Podcasts about Gratian

SCP-6503 (ITA) - Il Mecha Cattolico, narrato da Amico Diverte. "SCP-6503" by Kilerpoyo, from the SCP Wiki. Source: https://scpwiki.com/scp-6503. Licensed under CC-BY-SA. Filename: wald.jpg Name: File:Waldsassen Stiftsbasilika - Heiliger Leib 1a Gratian.jpg Author: Wolfgang Sauber License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International Source Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waldsassen_Stiftsbasilika_-_Heiliger_Leib_1a_Gratian.jpg Filename: mecha.jpg Name: Imperial Knight Iron Will Author: Victor Ques Ramos License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Source Link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/84366637@N04/42915545415 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Full Text of ReadingsTuesday after Epiphany Lectionary: 213The Saint of the day is Saint Raymond of PeafortSaint Raymond of Peñafort's Story Since Raymond lived into his hundredth year, he had a chance to do many things. As a member of the Spanish nobility, he had the resources and the education to get a good start in life. By the time he was 20, he was teaching philosophy. In his early 30s he earned a doctorate in both canon and civil law. At 41 he became a Dominican. Pope Gregory IX called him to Rome to work for him and to be his confessor. One of the things the pope asked him to do was to gather together all the decrees of popes and councils that had been made in 80 years since a similar collection by Gratian. Raymond compiled five books called the Decretals. They were looked upon as one of the best organized collections of Church law until the 1917 codification of canon law. Earlier, Raymond had written for confessors a book of cases. It was called Summa de Casibus Poenitentiae. More than simply a list of sins and penances, it discussed pertinent doctrines and laws of the Church that pertained to the problem or case brought to the confessor. At the age of 60, Raymond was appointed archbishop of Tarragona, the capital of Aragon. He didn't like the honor at all and ended up getting sick and resigning in two years. He didn't get to enjoy his peace long, however, because when he was 63 he was elected by his fellow Dominicans to be the head of the whole Order, the successor of Saint Dominic. Raymond worked hard, visited on foot all the Dominicans, reorganized their constitutions and managed to put through a provision that a master general be allowed to resign. When the new constitutions were accepted, Raymond, then 65, resigned. He still had 35 years to oppose heresy and work for the conversion of the Moors in Spain. He convinced Saint Thomas Aquinas to write his work Against the Gentiles. In his 100th year, the Lord let Raymond retire. Reflection Raymond was a lawyer, a canonist. Legalism can suck the life out of genuine religion if it becomes too great a preoccupation with the letter of the law to the neglect of the spirit and purpose of the law. The law can become an end in itself, so that the value the law was intended to promote is overlooked. But we must guard against going to the opposite extreme and seeing law as useless or something to be lightly regarded. Laws ideally state those things that are for the best interests of everyone and make sure the rights of all are safeguarded. From Raymond, we can learn a respect for law as a means of serving the common good. Saint Raymond of Peñafort is a Patron Saint of: Lawyers Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Every business dreams of experiencing that exhilarating hockey stick growth where success skyrockets, but what does it truly take to achieve it? Tom Gratian, founder of Gratian Group, shares the secrets to achieving explosive hockey stick growth by focusing on top talent, laser-sharp strategy, and the game-changing power of AI. He provides actionable insights on how to identify and secure A-players, develop effective leadership, and foster a winning culture, all while navigating the unique challenges of rapid growth. Tune in to discover how to unlock your company's full potential and achieve phenomenal growth.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!

This illustrious light of Orthodoxy in the Western Church was born in Gaul in 349, but his widowed mother took the family to Rome while he was still a small child. Brilliant and well-educated, he was made a provincial Governor in 375 and took up residence in Milan. In those days, the Arian heresy was still dividing the Church, despite its repudiation at the Council of Nicaea in 325. When the time came to elect a new Bishop in Milan, the Orthodox and Arian parties were so divided that they could come to no agreement on a new Bishop. When Ambrose came as Governor to try to restore peace and order, a young child, divinely inspired, called out "Ambrose, Bishop!" To Ambrose's amazement, the people took up the cry, and Ambrose himself was elected, though he tried to refuse, protesting that he was only a catechumen (it was still common in those days to delay Holy Baptism for fear of polluting it by sin). He even attempted to flee, but his horse brought him back to the city. Resigning himself to God's will, he was baptized and, only a week later, elevated to Bishop. Immediately, he renounced all possessions, distributed all of his money to the poor and gave his estates to the Church. Straightaway, he entered into a spirited defense of Orthodoxy in his preaching and writings to the dismay of the Arians who had supported his election. Soon he persuaded Gratian, Emperor of the West, to call the Council of Aquilea, which brought an end to Arianism in the Western Church. (Arianism, however, continued to prosper among the barbarian nations for many years; see the Martyrs of Africa, also commemorated today).   Several times the holy Bishop was called upon to defend the Church against domination by the secular powers. Once, putting down an uprising in Thessalonika, the Emperor Theodosius punished the city by ordering the massacre of thousands of its residents. When the Emperor later visited Milan and came to the Cathedral to attend the Liturgy, Saint Ambrose stopped him at the door, condemned his crime before all the people, forbade him entrance to the church and excommunicated him for eight months. The Emperor went away weeping, and submitted in humility to the Church's discipline. When he returned after long penance to be restored to Communion, he went into the sanctuary along with the clergy, as had been the custom of the Emperors since Constantine the Great. But again the holy Ambrose humbled him in the sight of all the people, saying "Get out and take your place among the laity; the purple does not make priests, but only emperors." Theodosius left without protest, took his place among the penitents, and never again attempted to enter the sanctuary of a church. (When the Emperor died, it was Bishop Ambrose who preached his funeral eulogy).   Saint Ambrose, by teaching, preaching and writing, brought countless pagans to the Faith. His most famous convert was St Augustine (June 15), who became his disciple and eventually a bishop. Ambrose's many theological and catechetical works helped greatly to spread the teaching of the Greek fathers in the Latin world. He wrote many glorious antiphonal hymns which were once some of the gems of the Latin services.   Saint Ambrose reposed in peace in 397; his relics still rest in the basilica in Milan.

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.An Empress’ Guard Remembers.Then, as sudden as the crash after lightning, the weight was gone.I didn’t immediately react. My mind was a storm of pounding fury, my breath ragged in my ears and my body frozen and tense.After a few heartbeats of nothing, my soldier’s instincts forced me into motion. I lowered my shield, becoming suddenly aware of my shrieking muscles.I groaned, swayed, and would have fallen over had another body not leaned into me.Helena. My shield mate.Her eyes were glazed and her breath was the uneven, gasping hitch of a body pushed beyond all limits.But she was alive.She was here beside me, and together, we steadied each other enough to stand on our own. I blinked my vision into focus and raised my head.We were in a charnel house.Dozens lay dead before us, a carpet of blood and pale bodies that stretched from our feet to the splintered entrance. They’d been gutted and cut open, their insides spilled onto the surrounding stones.And the stench.It was shit and misery and death; a miasma of horror worse than any sort of butcher’s yard. Beside me, Helena coughed, staggered to the side, and retched. I just swayed in place, breathing through my mouth.“They ran away,” a voice rasped. “They all ran away.”It was the Empress. She was just a handful of steps behind us, leaning heavily onto the haft of her spear. Her limbs shook with exhaustion.“Augusta,” I croaked. “Are you hurt?”Blood stained the sweat-darkened purple of her dress. Thick droplets of it that were splattered along her chest and shoulders. It oozed from between her fingers, trickling down from the splintered tip of her spear.“Ah,” she said, seeming to notice herself for the first time. “No. I, I don’t believe any of this is mine. And you?”She reached a hand up to push at the strip of purple that held back her hair, leaving a streak of red behind on her forehead.I didn’t answer, refusing to look down and examine myself. I wasn’t ready to see, so I forced myself to stare down the hallway, distracting myself with thoughts of survival.And indeed, it appeared as if the Empress was correct. Nothing moved within the corridor, and I could hear nothing in the room beyond the shattered portal. The invaders had fled, and not a moment too soon, as I finally noticed that we’d been pushed most of the way back to Theodora’s sitting room.Not far away, Helena groaned. She managed to push herself upright, leaning heavily against the wall, her face wan.“Helena,” I said. “Are you,”I coughed, feeling a wave of bile rise through me. The smell was horrific, made so much worse by the thick summer air and the windless confines of this tunnel. My stomach writhed, but I clamped down on it ruthlessly.Not yet.Helena was covered in blood. Her chest, legs, and sword arm were caked in death, her face and neck splattered with it. I staggered over to her, conscious of the gumminess between my own fingers."I’m fine,” she said, trying to smile. “I’m fine. It’s just, how,”She turned and threw up once again. It was a hacking, heaving sort of retch; the kind that left you shaking. I came to stand beside her, pressing my hip to her side, all I could do without dropping my sword and shield. She leaned some of her weight into me."Leontius,” the Empress said, moving to join us. She lay a hand on the unarmored part of Helena’s hip, providing what comfort she could. “Is it safe to move?”I blinked, stirred, and shook my head. “Not yet. We still don’t know what’s going on in the rest of the palace. This is still the safest place for us.”Theodora nodded, turning her head to gaze down the length of the passageway. An ocean of red dotted with pale islands of green and blue.“It seems remarkable,” she said. “That we survived against so many.”“These weren’t soldiers, Augusta,” I said, exhaling. “They were potters, blacksmiths, dockworkers, They were drunk, pushed onto our swords by those further back. They were badly led, unarmored and most didn’t even have any weapons. They were just,”"People,” Theodora finished for me. “Dead because they believed in something strongly enough to fight for it.”I shifted, my gaze going back to Helena. She was still bent into the wall, her eyes screwed tightly shut and her frame vibrating with repressed feeling. She’d just gone through her first battle, and every single thought and feeling that she’d pushed aside while in the midst of it was tearing into her.My own soul felt raw, overused, and stretched near to the point of snapping. I could feel my own crash coming, though experience let me push it away. For a time, at least.“We believe as well, Augusta,” I said. “In you.”The Empress smiled, though it was one that I’d yet to see wear. It was an expression of unyielding certainty, of iron-hard conviction; the whole of it framed by a profound sense of grief. It was the smile of the lonely farmer taking his axe to the rabid skull of his favorite dog.She stepped forward to kiss my cheek. “I’ll be back with a bucket of water.”The Empress slipped into her private chambers a few moments later, leaving Helena and me alone. My shield mate had managed to straighten herself, though her body still shook. I watched as she breathed deeply, the lines of her face growing looser with every exhalation.She was eventually able to open her eyes and meet my gaze. I felt something crack within me, like the first axe blow that had split the door.It was still her.Though tears traced the lines of her cheeks, and something had changed within the cypress of her eyes, nothing had been lost. I still recognized her. She was still the woman I,“I’m sorry,” she said.“Helena, I, what?”“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I’m here weeping like a child. But I’ll get stronger, Leo.”I blinked.“I promise,” she said, looking away. “I won’t hold you back for long. I just, I promise I’ll be stronger.”Then, despite the blood coating my limbs and the charnel house stink of the hallway, I laughed. I laughed, and I laughed and I felt myself draw back from the edge.Helena’s face went scarlet. “Fuck you,” she hissed, turning to march away.“No!” I gasped, lurching to step in front of her. “I’m sorry. It’s not that! It’s,”I devolved into another peel of laughter. And though Helena’s face burned a shade brighter, she didn’t move away.When I finally mastered myself, I stepped a bit nearer to her. I looked into her eyes, my face relaxing into a smile. "Helena, you wonderful, amazing, beautiful, and hopelessly blind woman. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.”She snorted, though I saw something shine within her eyes. “You weren’t the one crying and puking.”“No,” I agreed. “Not yet.”“It’s coming?”I nodded.She made a small sound, moving nearer to me. “Then, I’ll be here when it does.”The Empress returned a few minutes later with a bucket of water and several strips of clean, white cloth.We dropped our weapons, washing the worst of the blood and sweat from our hands and faces. Helena and I discovered that we’d each suffered a myriad of cuts, and to my horror, the Empress proceeded to tend to our injuries.“Leontius, enough!” She snapped, as I tried to squirm away. She looked ferocious in her still bloody dress, her hands clamping down on me. “You risked your lives for me, the least I can do is clean and wrap your wounds.”“Augusta,” I tried.“Stop,” she said, taking up a clean rag. “I’ll be quick. I have some experience if that reassures you.”I frowned, glancing over to Helena.“At the brothel,” she said. “When the men were too rough; Theodora would patch us up.”“You didn’t have a guard?” I asked. “Or a bouncer?”“Not until Helena grew a little older,” the Empress said, pulling over a clean strip of cloth. “Your arm now, Leontius.”“Augusta, I can handle,” Her glare silenced me, and I meekly held my forearm out for her to inspect."Thank you.” She took my arm, her fingers strong and sure. “Please don’t keep fighting me on this. I’m having difficulty sitting still, to tell you the truth. I keep, well, no matter.”I relaxed, submitting myself to her care. The Empress fell silent, unwilling to explain further. But she didn’t have to, the stiffness in her limbs and the tension at the corners of her eyes mirrored my own.Our day wasn’t yet done.The Empress was most of the way through checking over Helena when I heard the sound of boots on stone. The two women heard it with me, and we moved as one. Helena and I had our shields strapped on in moments, the Empress having collected our swords for us in the meantime.We jogged towards the shattered entrance, my limbs stiff and my heart beating faster.“Mary’s tits!” A voice loudly swore. “It fucking reeks here. Are you sure we’re going the right way, Serg?”“I thought you’d be used to the smell of your own sack by now, Grat?”“Oh, they stink, do they? How about you come lick them clean for me, Niketas?”Helena and I slowed, exchanging incredulous looks. We stopped before reaching the first body, my eyebrows high in disbelief.“Shut your hole, Grat,” I heard Sergius growl. “You too Nik. Shields up, lads, we don’t know what we’re going to find here.”“Why have we stopped?” The Empress said. She’d picked up her broken spear haft. “Are these our men?”“They’re Leo’s friends,” Helena said with a wide grin. “From his legion days. Since when have they been in the palace?”The tension rushed from me in a wave, leaving my body light and trembling. I sucked in a deep breath.“I’ll give ‘em a few licks too, Grat!” I roared. “I’m tired of breathing them in!”I heard a series of startled curses, while behind me, the Empress laughed. There was a stampede of pounding boots and then a squad of armored soldiers appeared in the shattered doorway.“Centenarius!” Sergius laughed. “You’re alive! The Empress?”“She’s here as well!” I called back.The men whooped, cheering and thanking God as Sergius turned back to them. “We found them, boys! Maurice, run back and tell the General. You three, watch the hall.”The two women and I moved back as Sergius led his men in towards us. What followed was coarse laughter, back-slapping, wide-eyed realization, and a whole mess of clumsy bows as the Empress stepped out to introduce herself.Theodora smiled through the men’s stammering apologies. She thanked them each in turn, her voice shifting from a high, courtly accent to the less polished version she’d have grown up with. It was the language these soldiers knew, and the Empress left blushing cheeks and sheepish smiles in her wake.The gates, we were happy to learn, had been sealed. Though, as of yet, nobody knew who had let the rioters in. The mob still rampaged through parts of the palace, though they’d been beaten back from the outer wall. Belisarius was in command of the palace’s fighting men, coordinating squads like Sergius’ that were sweeping through the halls.“And my husband?” The Empress asked.“Safe, Augusta,” Sergius answered. “Last I heard, at any rate. The General was with him when the enemy broke in.”“Thank you, soldier,” she said, laying a palm on his forearm.“A, Augusta!” Sergius stammered, and I grinned to see the grizzled old veteran flush.“Well then, gentlemen,” Theodora said. “I believe that I will leave you here. I’ve got to wash the stink of Gratian’s balls from my skin.”A few of the men snorted, trying to choke down on their laughter. Grat, for his part, looked positively horrified. He mangled a few words, his entire face blazing a scarlet. He hadn’t produced anything more than a gargle before the Empress slipped away with a wink and a small laugh.“Grat,” Sergius said in the moment of silence after her departure. “You’re a fucking idiot.”“It wasn’t me!” Gratian exclaimed, his eyes wide with panic. “Serg, I, Nik, and, the Empress! She,”"Dumber than a sackful of rocks,” Serg said, shaking his head. “Start piling these bodies outside, and the rest of you grinning monkeys can help.”“Oh, don’t be too hard on him,” Helena said. “I was worried that he’d start talking about his phallus again.”Gratian fled, followed by the laughter of his squad mates. Sergius shook his head again, but I saw a smile part the hairs of his worn face.“Aye, well, we can thank the Lord for that.” The old soldier’s gaze shifted to the doors to Theodora’s salon. “The Empress, she really fought with you?”My face twisted into a grimace. “I tried talking her out of it, but I didn’t have time.”“What a woman,” Sergius said, amazed. “And you, Helena, not a lot of stratiotai could have held back so many.”“Leo did most of the work,” she said.Both Sergius and I snorted.“I’m an old soldier, lass. I know what it would have taken to do this.” Sergius suddenly stiffened, saluting her with a fist over his heart. “Stratiotai!”Helena saluted back, her face flushing. I grinned, sure that she was about to squirm with suppressed pride.“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go help the monkeys.”, ,Sergius, however, categorically refused our help.They’d barely fought, he said. And itching to do something after three long days stationed in the palace. This was the least that they could do.Neither Helena nor I had had the energy to argue, and so we’d taken off our helmets, unstrapped our shields, and sat back against the far wall.“I guess that now it’s official,” Helena said.“Hmm?” I answered.We were seated near enough for our legs to touch, my body throbbing with pain and heavy with exhaustion.“After today, we’re officially shield mates.”I tilted my head towards her. “We’ve been shield mates for longer than that.”“Sure, but now we’ve fought together. I held my place at your side.” And despite the horror of what we’d had to do, I heard the fierce pride in Helena’s voice.“I knew you would. I’ve trusted you for a long time.”“Oh yeah?” She said, shifting to rest her sweat-darkened head against mine. “Since when?”I leaned more of my weight into her, resting my shield hand on her thigh. I could feel the eyes of the others drifting towards us as they worked, and could picture their knowing grins.But I didn’t care. I was with her.“Remember the first day we trained together? How difficult you were being?”“Difficult? Is that what it’s called when your gender makes everyone treat you differently?”“Hmm,” I said. “That, or simple laziness.”She swatted me with the back of her hand, swearing as her knuckles rapped on my breastplate. I laughed, squeezing her thigh.“When you swallowed your pride and your anger,” I said. “When you decided to set all that aside and let me train you. That’s when I knew.”She snorted, shaking out her sore knuckles. “Well, all I remember from that day is how much you enjoyed hitting me.”“You don’t remember when I said the words, 'you’re my shield mate’?”“No,” she said. “You must have done something mean to make me forget.”I laughed. She brought her hand down atop mine, and I turned it so our fingers intertwined. Her thumb drew a swirling pattern along my skin, and I let myself get lost in the hypnotic motion.With her here, it felt like I could accomplish anything. Like I might pull myself forward as she had. What might I do, with this woman at my side? Where might I go? What might I build, with her hands working alongside my own?A little tavern by the sea, perhaps.“Helena,” I said.I shifted my hand in hers, and in doing so, my thumb came to rest atop hers, stopping the circle she was making and pulling my vision back into focus.“Leo,” she answered, and I heard the soft smile in her voice.“I,” But my words were cut short, pressed back into me by a sudden weight. Blood, there was blood beneath my nails.I was suddenly reminded of where I was, of what I had done. The charnel stink of the hallway, and the emotions I’d tucked away flooded back into me. I started to shake; my lungs squeezed tight.I couldn’t take my eyes off the blood that still crusted my hand."Leo?” Helena said, shifting so that she could look at me. “Are you ok?”I didn’t answer, freeing her hand from my filthy grip. I shifted from her, pulled away by a crushing weight against my side. I clawed at the pocket beneath my armor, ripping something free.My mother’s letter.I opened it with unsteady hands, revealing a single slip of yellowed parchment and my mother’s blocky letters.My little lion, it said. Come home.I stared at the page, blinking stupidly. Five little words, was that all? I turned the folded parchment over, my fingers smudging its surface.That was it.I felt the mad urge to laugh. Come home? Was I some lost, weeping child who needed the comfort of my mother’s arms?I grit my teeth, reading those words again and again. I ached to tear into the offending letter; to rage and scream and damn my mother to hell.I’d been expecting something like this but,  What the fuck did this mean?I was happy. For the first time in my fucking life, I was happy. I was the Empress’ guard, sitting beside a woman who was nothing but good. With her, I had a vision of a future where I wouldn’t have to kill anymore.I wasn’t fucking lost.“Leo?” Helena whispered.She was beside me, she’d red the letter too. She once again wrap

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.An Empress’ Guard Remembers.Then, as sudden as the crash after lightning, the weight was gone.I didn’t immediately react. My mind was a storm of pounding fury, my breath ragged in my ears and my body frozen and tense.After a few heartbeats of nothing, my soldier’s instincts forced me into motion. I lowered my shield, becoming suddenly aware of my shrieking muscles.I groaned, swayed, and would have fallen over had another body not leaned into me.Helena. My shield mate.Her eyes were glazed and her breath was the uneven, gasping hitch of a body pushed beyond all limits.But she was alive.She was here beside me, and together, we steadied each other enough to stand on our own. I blinked my vision into focus and raised my head.We were in a charnel house.Dozens lay dead before us, a carpet of blood and pale bodies that stretched from our feet to the splintered entrance. They’d been gutted and cut open, their insides spilled onto the surrounding stones.And the stench.It was shit and misery and death; a miasma of horror worse than any sort of butcher’s yard. Beside me, Helena coughed, staggered to the side, and retched. I just swayed in place, breathing through my mouth.“They ran away,” a voice rasped. “They all ran away.”It was the Empress. She was just a handful of steps behind us, leaning heavily onto the haft of her spear. Her limbs shook with exhaustion.“Augusta,” I croaked. “Are you hurt?”Blood stained the sweat-darkened purple of her dress. Thick droplets of it that were splattered along her chest and shoulders. It oozed from between her fingers, trickling down from the splintered tip of her spear.“Ah,” she said, seeming to notice herself for the first time. “No. I, I don’t believe any of this is mine. And you?”She reached a hand up to push at the strip of purple that held back her hair, leaving a streak of red behind on her forehead.I didn’t answer, refusing to look down and examine myself. I wasn’t ready to see, so I forced myself to stare down the hallway, distracting myself with thoughts of survival.And indeed, it appeared as if the Empress was correct. Nothing moved within the corridor, and I could hear nothing in the room beyond the shattered portal. The invaders had fled, and not a moment too soon, as I finally noticed that we’d been pushed most of the way back to Theodora’s sitting room.Not far away, Helena groaned. She managed to push herself upright, leaning heavily against the wall, her face wan.“Helena,” I said. “Are you,”I coughed, feeling a wave of bile rise through me. The smell was horrific, made so much worse by the thick summer air and the windless confines of this tunnel. My stomach writhed, but I clamped down on it ruthlessly.Not yet.Helena was covered in blood. Her chest, legs, and sword arm were caked in death, her face and neck splattered with it. I staggered over to her, conscious of the gumminess between my own fingers."I’m fine,” she said, trying to smile. “I’m fine. It’s just, how,”She turned and threw up once again. It was a hacking, heaving sort of retch; the kind that left you shaking. I came to stand beside her, pressing my hip to her side, all I could do without dropping my sword and shield. She leaned some of her weight into me."Leontius,” the Empress said, moving to join us. She lay a hand on the unarmored part of Helena’s hip, providing what comfort she could. “Is it safe to move?”I blinked, stirred, and shook my head. “Not yet. We still don’t know what’s going on in the rest of the palace. This is still the safest place for us.”Theodora nodded, turning her head to gaze down the length of the passageway. An ocean of red dotted with pale islands of green and blue.“It seems remarkable,” she said. “That we survived against so many.”“These weren’t soldiers, Augusta,” I said, exhaling. “They were potters, blacksmiths, dockworkers, They were drunk, pushed onto our swords by those further back. They were badly led, unarmored and most didn’t even have any weapons. They were just,”"People,” Theodora finished for me. “Dead because they believed in something strongly enough to fight for it.”I shifted, my gaze going back to Helena. She was still bent into the wall, her eyes screwed tightly shut and her frame vibrating with repressed feeling. She’d just gone through her first battle, and every single thought and feeling that she’d pushed aside while in the midst of it was tearing into her.My own soul felt raw, overused, and stretched near to the point of snapping. I could feel my own crash coming, though experience let me push it away. For a time, at least.“We believe as well, Augusta,” I said. “In you.”The Empress smiled, though it was one that I’d yet to see wear. It was an expression of unyielding certainty, of iron-hard conviction; the whole of it framed by a profound sense of grief. It was the smile of the lonely farmer taking his axe to the rabid skull of his favorite dog.She stepped forward to kiss my cheek. “I’ll be back with a bucket of water.”The Empress slipped into her private chambers a few moments later, leaving Helena and me alone. My shield mate had managed to straighten herself, though her body still shook. I watched as she breathed deeply, the lines of her face growing looser with every exhalation.She was eventually able to open her eyes and meet my gaze. I felt something crack within me, like the first axe blow that had split the door.It was still her.Though tears traced the lines of her cheeks, and something had changed within the cypress of her eyes, nothing had been lost. I still recognized her. She was still the woman I,“I’m sorry,” she said.“Helena, I, what?”“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I’m here weeping like a child. But I’ll get stronger, Leo.”I blinked.“I promise,” she said, looking away. “I won’t hold you back for long. I just, I promise I’ll be stronger.”Then, despite the blood coating my limbs and the charnel house stink of the hallway, I laughed. I laughed, and I laughed and I felt myself draw back from the edge.Helena’s face went scarlet. “Fuck you,” she hissed, turning to march away.“No!” I gasped, lurching to step in front of her. “I’m sorry. It’s not that! It’s,”I devolved into another peel of laughter. And though Helena’s face burned a shade brighter, she didn’t move away.When I finally mastered myself, I stepped a bit nearer to her. I looked into her eyes, my face relaxing into a smile. "Helena, you wonderful, amazing, beautiful, and hopelessly blind woman. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.”She snorted, though I saw something shine within her eyes. “You weren’t the one crying and puking.”“No,” I agreed. “Not yet.”“It’s coming?”I nodded.She made a small sound, moving nearer to me. “Then, I’ll be here when it does.”The Empress returned a few minutes later with a bucket of water and several strips of clean, white cloth.We dropped our weapons, washing the worst of the blood and sweat from our hands and faces. Helena and I discovered that we’d each suffered a myriad of cuts, and to my horror, the Empress proceeded to tend to our injuries.“Leontius, enough!” She snapped, as I tried to squirm away. She looked ferocious in her still bloody dress, her hands clamping down on me. “You risked your lives for me, the least I can do is clean and wrap your wounds.”“Augusta,” I tried.“Stop,” she said, taking up a clean rag. “I’ll be quick. I have some experience if that reassures you.”I frowned, glancing over to Helena.“At the brothel,” she said. “When the men were too rough; Theodora would patch us up.”“You didn’t have a guard?” I asked. “Or a bouncer?”“Not until Helena grew a little older,” the Empress said, pulling over a clean strip of cloth. “Your arm now, Leontius.”“Augusta, I can handle,” Her glare silenced me, and I meekly held my forearm out for her to inspect."Thank you.” She took my arm, her fingers strong and sure. “Please don’t keep fighting me on this. I’m having difficulty sitting still, to tell you the truth. I keep, well, no matter.”I relaxed, submitting myself to her care. The Empress fell silent, unwilling to explain further. But she didn’t have to, the stiffness in her limbs and the tension at the corners of her eyes mirrored my own.Our day wasn’t yet done.The Empress was most of the way through checking over Helena when I heard the sound of boots on stone. The two women heard it with me, and we moved as one. Helena and I had our shields strapped on in moments, the Empress having collected our swords for us in the meantime.We jogged towards the shattered entrance, my limbs stiff and my heart beating faster.“Mary’s tits!” A voice loudly swore. “It fucking reeks here. Are you sure we’re going the right way, Serg?”“I thought you’d be used to the smell of your own sack by now, Grat?”“Oh, they stink, do they? How about you come lick them clean for me, Niketas?”Helena and I slowed, exchanging incredulous looks. We stopped before reaching the first body, my eyebrows high in disbelief.“Shut your hole, Grat,” I heard Sergius growl. “You too Nik. Shields up, lads, we don’t know what we’re going to find here.”“Why have we stopped?” The Empress said. She’d picked up her broken spear haft. “Are these our men?”“They’re Leo’s friends,” Helena said with a wide grin. “From his legion days. Since when have they been in the palace?”The tension rushed from me in a wave, leaving my body light and trembling. I sucked in a deep breath.“I’ll give ‘em a few licks too, Grat!” I roared. “I’m tired of breathing them in!”I heard a series of startled curses, while behind me, the Empress laughed. There was a stampede of pounding boots and then a squad of armored soldiers appeared in the shattered doorway.“Centenarius!” Sergius laughed. “You’re alive! The Empress?”“She’s here as well!” I called back.The men whooped, cheering and thanking God as Sergius turned back to them. “We found them, boys! Maurice, run back and tell the General. You three, watch the hall.”The two women and I moved back as Sergius led his men in towards us. What followed was coarse laughter, back-slapping, wide-eyed realization, and a whole mess of clumsy bows as the Empress stepped out to introduce herself.Theodora smiled through the men’s stammering apologies. She thanked them each in turn, her voice shifting from a high, courtly accent to the less polished version she’d have grown up with. It was the language these soldiers knew, and the Empress left blushing cheeks and sheepish smiles in her wake.The gates, we were happy to learn, had been sealed. Though, as of yet, nobody knew who had let the rioters in. The mob still rampaged through parts of the palace, though they’d been beaten back from the outer wall. Belisarius was in command of the palace’s fighting men, coordinating squads like Sergius’ that were sweeping through the halls.“And my husband?” The Empress asked.“Safe, Augusta,” Sergius answered. “Last I heard, at any rate. The General was with him when the enemy broke in.”“Thank you, soldier,” she said, laying a palm on his forearm.“A, Augusta!” Sergius stammered, and I grinned to see the grizzled old veteran flush.“Well then, gentlemen,” Theodora said. “I believe that I will leave you here. I’ve got to wash the stink of Gratian’s balls from my skin.”A few of the men snorted, trying to choke down on their laughter. Grat, for his part, looked positively horrified. He mangled a few words, his entire face blazing a scarlet. He hadn’t produced anything more than a gargle before the Empress slipped away with a wink and a small laugh.“Grat,” Sergius said in the moment of silence after her departure. “You’re a fucking idiot.”“It wasn’t me!” Gratian exclaimed, his eyes wide with panic. “Serg, I, Nik, and, the Empress! She,”"Dumber than a sackful of rocks,” Serg said, shaking his head. “Start piling these bodies outside, and the rest of you grinning monkeys can help.”“Oh, don’t be too hard on him,” Helena said. “I was worried that he’d start talking about his phallus again.”Gratian fled, followed by the laughter of his squad mates. Sergius shook his head again, but I saw a smile part the hairs of his worn face.“Aye, well, we can thank the Lord for that.” The old soldier’s gaze shifted to the doors to Theodora’s salon. “The Empress, she really fought with you?”My face twisted into a grimace. “I tried talking her out of it, but I didn’t have time.”“What a woman,” Sergius said, amazed. “And you, Helena, not a lot of stratiotai could have held back so many.”“Leo did most of the work,” she said.Both Sergius and I snorted.“I’m an old soldier, lass. I know what it would have taken to do this.” Sergius suddenly stiffened, saluting her with a fist over his heart. “Stratiotai!”Helena saluted back, her face flushing. I grinned, sure that she was about to squirm with suppressed pride.“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go help the monkeys.”, ,Sergius, however, categorically refused our help.They’d barely fought, he said. And itching to do something after three long days stationed in the palace. This was the least that they could do.Neither Helena nor I had had the energy to argue, and so we’d taken off our helmets, unstrapped our shields, and sat back against the far wall.“I guess that now it’s official,” Helena said.“Hmm?” I answered.We were seated near enough for our legs to touch, my body throbbing with pain and heavy with exhaustion.“After today, we’re officially shield mates.”I tilted my head towards her. “We’ve been shield mates for longer than that.”“Sure, but now we’ve fought together. I held my place at your side.” And despite the horror of what we’d had to do, I heard the fierce pride in Helena’s voice.“I knew you would. I’ve trusted you for a long time.”“Oh yeah?” She said, shifting to rest her sweat-darkened head against mine. “Since when?”I leaned more of my weight into her, resting my shield hand on her thigh. I could feel the eyes of the others drifting towards us as they worked, and could picture their knowing grins.But I didn’t care. I was with her.“Remember the first day we trained together? How difficult you were being?”“Difficult? Is that what it’s called when your gender makes everyone treat you differently?”“Hmm,” I said. “That, or simple laziness.”She swatted me with the back of her hand, swearing as her knuckles rapped on my breastplate. I laughed, squeezing her thigh.“When you swallowed your pride and your anger,” I said. “When you decided to set all that aside and let me train you. That’s when I knew.”She snorted, shaking out her sore knuckles. “Well, all I remember from that day is how much you enjoyed hitting me.”“You don’t remember when I said the words, 'you’re my shield mate’?”“No,” she said. “You must have done something mean to make me forget.”I laughed. She brought her hand down atop mine, and I turned it so our fingers intertwined. Her thumb drew a swirling pattern along my skin, and I let myself get lost in the hypnotic motion.With her here, it felt like I could accomplish anything. Like I might pull myself forward as she had. What might I do, with this woman at my side? Where might I go? What might I build, with her hands working alongside my own?A little tavern by the sea, perhaps.“Helena,” I said.I shifted my hand in hers, and in doing so, my thumb came to rest atop hers, stopping the circle she was making and pulling my vision back into focus.“Leo,” she answered, and I heard the soft smile in her voice.“I,” But my words were cut short, pressed back into me by a sudden weight. Blood, there was blood beneath my nails.I was suddenly reminded of where I was, of what I had done. The charnel stink of the hallway, and the emotions I’d tucked away flooded back into me. I started to shake; my lungs squeezed tight.I couldn’t take my eyes off the blood that still crusted my hand."Leo?” Helena said, shifting so that she could look at me. “Are you ok?”I didn’t answer, freeing her hand from my filthy grip. I shifted from her, pulled away by a crushing weight against my side. I clawed at the pocket beneath my armor, ripping something free.My mother’s letter.I opened it with unsteady hands, revealing a single slip of yellowed parchment and my mother’s blocky letters.My little lion, it said. Come home.I stared at the page, blinking stupidly. Five little words, was that all? I turned the folded parchment over, my fingers smudging its surface.That was it.I felt the mad urge to laugh. Come home? Was I some lost, weeping child who needed the comfort of my mother’s arms?I grit my teeth, reading those words again and again. I ached to tear into the offending letter; to rage and scream and damn my mother to hell.I’d been expecting something like this but,  What the fuck did this mean?I was happy. For the first time in my fucking life, I was happy. I was the Empress’ guard, sitting beside a woman who was nothing but good. With her, I had a vision of a future where I wouldn’t have to kill anymore.I wasn’t fucking lost.“Leo?” Helena whispered.She was beside me, she’d red the letter too. She once again wrap

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.An Empress’ Guard Remembers.Then, as sudden as the crash after lightning, the weight was gone.I didn’t immediately react. My mind was a storm of pounding fury, my breath ragged in my ears and my body frozen and tense.After a few heartbeats of nothing, my soldier’s instincts forced me into motion. I lowered my shield, becoming suddenly aware of my shrieking muscles.I groaned, swayed, and would have fallen over had another body not leaned into me.Helena. My shield mate.Her eyes were glazed and her breath was the uneven, gasping hitch of a body pushed beyond all limits.But she was alive.She was here beside me, and together, we steadied each other enough to stand on our own. I blinked my vision into focus and raised my head.We were in a charnel house.Dozens lay dead before us, a carpet of blood and pale bodies that stretched from our feet to the splintered entrance. They’d been gutted and cut open, their insides spilled onto the surrounding stones.And the stench.It was shit and misery and death; a miasma of horror worse than any sort of butcher’s yard. Beside me, Helena coughed, staggered to the side, and retched. I just swayed in place, breathing through my mouth.“They ran away,” a voice rasped. “They all ran away.”It was the Empress. She was just a handful of steps behind us, leaning heavily onto the haft of her spear. Her limbs shook with exhaustion.“Augusta,” I croaked. “Are you hurt?”Blood stained the sweat-darkened purple of her dress. Thick droplets of it that were splattered along her chest and shoulders. It oozed from between her fingers, trickling down from the splintered tip of her spear.“Ah,” she said, seeming to notice herself for the first time. “No. I, I don’t believe any of this is mine. And you?”She reached a hand up to push at the strip of purple that held back her hair, leaving a streak of red behind on her forehead.I didn’t answer, refusing to look down and examine myself. I wasn’t ready to see, so I forced myself to stare down the hallway, distracting myself with thoughts of survival.And indeed, it appeared as if the Empress was correct. Nothing moved within the corridor, and I could hear nothing in the room beyond the shattered portal. The invaders had fled, and not a moment too soon, as I finally noticed that we’d been pushed most of the way back to Theodora’s sitting room.Not far away, Helena groaned. She managed to push herself upright, leaning heavily against the wall, her face wan.“Helena,” I said. “Are you,”I coughed, feeling a wave of bile rise through me. The smell was horrific, made so much worse by the thick summer air and the windless confines of this tunnel. My stomach writhed, but I clamped down on it ruthlessly.Not yet.Helena was covered in blood. Her chest, legs, and sword arm were caked in death, her face and neck splattered with it. I staggered over to her, conscious of the gumminess between my own fingers."I’m fine,” she said, trying to smile. “I’m fine. It’s just, how,”She turned and threw up once again. It was a hacking, heaving sort of retch; the kind that left you shaking. I came to stand beside her, pressing my hip to her side, all I could do without dropping my sword and shield. She leaned some of her weight into me."Leontius,” the Empress said, moving to join us. She lay a hand on the unarmored part of Helena’s hip, providing what comfort she could. “Is it safe to move?”I blinked, stirred, and shook my head. “Not yet. We still don’t know what’s going on in the rest of the palace. This is still the safest place for us.”Theodora nodded, turning her head to gaze down the length of the passageway. An ocean of red dotted with pale islands of green and blue.“It seems remarkable,” she said. “That we survived against so many.”“These weren’t soldiers, Augusta,” I said, exhaling. “They were potters, blacksmiths, dockworkers, They were drunk, pushed onto our swords by those further back. They were badly led, unarmored and most didn’t even have any weapons. They were just,”"People,” Theodora finished for me. “Dead because they believed in something strongly enough to fight for it.”I shifted, my gaze going back to Helena. She was still bent into the wall, her eyes screwed tightly shut and her frame vibrating with repressed feeling. She’d just gone through her first battle, and every single thought and feeling that she’d pushed aside while in the midst of it was tearing into her.My own soul felt raw, overused, and stretched near to the point of snapping. I could feel my own crash coming, though experience let me push it away. For a time, at least.“We believe as well, Augusta,” I said. “In you.”The Empress smiled, though it was one that I’d yet to see wear. It was an expression of unyielding certainty, of iron-hard conviction; the whole of it framed by a profound sense of grief. It was the smile of the lonely farmer taking his axe to the rabid skull of his favorite dog.She stepped forward to kiss my cheek. “I’ll be back with a bucket of water.”The Empress slipped into her private chambers a few moments later, leaving Helena and me alone. My shield mate had managed to straighten herself, though her body still shook. I watched as she breathed deeply, the lines of her face growing looser with every exhalation.She was eventually able to open her eyes and meet my gaze. I felt something crack within me, like the first axe blow that had split the door.It was still her.Though tears traced the lines of her cheeks, and something had changed within the cypress of her eyes, nothing had been lost. I still recognized her. She was still the woman I,“I’m sorry,” she said.“Helena, I, what?”“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I’m here weeping like a child. But I’ll get stronger, Leo.”I blinked.“I promise,” she said, looking away. “I won’t hold you back for long. I just, I promise I’ll be stronger.”Then, despite the blood coating my limbs and the charnel house stink of the hallway, I laughed. I laughed, and I laughed and I felt myself draw back from the edge.Helena’s face went scarlet. “Fuck you,” she hissed, turning to march away.“No!” I gasped, lurching to step in front of her. “I’m sorry. It’s not that! It’s,”I devolved into another peel of laughter. And though Helena’s face burned a shade brighter, she didn’t move away.When I finally mastered myself, I stepped a bit nearer to her. I looked into her eyes, my face relaxing into a smile. "Helena, you wonderful, amazing, beautiful, and hopelessly blind woman. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.”She snorted, though I saw something shine within her eyes. “You weren’t the one crying and puking.”“No,” I agreed. “Not yet.”“It’s coming?”I nodded.She made a small sound, moving nearer to me. “Then, I’ll be here when it does.”The Empress returned a few minutes later with a bucket of water and several strips of clean, white cloth.We dropped our weapons, washing the worst of the blood and sweat from our hands and faces. Helena and I discovered that we’d each suffered a myriad of cuts, and to my horror, the Empress proceeded to tend to our injuries.“Leontius, enough!” She snapped, as I tried to squirm away. She looked ferocious in her still bloody dress, her hands clamping down on me. “You risked your lives for me, the least I can do is clean and wrap your wounds.”“Augusta,” I tried.“Stop,” she said, taking up a clean rag. “I’ll be quick. I have some experience if that reassures you.”I frowned, glancing over to Helena.“At the brothel,” she said. “When the men were too rough; Theodora would patch us up.”“You didn’t have a guard?” I asked. “Or a bouncer?”“Not until Helena grew a little older,” the Empress said, pulling over a clean strip of cloth. “Your arm now, Leontius.”“Augusta, I can handle,” Her glare silenced me, and I meekly held my forearm out for her to inspect."Thank you.” She took my arm, her fingers strong and sure. “Please don’t keep fighting me on this. I’m having difficulty sitting still, to tell you the truth. I keep, well, no matter.”I relaxed, submitting myself to her care. The Empress fell silent, unwilling to explain further. But she didn’t have to, the stiffness in her limbs and the tension at the corners of her eyes mirrored my own.Our day wasn’t yet done.The Empress was most of the way through checking over Helena when I heard the sound of boots on stone. The two women heard it with me, and we moved as one. Helena and I had our shields strapped on in moments, the Empress having collected our swords for us in the meantime.We jogged towards the shattered entrance, my limbs stiff and my heart beating faster.“Mary’s tits!” A voice loudly swore. “It fucking reeks here. Are you sure we’re going the right way, Serg?”“I thought you’d be used to the smell of your own sack by now, Grat?”“Oh, they stink, do they? How about you come lick them clean for me, Niketas?”Helena and I slowed, exchanging incredulous looks. We stopped before reaching the first body, my eyebrows high in disbelief.“Shut your hole, Grat,” I heard Sergius growl. “You too Nik. Shields up, lads, we don’t know what we’re going to find here.”“Why have we stopped?” The Empress said. She’d picked up her broken spear haft. “Are these our men?”“They’re Leo’s friends,” Helena said with a wide grin. “From his legion days. Since when have they been in the palace?”The tension rushed from me in a wave, leaving my body light and trembling. I sucked in a deep breath.“I’ll give ‘em a few licks too, Grat!” I roared. “I’m tired of breathing them in!”I heard a series of startled curses, while behind me, the Empress laughed. There was a stampede of pounding boots and then a squad of armored soldiers appeared in the shattered doorway.“Centenarius!” Sergius laughed. “You’re alive! The Empress?”“She’s here as well!” I called back.The men whooped, cheering and thanking God as Sergius turned back to them. “We found them, boys! Maurice, run back and tell the General. You three, watch the hall.”The two women and I moved back as Sergius led his men in towards us. What followed was coarse laughter, back-slapping, wide-eyed realization, and a whole mess of clumsy bows as the Empress stepped out to introduce herself.Theodora smiled through the men’s stammering apologies. She thanked them each in turn, her voice shifting from a high, courtly accent to the less polished version she’d have grown up with. It was the language these soldiers knew, and the Empress left blushing cheeks and sheepish smiles in her wake.The gates, we were happy to learn, had been sealed. Though, as of yet, nobody knew who had let the rioters in. The mob still rampaged through parts of the palace, though they’d been beaten back from the outer wall. Belisarius was in command of the palace’s fighting men, coordinating squads like Sergius’ that were sweeping through the halls.“And my husband?” The Empress asked.“Safe, Augusta,” Sergius answered. “Last I heard, at any rate. The General was with him when the enemy broke in.”“Thank you, soldier,” she said, laying a palm on his forearm.“A, Augusta!” Sergius stammered, and I grinned to see the grizzled old veteran flush.“Well then, gentlemen,” Theodora said. “I believe that I will leave you here. I’ve got to wash the stink of Gratian’s balls from my skin.”A few of the men snorted, trying to choke down on their laughter. Grat, for his part, looked positively horrified. He mangled a few words, his entire face blazing a scarlet. He hadn’t produced anything more than a gargle before the Empress slipped away with a wink and a small laugh.“Grat,” Sergius said in the moment of silence after her departure. “You’re a fucking idiot.”“It wasn’t me!” Gratian exclaimed, his eyes wide with panic. “Serg, I, Nik, and, the Empress! She,”"Dumber than a sackful of rocks,” Serg said, shaking his head. “Start piling these bodies outside, and the rest of you grinning monkeys can help.”“Oh, don’t be too hard on him,” Helena said. “I was worried that he’d start talking about his phallus again.”Gratian fled, followed by the laughter of his squad mates. Sergius shook his head again, but I saw a smile part the hairs of his worn face.“Aye, well, we can thank the Lord for that.” The old soldier’s gaze shifted to the doors to Theodora’s salon. “The Empress, she really fought with you?”My face twisted into a grimace. “I tried talking her out of it, but I didn’t have time.”“What a woman,” Sergius said, amazed. “And you, Helena, not a lot of stratiotai could have held back so many.”“Leo did most of the work,” she said.Both Sergius and I snorted.“I’m an old soldier, lass. I know what it would have taken to do this.” Sergius suddenly stiffened, saluting her with a fist over his heart. “Stratiotai!”Helena saluted back, her face flushing. I grinned, sure that she was about to squirm with suppressed pride.“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go help the monkeys.”, ,Sergius, however, categorically refused our help.They’d barely fought, he said. And itching to do something after three long days stationed in the palace. This was the least that they could do.Neither Helena nor I had had the energy to argue, and so we’d taken off our helmets, unstrapped our shields, and sat back against the far wall.“I guess that now it’s official,” Helena said.“Hmm?” I answered.We were seated near enough for our legs to touch, my body throbbing with pain and heavy with exhaustion.“After today, we’re officially shield mates.”I tilted my head towards her. “We’ve been shield mates for longer than that.”“Sure, but now we’ve fought together. I held my place at your side.” And despite the horror of what we’d had to do, I heard the fierce pride in Helena’s voice.“I knew you would. I’ve trusted you for a long time.”“Oh yeah?” She said, shifting to rest her sweat-darkened head against mine. “Since when?”I leaned more of my weight into her, resting my shield hand on her thigh. I could feel the eyes of the others drifting towards us as they worked, and could picture their knowing grins.But I didn’t care. I was with her.“Remember the first day we trained together? How difficult you were being?”“Difficult? Is that what it’s called when your gender makes everyone treat you differently?”“Hmm,” I said. “That, or simple laziness.”She swatted me with the back of her hand, swearing as her knuckles rapped on my breastplate. I laughed, squeezing her thigh.“When you swallowed your pride and your anger,” I said. “When you decided to set all that aside and let me train you. That’s when I knew.”She snorted, shaking out her sore knuckles. “Well, all I remember from that day is how much you enjoyed hitting me.”“You don’t remember when I said the words, 'you’re my shield mate’?”“No,” she said. “You must have done something mean to make me forget.”I laughed. She brought her hand down atop mine, and I turned it so our fingers intertwined. Her thumb drew a swirling pattern along my skin, and I let myself get lost in the hypnotic motion.With her here, it felt like I could accomplish anything. Like I might pull myself forward as she had. What might I do, with this woman at my side? Where might I go? What might I build, with her hands working alongside my own?A little tavern by the sea, perhaps.“Helena,” I said.I shifted my hand in hers, and in doing so, my thumb came to rest atop hers, stopping the circle she was making and pulling my vision back into focus.“Leo,” she answered, and I heard the soft smile in her voice.“I,” But my words were cut short, pressed back into me by a sudden weight. Blood, there was blood beneath my nails.I was suddenly reminded of where I was, of what I had done. The charnel stink of the hallway, and the emotions I’d tucked away flooded back into me. I started to shake; my lungs squeezed tight.I couldn’t take my eyes off the blood that still crusted my hand."Leo?” Helena said, shifting so that she could look at me. “Are you ok?”I didn’t answer, freeing her hand from my filthy grip. I shifted from her, pulled away by a crushing weight against my side. I clawed at the pocket beneath my armor, ripping something free.My mother’s letter.I opened it with unsteady hands, revealing a single slip of yellowed parchment and my mother’s blocky letters.My little lion, it said. Come home.I stared at the page, blinking stupidly. Five little words, was that all? I turned the folded parchment over, my fingers smudging its surface.That was it.I felt the mad urge to laugh. Come home? Was I some lost, weeping child who needed the comfort of my mother’s arms?I grit my teeth, reading those words again and again. I ached to tear into the offending letter; to rage and scream and damn my mother to hell.I’d been expecting something like this but,  What the fuck did this mean?I was happy. For the first time in my fucking life, I was happy. I was the Empress’ guard, sitting beside a woman who was nothing but good. With her, I had a vision of a future where I wouldn’t have to kill anymore.I wasn’t fucking lost.“Leo?” Helena whispered.She was beside me, she’d red the letter too. She once again wrap

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.The streets had been quiet as we’d passed, oddly subdued. The few people we saw had quickly ducked out of our way, though we were in our tunicae and sandals.Kostas’ place, I was happy to see, was lively. Drunken soldiers weren’t spilling out of the place, but there was enough of a crowd that we had to push our way past a few people. I led Helena to the back, where crusty old Kostas scowled from behind his bar.“Kostas,” I said, leaning against the bar. “I promised this Rhodian lady some pitaroudia. Are you going to disappoint her?”“Rhodian?” He said, suddenly a lot less grouchy looking.“From Lindos,” Helena said.We chatted for a bit, swapping the latest bit of island news that we had while Kostas poured us a couple of flagons of dark wine. The food would be ready in a few minutes, he told us.“She’s paying,” I said, when I spotted Kostas’ young son.The kid was coming back with an empty drink tray. I hooked him by the arm, leading him away. I put a silver coin in his hand, promising him another if he’d fetch something for me.Helena looked at me curiously, but I kept my mouth shut against her silent question.“Centenarius!” I heard a voice call. “Leontius!”I turned, already feeling a grin stretching my features. At a nearby table, five men were waving towards me. They wore happy smiles, their cheeks rosy with wine.“Sergius! You old bastard! What the hell are you doing here?”Sergius, a crusty old stratiotai with more scars on him than most had years, made a show of cupping one ear.“Can’t hear you so good, sir! Come here and whisper it to me.”The men at his table laughed. I did too, shaking my head.“Friends of yours?” Helena asked.“Men from my old cohort,” I said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”Helena’s body tightened. I saw that same expression flash across her features. Resignation? Consternation? I wasn’t sure. Even here, away from the dark street, I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d seen. It was gone too fast.“Sure,” she said, stepping forward and forcing me to move after her.The men rose to meet me, and I greeted each with a rough embrace and a few rougher words. Sergius, Gratian, Suda, Maurice and Niketas; as good a squad of stratiotai that had ever served in Justinian’s legions.“Boys, this is Helena,” I said as we sat in the chairs pulled over for us. “My shield mate. She guards the Empress with me.”Sergius blinked. Maurice choked on his wine while Suda and Niketas glanced at each other in disbelief. Helena, however, seemed to loosen. Her gaze flicked to me, and I saw the faint crinkle of something disappear from the corners of her eyes.Gratian, horse’s ass that he was, guffawed.“Come on, Centenarius,” he said. He was seated on Helena’s other side, and took the opportunity to drape one arm around her shoulders. “You can’t expect us to believe that sweet little thing fights beside you?”Whatever else I could say about Gratian, and there was a lot, I couldn’t fault his eye.Helena was in her tunica, cut in the same simple, utilitarian shape as my own. It was loose, ending just above her knees and doing nothing to accentuate the feminine curves of her body. However, unlike the wrinkled, slightly stained pale gray of my tunica, hers had been dyed a deep green.It was near to the cypress of her eyes. It made them appear brighter, and more vivid than I’d ever seen them. The green brought out the copper of her hair, deepening it and adding layers to those tumbling waves.She was beautiful; the field of grass after rain.“You think I’m sweet?” Helena said, lips curling into a small smile.“Sweet enough to eat,” he said. His eyes roved up and down her body. “How much?”Helena stayed relaxed. That small smile never left her lips.“I’m good, too.” Gratian insisted. “You’ll see. My phallus’s so good that you should be the one paying me!”He snickered through his leering grin. I shook my head when Sergius opened his mouth to interfere. Although I needn’t have. Because, an instant later, Helena’s fist crunched into Gratian’s throat.He gagged, falling backwards, his chair crashing to the ground. The tavern fell silent, all eyes on Helena as she slowly stood. Helena’s eyes swept the room. There was a heartbeat of silence, and then two. Her lip suddenly quirked.“Nobody touches before they pay.”The room exploded with laughter, covering the sound of Gratian’s moaning. Helena sat back down, while I moved to help the man pick himself off the floor.“I’ll kill her,” he choked. “I’ll fucking kill that bitch.”“Shut up,” I said, loud enough for the others to hear. “She’d gut you like a fish. And I’d cut off whatever bits my shield mate left of you.”I pulled him up, and made a show of checking him over. I hissed into his ear. “You stupid bastard. Helena’s the Empress’ personal guard. Do you want your head to the decorate palace walls?”Gratian’s face blanched. He started to stammer something but I pushed him away. “I told you to shut the fuck up. Go get us some more wine.”“Whatever Kostas hasn’t pissed in for me,” Helena called.Sergius grin was wide. “Good punch, that. It's the only way to get him to shut his hole.”“Aye,” Niketas said, draining his cup. He burped. “Finally, some fucking peace.”“Centenarius,” Maurice said, leaning forward. “No offense to your lady, but a shield mate? Are you sure about this?”“This lady,” Helena said. “Can speak for herself. Look me in the eyes and tell me what you mean.”Maurice complied. “You’re a woman. You’re real pretty, I’ll give you that, but you don’t know what this means.”“I don’t need a phallus to piss standing up. Why would I need one to hold up a shield?”Maurice smirked. “Cute. But it's more than that, it's,”"Wait, you can piss standing up?” Gratian interrupted, returning with two clay pitchers of wine. “Seriously?”The others groaned.“That wasn’t the point, Grat,” Suda said. “Although, now I am a bit curious,”"It's easy,” Helena said, throwing him a wink. “And I guarantee that I can piss better than Grat fucks.”Laughter rolled around the table. Even Gratian snickered, though heat crawled up his face. He started pouring the wine, filling Helena’s cup and then mine.“So, what the hell are you talking about, then?”“If she can really be Leo’s shield mate,” Maurice said. “If she can fight.”“She knows what it means, Maur,” I said. “She’s good, too. Fast. And she’s got some sense, unlike you thick-headed bastards.”“Good enough for me,” Sergius said. “What do you say boys, we gonna keep her around?”“Let's drink!” Niketas said, grabbing his cup.Sergius banged the table, hoisting his own cup into the air. “To Helena!”“Helena!” We roared, slamming our empty cups down a few moments later.Helena joined in, her smile wide and her cheeks flushed a happy red. Our pitaroudia arrived, and we fell to bickering over the platter of fried balls. They were delicious; tomato, onion and bits of a leafy herb mixed into a patty of ground chickpea.These were rough men that lived rough lives. They were soldiers; killers that earned their coin in the grinding crush of the shield wall. They respected a foul mouth, a hard fist and loyalty to one’s brothers.They were stratiotai.And when Helena clacked her cup with a still sheepish looking Gratian; I saw them start to think of her as one too.“Leo never told me that he was a Centenarius,” Helena eventually said.I snorted. “That’s because I’m not. These idiots just call me that.”“The crest on the helmet don’t make the Centenarius,” Suda drawled. “Ain’t that right, Serg?”“You’re damned right about that, lad,” the older man replied. “Some wise words there.”I rolled my eyes, the rest of the boys snickering into their cups. Sergius liked to share whatever kernels of wisdom popped into his head. We’d all heard this particular one a hundred times already.“We call him that because of Callinicum,” Sergius continued, answering Helena’s question.“Ah,” she said. “You were all there?”Sergius nodded, “and my bones would be decorating some Persian’s trophy shelf if it wasn’t for the Centenarius here. All of ours would.”The mood sobered, each of us remembering. I looked down to my hands; seeing the flecks of old, old blood beneath my fingernails. The ones I could never seem to clean.“Was it bad?” Helena asked.“Aye,” Sergius answered. “The old Centenarius was a right stupid prick. He got himself killed in the first charge of the Sassanid horsemen. Leontius here took over after that. Things were real shaky for a bit, but he kept us from scattering and being cut to pieces. And when the general decided he’d had enough of watching us die, Leo got us retreating.”Nobody spoke for a while, memories holding us. Some of us put wine to our lips. I just stared out at nothing with unfocused eyes. The mood remained dark until Gratian, bless his fool soul, blurted out;“Fuck, but Centenarius Demetrius was a prick.”That brought out a few chuckles. Niketas let out another burp, and Maurice swatted the back of his head. Most of us felt lighter after that. It didn’t do any good to dwell on the past. The things we’d done, the friends we’d lost, It wasn’t good to remember. Stratiotai had to live for the moment.Maybe that was why I’d always been such a terrible soldier.Midnight guard duty.It was approaching midnight when Sergius hauled himself to his feet. He blinked bleary eyes, motioning to the others.“Right boys, we’ve got patrol in the morning. Let’s get moving.”The men swallowed their last mouthfuls of wine, said their goodbyes and stumbled away with various levels of coordination.Sergius watched them go with a shake of his head. He riffled through a pouch at his side for a moment before turning back to me.“I’ve got something for you here, Centenarius. It got to the barracks a week or so ago.”He held a folded envelope out towards me. It had my name on it, written out in my mother’s blocky hand. I snatched it from him, quickly stuffing it away and out of sight. I didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to ruin this night.“It was good to see you, Leo,” Sergius said. He pulled me to my feet, and pounded my back in a rough embrace. “Don’t forget about us rankers while you’re dining with nobles.”“Take care of yourself, Serg,” I said, returning his embrace. “And, thank you.”“We’re on garrison duty,” the old soldier grinned. “What’s going to happen in the capital?”Sergius surprised Helena by pulling her into a hug next. “Keep your shield tight to his. Our Centenarius always seems to be around when shit is the deepest.”“I’ll keep him the sword from his back,” Helena said. “Though, it might loosen him up a bit.”The older man laughed. “It was good to meet you, lass. And remember, you’ve got a brother in old Sergius.” With a last little wave, he ambled out and into the deepening night.“You were right,” Helena said, settling back. She popped the last of the pitaroudia in her mouth. “This is a great place.”“Even with Grat here?” I asked with a smile.“Even still,” she said, her lips curling upward. She put her elbow on the table, leaning her heads against her palm. “I’m happy that you introduced me to your friends. I didn’t think it would be this, nice.”“It was,” I said. I shifted in my seat, wanting to move my chair closer to her. But the movement jostled the letter in my pocket. Suddenly, my mother’s words weighed more than a boulder. I shifted again, an awkward jerk of my body that accomplished nothing.Helena’s smile softened. She took pity on me, scooting over until her leg pressed against mine. I let out a breath, leaning back in my chair. We sat in silence for a while. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth, and the quiet murmur of the few remaining patrons.“This was always my favorite part,” I said, after a while. I opened my eyes to find Helena watching me, waiting for me to continue.“A place like this,” I said. “With the others; once the campaigns done. It’s,”I trailed off, trying to order my thoughts. How could I explain this to someone who’d never been to war? How did I tell her of the constant tension; of the anxious expectation that came with knowing that somewhere, beyond the light of your campfire, someone wanted you dead.Kill or be killed; there was none of that here. I could drink with my friends, without wondering which of them I would lose. Or what I would have to do.It was just; "different,” I finished.Helena didn’t laugh. She didn’t smile or tease. She just watched me with eyes that took in so much of me. I caught a glimpse of it; the edge that wondrous vastness behind her cypress gaze. She leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder and letting out a long breath.“Different,” she said. “I like that.”My eyes suddenly prickled. I blinked furiously, trying to clear the wetness seeping into them. I turned, leaning my chin against her hair; breathing in the scent of her. I shifted my arm to pull her closer, my mother’s letter forgotten.“Leo,” she said. “What would you do if you weren’t a soldier?”“I, I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve always been a soldier.”“But could you do it for ten more years?”“What else would I do? My father was stratiotai, and his father and his father. I don’t know anything else.”Helena shifted against my shoulder, her hair tickling my neck.“What was your plan once you retired?”I bobbed my shoulders in a small shrug, careful not to disturb her. “Go back to Rhodos. My mother is a seamstress. I’d help her run the shop.”“And marry a ‘good’ woman?” She said, her tone edged with mocking.I didn’t answer, though I tightened my grip on Helena. For a heartbeat, her body was stiff. Then, she let out another long breath, relaxing against me.“What about something like this?” She asked, gesturing around us. “A tavern.”“Running a Winehouse?”She pushed off of me, suddenly more animated. “Why not? You could open a soldier’s tavern on Rhodos; make a place for old stratiotai.”“A peaceful place,” I murmured.“Exactly!” She grinned. “It's a good idea, right?”“I’d have to learn how to make pitaroudia,” I said, feeling a smile tug at my lips.“I’m sure Kostas will give you his recipe.”I laughed. “I’m a solider, Helena, not a cook. I think I even burned water once.”“You are a soldier,” she said. Her eyes held mine. “But you can be something else.”I looked away, swallowing.“You’ll think about it?”“Sure,” I forced some lightness into my tone. “But only if you promise that you’d go out and catch fish for me every day.”Helena stiffened, her face suddenly bright red. Not the reaction I’d been expecting. Her eyes flicked over my face, searching. “You don’t think I’d be better as the cook? Or serving drinks?”“No,” I said, not having to force my smile. “You belong on the sea, right?”Her eyes were so wide. I felt my heart start to beat faster. That vastness, it was there, rising to the edge of her; on the verge of breaking through.“Leo,” she murmured. “I,”She was interrupted by the thump of a pouch onto our table. I looked over to find Kostas’ son standing by our table. The kid looked exhausted, but triumphant."You found what I asked for, then?” I said.He nodded, holding out a grubby hand.“Good man,” I grinned, flipping him a silver coin. He disappeared without another word. I quickly disengaged myself from Helena to put the lumpy, medium sized pouch away.“It's a surprise,” I told her. “For later.”She arched an eyebrow, but didn’t press me. She downed her last mouthful of wine, letting out a happy sigh. “We have to come back here.”I nodded, bringing my own wine to my lips.“It's nice to see that you can relax without my cunny in your mouth.”I choked, spraying out a mouthful of wine. Helena laughed, that deep, joy-filled sound. She pounded my back as I coughed myself hoarse. My face blazed, and I felt the eyes of everyone turn towards me.“Leo,” she said. “You’re defenseless.”I coughed, glaring at her through watery eyes.“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get back to the palace.”We walked out into the night, breathing in the city’s quiet. Although, it did not last long. We were but a handful of blocks from the Winehouse, when, out of the dark, we saw the fire.And heard the baying of the mob.A past shared with the Empress.The baying of the mob. The glow of fire.After a few moments of debate, Helena and I decided to move towards it. There were no screams of pain, no real sounds of violence coming from the streets ahead. We would see what there was, we decided, before returning to the Empress.We came into a square; one with a small, torch-lit church planted solidly at the northern end. A few squads of armored stratiotai, perhaps forty men, stood before the single door. They were imperial legionaries, though I did not recognize any of the grim-faced men. They all looked outward, swords drawn.Surrounding them, was the mob.The seething body of humanity was all around them. They totally filled the square; men, women, children. The old and the

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.The streets had been quiet as we’d passed, oddly subdued. The few people we saw had quickly ducked out of our way, though we were in our tunicae and sandals.Kostas’ place, I was happy to see, was lively. Drunken soldiers weren’t spilling out of the place, but there was enough of a crowd that we had to push our way past a few people. I led Helena to the back, where crusty old Kostas scowled from behind his bar.“Kostas,” I said, leaning against the bar. “I promised this Rhodian lady some pitaroudia. Are you going to disappoint her?”“Rhodian?” He said, suddenly a lot less grouchy looking.“From Lindos,” Helena said.We chatted for a bit, swapping the latest bit of island news that we had while Kostas poured us a couple of flagons of dark wine. The food would be ready in a few minutes, he told us.“She’s paying,” I said, when I spotted Kostas’ young son.The kid was coming back with an empty drink tray. I hooked him by the arm, leading him away. I put a silver coin in his hand, promising him another if he’d fetch something for me.Helena looked at me curiously, but I kept my mouth shut against her silent question.“Centenarius!” I heard a voice call. “Leontius!”I turned, already feeling a grin stretching my features. At a nearby table, five men were waving towards me. They wore happy smiles, their cheeks rosy with wine.“Sergius! You old bastard! What the hell are you doing here?”Sergius, a crusty old stratiotai with more scars on him than most had years, made a show of cupping one ear.“Can’t hear you so good, sir! Come here and whisper it to me.”The men at his table laughed. I did too, shaking my head.“Friends of yours?” Helena asked.“Men from my old cohort,” I said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”Helena’s body tightened. I saw that same expression flash across her features. Resignation? Consternation? I wasn’t sure. Even here, away from the dark street, I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d seen. It was gone too fast.“Sure,” she said, stepping forward and forcing me to move after her.The men rose to meet me, and I greeted each with a rough embrace and a few rougher words. Sergius, Gratian, Suda, Maurice and Niketas; as good a squad of stratiotai that had ever served in Justinian’s legions.“Boys, this is Helena,” I said as we sat in the chairs pulled over for us. “My shield mate. She guards the Empress with me.”Sergius blinked. Maurice choked on his wine while Suda and Niketas glanced at each other in disbelief. Helena, however, seemed to loosen. Her gaze flicked to me, and I saw the faint crinkle of something disappear from the corners of her eyes.Gratian, horse’s ass that he was, guffawed.“Come on, Centenarius,” he said. He was seated on Helena’s other side, and took the opportunity to drape one arm around her shoulders. “You can’t expect us to believe that sweet little thing fights beside you?”Whatever else I could say about Gratian, and there was a lot, I couldn’t fault his eye.Helena was in her tunica, cut in the same simple, utilitarian shape as my own. It was loose, ending just above her knees and doing nothing to accentuate the feminine curves of her body. However, unlike the wrinkled, slightly stained pale gray of my tunica, hers had been dyed a deep green.It was near to the cypress of her eyes. It made them appear brighter, and more vivid than I’d ever seen them. The green brought out the copper of her hair, deepening it and adding layers to those tumbling waves.She was beautiful; the field of grass after rain.“You think I’m sweet?” Helena said, lips curling into a small smile.“Sweet enough to eat,” he said. His eyes roved up and down her body. “How much?”Helena stayed relaxed. That small smile never left her lips.“I’m good, too.” Gratian insisted. “You’ll see. My phallus’s so good that you should be the one paying me!”He snickered through his leering grin. I shook my head when Sergius opened his mouth to interfere. Although I needn’t have. Because, an instant later, Helena’s fist crunched into Gratian’s throat.He gagged, falling backwards, his chair crashing to the ground. The tavern fell silent, all eyes on Helena as she slowly stood. Helena’s eyes swept the room. There was a heartbeat of silence, and then two. Her lip suddenly quirked.“Nobody touches before they pay.”The room exploded with laughter, covering the sound of Gratian’s moaning. Helena sat back down, while I moved to help the man pick himself off the floor.“I’ll kill her,” he choked. “I’ll fucking kill that bitch.”“Shut up,” I said, loud enough for the others to hear. “She’d gut you like a fish. And I’d cut off whatever bits my shield mate left of you.”I pulled him up, and made a show of checking him over. I hissed into his ear. “You stupid bastard. Helena’s the Empress’ personal guard. Do you want your head to the decorate palace walls?”Gratian’s face blanched. He started to stammer something but I pushed him away. “I told you to shut the fuck up. Go get us some more wine.”“Whatever Kostas hasn’t pissed in for me,” Helena called.Sergius grin was wide. “Good punch, that. It's the only way to get him to shut his hole.”“Aye,” Niketas said, draining his cup. He burped. “Finally, some fucking peace.”“Centenarius,” Maurice said, leaning forward. “No offense to your lady, but a shield mate? Are you sure about this?”“This lady,” Helena said. “Can speak for herself. Look me in the eyes and tell me what you mean.”Maurice complied. “You’re a woman. You’re real pretty, I’ll give you that, but you don’t know what this means.”“I don’t need a phallus to piss standing up. Why would I need one to hold up a shield?”Maurice smirked. “Cute. But it's more than that, it's,”"Wait, you can piss standing up?” Gratian interrupted, returning with two clay pitchers of wine. “Seriously?”The others groaned.“That wasn’t the point, Grat,” Suda said. “Although, now I am a bit curious,”"It's easy,” Helena said, throwing him a wink. “And I guarantee that I can piss better than Grat fucks.”Laughter rolled around the table. Even Gratian snickered, though heat crawled up his face. He started pouring the wine, filling Helena’s cup and then mine.“So, what the hell are you talking about, then?”“If she can really be Leo’s shield mate,” Maurice said. “If she can fight.”“She knows what it means, Maur,” I said. “She’s good, too. Fast. And she’s got some sense, unlike you thick-headed bastards.”“Good enough for me,” Sergius said. “What do you say boys, we gonna keep her around?”“Let's drink!” Niketas said, grabbing his cup.Sergius banged the table, hoisting his own cup into the air. “To Helena!”“Helena!” We roared, slamming our empty cups down a few moments later.Helena joined in, her smile wide and her cheeks flushed a happy red. Our pitaroudia arrived, and we fell to bickering over the platter of fried balls. They were delicious; tomato, onion and bits of a leafy herb mixed into a patty of ground chickpea.These were rough men that lived rough lives. They were soldiers; killers that earned their coin in the grinding crush of the shield wall. They respected a foul mouth, a hard fist and loyalty to one’s brothers.They were stratiotai.And when Helena clacked her cup with a still sheepish looking Gratian; I saw them start to think of her as one too.“Leo never told me that he was a Centenarius,” Helena eventually said.I snorted. “That’s because I’m not. These idiots just call me that.”“The crest on the helmet don’t make the Centenarius,” Suda drawled. “Ain’t that right, Serg?”“You’re damned right about that, lad,” the older man replied. “Some wise words there.”I rolled my eyes, the rest of the boys snickering into their cups. Sergius liked to share whatever kernels of wisdom popped into his head. We’d all heard this particular one a hundred times already.“We call him that because of Callinicum,” Sergius continued, answering Helena’s question.“Ah,” she said. “You were all there?”Sergius nodded, “and my bones would be decorating some Persian’s trophy shelf if it wasn’t for the Centenarius here. All of ours would.”The mood sobered, each of us remembering. I looked down to my hands; seeing the flecks of old, old blood beneath my fingernails. The ones I could never seem to clean.“Was it bad?” Helena asked.“Aye,” Sergius answered. “The old Centenarius was a right stupid prick. He got himself killed in the first charge of the Sassanid horsemen. Leontius here took over after that. Things were real shaky for a bit, but he kept us from scattering and being cut to pieces. And when the general decided he’d had enough of watching us die, Leo got us retreating.”Nobody spoke for a while, memories holding us. Some of us put wine to our lips. I just stared out at nothing with unfocused eyes. The mood remained dark until Gratian, bless his fool soul, blurted out;“Fuck, but Centenarius Demetrius was a prick.”That brought out a few chuckles. Niketas let out another burp, and Maurice swatted the back of his head. Most of us felt lighter after that. It didn’t do any good to dwell on the past. The things we’d done, the friends we’d lost, It wasn’t good to remember. Stratiotai had to live for the moment.Maybe that was why I’d always been such a terrible soldier.Midnight guard duty.It was approaching midnight when Sergius hauled himself to his feet. He blinked bleary eyes, motioning to the others.“Right boys, we’ve got patrol in the morning. Let’s get moving.”The men swallowed their last mouthfuls of wine, said their goodbyes and stumbled away with various levels of coordination.Sergius watched them go with a shake of his head. He riffled through a pouch at his side for a moment before turning back to me.“I’ve got something for you here, Centenarius. It got to the barracks a week or so ago.”He held a folded envelope out towards me. It had my name on it, written out in my mother’s blocky hand. I snatched it from him, quickly stuffing it away and out of sight. I didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to ruin this night.“It was good to see you, Leo,” Sergius said. He pulled me to my feet, and pounded my back in a rough embrace. “Don’t forget about us rankers while you’re dining with nobles.”“Take care of yourself, Serg,” I said, returning his embrace. “And, thank you.”“We’re on garrison duty,” the old soldier grinned. “What’s going to happen in the capital?”Sergius surprised Helena by pulling her into a hug next. “Keep your shield tight to his. Our Centenarius always seems to be around when shit is the deepest.”“I’ll keep him the sword from his back,” Helena said. “Though, it might loosen him up a bit.”The older man laughed. “It was good to meet you, lass. And remember, you’ve got a brother in old Sergius.” With a last little wave, he ambled out and into the deepening night.“You were right,” Helena said, settling back. She popped the last of the pitaroudia in her mouth. “This is a great place.”“Even with Grat here?” I asked with a smile.“Even still,” she said, her lips curling upward. She put her elbow on the table, leaning her heads against her palm. “I’m happy that you introduced me to your friends. I didn’t think it would be this, nice.”“It was,” I said. I shifted in my seat, wanting to move my chair closer to her. But the movement jostled the letter in my pocket. Suddenly, my mother’s words weighed more than a boulder. I shifted again, an awkward jerk of my body that accomplished nothing.Helena’s smile softened. She took pity on me, scooting over until her leg pressed against mine. I let out a breath, leaning back in my chair. We sat in silence for a while. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth, and the quiet murmur of the few remaining patrons.“This was always my favorite part,” I said, after a while. I opened my eyes to find Helena watching me, waiting for me to continue.“A place like this,” I said. “With the others; once the campaigns done. It’s,”I trailed off, trying to order my thoughts. How could I explain this to someone who’d never been to war? How did I tell her of the constant tension; of the anxious expectation that came with knowing that somewhere, beyond the light of your campfire, someone wanted you dead.Kill or be killed; there was none of that here. I could drink with my friends, without wondering which of them I would lose. Or what I would have to do.It was just; "different,” I finished.Helena didn’t laugh. She didn’t smile or tease. She just watched me with eyes that took in so much of me. I caught a glimpse of it; the edge that wondrous vastness behind her cypress gaze. She leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder and letting out a long breath.“Different,” she said. “I like that.”My eyes suddenly prickled. I blinked furiously, trying to clear the wetness seeping into them. I turned, leaning my chin against her hair; breathing in the scent of her. I shifted my arm to pull her closer, my mother’s letter forgotten.“Leo,” she said. “What would you do if you weren’t a soldier?”“I, I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve always been a soldier.”“But could you do it for ten more years?”“What else would I do? My father was stratiotai, and his father and his father. I don’t know anything else.”Helena shifted against my shoulder, her hair tickling my neck.“What was your plan once you retired?”I bobbed my shoulders in a small shrug, careful not to disturb her. “Go back to Rhodos. My mother is a seamstress. I’d help her run the shop.”“And marry a ‘good’ woman?” She said, her tone edged with mocking.I didn’t answer, though I tightened my grip on Helena. For a heartbeat, her body was stiff. Then, she let out another long breath, relaxing against me.“What about something like this?” She asked, gesturing around us. “A tavern.”“Running a Winehouse?”She pushed off of me, suddenly more animated. “Why not? You could open a soldier’s tavern on Rhodos; make a place for old stratiotai.”“A peaceful place,” I murmured.“Exactly!” She grinned. “It's a good idea, right?”“I’d have to learn how to make pitaroudia,” I said, feeling a smile tug at my lips.“I’m sure Kostas will give you his recipe.”I laughed. “I’m a solider, Helena, not a cook. I think I even burned water once.”“You are a soldier,” she said. Her eyes held mine. “But you can be something else.”I looked away, swallowing.“You’ll think about it?”“Sure,” I forced some lightness into my tone. “But only if you promise that you’d go out and catch fish for me every day.”Helena stiffened, her face suddenly bright red. Not the reaction I’d been expecting. Her eyes flicked over my face, searching. “You don’t think I’d be better as the cook? Or serving drinks?”“No,” I said, not having to force my smile. “You belong on the sea, right?”Her eyes were so wide. I felt my heart start to beat faster. That vastness, it was there, rising to the edge of her; on the verge of breaking through.“Leo,” she murmured. “I,”She was interrupted by the thump of a pouch onto our table. I looked over to find Kostas’ son standing by our table. The kid looked exhausted, but triumphant."You found what I asked for, then?” I said.He nodded, holding out a grubby hand.“Good man,” I grinned, flipping him a silver coin. He disappeared without another word. I quickly disengaged myself from Helena to put the lumpy, medium sized pouch away.“It's a surprise,” I told her. “For later.”She arched an eyebrow, but didn’t press me. She downed her last mouthful of wine, letting out a happy sigh. “We have to come back here.”I nodded, bringing my own wine to my lips.“It's nice to see that you can relax without my cunny in your mouth.”I choked, spraying out a mouthful of wine. Helena laughed, that deep, joy-filled sound. She pounded my back as I coughed myself hoarse. My face blazed, and I felt the eyes of everyone turn towards me.“Leo,” she said. “You’re defenseless.”I coughed, glaring at her through watery eyes.“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get back to the palace.”We walked out into the night, breathing in the city’s quiet. Although, it did not last long. We were but a handful of blocks from the Winehouse, when, out of the dark, we saw the fire.And heard the baying of the mob.A past shared with the Empress.The baying of the mob. The glow of fire.After a few moments of debate, Helena and I decided to move towards it. There were no screams of pain, no real sounds of violence coming from the streets ahead. We would see what there was, we decided, before returning to the Empress.We came into a square; one with a small, torch-lit church planted solidly at the northern end. A few squads of armored stratiotai, perhaps forty men, stood before the single door. They were imperial legionaries, though I did not recognize any of the grim-faced men. They all looked outward, swords drawn.Surrounding them, was the mob.The seething body of humanity was all around them. They totally filled the square; men, women, children. The old and the

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.The streets had been quiet as we’d passed, oddly subdued. The few people we saw had quickly ducked out of our way, though we were in our tunicae and sandals.Kostas’ place, I was happy to see, was lively. Drunken soldiers weren’t spilling out of the place, but there was enough of a crowd that we had to push our way past a few people. I led Helena to the back, where crusty old Kostas scowled from behind his bar.“Kostas,” I said, leaning against the bar. “I promised this Rhodian lady some pitaroudia. Are you going to disappoint her?”“Rhodian?” He said, suddenly a lot less grouchy looking.“From Lindos,” Helena said.We chatted for a bit, swapping the latest bit of island news that we had while Kostas poured us a couple of flagons of dark wine. The food would be ready in a few minutes, he told us.“She’s paying,” I said, when I spotted Kostas’ young son.The kid was coming back with an empty drink tray. I hooked him by the arm, leading him away. I put a silver coin in his hand, promising him another if he’d fetch something for me.Helena looked at me curiously, but I kept my mouth shut against her silent question.“Centenarius!” I heard a voice call. “Leontius!”I turned, already feeling a grin stretching my features. At a nearby table, five men were waving towards me. They wore happy smiles, their cheeks rosy with wine.“Sergius! You old bastard! What the hell are you doing here?”Sergius, a crusty old stratiotai with more scars on him than most had years, made a show of cupping one ear.“Can’t hear you so good, sir! Come here and whisper it to me.”The men at his table laughed. I did too, shaking my head.“Friends of yours?” Helena asked.“Men from my old cohort,” I said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”Helena’s body tightened. I saw that same expression flash across her features. Resignation? Consternation? I wasn’t sure. Even here, away from the dark street, I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d seen. It was gone too fast.“Sure,” she said, stepping forward and forcing me to move after her.The men rose to meet me, and I greeted each with a rough embrace and a few rougher words. Sergius, Gratian, Suda, Maurice and Niketas; as good a squad of stratiotai that had ever served in Justinian’s legions.“Boys, this is Helena,” I said as we sat in the chairs pulled over for us. “My shield mate. She guards the Empress with me.”Sergius blinked. Maurice choked on his wine while Suda and Niketas glanced at each other in disbelief. Helena, however, seemed to loosen. Her gaze flicked to me, and I saw the faint crinkle of something disappear from the corners of her eyes.Gratian, horse’s ass that he was, guffawed.“Come on, Centenarius,” he said. He was seated on Helena’s other side, and took the opportunity to drape one arm around her shoulders. “You can’t expect us to believe that sweet little thing fights beside you?”Whatever else I could say about Gratian, and there was a lot, I couldn’t fault his eye.Helena was in her tunica, cut in the same simple, utilitarian shape as my own. It was loose, ending just above her knees and doing nothing to accentuate the feminine curves of her body. However, unlike the wrinkled, slightly stained pale gray of my tunica, hers had been dyed a deep green.It was near to the cypress of her eyes. It made them appear brighter, and more vivid than I’d ever seen them. The green brought out the copper of her hair, deepening it and adding layers to those tumbling waves.She was beautiful; the field of grass after rain.“You think I’m sweet?” Helena said, lips curling into a small smile.“Sweet enough to eat,” he said. His eyes roved up and down her body. “How much?”Helena stayed relaxed. That small smile never left her lips.“I’m good, too.” Gratian insisted. “You’ll see. My phallus’s so good that you should be the one paying me!”He snickered through his leering grin. I shook my head when Sergius opened his mouth to interfere. Although I needn’t have. Because, an instant later, Helena’s fist crunched into Gratian’s throat.He gagged, falling backwards, his chair crashing to the ground. The tavern fell silent, all eyes on Helena as she slowly stood. Helena’s eyes swept the room. There was a heartbeat of silence, and then two. Her lip suddenly quirked.“Nobody touches before they pay.”The room exploded with laughter, covering the sound of Gratian’s moaning. Helena sat back down, while I moved to help the man pick himself off the floor.“I’ll kill her,” he choked. “I’ll fucking kill that bitch.”“Shut up,” I said, loud enough for the others to hear. “She’d gut you like a fish. And I’d cut off whatever bits my shield mate left of you.”I pulled him up, and made a show of checking him over. I hissed into his ear. “You stupid bastard. Helena’s the Empress’ personal guard. Do you want your head to the decorate palace walls?”Gratian’s face blanched. He started to stammer something but I pushed him away. “I told you to shut the fuck up. Go get us some more wine.”“Whatever Kostas hasn’t pissed in for me,” Helena called.Sergius grin was wide. “Good punch, that. It's the only way to get him to shut his hole.”“Aye,” Niketas said, draining his cup. He burped. “Finally, some fucking peace.”“Centenarius,” Maurice said, leaning forward. “No offense to your lady, but a shield mate? Are you sure about this?”“This lady,” Helena said. “Can speak for herself. Look me in the eyes and tell me what you mean.”Maurice complied. “You’re a woman. You’re real pretty, I’ll give you that, but you don’t know what this means.”“I don’t need a phallus to piss standing up. Why would I need one to hold up a shield?”Maurice smirked. “Cute. But it's more than that, it's,”"Wait, you can piss standing up?” Gratian interrupted, returning with two clay pitchers of wine. “Seriously?”The others groaned.“That wasn’t the point, Grat,” Suda said. “Although, now I am a bit curious,”"It's easy,” Helena said, throwing him a wink. “And I guarantee that I can piss better than Grat fucks.”Laughter rolled around the table. Even Gratian snickered, though heat crawled up his face. He started pouring the wine, filling Helena’s cup and then mine.“So, what the hell are you talking about, then?”“If she can really be Leo’s shield mate,” Maurice said. “If she can fight.”“She knows what it means, Maur,” I said. “She’s good, too. Fast. And she’s got some sense, unlike you thick-headed bastards.”“Good enough for me,” Sergius said. “What do you say boys, we gonna keep her around?”“Let's drink!” Niketas said, grabbing his cup.Sergius banged the table, hoisting his own cup into the air. “To Helena!”“Helena!” We roared, slamming our empty cups down a few moments later.Helena joined in, her smile wide and her cheeks flushed a happy red. Our pitaroudia arrived, and we fell to bickering over the platter of fried balls. They were delicious; tomato, onion and bits of a leafy herb mixed into a patty of ground chickpea.These were rough men that lived rough lives. They were soldiers; killers that earned their coin in the grinding crush of the shield wall. They respected a foul mouth, a hard fist and loyalty to one’s brothers.They were stratiotai.And when Helena clacked her cup with a still sheepish looking Gratian; I saw them start to think of her as one too.“Leo never told me that he was a Centenarius,” Helena eventually said.I snorted. “That’s because I’m not. These idiots just call me that.”“The crest on the helmet don’t make the Centenarius,” Suda drawled. “Ain’t that right, Serg?”“You’re damned right about that, lad,” the older man replied. “Some wise words there.”I rolled my eyes, the rest of the boys snickering into their cups. Sergius liked to share whatever kernels of wisdom popped into his head. We’d all heard this particular one a hundred times already.“We call him that because of Callinicum,” Sergius continued, answering Helena’s question.“Ah,” she said. “You were all there?”Sergius nodded, “and my bones would be decorating some Persian’s trophy shelf if it wasn’t for the Centenarius here. All of ours would.”The mood sobered, each of us remembering. I looked down to my hands; seeing the flecks of old, old blood beneath my fingernails. The ones I could never seem to clean.“Was it bad?” Helena asked.“Aye,” Sergius answered. “The old Centenarius was a right stupid prick. He got himself killed in the first charge of the Sassanid horsemen. Leontius here took over after that. Things were real shaky for a bit, but he kept us from scattering and being cut to pieces. And when the general decided he’d had enough of watching us die, Leo got us retreating.”Nobody spoke for a while, memories holding us. Some of us put wine to our lips. I just stared out at nothing with unfocused eyes. The mood remained dark until Gratian, bless his fool soul, blurted out;“Fuck, but Centenarius Demetrius was a prick.”That brought out a few chuckles. Niketas let out another burp, and Maurice swatted the back of his head. Most of us felt lighter after that. It didn’t do any good to dwell on the past. The things we’d done, the friends we’d lost, It wasn’t good to remember. Stratiotai had to live for the moment.Maybe that was why I’d always been such a terrible soldier.Midnight guard duty.It was approaching midnight when Sergius hauled himself to his feet. He blinked bleary eyes, motioning to the others.“Right boys, we’ve got patrol in the morning. Let’s get moving.”The men swallowed their last mouthfuls of wine, said their goodbyes and stumbled away with various levels of coordination.Sergius watched them go with a shake of his head. He riffled through a pouch at his side for a moment before turning back to me.“I’ve got something for you here, Centenarius. It got to the barracks a week or so ago.”He held a folded envelope out towards me. It had my name on it, written out in my mother’s blocky hand. I snatched it from him, quickly stuffing it away and out of sight. I didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to ruin this night.“It was good to see you, Leo,” Sergius said. He pulled me to my feet, and pounded my back in a rough embrace. “Don’t forget about us rankers while you’re dining with nobles.”“Take care of yourself, Serg,” I said, returning his embrace. “And, thank you.”“We’re on garrison duty,” the old soldier grinned. “What’s going to happen in the capital?”Sergius surprised Helena by pulling her into a hug next. “Keep your shield tight to his. Our Centenarius always seems to be around when shit is the deepest.”“I’ll keep him the sword from his back,” Helena said. “Though, it might loosen him up a bit.”The older man laughed. “It was good to meet you, lass. And remember, you’ve got a brother in old Sergius.” With a last little wave, he ambled out and into the deepening night.“You were right,” Helena said, settling back. She popped the last of the pitaroudia in her mouth. “This is a great place.”“Even with Grat here?” I asked with a smile.“Even still,” she said, her lips curling upward. She put her elbow on the table, leaning her heads against her palm. “I’m happy that you introduced me to your friends. I didn’t think it would be this, nice.”“It was,” I said. I shifted in my seat, wanting to move my chair closer to her. But the movement jostled the letter in my pocket. Suddenly, my mother’s words weighed more than a boulder. I shifted again, an awkward jerk of my body that accomplished nothing.Helena’s smile softened. She took pity on me, scooting over until her leg pressed against mine. I let out a breath, leaning back in my chair. We sat in silence for a while. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth, and the quiet murmur of the few remaining patrons.“This was always my favorite part,” I said, after a while. I opened my eyes to find Helena watching me, waiting for me to continue.“A place like this,” I said. “With the others; once the campaigns done. It’s,”I trailed off, trying to order my thoughts. How could I explain this to someone who’d never been to war? How did I tell her of the constant tension; of the anxious expectation that came with knowing that somewhere, beyond the light of your campfire, someone wanted you dead.Kill or be killed; there was none of that here. I could drink with my friends, without wondering which of them I would lose. Or what I would have to do.It was just; "different,” I finished.Helena didn’t laugh. She didn’t smile or tease. She just watched me with eyes that took in so much of me. I caught a glimpse of it; the edge that wondrous vastness behind her cypress gaze. She leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder and letting out a long breath.“Different,” she said. “I like that.”My eyes suddenly prickled. I blinked furiously, trying to clear the wetness seeping into them. I turned, leaning my chin against her hair; breathing in the scent of her. I shifted my arm to pull her closer, my mother’s letter forgotten.“Leo,” she said. “What would you do if you weren’t a soldier?”“I, I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve always been a soldier.”“But could you do it for ten more years?”“What else would I do? My father was stratiotai, and his father and his father. I don’t know anything else.”Helena shifted against my shoulder, her hair tickling my neck.“What was your plan once you retired?”I bobbed my shoulders in a small shrug, careful not to disturb her. “Go back to Rhodos. My mother is a seamstress. I’d help her run the shop.”“And marry a ‘good’ woman?” She said, her tone edged with mocking.I didn’t answer, though I tightened my grip on Helena. For a heartbeat, her body was stiff. Then, she let out another long breath, relaxing against me.“What about something like this?” She asked, gesturing around us. “A tavern.”“Running a Winehouse?”She pushed off of me, suddenly more animated. “Why not? You could open a soldier’s tavern on Rhodos; make a place for old stratiotai.”“A peaceful place,” I murmured.“Exactly!” She grinned. “It's a good idea, right?”“I’d have to learn how to make pitaroudia,” I said, feeling a smile tug at my lips.“I’m sure Kostas will give you his recipe.”I laughed. “I’m a solider, Helena, not a cook. I think I even burned water once.”“You are a soldier,” she said. Her eyes held mine. “But you can be something else.”I looked away, swallowing.“You’ll think about it?”“Sure,” I forced some lightness into my tone. “But only if you promise that you’d go out and catch fish for me every day.”Helena stiffened, her face suddenly bright red. Not the reaction I’d been expecting. Her eyes flicked over my face, searching. “You don’t think I’d be better as the cook? Or serving drinks?”“No,” I said, not having to force my smile. “You belong on the sea, right?”Her eyes were so wide. I felt my heart start to beat faster. That vastness, it was there, rising to the edge of her; on the verge of breaking through.“Leo,” she murmured. “I,”She was interrupted by the thump of a pouch onto our table. I looked over to find Kostas’ son standing by our table. The kid looked exhausted, but triumphant."You found what I asked for, then?” I said.He nodded, holding out a grubby hand.“Good man,” I grinned, flipping him a silver coin. He disappeared without another word. I quickly disengaged myself from Helena to put the lumpy, medium sized pouch away.“It's a surprise,” I told her. “For later.”She arched an eyebrow, but didn’t press me. She downed her last mouthful of wine, letting out a happy sigh. “We have to come back here.”I nodded, bringing my own wine to my lips.“It's nice to see that you can relax without my cunny in your mouth.”I choked, spraying out a mouthful of wine. Helena laughed, that deep, joy-filled sound. She pounded my back as I coughed myself hoarse. My face blazed, and I felt the eyes of everyone turn towards me.“Leo,” she said. “You’re defenseless.”I coughed, glaring at her through watery eyes.“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get back to the palace.”We walked out into the night, breathing in the city’s quiet. Although, it did not last long. We were but a handful of blocks from the Winehouse, when, out of the dark, we saw the fire.And heard the baying of the mob.A past shared with the Empress.The baying of the mob. The glow of fire.After a few moments of debate, Helena and I decided to move towards it. There were no screams of pain, no real sounds of violence coming from the streets ahead. We would see what there was, we decided, before returning to the Empress.We came into a square; one with a small, torch-lit church planted solidly at the northern end. A few squads of armored stratiotai, perhaps forty men, stood before the single door. They were imperial legionaries, though I did not recognize any of the grim-faced men. They all looked outward, swords drawn.Surrounding them, was the mob.The seething body of humanity was all around them. They totally filled the square; men, women, children. The old and the

Lundi 15 juillet 2024 s'est déroulée « Conversations critiques » au Café des Idées à Avignon, une rencontre organisée par le syndicat professionnel de la critique de théâtre, de musique et de danse. Cette rencontre était animée par Marie-José Sirach, présidente du syndicat et journaliste de l'Humanité, et Olivier Frégaville-Gratian d'Amore, vice-président théâtre du Syndicat et rédacteur en chef du magazine en ligne l'Œil de l'Olivier. Ils avaient pour invités Sylvia Botella, Jean-Pierre Han, Eberhard Spreng, Amélie Blaunstein-Niddam et Carolien Châtelet.

Charles Thomson welcomes first-time guest Gratian Dimech to the show for this year's Vindication Day Special. Gratian first saw Michael Jackson live on the Bad Tour and first met him Continue Reading →

In dieser Folge spricht Adriano mit Gratian Permien, dem Mitgründer von certflow und mit Sandro, einem der VisualMakers Entwickler:innen.certflow ist eine Plattform zur Zertifizierung von Solar- und Windkraftanlagen sowie Speicher und BHKW (Blockheizkraftwerken). Dieser Zertifizierungsprozess ist traditionell eine veraltete Zettelwirtschaft. Doch dank certflow wird daraus nun ein digitaler und vor allem automatisierter Prozess, der Unternehmen dabei hilft, ihre Energieprojekte für den Anschluss ans Stromnetz zertifizieren zu lassen. In diesem Gespräch teilt Gratian uns mit, wieso sie sich dazu entschieden haben, mit No-Code zu arbeiten. Außerdem erklärt Sandro, wie er die Plattform mit Bubble und Xano umgesetzt hat und was er dabei gelernt hat.Links zur Folgecertflow Webseite: https://www.certflow.de/Gratian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gratian-permien/Unsere Case Study: https://www.visualmakers.de/case-studies/saas-plattform-beschleunigt-zertifizierungsprozess-fur-solar--und-windanlagen/// Gefällt dir unser VisualMakers Content? Werde selbst zum VisualMaker mit einem unserer vielen kostenlosen Kurse. Starte jetzt durch und werde No-Code Profi: https://www.visualmakers.de/academy/// Werde Teil der größten deutschsprachigen No-Code Community: Slack: https://bit.ly/vm-slack/// Folge uns aufLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3SfL6oOYoutube: https://bit.ly/3OF5jBjInstagram: https://bit.ly/3cMYH6N///Jetzt Newsletter abonnieren und keine No-Code News mehr verpassen!https://bit.ly/3cMYNeF

Full Text of ReadingsThe Epiphany of the Lord Lectionary: 20The Saint of the day is Saint Raymond of PeafortSaint Raymond of Peñafort's Story Since Raymond lived into his hundredth year, he had a chance to do many things. As a member of the Spanish nobility, he had the resources and the education to get a good start in life. By the time he was 20, he was teaching philosophy. In his early 30s he earned a doctorate in both canon and civil law. At 41 he became a Dominican. Pope Gregory IX called him to Rome to work for him and to be his confessor. One of the things the pope asked him to do was to gather together all the decrees of popes and councils that had been made in 80 years since a similar collection by Gratian. Raymond compiled five books called the Decretals. They were looked upon as one of the best organized collections of Church law until the 1917 codification of canon law. Earlier, Raymond had written for confessors a book of cases. It was called Summa de Casibus Poenitentiae. More than simply a list of sins and penances, it discussed pertinent doctrines and laws of the Church that pertained to the problem or case brought to the confessor. At the age of 60, Raymond was appointed archbishop of Tarragona, the capital of Aragon. He didn't like the honor at all and ended up getting sick and resigning in two years. He didn't get to enjoy his peace long, however, because when he was 63 he was elected by his fellow Dominicans to be the head of the whole Order, the successor of Saint Dominic. Raymond worked hard, visited on foot all the Dominicans, reorganized their constitutions and managed to put through a provision that a master general be allowed to resign. When the new constitutions were accepted, Raymond, then 65, resigned. He still had 35 years to oppose heresy and work for the conversion of the Moors in Spain. He convinced Saint Thomas Aquinas to write his work Against the Gentiles. In his 100th year, the Lord let Raymond retire. Reflection Raymond was a lawyer, a canonist. Legalism can suck the life out of genuine religion if it becomes too great a preoccupation with the letter of the law to the neglect of the spirit and purpose of the law. The law can become an end in itself, so that the value the law was intended to promote is overlooked. But we must guard against going to the opposite extreme and seeing law as useless or something to be lightly regarded. Laws ideally state those things that are for the best interests of everyone and make sure the rights of all are safeguarded. From Raymond, we can learn a respect for law as a means of serving the common good. Saint Raymond of Peñafort is a Patron Saint of: Lawyers Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

This illustrious light of Orthodoxy in the Western Church was born in Gaul in 349, but his widowed mother took the family to Rome while he was still a small child. Brilliant and well-educated, he was made a provincial Governor in 375 and took up residence in Milan. In those days, the Arian heresy was still dividing the Church, despite its repudiation at the Council of Nicaea in 325. When the time came to elect a new Bishop in Milan, the Orthodox and Arian parties were so divided that they could come to no agreement on a new Bishop. When Ambrose came as Governor to try to restore peace and order, a young child, divinely inspired, called out "Ambrose, Bishop!" To Ambrose's amazement, the people took up the cry, and Ambrose himself was elected, though he tried to refuse, protesting that he was only a catechumen (it was still common in those days to delay Holy Baptism for fear of polluting it by sin). He even attempted to flee, but his horse brought him back to the city. Resigning himself to God's will, he was baptized and, only a week later, elevated to Bishop. Immediately, he renounced all possessions, distributed all of his money to the poor and gave his estates to the Church. Straightaway, he entered into a spirited defense of Orthodoxy in his preaching and writings to the dismay of the Arians who had supported his election. Soon he persuaded Gratian, Emperor of the West, to call the Council of Aquilea, which brought an end to Arianism in the Western Church. (Arianism, however, continued to prosper among the barbarian nations for many years; see the Martyrs of Africa, also commemorated today).   Several times the holy Bishop was called upon to defend the Church against domination by the secular powers. Once, putting down an uprising in Thessalonika, the Emperor Theodosius punished the city by ordering the massacre of thousands of its residents. When the Emperor later visited Milan and came to the Cathedral to attend the Liturgy, Saint Ambrose stopped him at the door, condemned his crime before all the people, forbade him entrance to the church and excommunicated him for eight months. The Emperor went away weeping, and submitted in humility to the Church's discipline. When he returned after long penance to be restored to Communion, he went into the sanctuary along with the clergy, as had been the custom of the Emperors since Constantine the Great. But again the holy Ambrose humbled him in the sight of all the people, saying "Get out and take your place among the laity; the purple does not make priests, but only emperors." Theodosius left without protest, took his place among the penitents, and never again attempted to enter the sanctuary of a church. (When the Emperor died, it was Bishop Ambrose who preached his funeral eulogy).   Saint Ambrose, by teaching, preaching and writing, brought countless pagans to the Faith. His most famous convert was St Augustine (June 15), who became his disciple and eventually a bishop. Ambrose's many theological and catechetical works helped greatly to spread the teaching of the Greek fathers in the Latin world. He wrote many glorious antiphonal hymns which were once some of the gems of the Latin services.   Saint Ambrose reposed in peace in 397; his relics still rest in the basilica in Milan.

This illustrious light of Orthodoxy in the Western Church was born in Gaul in 349, but his widowed mother took the family to Rome while he was still a small child. Brilliant and well-educated, he was made a provincial Governor in 375 and took up residence in Milan. In those days, the Arian heresy was still dividing the Church, despite its repudiation at the Council of Nicaea in 325. When the time came to elect a new Bishop in Milan, the Orthodox and Arian parties were so divided that they could come to no agreement on a new Bishop. When Ambrose came as Governor to try to restore peace and order, a young child, divinely inspired, called out "Ambrose, Bishop!" To Ambrose's amazement, the people took up the cry, and Ambrose himself was elected, though he tried to refuse, protesting that he was only a catechumen (it was still common in those days to delay Holy Baptism for fear of polluting it by sin). He even attempted to flee, but his horse brought him back to the city. Resigning himself to God's will, he was baptized and, only a week later, elevated to Bishop. Immediately, he renounced all possessions, distributed all of his money to the poor and gave his estates to the Church. Straightaway, he entered into a spirited defense of Orthodoxy in his preaching and writings to the dismay of the Arians who had supported his election. Soon he persuaded Gratian, Emperor of the West, to call the Council of Aquilea, which brought an end to Arianism in the Western Church. (Arianism, however, continued to prosper among the barbarian nations for many years; see the Martyrs of Africa, also commemorated today).   Several times the holy Bishop was called upon to defend the Church against domination by the secular powers. Once, putting down an uprising in Thessalonika, the Emperor Theodosius punished the city by ordering the massacre of thousands of its residents. When the Emperor later visited Milan and came to the Cathedral to attend the Liturgy, Saint Ambrose stopped him at the door, condemned his crime before all the people, forbade him entrance to the church and excommunicated him for eight months. The Emperor went away weeping, and submitted in humility to the Church's discipline. When he returned after long penance to be restored to Communion, he went into the sanctuary along with the clergy, as had been the custom of the Emperors since Constantine the Great. But again the holy Ambrose humbled him in the sight of all the people, saying "Get out and take your place among the laity; the purple does not make priests, but only emperors." Theodosius left without protest, took his place among the penitents, and never again attempted to enter the sanctuary of a church. (When the Emperor died, it was Bishop Ambrose who preached his funeral eulogy).   Saint Ambrose, by teaching, preaching and writing, brought countless pagans to the Faith. His most famous convert was St Augustine (June 15), who became his disciple and eventually a bishop. Ambrose's many theological and catechetical works helped greatly to spread the teaching of the Greek fathers in the Latin world. He wrote many glorious antiphonal hymns which were once some of the gems of the Latin services.   Saint Ambrose reposed in peace in 397; his relics still rest in the basilica in Milan.

In law, ignorantia juris non excusat (Latin for "ignorance of the law excuses not"), or ignorantia legis neminem excusat ("ignorance of law excuses no one"), is a legal principle holding that a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that law merely by being unaware of its content. European-law countries with a tradition of Roman law may also use an expression from Aristotle translated into Latin: nemo censetur ignorare legem ("nobody is thought to be ignorant of the law") or ignorantia iuris nocet ("not knowing the law is harmful"). Explanation. The rationale of the doctrine is that if ignorance were an excuse, a person charged with criminal offenses or a subject of a civil lawsuit would merely claim that one was unaware of the law in question to avoid liability, even if that person really does know what the law in question is. Thus, the law imputes knowledge of all laws to all persons within the jurisdiction no matter how transiently. Even though it would be impossible, even for someone with substantial legal training, to be aware of every law in operation in every aspect of a state's activities, this is the price paid to ensure that willful blindness cannot become the basis of exculpation. Thus, it is well settled that persons engaged in any undertakings outside what is common for a normal person will make themselves aware of the laws necessary to engage in that undertaking. If they do not, they cannot complain if they incur liability. The doctrine assumes that the law in question has been properly promulgated—published and distributed, for example, by being printed in a government gazette, made available over the Internet, or printed in volumes available for sale to the public at affordable prices. In the ancient phrase of Gratian, Leges instituuntur cum promulgantur ("Laws are instituted when they are promulgated"). In order that a law obtain the binding force which is proper to a law, it must be applied to the men who have to be ruled by it. Such application is made by their being given notice by promulgation. A law can bind only when it is reasonably possible for those to whom it applies to acquire knowledge of it in order to observe it, even if actual knowledge of the law is absent for a particular individual. A secret law is no law at all. In criminal law, although ignorance may not clear a defendant of guilt, it can be a consideration in sentencing, particularly where the law is unclear or the defendant sought advice from law enforcement or regulatory officials. For example, in one Canadian case, a person was charged with being in possession of gambling devices after they had been advised by customs officials that it was legal to import such devices into Canada. Although the defendant was convicted, the sentence was an absolute discharge. In addition, there were, particularly in the days before satellite communication and cellular phones, persons who could genuinely be ignorant of the law due to distance or isolation. For example, in a case in British Columbia, four hunters were acquitted of game offenses where the law was changed during the period they were in the wilderness hunting. Another case, in early English law, involved a seaman on a clipper before the invention of radio who had shot another. Although he was found guilty, he was pardoned, as the law had been changed while he was at sea. Although ignorance of the law, like other mistakes of law, is not a defence, a mistake of fact may well be, depending on the circumstances: that is, the false but sincerely held belief in a factual state of affairs which, had it been the case, would have made the conduct innocent in law. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/law-school/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/law-school/support

Was macht man als römischer Kaiser, wenn man einen Lehrer für seinen Sohn braucht? Man bestellt einen der klügsten Köpfe seiner Zeit als Privatlehrer an den eigenen Hof. So geschehen vor 1700 Jahren in Trier. Über den Gelehrten und Autor Decimus Magnus Ausonius, seinen Zögling, Kaisersohn Gratian, und die Mosella, sein berühmtes Lobesgedicht an die Mosel, sprechen wir mit Christian Rollinger, Historiker der Uni Trier. Alle zwei Wochen gibt es eine neue Folge von "Porta - das Tor zur Geschichte". Ein Podcast des Trierischen Volksfreunds. Redaktion: Johanna Heckeley

Full Text of ReadingsChristmas Weekday Lectionary: 210The Saint of the day is Saint Raymond of PeafortSaint Raymond of Peñafort's Story Since Raymond lived into his hundredth year, he had a chance to do many things. As a member of the Spanish nobility, he had the resources and the education to get a good start in life. By the time he was 20, he was teaching philosophy. In his early 30s he earned a doctorate in both canon and civil law. At 41 he became a Dominican. Pope Gregory IX called him to Rome to work for him and to be his confessor. One of the things the pope asked him to do was to gather together all the decrees of popes and councils that had been made in 80 years since a similar collection by Gratian. Raymond compiled five books called the Decretals. They were looked upon as one of the best organized collections of Church law until the 1917 codification of canon law. Earlier, Raymond had written for confessors a book of cases. It was called Summa de Casibus Poenitentiae. More than simply a list of sins and penances, it discussed pertinent doctrines and laws of the Church that pertained to the problem or case brought to the confessor. At the age of 60, Raymond was appointed archbishop of Tarragona, the capital of Aragon. He didn't like the honor at all and ended up getting sick and resigning in two years. He didn't get to enjoy his peace long, however, because when he was 63 he was elected by his fellow Dominicans to be the head of the whole Order, the successor of Saint Dominic. Raymond worked hard, visited on foot all the Dominicans, reorganized their constitutions and managed to put through a provision that a master general be allowed to resign. When the new constitutions were accepted, Raymond, then 65, resigned. He still had 35 years to oppose heresy and work for the conversion of the Moors in Spain. He convinced Saint Thomas Aquinas to write his work Against the Gentiles. In his 100th year, the Lord let Raymond retire. Reflection Raymond was a lawyer, a canonist. Legalism can suck the life out of genuine religion if it becomes too great a preoccupation with the letter of the law to the neglect of the spirit and purpose of the law. The law can become an end in itself, so that the value the law was intended to promote is overlooked. But we must guard against going to the opposite extreme and seeing law as useless or something to be lightly regarded. Laws ideally state those things that are for the best interests of everyone and make sure the rights of all are safeguarded. From Raymond, we can learn a respect for law as a means of serving the common good. Saint Raymond of Peñafort is a Patron Saint of: Lawyers Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

This illustrious light of Orthodoxy in the Western Church was born in Gaul in 349, but his widowed mother took the family to Rome while he was still a small child. Brilliant and well-educated, he was made a provincial Governor in 375 and took up residence in Milan. In those days, the Arian heresy was still dividing the Church, despite its repudiation at the Council of Nicaea in 325. When the time came to elect a new Bishop in Milan, the Orthodox and Arian parties were so divided that they could come to no agreement on a new Bishop. When Ambrose came as Governor to try to restore peace and order, a young child, divinely inspired, called out "Ambrose, Bishop!" To Ambrose's amazement, the people took up the cry, and Ambrose himself was elected, though he tried to refuse, protesting that he was only a catechumen (it was still common in those days to delay Holy Baptism for fear of polluting it by sin). He even attempted to flee, but his horse brought him back to the city. Resigning himself to God's will, he was baptized and, only a week later, elevated to Bishop. Immediately, he renounced all possessions, distributed all of his money to the poor and gave his estates to the Church. Straightaway, he entered into a spirited defense of Orthodoxy in his preaching and writings to the dismay of the Arians who had supported his election. Soon he persuaded Gratian, Emperor of the West, to call the Council of Aquilea, which brought an end to Arianism in the Western Church. (Arianism, however, continued to prosper among the barbarian nations for many years; see the Martyrs of Africa, also commemorated today).   Several times the holy Bishop was called upon to defend the Church against domination by the secular powers. Once, putting down an uprising in Thessalonika, the Emperor Theodosius punished the city by ordering the massacre of thousands of its residents. When the Emperor later visited Milan and came to the Cathedral to attend the Liturgy, Saint Ambrose stopped him at the door, condemned his crime before all the people, forbade him entrance to the church and excommunicated him for eight months. The Emperor went away weeping, and submitted in humility to the Church's discipline. When he returned after long penance to be restored to Communion, he went into the sanctuary along with the clergy, as had been the custom of the Emperors since Constantine the Great. But again the holy Ambrose humbled him in the sight of all the people, saying "Get out and take your place among the laity; the purple does not make priests, but only emperors." Theodosius left without protest, took his place among the penitents, and never again attempted to enter the sanctuary of a church. (When the Emperor died, it was Bishop Ambrose who preached his funeral eulogy).   Saint Ambrose, by teaching, preaching and writing, brought countless pagans to the Faith. His most famous convert was St Augustine (June 15), who became his disciple and eventually a bishop. Ambrose's many theological and catechetical works helped greatly to spread the teaching of the Greek fathers in the Latin world. He wrote many glorious antiphonal hymns which were once some of the gems of the Latin services.   Saint Ambrose reposed in peace in 397; his relics still rest in the basilica in Milan.

This illustrious light of Orthodoxy in the Western Church was born in Gaul in 349, but his widowed mother took the family to Rome while he was still a small child. Brilliant and well-educated, he was made a provincial Governor in 375 and took up residence in Milan. In those days, the Arian heresy was still dividing the Church, despite its repudiation at the Council of Nicaea in 325. When the time came to elect a new Bishop in Milan, the Orthodox and Arian parties were so divided that they could come to no agreement on a new Bishop. When Ambrose came as Governor to try to restore peace and order, a young child, divinely inspired, called out "Ambrose, Bishop!" To Ambrose's amazement, the people took up the cry, and Ambrose himself was elected, though he tried to refuse, protesting that he was only a catechumen (it was still common in those days to delay Holy Baptism for fear of polluting it by sin). He even attempted to flee, but his horse brought him back to the city. Resigning himself to God's will, he was baptized and, only a week later, elevated to Bishop. Immediately, he renounced all possessions, distributed all of his money to the poor and gave his estates to the Church. Straightaway, he entered into a spirited defense of Orthodoxy in his preaching and writings to the dismay of the Arians who had supported his election. Soon he persuaded Gratian, Emperor of the West, to call the Council of Aquilea, which brought an end to Arianism in the Western Church. (Arianism, however, continued to prosper among the barbarian nations for many years; see the Martyrs of Africa, also commemorated today).   Several times the holy Bishop was called upon to defend the Church against domination by the secular powers. Once, putting down an uprising in Thessalonika, the Emperor Theodosius punished the city by ordering the massacre of thousands of its residents. When the Emperor later visited Milan and came to the Cathedral to attend the Liturgy, Saint Ambrose stopped him at the door, condemned his crime before all the people, forbade him entrance to the church and excommunicated him for eight months. The Emperor went away weeping, and submitted in humility to the Church's discipline. When he returned after long penance to be restored to Communion, he went into the sanctuary along with the clergy, as had been the custom of the Emperors since Constantine the Great. But again the holy Ambrose humbled him in the sight of all the people, saying "Get out and take your place among the laity; the purple does not make priests, but only emperors." Theodosius left without protest, took his place among the penitents, and never again attempted to enter the sanctuary of a church. (When the Emperor died, it was Bishop Ambrose who preached his funeral eulogy).   Saint Ambrose, by teaching, preaching and writing, brought countless pagans to the Faith. His most famous convert was St Augustine (June 15), who became his disciple and eventually a bishop. Ambrose's many theological and catechetical works helped greatly to spread the teaching of the Greek fathers in the Latin world. He wrote many glorious antiphonal hymns which were once some of the gems of the Latin services.   Saint Ambrose reposed in peace in 397; his relics still rest in the basilica in Milan.

An overview of the reemergence of Roman law in Europe, medieval law, canon law, Gratian, and much more...

Despre Invitat: Gratian Mihailescu, Fondator UrbanizeHUB, European Expert, European Commission Un episod despre dezvoltarea oraselor intr-un mod sustenabil – ce presupune, cum definim un oras sustenabil, orasele viitorului si smart city: cum se schimba viata oamenilor. Gratian are o experienta naționala si internațională de peste 10 ani în domeniul dezvoltării, comunicării, politicilor publice şi inovării. A studiat şi lucrat în Germania, Belgia, Italia, Ungaria, Serbia şi SUA, fiind bursier al Comisiei Europene, colaborând cu organizații ca Bancă Mondială, Guvernul României sau Adunarea Regiunilor Europene. Grațian este fondatorul UrbanizeHub o comunitate de oameni pasionați şi implicați, cu expertiză variată, oameni care vor să schimbe faţa oraşelor într-un mod SMART și sustenabil. Daca vorbim despre orase sustenabile este limpede ca Romania trebuie recupereze întârzierile față de alte țări în privința dezvoltării durabile si o metoda prin care ne putem inspira si influența, sunt exemplele din alte tari - de la spațiul verde până la transportul public, calitatea aerului și sursele de energie, ne uităm la cele mai sustenabile orașe din lume și la ceea ce le face atât de reușite. Un top al Sustainable Cities Index 2022: Oslo, Stockholm, Tokyo, Copenhagen, Berlin – pe primele locuri printre cele mai sustenabile orase din lume. Aerul și apa curate, nivelurile reduse de zgomot și emisii de CO2 și accesul la natură sunt esențiale. Când vorbim despre orașe verzi trebuie să reținem elementele cheie ce definesc sustenabilitatea acestora: Consumul de energie, Infrastructura transporturilor, Accesibilitate, Poluarea, calitatea aerului și emisiile de CO2, Procentul de spațiu verde disponibil. Despre UrbanizeHub: UrbanizeHub este o comunitate de experți, o platformă colaborativă, un HUB de idei, opinii, proiecte și știri despre orașe inteligente şi dezvoltarea urbană sustenabilă. Scopul nostru este acela de a crea o comunitate de oameni responsabili, specialişti în diverse domenii, interesați și implicați în discuțiile despre evoluţia oraşelor. Pe UrbanizeHub, lideri şi oameni cu viziune vorbesc despre modurile în care oraşele pot deveni mai prietenoase şi le pot oferi locuitorilor o calitate a vieții cât mai bună. Afla mai multe: https://urbanizehub.ro/ Unde puteţi urmări Sustainable Living Podcast: Website: www.sustainableliving.ro Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3rI4agY YouTube: https://bit.ly/2QWCPuB Facebook: www.facebook.com/SustainableLiving.ro Instagram: www.instagram.com/SustainableLiving.ro #sustainablelivingpodcast #sustainableliving #nicoletatalpes#urbanizehub #gratianmihailescu

Si tu es sur le marché de l'emploi ou si au contraire tu as déjà un job, mais que celui-ci ne correspond pas ou plus à tes critères, sur quelle plateforme te rendre pour trouver le job qu'il te faut ?  As-tu déjà défini les critères et valeurs qui te correspondent vraiment professionnellement ?  Dans le podcast du jour Paul Gratian nous parle de sa plateforme de recrutement, et nous explique en quoi elle se différencie de toutes les autres ; comment il a réussi à créer un outil ou tes propres critères et valeurs correspondent à ceux d'une entreprise.  Pour découvrir la plateforme de Paul Gratian : mylittleteam.com  Pour suivre sur twitter : @mylittleteam  Pour découvrir l'accélérateur de carrière : https://ad302.fr/w9kAIg 

Every episode, there will be a theme that will navigate within the poem of the day. For this episode, we have Gratian Paul Tidor's "Ang Balaang Tambag sa Ermitanyo." This poem won first prize in BATHALAD-Mindanao's Tigi sa Sinulatay (Poetry Category) in 2018. Gratian Paul Tidor is a poet from Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte. He was a fellow to the 17th Iligan National Writers Workshop and 12th IYAS Writers Workshop. His poems have appeared in Bisaya Magasin, Dagmay, Kabisdak and other online and print publications and anthologies. Gratian has published one full poetry book (Dakop-dakop sa Kahayag ug Anino), one poetry translation collection (Muddas: Hubad sa Mga Balak ni Anthony L. Tan), and two poetry chapbooks (Tipak sa Bulan and Nebula). He has also released a poetry anthology (Mga Tinaginting sa Hangin) with two other Mindanaoan poets. I hope you will like this poem. Amping kanunay ug padayon ta mga Bisaya! COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: All the poems, music, and graphics used in the podcast belong to their respective owners. This channel does not claim any right over them. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/basabalakkanunay/message

In the year AD 378, the Eastern Roman Emperor Valens left Antioch to return via Constantinople to deal with the Gothic threat which had been ravaging Thrace and the surrounding provinces since 376. He also sought help from his nephew and the Western Roman Emperor, Gratian. Dur: 18mins File: .mp3

Sara White presents and illustrates two of the most influential books of Canon law of the 12th and 13th century: Gratian's Decretum and the Liber Extra.

Pour l’épisode #128 je recevais Paul Gratian. On en débrief avec Arthur.** Continuons la discussion **@ifthisthendev (https://twitter.com/ifthisthendev)@bibear (https://twitter.com/bibear)Discord (https://discord.gg/FpEFYZM)** Plus de contenus de dev **Retrouvez tous nos épisodes sur notre site https://ifttd.io/Nous sommes aussi sur Instagram, TikTok, Youtube, Twitch ** Essayez Masteos **Masteos c'est l'API de votre investissement immobilier ! Et grâce à IFTTD, ils vous offrent 6 mois de gestion locative** Cherchez l’équipe de vos rêves **Si vous avez envie de changer de job, testez My Little Team qui vous permet de choisir une équipe qui vous ressemble plutôt qu’une entreprise sans trop savoir où vous arriverez !https://www.mylittleteam.com/ifttd** La Boutique IFTTD !!! **Affichez votre appréciation de ce podcast avec des goodies fait avec amour (https://ifttd.io/boutique/) ou affichez clairement votre camp tabulation ou espace.** Soutenez le podcast **Ou pour aller encore plus loin, rejoignez le Patréon IFTTD.** Participez au prochain enregistrement !**Retrouvez-nous tous les lundis à 19:00 pour assister à l’enregistrement de l’épisode en live et pouvoir poser vos questions pendant l’épisode :)

"Un bon recrutement dépend de la capacité d'un manager de bien comprendre les valeurs les plus importantes pour l'équipe" Le D.E.V. de la semaine est Paul Gratian, cofondateur de MyLittleTeam. Paul vient nous raconter son parcours de psychologue du travail qui l'a amené à créer My Little Team, une plateforme qui aide non pas les entreprises à recruter, mais les équipes. Nous parlons des processus de recrutement, de comment ils sont vécus par les candidats et les entreprises, et ce à quoi il faut être vigilant, quel que soit le côté de la table où l'on se situe.Liens évoqués pendant l'émissionMy little teamTwitter **Continuons la discussion**@ifthisthendev (https://twitter.com/ifthisthendev)@bibear (https://twitter.com/bibear)Discord (https://discord.gg/FpEFYZM)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/if-this-then-dev/)Retrouvez tous nos épisodes sur notre site https://ifttd.io/** Le Livre Blanc de Danny Miles **Quels KPI suivre quand on est CTO d'un site e-commerce ?Danny Miles, CTO de Dollar Shave Club** Cherchez l'équipe de vos rêves **Si vous avez envie de changer de job, testez My Little Team qui vous permet de choisir une équipe qui vous ressemble plutôt qu'une entreprise sans trop savoir où vous arriverez !https://www.mylittleteam.com/ifttd** La Boutique IFTTD !!! **Affichez votre appréciation de ce podcast avec des goodies fait avec amour (https://ifttd.io/boutique/) ou affichez clairement votre camp tabulation ou espace.** Soutenez le podcast **Ou pour aller encore plus loin, rejoignez le Patréon IFTTD.** Participez au prochain enregistrement !**Retrouvez-nous tous les lundis à 19:00 pour assister à l'enregistrement de l'épisode en live et pouvoir poser vos questions pendant l'épisode :)Abonnez-vous à la chaîne Twitch ou retrouvez les épisodes en replay sur YouTube @ifthisthendev

Full Text of ReadingsFriday after Epiphany Lectionary: 216All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint Raymond of PeafortSince Raymond lived into his hundredth year, he had a chance to do many things. As a member of the Spanish nobility, he had the resources and the education to get a good start in life. By the time he was 20, he was teaching philosophy. In his early 30s he earned a doctorate in both canon and civil law. At 41 he became a Dominican. Pope Gregory IX called him to Rome to work for him and to be his confessor. One of the things the pope asked him to do was to gather together all the decrees of popes and councils that had been made in 80 years since a similar collection by Gratian. Raymond compiled five books called the Decretals. They were looked upon as one of the best organized collections of Church law until the 1917 codification of canon law. Earlier, Raymond had written for confessors a book of cases. It was called Summa de Casibus Poenitentiae. More than simply a list of sins and penances, it discussed pertinent doctrines and laws of the Church that pertained to the problem or case brought to the confessor. At the age of 60, Raymond was appointed archbishop of Tarragona, the capital of Aragon. He didn't like the honor at all and ended up getting sick and resigning in two years. He didn't get to enjoy his peace long, however, because when he was 63 he was elected by his fellow Dominicans to be the head of the whole Order, the successor of Saint Dominic. Raymond worked hard, visited on foot all the Dominicans, reorganized their constitutions and managed to put through a provision that a master general be allowed to resign. When the new constitutions were accepted, Raymond, then 65, resigned. He still had 35 years to oppose heresy and work for the conversion of the Moors in Spain. He convinced Saint Thomas Aquinas to write his work Against the Gentiles. In his 100th year, the Lord let Raymond retire. Reflection Raymond was a lawyer, a canonist. Legalism can suck the life out of genuine religion if it becomes too great a preoccupation with the letter of the law to the neglect of the spirit and purpose of the law. The law can become an end in itself, so that the value the law was intended to promote is overlooked. But we must guard against going to the opposite extreme and seeing law as useless or something to be lightly regarded. Laws ideally state those things that are for the best interests of everyone and make sure the rights of all are safeguarded. From Raymond, we can learn a respect for law as a means of serving the common good. Saint Raymond of Peñafort is a Patron Saint of: Lawyers Saint of the DayCopyright Franciscan Media

Dans certains secteurs comme notamment l'IT, le temps est au changement. Peut-être est-ce dû à la pandémie, peut-être est-ce seulement le cycle naturel des choses, mais aujourd'hui beaucoup de personnes ont fait le choix de repositionner leur carrière en fonction de leur style de vie. Travailler moins, travailler différemment, travailler pour une cause digne d'être défendue, mais ne plus travailler comme un automate, jour après jour, juste pour percevoir son salaire a la fin du mois. Cependant, ce n'est pas un changement si simple à effectuer : comment en effet trouver l'entreprise en mesure de nous apporter ce que l'on recherche ? Comment savoir qu'une entreprise est potentiellement la bonne pour être alignée avec nos choix personnels ? La bonne nouvelle, c'est que c'est désormais possible. My Little Team est une plateforme de recherche à dimension humaine qui vous permet d'étendre vos critères de recherche, comme les valeurs que défend une entreprise, les rythmes de travail qu'elle permet ou son style de management. Et pour en discuter plus en détail, j'ai le plaisir de recevoir Paul Gratian. Paul est co-fondateur de My Little Team et ensemble nous discutons de ce projet au cœur de ce qui sera peut-être une véritable révolution sociale dans les années à venir.

یاتسویچ، گراتین (۱۹۱۱-۱۹۹۷) مأمور اطلاعاتی؛ رئیس دفتر سیا در ایران در دهه ۱۳۳۰ و ۱۳۴۰‌. مصاحبه کننده: ویلیام بر واشنگتن دی. سی. ۵ نوامبر ۱۹۸۸ و ۱۲ ژانویه ۱۹۸۹ عناوین اصلی: سوابق تحصیلی و آغاز کار در سازمان سیا؛ اهداف و نوع فعالیت‌های سیا در ایران در دهه ۱۳۳۳۰؛ خاطراتی از آلن دالس (اولین رییس سیا)؛ اهداف استراتژیکی آمریکا در ایران در دهه ۱۳۳۰؛ خاطراتی از محمدرضا شاه و دیدارهایی با او؛ اهداف و برنامه‌های محمدرضا شاه و نظر سیا در این باره؛ روابط ایران و ایالات متحده آمریکا در دوران ریاست جمهور آیزنهاور؛ خاطراتی از سال‌های نخستین ایجاد ساواک و تیمور بختیار؛ خاطراتی از برخی سفرای آمریکا در ایران: چیپین، ویلز و هلمز و روابط آنان با محمدرضا شاه؛ دربارۀ تحولات اوضاع اقتصادی و اجتماعی ایران و اختلاف نظر در میان مفسران سیا دربارۀ ثبات سیاسی کشور؛ تماس سیا با مخالفان شاه در دهه‌های ۱۳۳۰ و ۱۳۴۰ و داوری دربارۀ آن‌ها؛ شایعۀ کودتای قره نی و میزان وفاداری افسران ارتش به محمدرضا شاه؛ روابط رهبران جبهه ملی با جان اف کندی؛ آمریکا و نخست‌وزیری علی امینی؛ ناآرامی در دانشگاه تهران‌(۱۳۴۰)؛ عملکرد کنسرسیوم نفت‌؛ خاطراتی از امیر اسدالله علم‌، حسن ارسنجانی و انقلاب سفید؛ سفر لیندون جانسون به ایران؛ روابط ایران و شوروی؛ روابط ایران و اسراییل؛ حدود همکاری‌های سیا با ساواک؛ ایستگاه‌های شنود آمریکا در ایران؛ رویدادهای سال‌های ۱۳۴۳-۱۳۴۲؛ توسعۀ اقتصادی و فساد. *مصاحبه به زبان انگلیسی

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.1 Introduction  What does the Bible say on the subject of abortion? In fact, no scriptures address the subject head-on. This is curious, because abortion and exposure of unwanted infants were common in the ancient world. Various poisons were administered to induce abortions. Several ancient texts related to abortion and exposure of infants:The Hippocratic Oath forbade abortions: “I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art” (c.400 BC). There would be little need to forbid them if they were unknown or not performed by some physicians."Ah, women, why do you dig out your child with sharp instruments and administer harsh poisons to your children as yet unborn?... Neither the tigress has done this in the jungles of Armenia, nor has the lioness had the heart to destroy her unborn young. Tender woman does it, though, but does not go unpunished. Often she who slays her own in her uterus dies herself."—Ovid (43 BC-17 AD), Loves 2.14.27-38.Exposure: "If you chance you bear a child, if it is male, let it live. If it is female, throw it out."—Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 744 (a text from ancient Egypt, dated to 1 BC).While early Christians were vocal in their opposition to abortion (see ¶3), the scriptures typically referenced are far from conclusive. Principles may be adduced, such as the injunction against murder, but it seems circular to define abortion as murder in order to settle the question of its morality. Might there be exceptions? If there are, then a universal prohibition is not possible.Most Bible students believe life starts at conception, based on the poetry of Job 10:8-12; Psalm 139:13-16; and Jeremiah 1:5. If they are right, then any abortion is tantamount to killing. But did God intend poems to be mined for literalistic doctrine? Not likely. Consider Psalm 139:13-16.13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.Psalms are poetry. We were not literally “knitted,” nor were we woven “in the depths of the earth.” The psalm clearly affirms that life begins before birth; it does not establish the time of that first moment of that life.In Matthew 1:18-20, Joseph is told that Mary was "with child," and about this child, "What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” This gives stronger support for the idea that conception is the point of the beginning of life. But even here we might wish for clearer testimony. An omniscient God knows the future, and so can easily have a providential view of our entire existence, even before we have a soul.What about Exodus 21:22-23?22 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely [or has a miscarriage] but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life…This passage is capable of two translations: miscarriage or premature birth. Here the penalty for causing an abortion or miscarriage was a fine, not the death penalty, as if the baby were already born. Although I am not pro-abortion, I hold that the Bible appears to recognize some differences between a baby already born and one still in the womb.In the absence of direct, explicit, crystal-clear scriptural teaching on abortion, it may be fruitful to ponder the following questions. Try to answer them honestly.2 Questions for thoughtThe fertilization process requires many hours, and is followed by another day in which the individual (diploid) is formed. In what sense is the mother-to-be pregnant before the process is complete?Is the loss of a 16-cell embryo equal to the loss of a full-term fetus?Up until two weeks, the zygote can split into twins, triplets, and so on. The process of individuation is still incomplete. Can a soul be shared three ways?The baby's heart starts beating after 22 days. Does life begin with the heartbeat?The sex of the embryo is not determined until the seventh week. Accordingly, many Muslims and Jews consider the embryo to be fully human only after 40 days. (Though I interpret the Muslim Hadith of Bukhari 4.549 to indicate ensoulment at 40 or 120 days.) Do Jews and Muslims value life less than Christians?All the organs are formed by the end of the first eight weeks of gestation. Yet recognizable EEG patterns (the mental activity associated with humanity) don’t appear until 24 weeks. What are the implications? Is it possible that the individual becomes fully human on a continuum?Continuous brainwaves do not begin until about 28 weeks. Until then, the neurons carrying pain impulses to the brain are not yet fully wired. What are the implications? (On the other end of life, at what point does the spirit depart from the body? At the cessation of brain activity?)Is abortion allowable if this is the only way to save the mother’s life?3 Historical Christian viewpointsViews on abortion have varied through the course of history.“You shall not murder a child by abortion” is a command found in early 2nd-century sources Barnabas 19:5 and the Didache 2:2.Late 2nd century apologist Tertullian wrote, "It does not matter whether you take away a life that is born or destroy one that is coming to birth. In both instances, the destruction is murder" (Apol. 9.4).Augustine too spoke of the sin of aborting a human life, referring to "the murder of an unborn child" (On Marriage, 1.17.15, about 400 AD). Yet he believed in delayed ensoulment (Enchiridion 85). Jerome held to a similar position: “The seed gradually takes shape in the uterus, and it [abortion] does not count as killing until the individual elements have acquired their external appearance and their limbs” (Letter to Aglasia). The church fathers of the East, on the other hand, tended to view ensoulment as simultaneous with conception.An Anglo-Saxon (Old English) document found at Canterbury, referring to the fetus, reads “… In the third month he is a man, except for the soul” (Anglo-Saxon Prose, Michael Swanton, tr. London: J. M. Dent, 1993), 263.Gratian, a Canon Law jurist, decreed in 1140, "He who procures an abortion before the soul is infused into the body is not a homicide” (Concordia discordantium canonum, Decretum, Ad. c8, C. XXXII, q.2.).In the High Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas believed that the rational soul [many souls] is infused by God into the body at 40 days for males and 90 days for females. – John Haldane and Patrick Lee, “Aquinas on Human Ensoulment, Abortion and the Value of Life,” Philosophy 78 (2003), 255-8.As Anthony Joseph concluded, "American abortion law today is vastly less protective of the unborn than the civil law tradition of medieval Europe" ("The Crime of Abortion & the Middle Ages," in The City, Houston Baptist University, Winter 2015, 86.Modern scholar Richard Swinburne suggests that the soul does not function until about 20 weeks after conception (The Evolution of the Soul [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987], esp. ch. 8).4 Conscience and ConsistencyWhatever believers think about this important subject should be consistent, informed by science and theology, and moderated by conscience.2% of abortions result from rape, incest, or the mother's life being threatened by the pregnancy (so Charles Camosy, author of Beyond the Abortion Wars). This would mean 98% of abortions are performed because the pregnancy is inconvenient. The fact is important because abortion is often defended as a standard practice because of its potential desirability in extreme situations.Antiabortionists are inconsistent when they are pro-life in regard to an embryo or fetus but anti-life when calling for the execution of the abortionist. On the other side, abortionists are inconsistent when they affirm that a fetus is fully human (when they approve of the pregnancy) and that it’s at the mother’s disposal (as part of her body). Is it human, or not? If it’s a baby before it’s born, it must not be cast off. Otherwise, on what grounds could eliminating a one-year-old baby be rejected as murder?Attacking or killing physicians who perform abortions is hardly the way to underscore the sanctity of life.Some feminists observe that legalized abortion does less to emancipate women than to empower irresponsible men. Good point.5 ConclusionsLife clearly begins before birth, and so I hold that abortion of a living human, a viable fetus, is murder. Yet at which point does the pre-human become a person? Could this take place on a continuum? So it seems to me, as to a number of ancient and modern thinkers.If the fetus is viable outside the womb, it seems impossible to distinguish abortion from murder. Even in case of rape, it is far from clear that the child should be punished / aborted for the actions of an adult (the rapist).Conservative Bible-believers range from forbidding abortion in nearly all cases to opposing it in all cases—quite a narrow range, when you think about it.Of course the Lord is pro-life, yet he also wants us to make a right choice. Choose our words wisely; choose our battles wisely; pray for the Lord to make up the difference at any point where we may be defective in our knowledge, relatability to others, or Christ-like compassion.While I am pro-life, I am not advocating any specific governmental policy. Like many, I'm acutely uncomfortable when governmental "experts" attempt to regulate every aspect of our private lives (education, ethics, religion, and other personal choices).There is no doubt that abortion creates a tremendous load of guilt. Therefore this is one subject we should discuss with wisdom and love.Abortion is a sensitive issue. While holding to biblical conviction—uncompromisingly—still we need to behave and speak with genuine concern for others.This is probably not suitable for a small group Bible discussion. Advice for preachers: sensitivity when tempted to publicly call abortion "murder."As we deal with all matters of personal interest to those we hope to reach, students of the word should strive to:Take a stand on the truth. Know the facts.Be silent where the Bible is silent. Don't create laws, even when they seem wise, without full biblical warrant (Colossians 2:22).Present the gospel message in a gracious spirit (Colossians 4:5-6).

Full Text of ReadingsThe Baptism of the Lord Lectionary: 21All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is St. Gregory of NyssaGregory of Nyssa was borninto a deeply religious family. His mother, Emmelia, was the daughter of a martyr, andtwo of his brothers, Basil of Csarea and Peter of Sebaste, became bishops like himself. His eldest sister, Macrina, became a model of piety and is also honored as a Saint. It would seem that the young Gregory married at some point: there exists a letter addressed to him by Gregory of Nazianzus condoling him on the loss of a woman named Theosebeia, who must have been his wife and is venerated as a Saint in the Orthodox faith.According to Gregory of Nazianzus, it was his brother Basil who performed the episcopal consecration ofGregory around 371.On arriving in his see, Gregory had to face great difficulties. Demosthenes, Governor of Pontus, ordered the Bishop of Nyssa to be seized and brought before him.A Synod of Nyssa deposed him, and he was reduced to wander from town to town, until the death of Emperor Valens in 378. The new emperor, Gratian, published an edict of tolerance, and Gregory was able to return to his see, where he was received with joy.In 379 he assisted at the Council of Antioch, which had been summoned because of the Meletian schism.He also asserted the faith of Nicaea, and tried to put an end to Arianism and Pneumatism in the East.It is very probable that Gregory was present at another council, theCouncil of Constantinople in 383.Between 385 and 386 he disappears from history, butnot without leaving a significant number oftheological writings. He made significant contributions to the doctrine of the Trinity and the Nicene Creed Saint of the Day Copyright CNA, Catholic News Agency

Supermood mesure l'engagement au travail dans les entreprises. Paul Gratian est psychologue du travail et nous explique les tenants et les aboutissants de ce travail. Pourquoi et comment mesurer l'engagement ? Qu'est-ce que ça donne sur des cas concrets ? Paul nous explique ! + de podcasts et d'articles de blog ? En avant ! N'hésitez pas à me contacter à alice.caillet@alan.eu

This illustrious light of Orthodoxy in the Western Church was born in Gaul in 349, but his widowed mother took the family to Rome while he was still a small child. Brilliant and well-educated, he was made a provincial Governor in 375 and took up residence in Milan. In those days, the Arian heresy was still dividing the Church, despite its repudiation at the Council of Nicaea in 325. When the time came to elect a new Bishop in Milan, the Orthodox and Arian parties were so divided that they could come to no agreement on a new Bishop. When Ambrose came as Governor to try to restore peace and order, a young child, divinely inspired, called out "Ambrose, Bishop!" To Ambrose's amazement, the people took up the cry, and Ambrose himself was elected, though he tried to refuse, protesting that he was only a catechumen (it was still common in those days to delay Holy Baptism for fear of polluting it by sin). He even attempted to flee, but his horse brought him back to the city. Resigning himself to God's will, he was baptized and, only a week later, elevated to Bishop. Immediately, he renounced all possessions, distributed all of his money to the poor and gave his estates to the Church. Straightaway, he entered into a spirited defense of Orthodoxy in his preaching and writings to the dismay of the Arians who had supported his election. Soon he persuaded Gratian, Emperor of the West, to call the Council of Aquilea, which brought an end to Arianism in the Western Church. (Arianism, however, continued to prosper among the barbarian nations for many years; see the Martyrs of Africa, also commemorated today).   Several times the holy Bishop was called upon to defend the Church against domination by the secular powers. Once, putting down an uprising in Thessalonika, the Emperor Theodosius punished the city by ordering the massacre of thousands of its residents. When the Emperor later visited Milan and came to the Cathedral to attend the Liturgy, Saint Ambrose stopped him at the door, condemned his crime before all the people, forbade him entrance to the church and excommunicated him for eight months. The Emperor went away weeping, and submitted in humility to the Church's discipline. When he returned after long penance to be restored to Communion, he went into the sanctuary along with the clergy, as had been the custom of the Emperors since Constantine the Great. But again the holy Ambrose humbled him in the sight of all the people, saying "Get out and take your place among the laity; the purple does not make priests, but only emperors." Theodosius left without protest, took his place among the penitents, and never again attempted to enter the sanctuary of a church. (When the Emperor died, it was Bishop Ambrose who preached his funeral eulogy).   Saint Ambrose, by teaching, preaching and writing, brought countless pagans to the Faith. His most famous convert was St Augustine (June 15), who became his disciple and eventually a bishop. Ambrose's many theological and catechetical works helped greatly to spread the teaching of the Greek fathers in the Latin world. He wrote many glorious antiphonal hymns which were once some of the gems of the Latin services.   Saint Ambrose reposed in peace in 397; his relics still rest in the basilica in Milan.

This illustrious light of Orthodoxy in the Western Church was born in Gaul in 349, but his widowed mother took the family to Rome while he was still a small child. Brilliant and well-educated, he was made a provincial Governor in 375 and took up residence in Milan. In those days, the Arian heresy was still dividing the Church, despite its repudiation at the Council of Nicaea in 325. When the time came to elect a new Bishop in Milan, the Orthodox and Arian parties were so divided that they could come to no agreement on a new Bishop. When Ambrose came as Governor to try to restore peace and order, a young child, divinely inspired, called out "Ambrose, Bishop!" To Ambrose's amazement, the people took up the cry, and Ambrose himself was elected, though he tried to refuse, protesting that he was only a catechumen (it was still common in those days to delay Holy Baptism for fear of polluting it by sin). He even attempted to flee, but his horse brought him back to the city. Resigning himself to God's will, he was baptized and, only a week later, elevated to Bishop. Immediately, he renounced all possessions, distributed all of his money to the poor and gave his estates to the Church. Straightaway, he entered into a spirited defense of Orthodoxy in his preaching and writings to the dismay of the Arians who had supported his election. Soon he persuaded Gratian, Emperor of the West, to call the Council of Aquilea, which brought an end to Arianism in the Western Church. (Arianism, however, continued to prosper among the barbarian nations for many years; see the Martyrs of Africa, also commemorated today).   Several times the holy Bishop was called upon to defend the Church against domination by the secular powers. Once, putting down an uprising in Thessalonika, the Emperor Theodosius punished the city by ordering the massacre of thousands of its residents. When the Emperor later visited Milan and came to the Cathedral to attend the Liturgy, Saint Ambrose stopped him at the door, condemned his crime before all the people, forbade him entrance to the church and excommunicated him for eight months. The Emperor went away weeping, and submitted in humility to the Church's discipline. When he returned after long penance to be restored to Communion, he went into the sanctuary along with the clergy, as had been the custom of the Emperors since Constantine the Great. But again the holy Ambrose humbled him in the sight of all the people, saying "Get out and take your place among the laity; the purple does not make priests, but only emperors." Theodosius left without protest, took his place among the penitents, and never again attempted to enter the sanctuary of a church. (When the Emperor died, it was Bishop Ambrose who preached his funeral eulogy).   Saint Ambrose, by teaching, preaching and writing, brought countless pagans to the Faith. His most famous convert was St Augustine (June 15), who became his disciple and eventually a bishop. Ambrose's many theological and catechetical works helped greatly to spread the teaching of the Greek fathers in the Latin world. He wrote many glorious antiphonal hymns which were once some of the gems of the Latin services.   Saint Ambrose reposed in peace in 397; his relics still rest in the basilica in Milan.

Episode 15 of RHH is going to showcase the empire's hottest new addition to imperial power, the consequences of the total slaughter at Adrianople, why you should never canoe at night with sharp objects, and how a job left undone can many times be as dangerous as a job done incorrectly. Theodosius the Great knows the art of the deal, but will he perfect the art of political maneuvering? Stay tuned to find out.

The Letters of Hus have long been recognised by the best judges as one of the world’s spiritual treasures. The discovery of Hus, if we may so express it, forms more than once a landmark in the spiritual development of Luther. ‘When I was a tyro at Erfurt,’ we read, ‘I found in the library of the convent a volume of The Sermons of John Hus. When I read the title I had a great curiosity to know what doctrines that heresiarch had propagated, since a volume like this in a public library had been saved from the fire. On reading I was overwhelmed with astonishment. I could not understand for what cause they had burnt so great a man, who explained the Scriptures with so much gravity and skill. But as the very name of Hus was held in so great abomination that I imagined the sky would fall and the sun be darkened if I made honourable mention of him, I shut the book and went away with no little indignation. This, however, was my comfort, that perhaps Hus had written these things before he fell into heresy. For as yet I knew not what was done at the Council of Constance’ (Mon. Hus. vol. i. Preface). Some years later, in February 1529, after pondering the matter over with Melancthon, Luther was driven to write to Spalatin: ‘I have hitherto taught [2] and held all the opinions of Hus without knowing it. With a like unconsciousness has Staupitz taught them. We are all of us Hussites without knowing it. I do not know what to think for amazement.’ In this letter Luther was probably referring to his reading of the controversial works of Hus, especially his De Ecclesia. Shortly afterwards, however, he came across a copy of the Letters. At once he perceived their value, not merely in their bearing on the expected Council convoked for Mantua, which subsequently met at Trent in 1542, but for the larger outlook of spiritual life. He took immediate steps for bringing them before the German public. In 1536 and 1537 no less than three different editions in Latin and three editions in German, each of them with a preface by Luther, issued from the presses of Wittenberg and Leipzig. The most important of these editions is that entitled Epistolæ Quædam Piissimæ et Eruditissimæ, printed at Wittenberg by John Lufft in 1537, an edition which now forms the sole extant source of many of the letters of Hus. In his preface to this volume Luther is not backward in his praises of the Letters. ‘Observe,’ he writes, ‘how firmly Hus clung in his writings and words to the doctrines of Christ; with what courage he struggled against the agonies of death; with what patience and humility he suffered every indignity, and with what greatness of soul he at last confronted a cruel death in defence of the truth; doing all these things alone before an imposing assembly of the great ones of the earth, like a lamb in the midst of lions and wolves. If such a man is to be regarded as a heretic, no person under the sun can be looked [3] on as a true Christian. By what fruits then shall we recognise the truth, if it is not manifest by those with which John Hus was so richly adorned?’ Luther is not alone in his judgment. The Letters of Hus, in the verdict of Bishop Creighton, “give us a touching picture of simple, earnest piety rooted on a deep consciousness of God’s abiding presence. These letters show us neither a fanatic nor a passionate party leader, but a man of childlike spirit, whose one desire was to discharge faithfully his pastoral duties, and to do all things as in the sight of God and not of man.”1 Other testimonies to the value of this series of letters could easily be adduced, but would add nothing to the decision of the great Reformer and the modern Historian. We may safely assert that in the years to come The Letters of Hus will form the only part of his voluminous writings that will be read even by students. For the works of Hus, as Loserth has shown, are for the most part mere copies of Wyclif, oftentimes whole sections of the great Englishman’s writings transferred bodily, without alteration or acknowledgment. The very titles are not original; their parade of learning, which deceived Luther, is completely borrowed, when not from Wyclif, from Gratian and other recognised mediæval handbooks. The Englishman Stokes was right when at Constance he bluntly asked: ‘Why do you glory in these writings, falsely labelling them your own, since after all they belong not to you but Wyclif, in whose steps you are following?’ To the same end was the taunt of his former friend, Andrew Brod: [4] ‘Was Wyclif crucified for us? were we baptised in his name?’ The case is otherwise with Hus’s Letters, eighty-two1 of which have escaped the ravages of Time. For if the controversial works of Hus have contributed little to the intellectual heritage of mankind, his Letters have enriched for ever our moral outlook. The preservation of these letters we owe for the most part to the care of Peter Mladenowic, the secretary of John of Chlum. They form a priceless memorial of one of the truest hearted of the sons of God. His later correspondence especially, his letters from exile and prison, show John Hus to be one of the chosen few who exalt humanity. Though undoubtedly the last letters are the most interesting, inasmuch as in them the personal note reaches its highest, yet in the whole series there is nothing that is unworthy, little that is tedious. Bishop Creighton is correct in his judgment: “Everything Hus writes is the result of his own soul’s experience, is penetrated with a deep moral earnestness, illuminated with a boldness and a self-forgetfulness that breathes the spirit of the cry, ‘Let God be true and every man a liar.’ ” In the belief that a wider acquaintance with The Letters of Hus will lead to a general endorsement of this verdict, we have translated into English these priceless human documents. Visit our sponsors: McFarland-Murray Chevrolet The Commercial Bank of Grayson

Hypnosis has a long and controversial history, with its roots in animal magnetism or mesmerism, the theory developed by 18th Century German doctor Franz Mesmer. He believed he had discovered an invisible natural force possessed by all living things, and that he could channel this force for healing purposes. Popularity of hypnosis has since waxed and waned, but was largely denounced as quackery until the 20th Century, when it began to be studied scientifically. However it is only in the last twenty years or so that is has become incorporated into mainstream science and medicine. But is it a real phenomenon, asks listener Gratian from Poland; and Anton from Ireland wants to know how it works and what happens to people’s brains and bodies under hypnosis? CrowdScience speaks to Dr Quinton Deeley, consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, who has used it in practice for many years, and Dr Amir Raz, a magician-turned-neuroscientist who is shedding light on how hypnosis works. To see how hypnosis is being used clinically, CrowdScience visits the Berkeley Clinic in Glasgow, Scotland, to witness a hypnotised patient having a tooth extracted with very little anaesthesia. Meanwhile, presenter and self-confessed arachnophobe Nastaran Tavakoli-Far takes part in the Friendly Spider programme at London Zoo, an afternoon event that uses hypnotherapy and group therapy to ease or eliminate the fear of spiders. Presenter: Nastaran Tavakoli-Far Producer: Helena Selby (Image: A silver pocket watch swinging on a chain on a black background to hypnotize. Credit: Getty Images)

Large companies and enterprises have a larger challenge with UAV in a Gratian then small service providers. You need Biane at the board of directors level, companywide policies and procedures and resources in order to make it happen. Learn more in this episode --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/drone-law-pro/message

At the end of episode 6, the Augustii Valens and Gratian were dead. Valens burned alive in a cottage by the Goths. Gratian assassinated by a rebel general under Magnus Maximus. One story about that. While he was hunting down Gratian, The general, Andragathius, apparently hid himself in a litter carried by mules. He ordered his […] The post Episode 7 – Ambrose of Milan appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Gratian has some big sandals to fill. His father was a Je Na Caesar winner with a score comfortably in the top ten. Knowing this when he took the purple, he knew he would have to impress. But then his uncle messed everything up. Goths are running amuck, Huns are on their way and the Allimanni are still playing up. Will he sort it out? or will he pass the buck at the first opportunity? Oh, and who is this Magnus Maximus guy? He has a great name. The greatest... 

Covering the year 378, it's the climax of the migrant crisis, as the Roman Emperors Valens and Gratian close in on Gothic positions in the eastern Balkans.

Gratian and Peter Lombard help bring scholasticism to maturity by systematizing law and theology.

The building blocks of the medieval Church were the theology of Peter Lombard, Canon Law of Gratian, and the Papacy as Court of Appeal. The Church system centralized control to treat people equally. As the Church imposed its law on society, it came into conflict with the ancient tribal law of the states. Two hundred years before the Reformation there was a Reception of Roman Law. The result was that secular law was superior to the Church's Law on its own principles. The Church dealt with a perceived defective legal system while claiming infallibility. The one exception was England which did not accept Roman Law because England had a functioning bureaucracy.

Gratian was a contemporary of Peter Lombard. He wrote The Decretum or The Discordance of Discordant Canons. Explore how Canon Law developed into case law and was used by the Church for control. Canon Law was regarded as a supplement to the Bible. The Reformers argued against the Canon Law as equally authoritative to Scripture. Gratian set up a system of courts and procedures and succeeded in establishing the Papacy as an appellate court. Luther, after the Reformation, burned the Canon Law books.

The early years of the reign of Gratian, who came to the throne at the age of 19 were very promising. He defeated the Lentienses at the battle of Colmar freeing Gaul from the threat of German invasion. He also solved the problem of who should rule the Eastern empire by the canny appointment of the very able Theodosius. If that was the measure of the youthful Gratian,things seemed set for a glorious reign as he matured. But it soon turned out that the early successes were down to good advice from the people placed around him by his father. They didn't reflect the character of Gratian himself.

In 383 the General Magnus Maximus rose up in revolt against Gratian. The power sharing agreement that followed Maximus's victory would be negotiated in part by St. Ambrose, the influencial new Bishop of Milan.

This episode of Communio Sanctorum is titled, “Look Who's Driving the Bus Now.”As noted in a previous episode, it's difficult in recounting Church History to follow a straight narrative timeline. The expansion of the Faith into different regions means many storylines. So it's necessary to do a certain amount of backtracking as we follow the spread of the Gospel from region to region. The problem with that though in an audio series, it can be confusing as we bounce back & forth in time. We've already followed Christianity's expansion to the Far East & went from the 4th C thru about the 6th, then did a quick little jaunt all the way to the 17th C. Then in the next episode we're back in Italy talking about the 3rd C.This week's episode is a case in point. We're going to take a look at 2 interesting & important individuals in the history; not only of the Faith, but of the world. It's a couple men we've already looked at - Bishop Ambrose of Milan and Emperor Theodosius I. The reason we're considering these 2 is because their relationship was instrumental in setting the tie between Church & State that becomes one of the defining realities of Europe in the Middle Ages.I know some of this is a repeat of earlier material. Hang with me because we need to consider the background of the players here.Ambrose was born into the powerful Roman family of Aurelius about 340 in the German city of Trier, which served at the time as the capital of the Roman province of Gaul. Both his parents were Christians. His father held the important position of praetorian prefect. His mother was a woman of great intellect & virtue.His father died while he was still young & as was typical for wealthy Romans of the time, Ambrose followed his father into the political arena. He was educated in Rome where he studied law, literature, & as we'd expect of someone going into politics - rhetoric. In 372 he was made the governor of the region of Liguria, its capital being Milan, the 2nd capital of Italy after Rome. In fact, in the later 4th C, Milan was the new Imperial Capital. The Western Emperors deemed Rome as both in need of major repairs & too far removed from where all the action was. For decades the Emperors in Rome were too distant from the constant  campaigns against the Germanic tribes. They wanted to be closer to the action, so imperial HQs shifted to Milan.Not long after he became governor, the famous controversy between the Arians & Catholics heated up. In 374 the Arian bishop of Milan, Auxentius, died. Of course, the Arians expected an Arian would be named to replace him. But the Catholics saw this as an opportunity to install one of their own. The ensuing controversy threatened to destroy the peace of the City, so Governor Ambrose attended the church meeting called to appoint a new bishop. He thought his presence as the chief civil magistrate would forestall rioting. Imagine that! The Christians had a reputation for getting unruly when they didn't get their way. Sounds like LA when the Lakers win.Yep è Those Christian in Milan! Running amok in the streets, overturning chariots & looting street vendors selling fish tacos – Shameful!Anyway, Ambrose attended the election, hoping his presence would remind the crowd à Rioting would be forcefully suppressed. He gave a speech to those gathered about the need to show restraint & that violence would dishonor God. His message was so reasonable, his tone so honorable, when it came time to nominate candidates for the bishop's chair, a voice called out “Ambrose for bishop!” There was a brief silence, then another voice said, “Yes, Ambrose.” Soon a whole chorus was chanting, “Ambrose for bishop. à Bishop Ambrose.”The governor was known to be Catholic in belief, but had always shown the Arians respect in his dealing. They saw the way the political winds were blowing and knew in a straight vote, a Catholic bishop was sure to be elected. They realized Ambrose, though of the other theological camp, wouldn't be a bad choice. So they added their voices to the call for his investiture as bishop of Milan.At first, Ambrose vehemently refused. He was a politician, not a religious leader. He knew he was in no way prepared to lead the Church. He hadn't even been baptized yet and had no formal training in theology. None of this mattered to the crowd who'd not take his refusal as the last word. They said he was bishop whether he liked it or not.He fled to a colleague's house to hide. His host received a letter from the Emperor Gratian saying it was entirely proper for the civil government to appoint qualified individuals to church leadership positions since the Church served an important role in providing social stability. If there were people serving in the political realm who'd be more effective in the religious sphere, then by all means, let them transfer to the Church. Ambrose's friend showed him the letter & tried to reason with him but Ambrose wouldn't budge. So the friend went to Church officials and told them where Ambrose was hiding. When they showed up at the door intent on seeing him take the seat they'd given him, he relented. Within a week he was baptized, ordained & consecrated as Bishop of Milan.He immediately adopted the ascetic lifestyle shared by the monks. He appointed relief for the poor, donated all of his land, & committed the care of his family to his brother.Once Ambrose became bishop, the religious toleration that had marked his posture as a political figure went out the window. A bishop must defend the Faith against error. So Ambrose took the Arians to task. He wrote several works against them and limited their access to Church life in Milan, which at the time was arguably the most influential church in the West since Milan was the seat of imperial power.In response to Ambrose's moves to squelch them, the Arians appealed to high-level leaders in both the civil & religious spheres at both sides of the Empire. The western Emperor Gratian was catholic while his younger successor & augustus, Valentinian II was an Arian. Ambrose tried, but was unsuccessful in swaying Valentinian to the Nicene-catholic position.The Arian leaders felt there were enough of them in positions of influence that if they held a council, they might be able to win the day for Arianism and asked the Emperor for permission to hold one. Of course, they hid their real motive from Gratian, who thought a council during his reign a great idea and consented. Ambrose knew the real reason for the council and urged Gratian to stack the meeting with Western, pro-Nicene catholic bishops. In the council held the next year in 381 at Aquileia, Ambrose was elected to preside & the leading Arian bishops dropped out. They were then deposed by the council.This wasn't the end of troubles with the Arians however. Valentinian's mother, the dynamic Justina, knew the Arians were well represented among the generals & got them to rally behind  her son. They demanded 2 churches to hold Arian services in; a basilica in Milan, the other in a suburb. Saying “No” to the Emperor & his mother is usually not so good for one's health & most students of history would assume this would be the end, not only of Ambrose's career, but of his life. But that's not the way this story ends.When Ambrose denied the Arian demands, he was summoned to appear before a hastily convened court to answer for himself. His defense of the Nicene position & the necessity as bishop to defend the Faith was so eloquent the judges sat amazed. They realized there was nothing they could do to censure him w/o setting themselves in opposition to the truth & risking another riot. They released him and affirmed his right to forbid the use of the churches by the Arians.The next day, as he performed services in the basilica, the governor of Milan tried to persuade him to compromise & give up the church in the suburb for use by the Emperor & his mother. After all, Ambrose had made his point and his concession now would be seen as an act of grace & good will. It's precisely the kind of thing Ambrose would have urged when he was governor. But as bishop, it was a no-go. The governor wasn't accustomed to being denied & gave orders that BOTH churches were to be turned over to the Arians for their use at Easter. Instead of being cowed, Bishop Ambrose declared:If you demand my person, I am ready to submit: carry me to prison or to death, I will not resist; but I will never betray the Church of Christ. I will not call upon the people to [support] me; I will die at the foot of the altar rather than desert it. The rioting of the people I will not encourage: but God alone can appease it.Ambrose & his congregation then barricaded themselves inside the church in a kind of religious filibuster. When Valentinian & his mother Justina realized the only way to gain access was to forcefully evict them & how violently the people of Milan were likely to react, the order was rescinded.Trained in rhetoric and law, well-versed in the Greek classics, Ambrose was known as a learned scholar, familiar with both Christian & pagan sources. His sermons were marked by references to the great thinkers, not only of the past but his own day. When he was elected bishop, he embarked on a kind of crash-course in theology. His teacher was an elder from Rome named Simplician. His knowledge of Greek, rare in the West, allowed him to study the NT in its original language. He also learned Hebrew so he could deepen his understanding of the OT. He quickly gained a reputation as an excellent preacher.As noted in a previous episode, it was under his ministry that the brilliant Augustine of Hippo was converted. Prior to moving to Milan, Augustine was unimpressed by the quality of Christian scholarship. To be blunt, he thought Christians were for the most part an uneducated rabble. Ambrose shattered that opinion. Augustine found himself drawn to his sermons and sat rapt as he heard the Gospel explained.Ambrose's sermons often promoted an ascetic lifestyle. He was so persuasive, several noble families forbade their daughters listening to him, fearing they'd chose celibacy over marriage. Since marrying off a daughter to another noble family was a way to advance socially, they feared their girls would become nuns, and thwart their plans.Ambrose introduced, or I should say re-introduced congregational singing to church services. Not afraid to innovate, when he included Eastern melodies in the hymns he wrote, and they proved to be wildly popular, some accused him of casting a spell on the people of Milan. Due to Ambrose, hymn singing became an important part of the liturgy of the Western Church.Ambrose's most important contribution was in the area of church-state relations. He contended, not with just 1, but 3 emperors; & prevailed in each encounter. His relationship with Theodosius, the first emperor to make Rome a Christian state, is the best known. And the tale is one of those moments in history that would make a great miniseries.In 388 the local bishop & several monks led a mob in the Mesopotamian city of Callinicum to destroy the city's synagogue. Why isn't clear – but there was much ill will between Christians & Jews because the later had been one of the main informants on Christians during the persecutions of the previous century. Now that the Christians were buddied up to civil power, it didn't take much to ignite a little payback, even though it was utterly contrary to the love Jesus called His followers to show. Be that as it may, the Emperor Theodosius ordered the rebuilding of the synagogue at the expense of the rioters, including the bishop. When Ambrose heard of the decision, he immediately shot off a fierce protest. The glory of God was at stake, so he couldn't remain silent. He wrote, “Shall a bishop be compelled to re-erect a synagogue? Can he do this thing that ought not be done? If he obeys the Emperor, he'd become a traitor to his faith; if he disobeys the Emperor, he becomes a martyr. What real wrong is there, after all, in destroying a synagogue, a home of perfidy, a home of impiety, in which Christ is daily blasphemed?” Ambrose went on to say he was no less guilty than the bishop of Callinicum since he made no secret of his wish that all synagogues be destroyed, that no such places of blasphemy be allowed to exist.In a surprise move, Theodosius revoked his earlier decision. The Christians didn't have to rebuild the synagogue they'd destroyed. Well, you might imagine what message that sent—it was open season on Jews & their meeting places.All this makes Ambrose appear a rabid anti-Semite. It's confusing then to read of his high regard for their moral purity & devotion to learning.So ends Round 1 in the wrestling match between the Bishop of Milan & the Emperor Theodosius. Before we look at Round 2, let's take a closer look at Theodosius.Blond & elegant, Theodosius began his imperial career the usual way for emperors of this era. He was born in northwest Spain, to a father who was a talented military commander. Theodosius learned his military lessons by campaigning with his father's staff in Britain.After being crowned emperor in the East in 379, he battled the ever-troubling Germanic tribes in the North. The incessant war did little but wearing out both sides, so Theodosius offered the tribes an option. In exchange for land and supplies, Germans would provide soldiers for the legions. These Germans would serve under a Roman banner & generals. It was a novel idea for the time, an arrangement that later emperors increasingly depended on.To fund this expanded army, Theodosius raised taxes to a new high. His enforcement of collection of the new taxes was carried out harshly. Any official neglecting to collect was flogged.During a serious illness early in his reign, Theodosius was baptized. In 380 he proclaimed himself a Nicene Christian & called a council at Constantinople to put an end to the Arian heresy.Having won that victory, Theodosius tried to get his choice for the patriarch of Constantinople approved but the bishops demanded he appoint someone from their list. They prevailed. It was the first of several instances where Theodosius yielded to church leaders.And this brings us to Round 2 between Theodosius & Ambrose.Chariot-racing was THE big sport of the Greco-Roman world for hundreds of years. Merge baseball, basketball, football, & soccer into a single sport & you get the idea of just how huge chariot-racing was. Many of the larger cities had 4 to 6 teams, designated by a color. These teams often represented a neighborhood or social class, so rivalries were sectarian & fierce. Fans formed clubs around their teams and attacked each other. A band of thugs for the Reds might rampage through the Purple neighborhood, leading to a riot of retribution a couple days later. The point is, supporters were fanatically loyal to their team.In 390, local authorities imprisoned a charioteer in Thessalonica for homosexual rape. This charioteer happened to be one of the city's favorites, and riots broke out when the governor refused to release him. That governor and several of his staff were killed, the charioteer busted out of jail by his fans.Thessalonica was no out-of-the-way village; it was a major city and the riot couldn't go without being answered. The Emperor needed to do something, but the something he did was all wrong. He announced another chariot race. When the crowd arrived, the gates to the arena were locked and they were massacred by imperial troops. In a 3 hour horror show, 7000 were executed!Later records showed that after the initial order was sent by Theodosius with this plan, he realized it was a grave injustice & sent another message to rescind the first. It got there too late.Many across the empire were stunned at the news of the massacre. Bishop Ambrose was horrified. He shot off another angry letter to Theodosius demanding repentance. He wrote, “I exhort, I beg, I entreat, I admonish you, because it is grief to me that the perishing of so many innocent is no grief to you. And now I call on you to repent.” Then Ambrose did something that proved the turning point in Church-State affairs.When Theodosius visited Milan & attend a church service, he expected Bishop Ambrose to serve him Communion. Ambrose refused! He said until Theodosius repented for what he'd done at Thessalonica, no elements would cross his lips.Now, remember—It was believed the celebration of Communion was essential for maintaining salvation. It renewed and refreshed God's grace. Barring the Emperor from Communion put his soul at risk.So when Theodosius professed repentance, Ambrose in effect replied, “Hold on pal; not so fast. Your repentance must be marked by penance - & a very public version.' He told Theodosius to set aside his royal garments, put on a simple shroud, and publicly plead for God's mercy where any & everyone could see & hear him. There's some debate as to how long this went on but one source says it lasted 8 months before Ambrose finally relented & consented to serve the Emperor Communion.As stated, Theodosius' capitulation to Ambrose marks a major turning point in Church-State relations. The Bishop's treatment of the Emperor introduced the medieval concept of a Christian Emperor as a dutiful “son of the Church serving under orders from Christ.” For the next thousand years, secular and religious rulers struggled to determine who was sovereign in the various spheres of life.Lest the previous events I've just shared make Ambrose & Theodosius appear as rivals, understand that the Bishop of Milan was in fact the Emperor's friend, confidant & counselor, in both religious & political matters. Theodosius is supposed to have said, “I know no bishop worthy of the title, except Ambrose.” When the emperor died, Ambrose was at his side.Two years after the showdown, Ambrose himself fell ill. And his impending death caused far more concern on the part of people than the passing of a dozen emperors. One wrote: “When Ambrose dies, we shall see the ruin of Italy.” On the eve of Easter, 397, the man who'd been bishop of Milan for 23 years finally closed his eyes for the last time.

This 17th episode is titled “What a Difference a Century Makes.”During the mid-4th Century, the history of the Church walked apace with the history of the Roman Empire. With the death of Constantine the Great, the rule of the Empire divided among his 3 sons, Constantine II, Constans, & Constantius. In the power-hungry maneuverings that followed, they did their upbringing in a Christian education little honor. They quickly removed any challenge by their father's relatives, then set to work on one another. 3 years after their father's death they went to war in a struggle for sole supremacy. Constantine II was slain by Constans, who was in turn murdered by a Gallic commander of the Imperial guard named Magnentius. After the defeat and suicide of Magnentius, Constantius became sole Emperor & reigned till his death in 361.Constantius departed from his father Constantine's wise policy of religious toleration. Constantius was greatly influenced by the Arian bishop of Constantinople Eusebius who inspired him to use the authority of his office to enforce the Arian-brand of Christianity not only on the pagans of the Empire but also on those Christians who followed the Nicene Orthodoxy. Paganism was violently suppressed. Temples were pillaged and destroyed with the loot taken from them given either to the Church or Constantius' supporters. As Christians had earlier been subject to arrest & execution, so now were pagans. Not unexpectedly, large numbers of former pagans came over to Christianity; their conversion feigned. A similar persecution was applied towards Nicaean Christians. They were punished with confiscation and banishment.Constantius meddled in most of the Church's affairs, which during his reign was fraught with doctrinal controversy. He called a multitude of councils; in Gaul, Italy, Illyricum, & Asia. He fancied himself an accomplished theologian and enjoyed being called Bishop of bishops.Constantius justified his violent suppression of paganism by likening it to God's command to Israel to wipe out the idol-worshipping Canaanites. But intelligent church leaders like Athanasius argued instead for toleration.  Athanasius wrote,Satan, because there is no truth in him, breaks in with ax and sword. But the Savior is gentle, and forces no one to whom He comes, but knocks on and speaks to the soul: ‘Open to me, my sister?' If we open to Him He enters but if we will not, He departs. For the truth is not preached by sword and dungeon, by the might of an army, but by persuasion and exhortation. How can there be persuasion where the fear of the Emperor is uppermost? How exhortation, where the contradictory has to expect banishment and death?The ever-swinging pendulum of history foretells that the forced-upon faith of Constantius will provoke a pagan reaction. That reaction came immediately after Constantius during the reign of his cousin, Julian the Apostate. Julian had only avoided the earlier purge of his family because he was too young to pose a threat. But the young grow up.  Julian received a Christian education and was trained for a position in church leadership. But he harbored and nurtured a secret hatred for the religion of the court, a religion under which his family was all but exterminated. He studied the banned texts of Eastern mystics & Greek philosophers; all the more thrilling because they were forbidden. Julian became so immersed in paganism, he was made the leader of a secret order devoted to keeping the ancient religion alive.Despite his hostility toward Christianity, Julian recognized the Faith was too deeply entrenched in the Empire to turn back the sundial to a time when Christians were persona non grata. He decided instead to simply pry loose the influence they'd established in the civil realm. He appointed non-Christians to important posts & reclaimed some of the old pagan temples that had been turned into churches back to their original use.Julian enacted a policy of religious tolerance. Everyone was free to practice whatever faith they wanted. Make no mistake, Julian wanted to eliminate Christianity. He felt the best way to accomplish that, wasn't by attacking it outright. After all, 200 years of persecution had already shown that wasn't effective. Rather, Julian figured all the various sects of Christianity would end up going to war with one another and the movement would die the death of a thousand cuts, all self-inflicted. His plan didn't work out, of course, but it was an astute observation of how factious the followers of Christ can be.When Julian was killed in 363 in an ill-advised war against the Sassanids, the pagan revival he'd hoped for fizzled. The reasons for its demise were many. Because Paganism is an amalgam of various often contradictory beliefs and worldviews it lacked the cohesion needed to stare down Christianity. And compared to the virtuous morality and ethical priorities of Christianity, paganism paled.Julian's hoped-for elimination of Christianity by allowing its various sects to operate side by side never materialized. On the contrary, major advances were made toward a mutual understanding of the doctrinal debates that divided them. The old Athanasius was still around and as an elder statesman for the Church he'd mellowed, making him a rallying point for different groups. He called a gathering of church leaders in Alexandria in 362, right in the middle of Julian's reign, to recognize the Creed of Nicea as the Church's official creedal statement. His resolution passed.But trouble was brewing in the important city of Antioch. While the Western churches under the leadership of the Bishop of Rome remained steadfast in their loyalty to the Nicean Creed, the Eastern Empire leaned toward Arianism. Antioch in Syria was a key Eastern city split between adherents of Nicea & Arianism. The official church, that is, the one recognized by the Emperor in Constantinople had an Arian bishop. The Nicean Christians were led by Bishop Paulinus in a separate fellowship. But in 360, a new bishop rose to lead the Arian church at Antioch – and he was a devoted Nicean named Meletius! This occurred right at a time when more & more Eastern bishops were coming out in favor of the Nicene Creed. These Eastern bishops supported Meletius and the New Niceans of Antioch. We might think this would see a merger of the old-Niceans under Paulinus with the new, and à we'd assume wrongly. Rome & the Western church considered Paulinus the rightful bishop of Antioch & remained suspicious of Meletius & the new-Niceans. Efforts on their part to negotiate with & be accepted by the Western church were rebuffed. This served to increase the divide between East & West that had already been brewing for the last few decades.A new center of spiritual weight developed at this time in Cappadocia in central-eastern Asia Minor. It formed around the careers of 3 able church leaders, Basil the Great, his brother Gregory of Nyssa, and their friend, Gregory of Nazianzus. Their work answered the lingering concerns that hovered around the words the Nicaean Council had chosen to describe Jesus as being of the same substance as the Father. These 3 Cappadocian Fathers were able to convince their Eastern brothers that the Nicean Creed was the best formulation they were likely to produce and to accept that Jesus was of the same substance as the Father, and so God, not a similar substance and so something other than or less than God, as the Arians held it. They pressed in on terms that made it clear there was only one God but 3 persons who individually are, and together comprise that one God; The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They said the 3 operated inseparably, none ever acting independently of the others. Every divine action begins from the Father, proceeds thru the Son, and is completed in the Holy Spirit.In 381 at the Council of Constantinople, the Eastern Church demonstrated its acceptance of the Cappadocian Fathers' theology by affirming their adherence to the Nicean Creed. This effectively marked the end of Arianism within the Empire. And unlike the previous 3 ecumenical councils, the Council of Constantinople was not followed by years of bitter strife. What the council failed to do was resolve the split in the church at Antioch. The West continued to support the Old-Niceans while the East supported the New. It was clear to all tension was building between the old seat of Imperial power & the new capital; between Rome & Constantinople.  Which church & bishop would be the recognized leader of the whole? Antioch became the site where that contest was lived out thru their surrogates, Paulinus & Meletius.The Council of Constantinople attempted to deal with this contest by developing a system for how the churches would be led. The rulings of the Council, and all the church councils held during these years are called Canon Law, which established policy by which the Church would operate. One of the rulings of the Council of Constantinople established what was known as dioceses. A diocese was a group of provinces that became a region over which a bishop presided. The rule was that one diocese could not interfere in the workings of another. Each was to be autonomous.Though Jovian followed Julian as emperor in 363 his reign was short. He followed a policy of religious toleration, as did Valentinian I who succeeded him. Valentinian recognized the Empire was too vast for one man to rule & appointed his younger brother Valens to rule the East. Valens was less tolerant than his brother & attacked both paganism & the Nicean Christians. But Valens was the last Arian to rule in either East or West. All subsequent emperors were Orthodox; that is, they followed the Nicean Creed.When Valentinian died in 375, rule of the Western Empire fell to his son Gratian. When Valens died, Gratian chose an experienced soldier named Theodosius to rule the East.Gratian & Theodosius presided over the final demise of paganism. Both men strongly supported the Orthodox faith, and at the urging of Bishop Ambrose of Milan, they enacted policies that brought an end to pagan-worship. Of course, individuals scattered throughout the Empire continued to secretly offer sacrifices to idols & went through the superstitious rituals of the past, but as a social institution with temples & a priesthood, paganism was eradicated. Under the reign of Theodosius, Christianity was made the official religion of the Empire.We'll end this episode with a look at how the church at Rome emerged during the 4th & 5th Centuries to become the lead church in the Empire.In theory all the bishops of the Empire's many churches were equal. In reality, from the time of the Apostolic Fathers, some gained greater prominence because their churches were in more important cities. During the 2nd & early 3rd Centuries Alexandria, Antioch, Rome & Carthage were the places of the greatest spiritual gravity; their senior pastors recognized as leaders, not just of their churches but of The Church. The Council of Nicaea in 325 recognized Alexandria as the lead church for all North Africa, Antioch in the East & Rome as preeminent in the West.Constantinople, the new Eastern political capital, was added to that list in 381 by the Council of Constantinople.  As one of its rulings in canon law, the Council declared Constantinople 2nd only to Rome in terms of primacy in deciding church matters.We might assume the Bishop of Rome would gladly accept this finding of the Council, being that it acknowledged the Roman “see” (that is, a bishop's realm of authority) as primary. He didn't! He objected because the Council's ruling implied the position of a Church and its Bishop depended on the status of their city in the Empire. In other words, it was the nearness to the center of political power that weighed most. The Bishop of Rome maintained that the preeminence of Rome wasn't dependent on political proximity but on historical precedent. He said the decree of a Synod or Council didn't convey primacy. The Roman Bishop claimed Rome was primary because God had made it so.  At a Council in Rome a year after the Council of Constantinople, the Roman Bishop Damasus said Rome's primacy rested on the Apostle Peter's founding of the Roman church. Ever since the mid-3rd C, Roman Christians had used Matthew 16, Luke 22 & John 21 to claim their church possessed a unique authority over other churches & bishops. This Petrine Theory as it's come to be known was generally accepted by the end of the 6th C. It claimed Peter had been given primacy over his fellow apostles, and his superior position had been passed on from him to his successors, the bishops of Rome, by apostolic succession.In truth, there was already a substantial church community in Rome when Peter arrived in Rome and was martyred. The Christians honored Peter as they did all their martyrs by making his grave a popular gathering place. Eventually, it became a shrine. Then, when persecution ended, the shrine became a church. The leader of that church became associated with Peter whose grave was its central feature.When Constantine came to power, he ordered a basilica built on the site on Vatican Hill. To mark that a new day of favor toward the Church had come, Constantine gave the Lateran Palace where the Roman Empress had lived to the Bishop of Rome as his residence. But the story that arose later which puts Emperor Constantine on his face before Sylvester, the Bishop of Rome, pleading forgiveness in sackcloth & ashes & handing over to him the rule of Italy & Rome, is a fiction.Until Bishop Damasus in the mid-4th C, the Roman bishops were competent leaders of the church but tended toward weakness when dealing with the Emperors, who often sought to dominate the Faith. A dramatic change occurred at the end of the 4th C, when under Ambrose of Milan, the Church dictated to the Emperor.Bishop Damasus, a contemporary of Ambrose, installed the Primacy of Peter as a central part of Church doctrine. He claimed the Roman church was started by Peter, who'd passed on his authority to the next bishop, who'd, in turn, handed it to his successor and that each Bishop of Rome was a recipient of Peter's apostolic authority. Since Peter was the leader of the Apostles that meant the Roman church was the lead church and the Bishop the leader, not just of Rome but of all Christendom. Damasus was the first to address other bishops as ‘sons' rather than ‘brothers.'Historical events during the 4th & 5th Centuries enhanced the power of the Bishop of Rome. When Constantine moved the political capital to Constantinople in 330, it left the Roman Bishop as the strongest individual in Rome for long stretches of time. People in the west looked to him for temporal as well as spiritual leadership when a crisis arose. Constantinople & the Emperor were hundreds of miles & weeks away; the Roman bishop was near; so people turned to him to exercise authority in meeting political as well as spiritual crises. In 410 when Alaric and the Visigoths sacked Rome, Bishop Innocent I used clever diplomacy to save the city from the torch. When the Western Empire finally fell in 476, the people of Italy looked to the Roman Bishop for civil as well as religious leadership.Great leaders like Cyprian, Tertullian, & Augustine were outstanding men of the Western church who counted themselves as being under the leadership of the Bishop of Rome. The Western Empire had also managed to stay free of the heretical challenges that had wracked the East, most notably, the brouhaha with Arius and his followers. This doctrinal solidarity was due in large part to the steadfast leadership of Rome's Bishops.Another factor that contributed to Rome's rise to dominance was the decline of the other great centers. Jerusalem lost its place due to the Bar Kochba rebellion of the 2nd C. Alexandria & Antioch were overrun by the Muslims in the 6th & 7th Centuries; leaving Constantinople & Rome as the centers of power.In an Imperial edict in AD 445, the Emperor Valentinian III recognized the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome in spiritual affairs. What he enacted became Canon law for all.Another great boon to the influence & prestige of the Roman Bishop was the missionary work of monks loyal to Rome. Clovis & Augustine planted churches in northern France & Britain, all owing allegiance to Rome.But above all, the Roman church was led by several able bishops during this time; men who overlooked no opportunity to enhance & extend their power.Leo I was bishop at Rome from 440 to 461 & by far the ablest occupant of the Bishop's seat until Gregory I, 150 years later. His skill earned him the title “Leo the Great.”We're not sure when Rome's bishops began to be called “pope”, a title which for years had been used by the bishop of Alexandria. But Leo was the first to refer consistently to himself as pope – from Latin, a child's affectionate term for papa. In 452, Leo persuaded Attila the Hun to let the city of Rome alone. Then 3 years later when the Vandals came to sack the city, Leo convinced them to limit their loot-fest to 2-weeks. The Vandal Leader Gaiseric kept his word, and the Romans forever after esteemed Leo as the one who saved their city from destruction.Pope Leo insisted all church courts & the rulings of all bishops had to be submitted to him for final decision. This is what Valentinians III's edict of 445 granted and he was determined to apply it.Pope Gelasius I, who ruled from 492 to 496, said that God gave sacred power to the Pope and royal power to the King. But because the Pope had to account to God for the King at the judgment, the sacred power of the Pope was more important than royal power. So, civil rulers should submit to the Pope. While the emperors didn't all automatically knuckle under to popes, most did resign a large part of authority & political influence to the Roman Bishops.