The Faculty of Religious Sciences at St. Joseph University (USJ), in partnership with Bible Society Lebanon, organized, on Saturday, October 3, 2026, the 6th Intercultural Mediation and Reconciliation Conference addressing the Sacred Texts’ controversies in Christianity and Islam under the title “The Role of Linguistics and Literary Analysis in Reading the Sacred Text.” The conference explored the application of modern linguistics to the interpretation of sacred texts in Christianity and Islam, examined the intersection of linguistic approaches and theological interpretations, encouraged interreligious dialogue through academic engagement, and promoted academic cooperation and publications on shared topics.
The ceremony began with the inaugural speeches, starting with the President of St. Joseph University, Fr. Prof. François Boëdec, S.J., represented by Fr. Professor Salim Daccache, followed by a speech by Dr. Lina Iskandar Hawat, Dean of the Faculty of Religious Sciences, and by Dr. Mike Bassous, General Secretary of the Bible Society.
The international conference featured Muslim and Christian scholars and specialists. Contributors from Germany, France and various regions from Lebanon presented their lectures at the USJ hall in Beirut, while one speaker from Iraq joined remotely via Zoom to deliver his presentation.
Around 50 individuals attended the lectures in person, allowing time for questions and answers.
The book from last year’s conference, entitled “’The Role of Contextualization and Contemporarization in Reading the Sacred Text’ – Proceedings of the 5th Conference on ‘The Sacred Texts’ Controversies in Christianity and Islam,’” was distributed free of charge to the attendees. Proceedings from the previous conferences were also made available to those who had not received them previously.
The presentations were characterized by a purely scholarly and academic spirit, while the discussions reflected transparency and mutual understanding. The conference received notable engagement and interaction from the audience. Participants recognized the importance of continuing this shared research journey in a country characterized by religious and cultural diversity.
The first session of the conference was livestreamed on the social media pages of Saint Joseph University in Beirut and Bible Society Lebanon.
The Bible Society’s mission is to spread the Holy Bible’s message and culture to all generations through translating, publishing, and distributing the Scriptures using visual, audio-visual, readable, and digital formats, encouraging people to read and engage with God’s word, advocating the Bible cause to uphold human dignity, and partnering with all Churches and Christian institutions.
