Yongjia Yuan

SOAS University of London
areopagusworkshop@gmail.com | +44 (0)7763787414

Education

Ph.D., Study of Religions (2025)
- School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK
Master of Theological Studies (Syriac Churches and Religious Comparative) (2021)
- Boston College, MA, USA
Master of Theology (Philokalia Studies) (2018)
- Hellenic College Holy Cross, MA, USA
Master of Theological Studies (Greek Orthodox Tradition) (2017)
- Hellenic College Holy Cross, MA, USA
B.A., Finance (2007)
- Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China

Founder, GCDFL | London, UK | Dec. 2021 – Present

GCDFL (光从东方来, meaning "the light comes from the east") is a non-profit project focused on introducing Eastern Churches to Chinese-speaking audiences through academic lectures.
Invited 18 speakers to deliver over 70 academic lectures (including 8 pilgrimage tour lectures) between 2023-2025.
Responsibilities include inviting speakers, creating schedules, providing simultaneous interpretations, editing and publishing texts on the GCDFL website, and uploading lectures to our YouTube channel.

Founder, CTCFOL | London, UK | Dec. 2021 – Present

CTCFOL (Chinese Translation of Church Fathers from Original Languages) is a non-profit project dedicated to translating early Christian texts.
Translate and publish over 250,000 words, including the Long Rule of St. Basil, Philokalia, and St. Ephrem the Syrian's Hymns on Paradise and Book of Steps.

Lecturer | GCDFL Online Platform | 2023 - Present

Delivered over 40 online lectures on Church history and the spirituality of the Greek and Syriac traditions. Notable courses and lectures include:
- The History of the Early Church (2023-2024): A multi-part series covering key figures and events from the Apostolic era to the Second Ecumenical Council. Topics included the Apostolic Church, Martyrdom, Early Apologists like Irenaeus and Clement, the Arian controversy, the formation of the Biblical Canon, and the lives of the Cappadocian Fathers.
- Spirituality of the Greek and Syriac Traditions (2023): Explored the spiritual teachings of early Christian monasticism, including the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, the Philokalia, and the Rules of St. Basil.
- Introduction to Bishop Kallistos Ware's The Orthodox Church (2024-2025): A detailed reading and discussion of this foundational text on Eastern Orthodoxy.
- Ancient Language Instruction: Taught courses on Ancient Greek, Syriac, and Sogdian to facilitate the study of primary source texts.

Yuan, Yongjia. (Forthcoming 2026). “The Development of Christianity as Visible from the Construction of Churches in the Turfan Area from the 7th–9th Century.” Central Asiatic Journal (2).
Yuan, Yongjia. (Forthcoming 2025). The Religious Identity of “Si 寺” Sites in the Turfan Area, 7th–9th Centuries: Buddhist or Church of the East? Ph.D. Thesis, SOAS University of London.