CURRICULUM VITAE

            Dr. George Martzelos was born in 1948 in Thessaloniki, where he attended both primary and secondary school. In October 1966, following the successful completion of entrance examinations, he enrolled in the Theological Faculty of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, from which he received a degree in Theology in April 1971 with the mark of “Excellent.”

            In October 1971, he enrolled in the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Athens, from which he received a degree in Philosophy with the mark of “Superior.”

            In October 1973, he enrolled in the Master’s program of the Theological Faculty of Aristotle University and over the following two years attended courses in Systematic Theology and Ecclesiastical History.

            In April 1974 he was appointed an assistant to the Chair of the History of Dogma and of the Ecumenical Movement of the Theology Department, where he was assigned research on various topics in Dogmatic Theology and instructed students on the principal aspects of the historico-dogmatic approach to patristic and synodal texts.

            For two years beginning in October 1976 he pursued a course of study in Systematic Theology and Philosophy in Heidelberg, Germany, with a scholarship from the German Evangelical Church’s Diakonisches Werk.

            After the Theology Faculty was divided into two Departments, of Theology and of  Pastoral and Social Theology in 1982, he entered the Department of Theology (section of Dogmatic Theology). In April 1983, his doctoral dissertation, “Essences and Energies of God according to St. Basil the Great” was submitted to and approved by the General Assembly of the Department and he was granted a Doctorate of Theology with the mark of “Excellent”. The same year he was promoted to the position of Lector. From 1980 to 1983, with the recommendation of the National Academy of Body Education, he taught the class of Philosophy. Also in 1983, he taught a class entitled “Christian Philosophy” to Further Education School of Secondary School Teachers (ΣΕΛΜΕ) in Kavala. In 1986, he was elected Assistant Professor; in 1990, Deputy Professor; and in 1993, Professor in the section of Dogmatic Theology, teaching undergraduate classes in the History of Dogma and Dogmatics and graduate courses such as “Dogma and Philosophy in Orthodox Tradition” and “The Theological Dialogue of the Orthodox Church with the Roman Catholics and the Non-Chalcedonians”.

            From 1991 to 1993 he taught a course in Dogmatics in the Higher Ecclesiastical Academy of Thessaloniki. He also taught a course in Dogmatics as a guest Professor at the newly-established Department of Orthodox Theology at the University of Munich.

            From 1997 to 1999, he served as President of the Department of Theology at Aristotle University.

            In September 1998 Dr. Martzelos was elected as a permanent Professor (Ordinarius) of Systematic Theology (Dogmatics and Ethics) in the Department of Orthodox Theology at the University of Munich. However, for personal and familial reasons, he did not accept the position. In December 2001 he participated in an intra-departmental, three-member evaluation committee with Professors Gregory Larentzakis (University of Graz) and Herrmann Goltz (University of Halle).

            He authored monographs and articles which are concerned with questions of Dogmatic Theology as well as matters relevant to the Ecumenical Movement.

            Dr. Martzelos took an active role in several Theological Conferences both in Greece and abroad, as is demonstrated by his published papers in the Procedures of the above-mentioned Conferences (see Link “Articles”). In conjunction with Professor Norbert Hintersteiner (University of Utrecht), he participated as a Coordinator of the Socrates-Intensive Programme, the European Union’s three-year Intensive Program for European graduate students; from 19–29 May 2003 in Vienna, from 1–10 September 2004 in Louvain, and from 5–16 September 2005 in Paris. The program’s topic of study was “Naming and Thinking God in Europe today: Theology in Global Dialogue”. 

            He acted as a Political Governor of the Holy Mountain (Mount Athos) from May 1994 until October 1996. During his tenure, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew bestowed upon him the officium of  “Sovereign Teacher of the Church” (19 June 1994).

            He was a member of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s delegation at the IV. Plenary Session of the Mixed Theological Committee of the Theological Dialogue between Orthodox and Non-Chalcedonian Churches, which convened 1–6 November 1993 in Chambésy, Geneva. He also participated in the meetings of the Mixed Committee concerned with liturgical and pastoral issues relevant to the Dialogue, which convened at the Monastery of St. Paisios in the desert of Nitria (21–23 December 1994), in the Inter-Orthodox Center of the Holy Monastery of Penteli (16–19 March 1995), and in Damascus, Syria (2–6 February 1998). He was also a participant in the 10–13 March 2005 meeting of the Inter-Orthodox Committee, convened in Chambésy, Geneva, which was concerned with the above-mentioned dialogue.

            Since 2003 Dr. Martzelos has been a regular member of the Synodal Committee of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. He also represented the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the XIII. Theological Dialogue Meeting between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Evangelical Church of Germany, which convened 17–21 September 2004 in Constantinople, the topic of discussion being “The Grace of God and the Salvation of the World.”

            He is also a regular member of the Church of Greece’s Synodal Committee of Inter-Orthodox and Inter-Christian Relations and a regular representative of the Church of Greece in the Theological Dialogue with the Non-Chalcedonians.

            He was a representative of the Church of Greece at the General Assembly of the Council of European Churches (CEC) and the Council of the European Episcopal Synod of the Roman Catholic Churches (CCEE), which convened in Budapest (Leányfalu) from 27–30 November 2003 for the purpose of gaining acceptance from the Churches of Europe of the Charta Oecumenica. He again represented the Church of Greece at the IX. General Assembly of the World Council of Churches, in Porte Alegre, Brazil (14–23 February 2006), during which he was elected a member of the Central Committee of the WCC for the forthcoming seven-year period. He participated also as a member of the delegation of the Church of Greece at the 10^th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Busan, South Korea (30 October - 8 November 2013).

            On August 25, 2008, he was elected as a member of the International Academy of Religious Studies (Académie Internationale des Sciences Religieuses) seated in Brussels.

             On January 26, 2009, he was appointed by His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew a Director of the Patriarchal Foundation for Patristic Studies in Thessaloniki, who has been in charge for eight years.

            In July 2014 he was elected by the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches  as a member of the Commission on Faith and Order.

            In August 2015 he left according to the law from active service in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and in October of the same year he was awarded the title of "Professor Emeritus".

            In the winter semester 2015-2016 he taught as Visiting Professor at the Postgraduate Program of Theological Studies of the Neapolis University Paphos.

            In February 2016 he was recruited as a permanent Professor at the Postgraduate Program of Theological Studies of the  Neapolis University Paphos and since September of that year he took over the management of the Program.