam.
Currently Professor at the Medieval Studies department of Central European University, Mr.Perczel has conducted extensive research on the history of St.Thomas Christians in Kerala and is leading a study on the manuscripts by the community, which are written in Syriac and Garshuni Malayalam, a language that uses the Syriac script.
The Mar Chrysostom chair, opened last year, has its thrust areas in subjects such as Christianity in India, Comparative Theology, Religion and Philosophy, Secular Studies and Intercultural studies. The mandate of the chair includes holding annual lectures, research, conferences and symposiums, as well as publishing mongraph in thrust areas.
The duration of the appointment is two years. An official statement on Tuesday said Mr.Perczel was planning to deliver a series of lectures , publish working papers and offer short-term courses.
