A hundred years on: Trotsky on 1917
One hundred years ago today, by the old Gregorian calendar that was then still in force, the October Revolution took place. The event is simply too big and complex to … Continue reading
The Pontius Pilate Project
A week from today, I’ll be starting a new course: an MPhil in New Testament studies. My dissertation project is about Pontius Pilate, specifically his representation in the accounts of … Continue reading
All-American Gothic: Riverdale
Being very lucky, I did some of my growing-up in the US. From age 7 to 10 I lived near Washington with my parents and attended an elementary school that … Continue reading
Transmission and interpretation: the case of Josephus
In studying anything to do with ancient history, the first thing you learn is that the preservation of texts is a haphazard affair. Sometimes the only reason the corpus of … Continue reading
The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Very Short Introduction, by Timothy Lim
In an earlier post for VL, I enthused wildly about The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (see my exhortation here). And now I can wholeheartedly recommend a companion volume, … Continue reading
The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English
As for me, if I stumble, the mercies of God shall be my eternal salvation. If I stagger because of the sin of flesh, my justification shall be by the … Continue reading
He’ll Never Get Rich: The Phil Silvers Show
I first saw an episode of The Phil Silvers Show, Nat Hiken’s 1950s army comedy, twenty years ago when it was still shown regularly on BBC Two. The episode was … Continue reading
Dispatches from the college library
I’ve been very quiet on here recently. This is because I’m in the fifth week of a BA in Theology, and three essays per fortnight does not leave a lot … Continue reading
In conversation with Brendan Walsh, literary editor, The Tablet
I have been reviewing books for The Tablet – Britain’s second oldest weekly paper, and a Catholic literary institution – since 2013. As a newcomer in every sense, I … Continue reading
The Great Reformer: Francis and the making of a radical Pope, by Austen Ivereigh
The Great Reformer is a substantial book. 480 pages in the new UK paperback edition, including notes, acknowledgements and a thorough overview of the sources, this biography of Jorge Mario Bergoglio—now … Continue reading
St Ignatius Day special: Life Advice from Brother Guy
Today is the feast day of St Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits: a lover and a fighter who gave up his sword and dedicated his life to serving … Continue reading
Here’s Looking at You: a conversation about Casablanca
Once upon a time, entirely by accident and when they were discussing something completely different (like Father Ted), Bookfoxes Kirsty and Moira discovered that they had a shared love of the 1942 … Continue reading
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