Barbara Baert is Professor of Art history at the Department of Art History and the Faculty of Theology of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Her research focuses on the image analysis and iconology of Christian art. She founded the Iconology Research Group, a bilateral initiative with the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. She is co-promoter of the research project “Mary Magdalene and Touching Jesus. An intra-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary study of the interpretation of John 20,17 in exegesis, iconography and pastoral care”, which enjoys the support of the Fund for Scientific Research – Flanders (FWO – Vlaanderen).

Reimund Bieringer is Professor of New Testament exegesis at the Faculty of Theology of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. His research concentrates on the exegesis of the Gospel of John, the letters of Paul and biblical hermeneutics. He is promoter/spokesperson of the research project “Mary Magdalene and Touching Jesus. An intra-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary study of the interpretation of John 20,17 in exegesis, iconography and pastoral care”.

 

Karlijn Demasure is Professor of Pastoral Theology and she has the tenure track position of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Cross Chair in Christian Family Studies at Saint-Paul University in Ottowa (Canada). Her research is located in the domain of practical theology with a focus on fundamental reflection, narrativity and pastoral care of families. She is co-promoter of the research project “Mary Magdalene and Touching Jesus. An intra-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary study of the interpretation of John 20,17 in exegesis, iconography and pastoral care”.

Hannelore Devoldere is a pre-doctoral researcher in Pastoral Theology (Practical Theology) at the Faculty of Theology of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Her research topic is entitled Contemporary marital spirituality. A social-psychological and pastoral theological research of the possibility of a time spirituality from the concept of the life course and is being guided by Prof. dr. Thomas Knieps and Prof. dr. Roger Burggraeve. In addition, she is an academic assistant on the research project “Mary Magdalene and Touching Jesus. An intra-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary study of the interpretation of John 20,17 in exegesis, iconography and pastoral care”.

Liesbet Kusters is a pre-doctoral researcher in Art History at the Faculty of Art History of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Her research topic is entitled The Haemorrhoïssa (Mc 5:24-34). An iconological research of the meaning of the haemorrhaged woman in the medieval art (4th-15th century).  At the same time a contribution to the blood and touching taboo in the era before the Modernity. She teaches Art History of the Middle-Ages at the Royal Academy for Fine Arts in Ghent. In addition, she is an academic assistant on the research project “Mary Magdalene and Touching Jesus. An intra-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary study of the interpretation of John 20,17 in exegesis, iconography and pastoral care”.

Sabine Van Den Eynde is Professor at the Katholieke Hogeschool Kempen (Belgium). She is engaged in research in the domain of exegesis of the Hebrew bible and the Deutero-Canonical books, with a focus on narrative and gender analysis as well as semantics. She is co-promoter of the research project “Mary Magdalene and Touching Jesus. An intra-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary study of the interpretation of John 20,17 in exegesis, iconography and pastoral care”.
 

Isabelle Vanden Hove holds a Master's degree in Ancient History and a Master's degree in Religious Studies. She has worked as a guide in a variety of Museums, including the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren and the Provincial Archaeological Museum in Velzeke. In addition, she provided academic research support for the exhibition "This is Just the Beginning: World Religions on Birth, Marriage and Death" (Sint-Truiden, 24 March - 1 July 2005). She is presently working as an academic assistant on the research programme "Mary Magdalene and Touching Jesus. An intra-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary study of the interpretation of John 20,17 in exegesis, iconography an pastiral care".