New Director of Research

St Cyril’s is thrilled to welcome to our team Dr. Samuel Kaldas who will come on board as the Director of Research & Community Engagement. Beyond his current teaching on the “Wisdom & Thought of the Desert Fathers,” Samuel will develop research areas within St Cyril’s on contemporary Coptic Orthodox thought, as well as building bridges between academic research and the community.

He has completed a BA majoring in philosophy and ancient history, with an Honours thesis on the moral psychology of early modern philosopher of religion Ralph Cudworth, who was also the subject of PhD. His research interests range over a wide set of questions about the interface between Orthodox theology and philosophy (both ancient and modern), including questions about religious knowledge, the existence of God, the problem of evil, philosophy of education and the philosophy of liturgy. He also has an enduring research interest in the culture and theology of “service” in 20th century Coptic thought, particularly in figures like St Habib Girgis, Fr Bishoy Kamel and Fr Yousef Asaad. He is the translator of Bishop Epiphanius, So Great a Salvation: Biblical Meditations of a Contemporary Desert Father (Cairo: St Macarius Press, 2019).

We look forward to the passion and energy that he will bring to St Cyril’s!