Dr. Jared Ortiz

Lavern '39 and Betty DePree '41 Van Kley Professor of Religion
616.395.7756jjortiz@hope.edu
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Jared Ortiz joined 鶹Ƶվ in 2012. He teaches Catholic theology in the Department of Religion and is founder and executive director of the , the Catholic spiritual and intellectual center that serves Hope College.

Dr. Ortiz teaches courses on the mysteries of Christianity, church history, Catholicism, the theology of the human person and early Christianity. He recently co-authored a commentary on the Nicene Creed and is researching Augustine’s City of God.

Areas of expertise

Dr. Ortiz specializes in early Christian theology, especially St. Augustine. He has scholarly interests in liturgy, Patristic theology and disability.

Education

  • Ph.D., historical theology, The Catholic University of America, 2012
  • M.A., historical and systematic theology, The Catholic University of America, 2009
  • M.A., liberal arts, St. John’s College, 2005
  • B.A., fundamentals: issues and texts, University of Chicago, 2000

Honors, grants and awards

  • Jacob E. Nyenhuis Individual Faculty Research Grant for “Commentary on the Nicene Creed,” Hope College, 2021
  • Commencement Speaker, selected by 鶹Ƶվ graduating class, 2020 (address delivered May 2021)
  • Hope Outstanding Professor Educator (H.O.P.E.) Award, selected by the Hope College graduating class, 2020
  • Jacob E. Nyenhuis Student/Faculty Collaborative Research Grant for “Sex in the City of God,” a faculty-student collaborative project Hope College, 2020

Selected publications

  • , co-authored with Daniel Keating, Baker Academic (forthcoming April 2024)
  • , editor, Lexington Press/Fortress Academic, 2021
  • “,” in Evil and Creation: Historical and Constructive Essays in Christian Dogmatics, edited by George Kalantzis, Matthew Levering and David Luy, Lexham Press, 2020
  • , editor, The Catholic University of America Press, 2019
  • , Fortress Press, 2016
  • “Creation in the Confessions” in , 2016
  • “Deification in the Latin Fathers,” in , edited by Fr. David Meconi, S.J. and Carl E. Olson, Ignatius Press, 2016
  • “The Deep Grammar of Augustine’s Conversion,” in Studia Patristica vol. 70, 2013

Popular Articles

  • “,”&Բ;Catholic World Report, May 29, 2021 (slightly revised Hope College Commencement address)
  • “,”&Բ;Catholic World Report, February 6, 2021 (on the spiritual value of reading the Confessions and tips for approaching it)
  • “”&Բ;Catholic World Report, January 25, 2021 (on eight good translations of the Confessions)
  • “,”&Բ;Catholic World Report, February 18, 2020 (on Augustine’s rich and integral understanding of worship)
  • “,”&Բ;Catholic World Report, November 25, 2019 (on Augustine’s reconceiving rape and reshaping the values of Christian Roman society)
  • “,” Catholic World Report, September 29, 2019 (on Augustine’s arguments against suicide)
  • “,” Catholic World Report, August 25, 2019 (on sexual confusion, the coercion of conscience, and how Augustine teaches us to respond)
  • “,” Catholic World Report, August 5, 2019 (on Augustine’s view of sex)

Outside the College

Jared is a member of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Holland. He is married to Rhonda Ortiz, a novelist, and has six children, Benedict, Miriam, Joseph, Leo, Magdalene and Matthias.

Profile photo of Dr. Jared Ortiz
Dr. Jared Ortiz

Phone Number616.395.7756

Lubbers Hall Room 107 126 East 10th Street Holland, MI 49423-3516