BIO
Paul L. Gavrilyuk, Ph.D. is the Aquinas Chair in Theology and Philosophy at the Theology Department of the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, he is the founding president of REBUILD UKRAINE, a non-profit that provides vital support to Ukraine’s defenders, refugees, and children affected by war. In 2022, REBUILD UKRAINE raised and provided over $500,000 in humanitarian aid to the war-torn country.
An internationally respected Orthodox theologian and historian, Dr. Gavrilyuk specializes in historical theology (especially early Christian doctrine of God and Christ), philosophy of religion, and modern Orthodox theology. His areas of interest also include liturgical studies, and ecumenical studies. Translated into ten languages, his books include: The Suffering of the Impassible God: The Dialectics of Patristic Thought (Oxford, 2004), Histoire du catéchuménat dans l’église ancienne [A History of the Catechumenate in the Early Church] (Paris: Le Cerf, 2007) and Georges Florovsky and the Russian Religious Renaissance (Oxford University Press, 2013; for an overview, watch this interview). He also edited Immersed in the Life of God: The Healing Resources of the Christian Faith: Essays in Honor of William J. Abraham (Eerdmans, 2008, with Douglas Koskela and Jason Vickers); The Spiritual Senses: Perceiving God in Western Christianity, co-edited with Sarah Coakley (Cambridge, 2012, with Sarah Coakley), Perceiving Things Divine: Towards a Constructive Account of Spiritual Perception (Oxford University Press, 2022, with Frederick D. Aquino), and On Christian Leadership: The Letters of Alexander Schmemann and Georges Florovsky (1947-1955) ( St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2020). His numerous scholarly articles have appeared in The Journal of Theological Studies, Scottish Journal of Theology, Vigiliae Christianae, Modern Theology, First Things, Studia Liturgica, as well as Eastern European academic journals. He is a regular contributor to encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, and multi-author symposia. Currently he is editing The Oxford Handbook of Deification (forthcoming in 2024, with Andrew Hofer and Matthew Levering).
Dr. Gavrilyuk is the founding president of the International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA, iota-web.org), an organization that includes over 1,500 scholars from 45 countries. IOTA’s mission is the foster a worldwide exchange of knowledge within the context of the Orthodox tradition. IOTA organizes mega-conferences that bring together a historic number of scholars and church leaders. The Inaugural Conference took place in Iasi, Romania in January 2019, included 300 participants from 40 countries and had the overarching theme of pan-Orthodox unity and synodality; the second mega-conference was organized in Volos, Greece in January 2023, included over 400 participants from 43 countries and had the overarching theme of mission and the Orthodox Church.
An internationally recognized scholar and teacher, Dr. Gavrilyuk has had speaking engagements or taught courses in the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Greece, Italy, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and United States. His visiting teaching appointments include Harvard Divinity School (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, Spring 2007), Calvin College (Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, Summer 2013), the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas (Rome, Italy, Fall 2005), and Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv, Ukraine, March 2005).
At the University of St Thomas, Dr. Gavrilyuk teaches a broad range of subjects, from introductory undergraduate course ‘Foundations of Christianity’ to more specialized graduate courses, such as ‘Early Christian Theology’ and ‘Eastern Christianity’. He is the founder and organizer of the Theology Department’s public lecture series, New Frontiers in Theological Research, and Interdisciplinary Faculty Colloquium.
Curriculum Vitae (Resume)
Papers, articles, and other academic materials can be found on Academia Page
Dr. Paul L. Gavrilyuk’s Amazon author page
In this 30-min video (in English), Dr. Gavrilyuk discusses his background, research, teaching, and service to a broader community:
Paul L. Gavrilyuk 