The 2025 Mafoi Carlisle Bogitsh Lecture with David A. Michelson

“Wonder” is much sought-after in our world. From Steve Job’s desire to “make something wonderful” to the superfans of “Wonder Woman,” wonder can have diverse meanings. Technology notwithstanding, the twenty-first century does not have a monopoly on wonder. Wonder was also prized in antiquity. Christian monks in the medieval Middle East referred to their contemplative practices as prayerfully seeking wonder. In this lecture, Professor Michelson will examine the rich vocabulary which developed in the Syriac language to describe the wonder of human encounter with God—an experience which one seventh-century author, Isaac of Nineveh, called being “drunk with the love of God”.

David A. Michelson is Associate Professor of the History of Christianity at Vanderbilt Divinity School. His research focuses on the history of Syriac Christians in the Middle East. He is author or editor of three books, including The Library of Paradise: A History of Contemplative Reading in the Monasteries of the Church of the East.

Host or Publisher Vanderbilt Divinity School