Jennifer Barry, Assistant Professor of Religion, co-organized a day-long conference at Georgetown University on April 28, 2017. She is a steering committee member of the First Millennium Network, a cross-disciplinary working group in conjunction with scholars from the Catholic University of America, George Mason University, Georgetown University and the University of Maryland, College Park.

The conference consisted of several world-renowned speakers who specialize in Apocalyptic Literature from a variety of different disciplines and areas of focus such as Jewish Studies, Islamic Studies and Medieval Studies. The University of Mary Washington has only recently joined the First Millennium Network through Barry’s ongoing efforts in connecting UMW to the greater DC area.

The First Millennium Network seeks to extend the scholarly perspective by finding creative ways to encourage interdisciplinary and comparative study of the entirety of the first millennium of the Common Era, particularly in Western Europe, Byzantium and the Islamic world. The Network places special emphasis on the diversity of, and interconnections among, the religious communities within first millennium societies—Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Manicheanism, Zoroastrianism, etc.—in their multitude of forms. To find out more, follow us on Twitter (@First1000Net) Facebook, or visit our website.