Augustine’s Confessions: Antidote to Anxiety and Illusion
Wednesday, February 26, 7:00-8:15 pm
Johnson Center 106
On February 26th we are excited to host Kevin Bergdorf, one of the world's experts on Augustine's Confessions to provide an overview of Augustine's Confessions, his contemporary relevance to our modern age, as well as an inducement for us to read and re-read this great masterpiece.
Please join us at 7:00 pm in Johnson Center 106 for "Augustine’s Confessions: Antidote to Anxiety and Illusion."
Augustine was born into a mixed pagan-Christian home, had a deep attachment to his mother but was emotionally estranged from his father. In his late teens he left the Church, dabbled in astrology, and joined a cult. At 19 he got his teenage girlfriend pregnant but remained committed to her wholeheartedly. From this inauspicious start Augustine soon found in philosophy the answers that prepared him for a radical conversion and commitment to Christ. In the Confessions we can trace Augustine’s anxious inward journey from illusion to faith and freedom. He is truly a saint for our times!
Bio
Kevin Bergdorf is a former financial services entrepreneur turned classicist. He holds a degree in Latin from SUNY, a post-baccalaureate in Greek and Latin Language and Literature from the Catholic University of America, and in 2024 completed a research degree at Blackfriars Hall, the University of Oxford. His research interests include the world of Late Antiquity, the Latinity of Augustine, and the influence of Terence, Cicero, and the Psalms on Augustine’s development. He was awarded a Merit by the Examiners at Oxford for his work in Augustinian studies. Concurrent with the completion of his degree at Oxford, his book, The Confessions of Saint Augustine: A Latin Reader’s Edition was published by Emmaus Academic. He currently teaches Latin, theology, and philosophy at Lake Catholic High School in Mentor, OH and is the visiting instructor for Latin for the Propaedeutic Immersion Year at St. Mary’s Seminary in Wickliffe, OH.