Podcasts about rereading

How we talk about food, model it and the environment we create around it all impacts our children's relationship with food!In this episode, I'm joined by Kids Eat In Color to break down what a healthy relationship with food actually looks like and how to approach meals and snacks without pressure, bribing, or power struggles.In this episode, we cover:What a healthy relationship with food really looks likeHow to approach snacks and whether they help or hurt appetite How to build balanced, filling meals that actually hold kids over The truth about using food to soothe (and what to do instead) How our own relationship with food impacts our kids Thoughts on dessert, sugar, and raising kids without obsession around sweets What to do when your child fixates on “fun foods” at parties or playdates A realistic approach to picky eating How to avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad” Creating a mealtime environment that feels calm, not stressful----------------------------------------------------------------------------IMPORTANT LINKS•✨ Join our Mom Club on Patreon HERE ✨

Xifeng (and her purse) is invited into the Crabflower Club. Meanwhile we review the family relations of lesser characters like Lai Da's wife and discuss her “don't spare the rod” 不打不成才 philosophy.Support the show

Organic introductions. What happened to sprees? Rereading old texts to yourself. A thorough exploration of revolving doors. If you could have one boy scout badge for your life, what would it be? Tiny 3D printer. At the 50 minute mark, "Nicky's Advice Corner:" We all get kleptomania. In "What's the Deal?" we review a very special celebrity auction with one of our favorites, Jay Leno. Sports Short: the biggest, weirdest trade in NBA history. 

We come to the end of the second canticle, of PURGATORIO . . . and it includes all the ambiguity and humanness we've come to expect, plus hopeful notes for the journey ahead into Paradise.Dante complicates his ending of PURGATORIO with notes about his own dark mind and the incomplete work of this second part of his masterpiece COMEDY.At the same time, we're ready for the stars.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the final passage of PURGATORIO.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:22] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 124 - 145. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:26] Dante, ever the medieval poet, no matter how modern we try to make him.[05:28] The final address to the reader in PURGATORIO and the tricky question of the "woven bridle."[10:58] Matelda, apparently doing what she's always done . . . which only makes her character more complex.[12:49] The threat to memory, the threat to COMEDY as a whole.[15:23] Four hopeful notes that conclude PURGATORIO.[17:55] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 124 - 145.

The procession continues away from Lethe and farther into the Garden of Eden until they come to a dark, frigid spot that stops them . . . a curious moment in this innocent landscape.And it gets more curious as we discover rivers named and then renamed before we come to the most difficult naming of them all: Matelda, the fair lady who has been with us since PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII.We'll talk cosmology, geography, and even poetic rhyme sequences before we turn to the thorny question of exactly who Matelda is.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I offer you lots of answers without giving any final solution to this most enigmatic figure.Please consider underwriting this work with a one-time contribution or a small monthly stipend which you can set up at this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:26] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 103 - 123. If you'd like to read along or continue the discussion with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:25] Cosmological references that help set (and even bookend) PURGATORIO.[06:24] Stopping the procession at a dark, frigid spot (somehow in Eden!).[08:56] The Tigris and Euphrates rivers: how and why?[14:27] A beautiful rhyme sequence that encodes the fall into Eden.[17:10] Matelda: the difficult and long-standing interpretive questions about who this fair lady is.[31:06] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 103 - 123.

After her final discourse in PURGATORIO, Beatrice and Dante enter into a brief conversation in which he admits he already has images stamped into his brain but he doesn't know what many of them mean, particularly those from her.She, on the other hand, launches into her final condemnation: the school he followed was too debased to capture the truths she has in hand.But she doesn't end there. She also promises greater clarity ahead. Thank goodness!Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through the conclusion of her discourse and discover the ways Dante may be signaling us that the rational mind is not enough to understand theological truths.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:18] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 79 - 102. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me about this passage, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:15] Questions about brain impressions, perhaps derived from the figurae of Joachim da Fiore.[09:22] Beatrice's condemnation of the school Dante followed . . . and the questions about which school does she mean.[17:38] The question of whether Dante fully experiences Purgatory.[21:02] The hope of greater clarity ahead.[22:57] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 79 - 102.

Beatrice concludes her monologue at the end of PURGATORIO with some dazzling metaphoric pyrotechnics, a slam on Dante's intellect, and a redefinition of this journey across the known universe. It's not just any old pilgrimage. It's a crusade.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look at the final images of her speech and discover its larger, structural details . . . which point us directly ahead to PARADISO.Consider defraying the many costs of this podcast with a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend by using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:11] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 61 - 78. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation about this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:03] Fun calculations to discover how long Adam (and Eve) stayed in Limbo.[07:52] Beatrice's assertions about the writing and reading of texts.[13:33] References to the river Elsa and to Pyramus.[17:10] A badly mixed metaphor that leads into questions of interiority.[21:14] Rereading all of Beatrice's final monologue in PURGATORIO: XXXIII: 31 - 78.[23:49] Four structural notes on this monologue.

Beatrice continues her discourse at the end of PURGATORIO by offering Dante classical examples of her own obscurity, Christian resonances for the very hope of writing, and a challenge for him to become her scribe, to take notes on her lectures.This passage falls in the middle of her long monologue in the last canto of PURGATORIO and it forms the fulcrum that turns us from the apocalyptic vision to something much closer to Dante's own concerns: the craft of writing.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we tease out the difficulties in this notoriously challenging passage at the end of PURGATORIO.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:59] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 46 - 60. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:24] The obscurity as the point.[07:02] Themis and the Sphinx, early human riddles.[10:02] Dante's well-intended mistake about the Naiads.[13:41] Beatrice's theory of Dante's craft.[15:59] The classical to the Christian: the dominant move in INFERNO and PURGATORIO.[17:35] A twice-robbed tree--but how?[19:50] The tree for God's sole use.[21:58] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 46 - 60.

As Beatrice and Dante continue to walk through Eden, she begins the final discourse that will end PURGATORIO: a cryptic, apocalyptic vision of the world (or maybe just the church?) set right. But by whom? Or when? And is the church destroyed? Or is it going to be rehabilitated?Beatrice's vision is the capstone of PURGATORIO and prepares us for the elliptical and stylized poetry to come in PARADISO, just ahead of us. It's a test to see whether we can make it. Don't worry: We will!Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we begin our final walk across one of the most difficult passages in PURGATORIO. Seven hundred years of commentary hasn't come to any agreement on these lines. Why should we?To keep this podcast afloat, please consider a one-time donation or a very small monthly stipend to underwrite its many fees. You can do so at this PayPal link.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:43] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 25 - 45. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me by a comment on this episode, please find it on my website: markscarbrough.com.[04:18] A reminder: the rigid and highly stylized manner code in the Middle Ages.[08:46] Beatrice's redefinition of the terms: wakefulness rather than walking, the chariot as a vessel, the dragon as a serpent (from Eden?), and the chariot's possible, full destruction.[14:18] A translation problem: the possible sop of bread. And difficult interpretations: God's vendetta and a future heir.[18:30] Seven hundred years of commentary on the tough problem of "five hundred ten and five--God's messenger."[27:42] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 25 - 45.

From tragedy to comedy, the apocalyptic vision in Canto XXXII has come to an end and Beatrice accepts Dante as her walking companion in Eden.A relatively easy passage begins the final canto of PURGATORIO, perhaps a breather before the much more difficult material that will make up the bulk of the last canto of PURGATORIO.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we walk with Beatrice, Dante, the seven ladies, the lady who tends Eden, and Statius. They're a final parade to wrap up this second canticle of COMEDY.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:26] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 1 - 24. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:31] Possibly, a simple interlude between much more difficult passages.[04:58] The Latin quotation from Psalm 78/79 that opens the final canto of PURGATORIO.[09:19] Beatrice's Latin quotation from the Gospel of John as Dante fuses Mary and Jesus into her character.[16:46] Beatrice's parade and the question of her nine steps.[21:53] Beatrice, Dante's new guide across the known universe.[26:51] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 1- 24.

Xifeng is shaking with anger. Is there meaning in the madness? What are the real and imagined consequences of Jia Lian's transgressions? We try to conceive a contemporary framework for interpreting a tumultuous series of events in Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢.Support the show

Dante wakes back up from his unexpected sleep to find that the grand parade is heading off into the forest (or maybe the skies). He's in a panic that Beatrice has left, too, although the young woman of Eden comforts him and shows her now humble place under the renewed tree.Meanwhile, we readers are equally panicked . . . or at least de-centered, as we try to make sense of complicated similes and oblique symbolic meanings. COMEDY is getting more complex by the line. It's a game of interpretation we've been preparing to play since INFERNO, Canto I.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look at the passage just before the giant apocalyptic vision of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXII.To underwrite the many fees for this work, consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:21] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXII, Lines 70 - 108. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:53] Four (or maybe five) interwoven Biblical references in the opening twelve lines of this passage (or the opening four tercets).[13:25] The interweaving of textuality to de-center the reader by pushing meaning further into mystery.[15:52] Dante's awakening to panic and then obeisance.[19:43] The complex meaning of Beatrice's changed position under the tree.[25:10] Dante's Roman hopes for heaven.[26:47] A flourish of the medieval high rhetorical style at the end of the passage.[28:53] Writing as awakening and return.[31:23] Rereading this passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXII, lines 70 - 108.

The griffin pulls the chariot or cart up to the denuded tree--the "widowed" tree--and the tree regenerates into a color reminiscent of other moments in PURGATORIO. But which one exactly?We're descending into the murk of mystery with new songs that can't be defined, with allegories that are becoming increasingly opaque, and even with classical references that seem somehow out of place in the overall arch of the glorious parade.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we begin to approach the strange and incomprehensible mysteries that lie at the end of the second canticle of COMEDY.To support this work, consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:24] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXII, Lines 49 - 69. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me with a comment on this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:32] A correction perhaps: "Adam" may have been a murmured reassessment of the misogyny in the text.[04:55] The pole, the chariot, and the tree: complicated translation problems.[07:15] The pole as the cross or perhaps the ties of good human governance.[11:49] The changing seasons as the tree regenerates.[13:26] The ambiguous symbolism of purple.[15:41] The unknown new song, a further mystery in the passage.[18:48] A tense and perhaps off-pitch reference to Ovid.[22:27] A knock against representative art before the apocalyptic vision just ahead.[24:18] Rereading the text: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXII, lines 49 - 69.

The griffin rolls his chariot up to the foot of a denuded tree as Beatrice descends out of her ride. The symbolism (the allegories, in fact) become increasingly murky, difficult to parse, especially when the griffin says his one and only line in COMEDY.Dante's Garden of Eden is a place where the games of interpretation kick into high gear. Nothing is what it seems . . . yet what it is is a matter of much debate.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through this increasingly complex passage on our way to the final apocalyptic vision of PURGATORIO.To help support this work with a one-time donation or a very small on-going stipend, please consider using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:04] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXII, Lines 28 - 48. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:04] Statius, both physically and thematically in the passage.[05:55] Adam and Eve, with notes toward the theological fall of mankind.[09:19] The stripped tree in the Garden of Eden . . . but which tree?[14:49] The griffin, becoming a more difficult allegory with his one and only line in COMEDY.[21:06] Beatrice and her (complex) descent from the chariot/cart.[25:57] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXII, lines 28 - 48.

Face to face with Beatrice, the pilgrim Dante is ready for more revelation. Problem is, even after Lethe he's still doing things wrong and must be corrected by the women around the griffin's chariot.But what is he doing wrong? And why does the entire parade of revelation go into retreat? What indeed does that griffin symbolize? And how did we get from the intensely personal experience of Dante's confession and contrition to this much more global view of the allegories on the march?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we begin to walk slowly through one of the most complex cantos (and certainly the longest canto) in all of COMEDY.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:17] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXII, Lines 1 - 27. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me about this canto, please find the entry for this podcast episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:31] A brief introduction to PURGATORIO, Canto XXXII.[05:19] Notes for the first nine lines (or three tercets) of the canto.[10:40] Dante's forgotten failings and Beatrice's on-going attraction.[12:04] Dante's intense gaze . . . but for or at what?[16:23] Beatrice and the problem of the "lesser thing" of revelation.[21:28] The parade of revelation (or of the church militant) in retreat with its "precious cargo."[25:01] The griffin's feathers, which prompt further questions about the griffin's allegorical meaning.[28:08] Bridging the personal and the universal.[31:04] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXII, lines 1- 27.

Sometimes the most comforting thing you can do is return to what you already love. In this episode, Tina invites you to reread a favorite book and rediscover the joy, comfort, and familiarity that comes with revisiting a story that once meant something to you. This invitation offers a gentle reminder that rereading can feel safe, grounding, and deeply nourishing. For episode resources, see https://www.tinaboogren.com/. Music: Happy Clappy Ukulele by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com. 

We finally come to the face-to-face meeting of Beatrice and Dante. We've waited for this moment since INFERNO, Canto II, when Beatrice first stepped into COMEDY.Neither Dante nor Beatrice speak at their close meeting. Instead, the women around the chariot beg Beatrice to reveal her second, hidden beauty: her mouth.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the complex symbolism in this passage. We'll also take on its textual difficulties: a Biblical allusion that has been muddled in commentary, a lost word that's hard to translate, and a question of quotation marks in a medieval manuscript.To support this work, consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend by using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:26] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, lines 127 - 145. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:11] Textual problems in the first six lines (XXXI: 127 - 132)--a muddled Biblical reference, a moral question of virtues, and a word that's hard to translate.[07:49] Beatrice's turning and the coming revelation of her mouth.[10:57] A difficult conclusion to Canto XXXI: Who says these complicated lines that use the informal "you"?[16:59] Forgetting and remembering your former works to create something new.[23:10] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, lines 127 - 145.

Dante has now crossed Lethe and is ready to face Beatrice head on. She has moved to get ready for this eye-to-eye conversation. She's positioned nearer the griffin, a complicated symbol that may have more than one interpretation.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore both Beatrice (particularly her emerald eyes) and this dual-natured beast that seems to become more difficult to interpret with its every move in the poem.To support this podcast, consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend through this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:19] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, Lines 112 - 126. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[02:44] Beatrice has moved . . . but where?[05:09] With her emerald eyes, Beatrice and Dante finally escape the Francesca episode.[09:15] Dante is the Orpheus who can look into the eyes of his Eurydice.[10:49] Here are at least two additional interpretations for the griffin.[13:58] Beatrice's eyes are the methodology of revelation (and mystery).[16:41] The passage drops the first hint about Jesus' transfiguration.[18:50] Reflection is transfiguring, as in the craft of poetry.[19:34] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, lines 112 - 126.

Dante wakes up in the arms of the young woman who first welcomed him to the Garden of Eden. She's dragging him through Lethe before she forcefully pushes him underwater.This scene is deeply symbolic and allegorical . . . although it raises many more questions than it answers. In fact, it seems to want to leave many things open-ended, a cue that Dante wants us in the poem, working on solutions to the many puzzles he has set.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we see the pilgrim Dante cleansed and ready to dance with the seven virtues around Beatrice's chariot.To support this work, consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend. You can make either contribution at this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:29] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, Lines 91 - 111. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website: markscarbrough.com.[03:43] Two notes on the first nine lines: the heart and the shuttle.[06:33] Is this a baptism?[09:46] Three questions that surround the Latin line from the Psalms.[13:43] Why is the dunking so forceful?[15:45] What sign do the four women make over Dante?[17:41] The seven women fill in the details from PURGATORIO, Cantos I and VIII.[19:56] The four women are linked to the classical world; the three women, to the contemplative life.[22:43] Does everything happen to Statius, too? And to other penitent souls?[26:23] How do you express the inexpressible?[28:28] Must our poet forget the CONVIVIO in Lethe?[29:39] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, lines 91 - 111.

Beatrice has finished her case against the pilgim Dante. All that's left is for him to find his way beyond confession and into confession . . . which he does with a major crack-up that leads him to faint for the third time in COMEDY.Before he collapses, the poem begins a series of inversions or reversals that both increase the ironic valences of the passage and give its reader an almost vertigo-inducing sense of Dante's emotional landscape.A difficult passage in the Garden of Eden, here Beatrice accomplishes what she came for. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the slow build-up to the final moment of contrition . . . which mimics the moment when Dante gives way in front of Francesca, back in INFERNO's circle of lust.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:20] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, Lines 64 - 90. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:15] Dante, from boy to man.[07:26] Recognition, the key to the passage, to contrition, and a possible node of irony.[10:38] The "unbearded" oak and the final crack-up.[13:49] Iarbas and Dido v. Dante and the new Dido.[16:28] Beatrice's venom.[17:27] Dante's beard.[20:00] The angels' departure?[21:16] The meaning of the beast's two natures.[23:53] Glossing the end of the passage: lines 82 - 90.[27:57] Francesca and her physical seduction v. Beatrice and her physical-theological seduction.[33:01] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, lines 64 - 90.

Ever since INFERNO, Canto I, we've never fully understood why Dante woke up lost in that dark wood.Now, in the Garden of Eden, Beatrice brings him to the point where he can voice what he did wrong. He can finally offer his confession.It was all about her all along. And maybe about what he wrote. And maybe about another woman who caught his eye. Or maybe all of it at once.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the moment in PURGATORIO in which Beatrice finally brings the pilgrim to his full confession.If you'd like to support this podcast, consider a small monthly stipend or a one-time donation, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:12] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, Lines 22 - 48. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find this episode's entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:16] An easy outline of this passage.[04:27] Recasting Dante's faults into metaphoric language.[09:18] Dante's confession.[12:40] Beatrice and the formal form of "you."[14:34] Her acceptance of Dante's confession, leading him to contrition.[18:15] Beatrice: allegory v. realism.[23:15] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, lines 22 - 48.

Beatrice finishes her first indictment of Dante by showing him the fit subject matter for his abundant talent: her and the damned.She accuses him of chasing after false images, then of discounting her own inspiration in dreams. She ends with her final hope: to descend to the doorway of the dead and get the pilgrim started across the known universe.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the final lines of PURGATORIO, Canto XXX: Beatrice's first indictment of Dante.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:25] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 127 - 145. If you'd like to read along or continue the discussion with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:16] In praise of Beatrice's elevated rhetoric.[05:20] The erotic tension between Beatrice and Dante.[07:59] First callback in the passage: to either the Siren in PURGATORIO XIX or to the second woman in the VITA NUOVA.[10:22] Second callback: to either Beatrice's eyes or her appearance in a dream toward the end of the VITA NUOVA.[13:43] Third callback: to Limbo (and Virgil).[15:37] Dante's search for the subject matter that will fit his talent.[16:47] Four levels of interpretation for Beatrice's first indictment: literal, moral, allegorical, and anagogical.[21:31] When was Dante supposed to purse these failings on the mountain?[23:27] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, lines 127 - 145.

Beatrice is now fully in charge . . . so much so that she can even tell the angels in the chariot with her what they can't understand.She launches into her first indictment of the pilgrim, Dante. Here, she claims that he hasn't fulfilled his talent.He hasn't? With so much of COMEDY behind us?And what if then the point of this journey? Is it poetic craft or personal redemption?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we comb through the first of Beatrice's condemnations of Dante's many failings that have led him to the top of Mount Purgatory.If you'd like to help support this podcast with a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend, please consider donating what you can through this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:41] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 100 - 126. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:23] What can the angels in the chariot not know?[08:13] What germinates from heaven, far above the seeds that blow out of the Garden of Eden?[11:15] What was Dante supposed to have done?[15:19] What good was this journey across the known universe?[18:40] How do you stay open to the grace you get but perhaps don't expect?[20:02] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, lines 100 - 126.

It's Xifeng birthday, so everyone is having a good time, even if labor relations in the Jia household leave room for improvement.Support the show

Beatrice has offered her first condemnation of Dante, just as his salve and mentor, Virgil, has left the scene. He's stuck across Lethe with the ice sheet encasing his heart. Even the angels surrounding Beatrice in the chariot seem dumbfounded by her vitriol and offer the pilgrim a psalm of consolation . . . which finally makes the ice that has surrounded his heart melt. He ends up wailing.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore this brilliant passage about interiority from the very top of Mount Purgatorio in the Garden of Eden.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:34] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 79 - 99. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment on this episode, please find its entry on my website: markscarbrough.com.[03:53] One textual reference in the passage: Psalm 30/31: 1 - 8.[07:46] A second textual reference in the passage: Augustine's CONFESSIONS, Book VIII.[09:07] One metaphoric rearrangement in the passage: Beatrice as mother and Dante as son.[11:55] A second metaphoric rearrangement: the melting ice inside of Dante.[19:28] Allegory as art.[22:30] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, lines 79 - 99.

We finally hear the first words from Beatrice's mouth. (We've heard her before but as told by Virgil in INFERNO, Canto II.) She is certainly not person we expected. She's the admiral controlling her ship.She names the pilgrim, names herself, and gets very close to blasphemy in a passage that defies our expectations, about as revelation should.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for the moment that Beatrice takes center stage in Dante's masterwork, COMEDY.If you'd like to help underwrite this podcast, please consider a one-time donation or a very small monthly stipend, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:33] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 55 - 78. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment about this episode, please find its entry on my website: markscarbrough.com.[04:41] The pilgrim finally named: Dante.[09:03] The crux dilemma of orthodoxy: purity versus human feeling.[13:44] Beatrice's ship, plus other ships in COMEDY.[15:29] Beatrice, the admiral.[17:34] Dante's difficulty in naming himself.[20:20] Beatrice, Minerva, and our (or the pilgrim's?) expectations.[23:42] Beatrice's curious blasphemy and questions.[27:09] Dante as a rejuvenated Narcissus.[30:32] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, lines 55 - 78.

The parade of revelation has stopped and everything holds its breath for what comes next.She's veiled, behind scattered flowers. But Beatrice arrives, in the place of Jesus Christ, her second coming, her advent in the victory chariot.And as she arrives, Virgil disappears from COMEDY. (Statius, too, even if he's still standing next to the pilgrim.) This moment is perhaps the climax of the poem as we have understood it up until now. From here on, everything changes. We have moved out of time and into a world beyond human reason. It's a cause for rejoicing but also for great sadness.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:13] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 22 - 54. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment about this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:14] Word choices in the passage that reflect its thematic and emotional space.[07:04] The Vita Nuova as foundational to Beatrice's appearance.[12:00] Beatrice's colors and the parade of revelation.[13:39] Christological confusions with Beatrice.[16:48] Gender confusions during her arrival.[19:10] The pilgrim's imagined dialogue with a (mis)quote from The Aeneid.[23:03] The sad, quiet disappearance of Virgil and the pilgrim's pronounced, loud interiority.[29:02] The silent, almost unnoticed departure of Statius from the poem.[31:06] The cleansing of the pilgrim as a bookend for the work of PURGATORIO.[32:39] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, lines 22 - 54

The grand parade of revelation has come to a stop across Lethe from our pilgrim, Virgil, and Statius. Everything seems to hold its breath: the constellations stop moving, the crowd goes quiet, one voice calls out for the bride, then a hundred angels appear, calling out for the groom . . . which is surely Jesus, right?We seem to be on the verge of a celestial marriage ceremony, the mystic union of Jesus and his church . . . except Virgil's AENEID gets the last word and darkens the scene considerably.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we stand in expectation at the top of Mount Purgatory for the arrival of . . . somebody.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:24] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 1 - 21. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me by dropping a comment on this episode, please find its entry on my website: markscarbrough.com.[04:33] The Little Dipper, the North Star, the chariot, a griffin, and the Bible, all bound up in the longest sentence in COMEDY.[13:59] The resurrection with a reclothed voice (that is, the stuff of poetry).[16:38] Many angels in a very small cart.[19:32] Quoting the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (here and in The Vita Nuova).[21:44] Quoting the tragic prophecy about Marcellus from THE AENEID.[24:43] Inserting Dante and Virgil into Biblical citations.[26:59] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, lines 1 - 21.

The pilgrim has found the perfect perch to see the full scope and length of the parade of allegories at the top of the Mount Purgatory in the garden of Eden.After the griffin and its chariot come seven merry women and seven more somber men. They are complex allegories that have inspired much debate.More than that, they are also an atemporal moment, something outside of chronological time, the way revelation most often happens.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look more closely at the end of the (first half of the) apocalyptic parade our pilgrim witnesses from across the river Lethe.If you'd like to help with the many costs of this podcast, please consider a very small monthly stipend or a one-time gift, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:13] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 121 - 154. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website: markscarbrough.com.[04:34] The three theological virtues (or colors)--which cause a rereading of previous moments in the great parade.[09:02] The four cardinal or philosophical virtues, clothed in purple, a deep, imperial red.[12:00] The seven men who end the parade as seen through the now standard (or consensus) interpretation: the latter books of the New Testament.[16:06] Alternate interpretations: the allegories as a parade of revelation, rather than strictly the books of the Bible.[20:38] The metapoetics of living, walking books.[21:24] The temporal anomaly of the grand parade.[24:11] Rereading the entire parade: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 43 - 154.

The parade goes on to include a Roman, two-wheeled, victory chariot between the four animals. It's a brilliant moment, a chariot better than even famous Roman conquerors got, pulled by a griffin, a legendary two-natured creature . . . yet with a curious moment of emptiness right in all of the victory.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we continue deeper into the allegory of the parade of revelation at the top of Mount Purgatory.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:32] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 106 - 120. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation about this passage with me, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:13] The changing nature of allegory at the top of Mount Purgatory.[09:38] The poetics of the passage: extreme concision and more of Guido Cavalcanti's pastoral poetry.[13:26] Roman military history in the passage: Scipio the Younger and Caesar Augustus.[17:41] Roman (or Ovidian) mythology in the passage: Phaëthon and the sun's chariot.[21:39] The griffin: ancient, medieval, and allegorical (but of what?).[27:20] The great aporia: the chariot is empty![28:51] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 106 - 120.

The parade goes on, now that the pilgrim, Dante, is in a good spot to see it.After the twenty-four lords in white come four animals with green fronds as crowns. They are like the Cherubim in both the prophecies of Ezekiel and in the Apocalypse of St. John (or the book of Revelation).Except not really. Or sort of. Well, the poet doesn't have time to explain. Go read the text yourself. And especially the one that doesn't quite agree with what I saw.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we find Dante's irony alive and well, even during the grand parade of divine revelation.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:20] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 88 - 105. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[02:56] The naturalistic, lush landscape à la Guido Cavalcanti's pastoral poem.[04:49] The constellations, Argus, and the peacock.[06:35] The four "animals" from Ezekiel and the Apocalypse of St. John (or the New Testament book of Revelation).[09:19] Allegorical interpretations of the four animals.[11:19] "Unmoored" allegories in COMEDY: here and with the three beasts in INFERNO, Canto I.[14:02] Dante, the Biblical text, and questions of its inerrancy.[16:25] The direct address tot he reader, perhaps a wild bit of Dantean irony even here in the divine parade.[21:34] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 88 - 105.

As the pilgrim, his poets, and the beautiful lady continue to stand beside Lethe, they see the approaching parade of the apocalypse, which is an example of emergent revelation, the truth coming in slowly and even deceptively.Our poet has set up a poetic space that leaves even Virgil speechless as we witness the first of the parade of multiple, open-ended meanings proliferate in the Garden of Eden.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we catch our first glimpse of Dante's answer to St. John's Apocalypse.If you'd like to help underwrite the many fees associated with this podcast, please consider a one-time donation or a very small monthly stipend, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:16] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 31 - 57. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:00] The emergent revelation of the images and sounds.[09:00] The process of perception (and understanding).[14:12] Multiplying meanings in the apocalyptic parade.[20:27] The creation of space for the poetic imagery.[23:11] The second invocation of PURGATORIO.[26:50] The questions of poetic craft in this vision.[28:23] Virgil in the apocalypse.[31:10] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 31 - 57.

You sent the text. Now you're spiraling. Rereading it. Analyzing their response time. Convincing yourself you said too much, came on too strong, ruined everything. You're not crazy. You're not broken. You're running on outdated childhood wiring—and it's time to update the code.In this raw solo episode, Raj shares his personal journey from crippling relationship anxiety after a nine-year relationship to finally feeling secure in love. No fluff. No generic advice. Just the actual map he walked to heal patterns of self-abandonment, people-pleasing, and the constant fear of saying the wrong thing.In this episode, you'll discover:→ Why your anxious attachment isn't a flaw—it's a child frozen in your nervous system between ages 4-7→ The reason meditation and talk therapy alone can't heal relationship anxiety→ How the wiring you developed to survive childhood is now sabotaging your adult relationships→ The counterintuitive truth: you can't heal attachment wounds alone because you didn't get them alone→ A simple reframe that transforms how you relate to your anxiety (hint: it involves compassion, not control)→ The exact script Raj uses to communicate vulnerability without self-abandoning→ Why risking losing the other person is actually the path to keeping them→ What becomes possible when you finally stop operating from outdated programmingYou're not too much. You're not too needy. You're carrying pain that was never yours to hold in the first place. This episode is your permission slip to put it down—and your roadmap to relationships that actually feel safe. Listen now and take the first step toward secure love.Connect with Raj:Newsletter – Sign up here: https://www.rajjana.com/staygrounded/Website: http://www.rajjana.com/Instagram: @raj_janaiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/rs/podcast/stay-grounded-with-raj-jana/id1318038490Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/22Hrw6VWfnUSI45lw8LJBPYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@raj_janaLegal Disclaimer: The information and opinions discussed in this podcast are for educational and entertainment purposes only. The host and guests are not medical or mental health professionals, and their advice should not be a substitute for seeking professional help. Any action taken based on the information presented is strictly at your own risk. The podcast host and their guests shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss, damage, or injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by information shared in this podcast. Consult your physician before making any changes to your mental health treatment or lifestyle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our pilgrim, Dante, and the beautiful lady across Lethe walk on for a bit before the stream bends and the pilgrim ends up facing the right way to see the first flash of light that will signal the great apocalyptic parade in Eden.The opening of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, brings us back to the pastoral world of Guido Cavalcanti's poem before launching us into allegory, theology, morality, and even misogyny.If you'd like to help underwrite the many fees for this podcast, please consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend using this PayPal link right here.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we find ourselves at the front of the great parade in Eden.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:27] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 1 - 30. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation by dropping a comment, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:07] An introduction to PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX.[06:59] The only canto in COMEDY that begins with a derivative of the word "canto."[08:24] More references to Guido Calvalcanti's pastoral poem.[11:44] A psalm retrofitted to become a beatitude, moving us from the classical world to divine revelation.[14:31] The symbolism (and allegory?) of their paces and the stream's bend.[18:00] Sight and hearing as the basis but not nearly enough, as with Guido Cavalcanti's poem.[19:02] The lady's reaction ("brother") and the pilgrim's reaction (a lack of fear).[21:45] The misogyny from the initial flash of light.[28:59] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 1 - 30.

The beautiful lady winds up her discourse with a corollary that combines both revelation and reason to offer a fulcrum to COMEDY as a whole: The classical world dreamed of Eden.Redemption is a cul-de-sac, returning us to our primal state while also offering us a way to remain readers of the classical world's poetry.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the end of the lady's discourse, the longest speech by a woman yet in COMEDY.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:15] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 134 - 148. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment on this episode to continue the conversation, please find the entry for this episode on my website: markscarbrough.com.[02:55] Revelation and reason as coequals in scholastic theology.[06:52] The Golden Age and the Garden of Eden as overlapping spaces and the cul-de-sac of revelation.[09:14] The pilgrim (and indeed, the poem) in the cul-de-sac with the classical poets on one side and the beautiful lady on the other.[12:27] The longest speech by a woman yet in COMEDY.[16:57] Rereading this passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 134 - 148.

The lady across the stream continues her answer to the pilgrim Dante's question about the breeze and the water. In this case, she explains the ecology of Eden, offers an understanding of global botany, and finally layers the meaning thick over the rivers of Eden, one of which is the poet's utter invention.The landscape itself is becoming allegorical, moral, theological, even anagogical, all while remaining true to its pastoral form (and roots).Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we delve deeper into the lady's capacious answers and the poet's ever-widening imagination.If you'd like the help defray the many costs and fees associated with this website, please consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend through this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:31] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 109 - 133. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:09] The botany of both Eden and our own world.[07:28] The ecology of Eden: abundance.[11:05] The hydrology of Eden.[14:03] The strange placement of Lethe in Dante's afterlife.[17:15] The poet's reimagination of Eden, including an unprecedented river.[20:23] The vertical layering of meaning onto the pastoral form.[23:09] The inevitable logical faults of an imagined landscape.[25:48] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 109 - 133.

This year, readers around the world are celebrating Jane Austen's 250th birthday. Today we've got an episode of NPR's Books We've Loved where Linda Holmes, Andrew Limbong and B.A. Parker discuss Austen's seminal novel Pride & Prejudice. The trio weighs in on how the romance genre continues to reference the book's “enemies to lovers” story – and why the tale's leads Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy still make us and laugh and swoon even today.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The lady in Eden says she's come to answer the pilgrim's questions. And he's got one. It just might not be the first question on our minds.But it's one that reveals the hall of mirrors that the poet has created in COMEDY, in which the poem itself justifies its own fictional if scientific answers to questions that lead the fictional pilgrim (and the very real reader) to a position of faith, based on the imagined landscape.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through the first of the lady's speech with our pilgrim (as well as Virgil and Statius) in the Garden of Eden at the top of Mount Purgatory.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:27] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 85 - 108. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:06] The lady's six-line theological explanation for the Garden of Eden and the fall of mankind.[07:31] The lady's six-line scientific explanation for the breeze on the top of Mount Purgatory.[11:04] The lady's six-line glimpse of Paradise above.[12:54] The pilgrim's question of faith is built off the fictional landscape and its "scientific" answers found in the poem itself.[21:39] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 85 - 108.

The lady in the forest has come to face the pilgrim and his poets across the stream in the forest.The pilgrim clearly feels a sexual attraction toward her, one that might even make us think of his reactions to Beatrice.She, however, has other ideas, like answering their many questions. Except in so doing, she raises even more questions than she has time to answer.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through this passage in PURGATORIO in which we first learn we're wandering around in the Garden of Eden.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:37] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 67 - 84. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me by dropping a comment on this episode, please find it on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:38] Upright and flirty: the many contradictions of the lady in the forest.[07:04] A rare misstep in COMEDY.[08:06] A tough tangle of references from Ovid and the Bible: from pride to sexual attraction to (thwarted) redemption.[15:28] The tenuous connections between the lady's laugh and their doubts, as well as her words and Virgil's presence.[21:17] Her purpose: to offer answers (but not to remove sexual tension).[23:39] The Garden of Eden, utterly reimagined by Dante.[28:23] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 67 - 84.

What if the book of Revelation isn't about escaping the world, but about resisting it? Drawing from visits to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing site and a memorial to lynching victims, this sermon reframes Revelation's final vision as a manual for living under empire—any empire that crushes human flourishing. The ancient text offers more than comfort for the afterlife. It presents a choice: whose reality will you live inside? The sermon traces how even kings who warred against God appear at the gates of the New Jerusalem, suggesting something provocative about reconciliation, boundaries, and the possibility of transformation. You'll encounter the phrase "making all things new, not making all new things" and consider what it means to practice hope when hopelessness feels easier. Discover why Revelation might be less about predicting the future and more about performing resistance in the present.

Our pilgrim, Dante, calls the solitary lady over to him. She can't cross the stream that divides them, but she can dance in place before coming closer to him.All the while, the poet keeps darkening the poetry around her with threatening references in the pilgrim's mouth--that is, classical examples of profane love that end up in tragic circumstances.And all this, despite our poet quoting repeatedly from his rival poet's poem.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we watch meaning get thicker and thicker at the top of Mount Purgatory.If you'd like to help support this podcast by underwriting its many fees, please consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:30] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 43 - 66. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment about this episode to continue the conversation, please find its spot on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:53] What if wandering is the start of some of the most significant journeys?[08:22] My interpretive thesis: The solitary lady is the only fully fictional character in COMEDY.[12:30] The poet Dante is cribbing a pastoral poem by his literary rival, Guido Cavalcanti.[18:14] Two reasons Dante may have cribbed Cavalcanti's pastoral poem: 1) to assuage Dante's own guilt in Cavalcanti's death or 2) to show the limits of Cavalcanti's (and others') poetry.[22:59] Two classical exemplars from Ovid--Proserpina and Venus--darken the passage considerably.[27:48] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 43 - 66.

Our pilgrim continues walking through the old-growth forest, so dark that very little light can get into its cooling shade.He is eventually blocked by two seemingly small things: a little brook flowing to the left and a solitary lady across the way, singing and picking flowers.But the poet Dante gives us hints that all is already not what it seems.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we continue our journey across the top of Mount Purgatory . . . and notice that meaning is becoming layered over the naturalist details our pilgrim innocently notices.If you'd like to help cover the fees for this podcast with a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend, you can do so at this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:07] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 22 - 42. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me by dropping a comment about this episode, please do so on my website: markscarbrough.com.[03:03] A glance back to the start of the canto . . . and a glance back to the start of INFERNO.[05:59] More repeated words in the poetry.[07:31] Naturalistic details and the initial layering of metaphysical, moral, or allegorical meaning.[16:30] No geographical understanding of this place (yet) . . . but a literary understanding of it: pastoral poetry.[22:48] The unnamed, solitary lady as an interpretive trap.[24:57] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 22 - 42.

Our pilgrim has been set free--crowned and mitered, in fact--and can wander at will through the dense, thick wood that tops Mount Purgatory.The opening lines of Canto XXVIII are fully from the pilgrim's point of view. They offer us a wealth of naturalistic detail that looks simple on first blush but that will get layered with sedimentary meaning over the next five and a half cantos.This place is unprecedented in all of COMEDY. Let's see it for what it is, without delving into the exact answers to the questions of where we are. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for the opening lines of the third "chapter" of PURGATORIO.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:17] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 1 - 21. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:11] First detail: eagerness as the prime motivation.[06:08] Second detail: first hints about the prominent poetics in the passage.[08:42] Third detail: naturalistic imagery that isn't.[11:04] Fourth detail: the beginnings of polyphony (and dissonance).[13:09] Fifth detail: the pine forest at Classe.[14:47] First nuanced point: wandering away and perhaps a resonance with Geryon.[17:50] Second nuanced point: a Saharan wind in this verdant place (and perhaps an echo of Juno's storm that drives Aeneas into Dido's arms).[20:31] First major interpretive node: constancy as the changed strategy for the poem.[23:08] Second major interpretive node: the four verdant or forested landscapes of COMEDY before this one.[31:57] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 1 - 21.

It's time for part 2 (earth 土) of Chapter 43 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Story of the Stone, Hongloumeng 紅樓夢), where Baoyu performs a non-performative ritual observance of the death of Golden. We discuss Baoyuean theories of language as use, while also discussing the poetry of Cao Zhi 曹植 (192 – 232), including one “cutting edge” translation.Support the show

In this episode, we're joined by Professor Greg Carey, who is Professor of New Testament at Lancaster Theology Seminary and Moravian Theological Seminary, and the author of the book that we're discussing in this episode: Rereading Revelation: Theology, Ethics, and Resistance (published by Eerdmans). In our conversation we talk about the meaning of Revelation in the light of its historical and cultural context, but also in the light of our contemporary contexts, especially in the United States, with its unique political and social situation. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Rev. Dr. Chris Porter, and Dr. Kris Song. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join me as I break down the ingenious misdirections and subtle clues Agatha Christie plants in Miss Marple's first four cases: 'The Murder at the Vicarage,' 'The Body in the Library,' 'The Moving Finger,' and 'A Murder is Announced.' I'll reveal what I missed initially, what most readers often overlook, and how Christie's techniques evolved. Discussing detailed observations, misidentifications, and ingenious plotting, you'll see just how cleverly Christie crafted these mysteries. Let's dive into St. Mary's Mead and unravel what makes these early Miss Marple stories timeless gems.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jxcYcD5DtkU

We have come to the climax of Virgil's in COMEDY: the apex of his character, the moment when he is what he should have been all along, a poignant and fitting summit for this most difficult figure in the poem.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we stand at the top of the final staircase on Mount Purgatory and take our first steps into the Garden of Eden with the pilgrim who is ready to continue on his own, with crown and miter in hand, thanks all to Virgil, the best guide he could have had.Please consider supporting this work by offering a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend through this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[02:11] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, lines 124 - 142. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:45] The climax of Virgil's natural talent and learned skill for the soul's journey across the known universe.[14:19] Our first glimpse at the top of Mount Purgatory beyond the stairs.[17:50] The entrance to the Garden of Eden--and a theological problem about Satan.[21:27] The pilgrim, with crown and miter from Virgil.[30:24] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, lines 124 - 142.

We come to the climax of Virgil's character in the poem, the end of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII. Let's take this dramatic and chilling scene in two episodes, starting with the moment our pilgrim, Dante, wakes up from his third dream on the mountain.Virgil steps forward to offer a grand and perhaps new hope. The journey is not about the need for justice. It's now about the search for peace.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through this first of two passages where Virgil's character reaches its most accurate and compelling focus.Please support this work with a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[02:26] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, lines 109 -123. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:58] Callbacks from previous passages in PURGATORIO as this one begins to wrap up the canticle so far.[12:14] Omitting the erasure of the final "P" on the pilgrim's forehead.[13:37] The only calm awakening from a dream in PURGATORIO.[15:44] Virgil, finally and fully the father-guide the pilgrim has always needed.[23:51] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, lines 109 - 123.

Our pilgrim has lain down on a step of the final staircase of Mount Purgatory, positioned between Statius below and Virgil above him.As he watches the large and bright stars, he suddenly falls asleep to dream of Leah (and her sister Rachel) in an Edenic garden, the hope for self-reflection bound up in the promise of the contemplative life.This dream may well begin to sum up Dante's notion of how a human finds the divine.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we walk through the final dream of PURGATORIO.Consider donating to keep this work afloat by using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:29] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, lines 91 - 108. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:05] The players around and in the dream: Cytherea, Leah, and Rachel.[10:40] Three interpretations of the dream. One, a pre-fall Even and a post-redemption Eve in the Garden of Eden.[12:50] Two, a Biblical dream after two classical dreams, but all deeply sexual in nature.[17:26] Three, two modes for revelation: the active life and the contemplative life.[19:03] Dantean psychology: finding the divine in the beloved leads to finding the divine in the self.[23:22] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, lines 91 - 108.

Our pilgrim has entered the flames of lust. For the first time, he is not a voyeur of the torments. He experiences them on the last terrace of lust.He then hears a call to enter Paradise . . . before he falls asleep on the mountain's rocky staircase.Problem is, those flames don't burn up irony. It's thick in this passage. A goat even gets into Paradise!Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through this final climb on Mount Purgatory before we enter the Garden of Eden.Consider supporting this podcast with a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:22] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, lines 49 - 90. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me about this passage, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:09] Dante's guilt (or creative apex) and Virgil's white lie (or painful memory).[10:02] The angel in Latin and in vernacular Florentine--and perhaps Dante's homesickness.[15:02] The scope of the journey: a half revolution around Mount Purgatory.[18:14] The pastoral, idyllic, Edenic simile to (try to) summarize the moments after the flames.[21:09] The irony in the simile, full of inaccurate reference points.[25:28] Dante, the goat let loose into Paradise.[29:29] Our poet, a world-builder.[30:55] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, lines 49 - 90.