Arianna ROTONDO

Arianna ROTONDO is an Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities at the University of Catania, specializing in the History of Christianity and Churches (HIST-04/B). She is currently a Visiting Professor at Ghent University, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy – Department of Literary Studies, from November 2024 to April 2025. Her research spans early Christian history, gender in religious contexts, patristics, late antique Christianity, and the reception of biblical texts. She has led and participated in numerous national and international research projects, including PRIN, FIRB, and ANR-DFG collaborations.

Her research interests include:

• History of Christianity
• Gender and Religion in Antiquity
• Patristic Literature
• Religious Authority and Canon Formation
• Reception of the Septuagint
• Biblical Interpretation and Hermeneutics
• Religion and Cultural History

Her recent publications and projects reflect a strong interdisciplinary approach, merging theology, history, literature, and cultural studies. Key themes include the semantics of violence and healing in sacred texts, religious responses to emergencies, and the role of women in early Christian communities. Her work often explores the intersection of religion with politics, identity, and narrative.

She has supervised numerous theses on topics ranging from feminist theology and queer Christianity to the history of religious movements, saints, and biblical interpretation. Her academic service includes leadership roles in research units and collaboration with institutions across Europe and North America.

Her scientific contributions are recognized through active participation in major research consortia such as THEOPOESIE and Jenseits des Kanons. She is also deeply engaged in public scholarship, examining contemporary religious phenomena such as online liturgies during the pandemic and religious coexistence in the Mediterranean.

She advises a wide range of students and leads research on:

• Feminist and queer theologies
• Christianity in Sicilian culture
• Patristic and medieval religious thought
• Religion and media
• Historiography of Christian movements