From 29th to 30th of May the Belgian cities of Louvain and Turnhout welcomed the International Colloquium Ministerium Sermonis on the Sermones ad populum by St. Augustine. El Colloquium was organized by the Department of Church History, Theology and Latin Literary Studies of the Catholic University of Louvain, in cooperation with the Scientific Committee of the Series Latina of Corpus Christianorum (Editorial Brepols), the Revue bénédictine (from the Benedictine Abbey of Maredsous) and the Augustinian Historical Institute based in Heverlee (Louvain).
Turnhout is a city one and a half hours from Brussels and is known for its beauty and its monuments, among which we find the Castle of the Dukes of Brabante, the Church of St. Peter and its Beguines museum. After our journey from Brussels all of us taking part were met by a heavy rainfall.
The new sermons, centre of attention
The Colloquium began right on time with the welcome given by Rita Beyers (Editorial Brepols) and Mathijs Lamberigts, Dean of the Theology Faculty, Catholic University of Louvain. It was clear that the first conferences would be given by the two who had found the new sermons of St. Augustine ( made known publicly on the 15th April this year, and called the Erfurt sermons).
One of them, Clemens Weidmann, gave a general presentation of the sermons, using photographs and images of the sermons and the book they were found in. Later, Dorothea Weber, who was the other discoverer, spoke on the content of the new sermons, at the same time as giving arguments to prove their authenticity.
Besides the great interest in this first session it was chaired by another “finder” of sermons of St.Augustine, Prof. François Dolbeau, who in the decade of the nineties in the library of Maguncia discovered the sermons that since then bear his name.
The rest of the first day was taken up with excellent presentations at the hands of Luc De Conick ( the new critical editions of the sermons), Thomas Martin (Sermon 163, preaching as a “modus inveniendi”),and Paul Tombeur ( the use of new IT methods for the study of St. Augustine).
The first day ended with a visit to the museum of the Beguines of Turnhout and a light supper offered by the publishers Brepols, in their own publishing premises, which is the emblematic and ancient convent of the Beguines Nuns of Begiinhof. The supper also served to celebrate the opening of the new publishing installations, after pertinent reforms.
The second day was very heavy, with conferences by well known and prestigious scholars.Reunion of well known scholars
The second day was very heavy, with conferences by well known and prestigious scholars like Hildegund Müller (on the commentaries on the gospel of St. John), Hubertus Drobner (the Christmas and Epiphany sermons), Paul van Geest ( sermon no. 23 and the theology of the smallness of man before the greatness of God), Anthony DuPon (the anti-pelagian sermons and the gratia fidei), Robert Dodaro (sermon 302 and non violence), Johathan Yates (sermons 168 & 333, and the antipelagian question), V. H. Drecoll (sermon 154A in the context of Augustine’s preaching in Carthage), P.-M. Bogaert (biblical canticles in the African homiletics), Gert Partoens (the homiletic use of Fil 3, 3-16).
The day ended with a gala dinner offered by the publishers Brepols, in which we were able to enjoy the delicate Belgian cuisine, together with the exquisite care taken to create the ambience and details at table, an element someone pointed out to be an integral part of the Belgian culture.
On the third day all the participants at the Colloquium were taken from Turnhout to Louvain (Leuven in Netherlandish), passing through the lovely Belgian countryside, in a moment of relaxation and sharing among those taking part in the Colloquium and in preparation for the last working day.
The conferences were given in the ‘Louis Janssens’ room in the College of the Holy Spirit of the Catholic University of Louvain. We had the opportunity of hearing Isabelle Bochet (on the polemic against Porfirius in sermons 240- 243), Eric Rebrillard (the sermons on the veneration of statues) and Hans Van Oort (the Jews and Judaism in the sermons of St. Augustine).
The Colloquium ended with a meal offered by the Catholic University of Louvain, in an elegant hotel next door to the well known “ College of the Pope” in Louvain. At the end of the gathering all those who were there agreed on the high academic level of the meeting since the most renowned authorities of the Augustinian world in Europe were present at the Colloquium though some did not give any conference. Among others there was François Dolbeau, whom we have mentioned and P.-M. Hombert, Bernard Bruning.
Meeting and international get together
It ought to be said that the Colloquium and Hubertus Drobner reaffirmed it was a real “Babel” for the conferences were given in various languages, the majority in English, but also in German and French. In the intermissions you could hear English, netherlandish, French, German and even Italian from an absent minded chap. I almost forgot my Spanish.
Alter the Colloquium I was welcomed and offered hospitality by the Augustinian community of Heverlee, a suburb of Louvain. I was able to get the opportunity to visit the Augustinian Historical Institute with its excellent library. On the Sunday before returning to Rome, I was able to concelebrate at an original and very spiritual Mass in netherlandish. A polyphonic choir accompanied the Mass, a little example of the delicate and sensitive artistic spirit the Belgian people possess.