Matthias Simperl successfully completed his doctorate in Augsburg

Matthias Simperl, former assistant at the RIGG (2012/2013), was able to successfully complete his theological doctoral studies at the University of Augsburg with the rigorosum last Thursday. In his dissertation thesis submitted last year, "Das Schreiben der Synode von Antiochia 324/325 (Urk. 18). Überlieferungsgeschichtliche Einordnung, Edition, Übersetzung und Kommentar", Simperl examines the letter of a synod that has survived exclusively in the West Syrian canon law tradition.

Since the first publication of the text by Eduard Schwartz (1905), the authenticity of the text has been disputed. On the basis of a new edition, Simperl reconstructs its history of transmission and argues for the authenticity of the document with considerable consequences for the understanding of the months before the first ecumenical Council of Nicea (325): For example, the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea was excommunicated by the synod as a supposed Arian.

The thesis was supervised by the Augsburg prof. of patrology Prof. Gregor Wurst, with Prof. Jörg Ernesti providing the second opinion. Simperl passed the viva voce in the subjects Ancient Church History (Prof. Gregor Wurst), Dogmatics (Prof. Thomas Marschler) and Theology of Spiritual Life (Prof. Wolfgang Vogl).

Simperl published an important volume of studies on the Roman papal book together with Klaus Herbers in 2020:

Liber Pontificalis

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