Sonja Ulrich

Dr. Sonja Ulrich is a Researcher at the Chair of Ancient Church History, Christian Archaeology and Patrology within the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Würzburg. Her academic responsibilities include research and teaching in Late Antique Christian historiography, with a specific focus on the works of Orosius.

Education:

• Bachelor of Education: Latin & Catholic Theology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2013–2017)
• Master of Education: Latin & Catholic Theology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2016–2019)
• Certificate in Philosophy/Ethics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2017–2022)
• PhD in Ancient Church History, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2020–2024)

Research Focus: Ulrich specializes in the intersection of war narratives and Christian apologetics in late antiquity. Her work critically examines how Orosius used historical accounts of conflict to advance theological arguments, particularly within the context of Roman imperial decline. This research bridges patristic studies, classical historiography, and military history.

Grants & Projects: From 2020–2023, she was a research associate in the DFG-funded Graduiertenkolleg 2304 'Byzantium and the Euro-Mediterranean Cultures of War' at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, where she developed her doctoral dissertation on Orosius' historiographical methods.

Awards & Recognition:

• 2020: Received the Gutenberg Lehrkolleg award for outstanding thesis