Review: The Cross and the Lynching Tree

The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book has been sitting on my wife's work theological shelf (I'm sure she's read it- just not me) for a while and the title has always intrigued me. It is a striking juxtaposition and, of course, the subject of the essays within combine a robust theology of the cross with an equally robust remembrance of the practice of lynching which was the Black experience in the US for several generations after the Civil War. It is a striking and painful contrast.

Cone's main thesis in the several essays has two threads. The first, is the Black recognition of the parallel between Jesus' death of the cross and the practice of lynching Black men, women and children perpetrated by the white community. Cone draws out that parallel clearly in the words of the victims themselves, their religious leaders, activists, artists. The recognition of that parallel fed the Black community through all those years of lynchings and explains many things about the vitality of the Black church and its reliance on Jesus through this time.

The second theme is the incomprehension of the white liberals or white Christians in seeing this parallel. This is true both of those sympathetic to the lynchers and those who were not. It is, as Cone suggests, an indictment on both white liberals and white Christians that we missed this and that we didn't push harder against lynching, insisting on, if anything, a gradualist approach at a time that people were dying. As someone who does try to take a moderate stance on many issues, it is a clear warning that there are times and places where moderation is not called for, but rather a cry for justice is what is needed.

This is a brilliant book and well worth reading. It does and should make the reader uncomfortable, especially if they're white. But that discomfort is a good thing.

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Review: Justinian

Justinian by H.N. Turteltaub
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an interesting historical fiction offering, written by Harry Turtledove with a pseudonym, charting the story of the Byzantine Emperor, Justinian II Rhinotmetus (the slit-nosed), who qualifies as one the crazier of the crazy Byzantine Emperors. Mind you, I get the craziness of the second reign. I'm not sure I'd be best pleased with people who had cut my nose off.

The novel tells the tale of this Emperor by interposing a narrative featuring Justinian himself as the author, interposed by the reactions and additions of a fictional guardsman and loyal supporter of Justinian who corrects the main story from the prospect of twenty years later In the course of the story, we see various luminaries and future emperors appear and disappear from the story. The story itself is compelling and largely based on the Byzantines sources. That makes sense because Turtledove was studying Byzantine history before he because a sci-fi/fantasy writer.

The narrative itself is very much in Turtledove's style and is compelling. The fictional guardsman, Myakes, is a standard Turtledove hero- sensible, brave, loyal. Justinian, well, Justinian, he's a mess-spoiled, entitled, brilliant, stubborn, proud and ultimately crazy for revenge (again, not sure I'd be in a good mood if someone chopped my nose off). The story watches Justinian's first downfall, his recovery and his ultimate self-destruction in sometimes painful detail. Justinian is not an easy character, but he is vivid and is a study of a person undone by his faults. In that sense, he is a bit of a tragic hero.

This is book is worth reading and I enjoyed it a lot. A knowledge of Byzantine history is helpful, but not essential for reading this. But it is a fascinating story and an interesting reconstruction.

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Review: Twelve Ordinary Men

Twelve Ordinary Men by John F. MacArthur Jr.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I read this book as part of a men's group I belong to. I must admit that I was a little nervous about it when we starting, knowing MacArthur's reputation. I have to admit that that nervousness was rather justified.

This book is a compilation of a couple versions of sermon series on the lives of the twelve apostles. Now, as anyone who has some acquaintance with the Bible will quickly realise, that isn't necessarily an easy prospect. Some apostles are mentioned a lot in the Bible, so sketching their character isn't that difficult. Some, well, are hardly mentioned past the lists of apostles in each of the Gospels. MacArthur solves this by grouping the apostles at times and sometimes by extrapolating from the admittedly scanty information we have. The result is certainly a lively piece of writing which is highly readable and often helpful.

Yet, this book left a lot of sour notes for me. MacArthur does play a little fast and loose with the Biblial accounts at times, and especially in his deployment of Greek words to support his argument. That is subtle, but can lead to some false conclusions. In addition, there is very much a Christian self-help on manhood vibe under some of these biographies, which can get a bit frustrating because it very much feels forced a lot of the time.

I'm not sure I would recommend this book, without a lot of caveats. While readable, I'm not sure I trust its readings a lot of the time.

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Review: Golden Mouth: The Story of John Chrysostom-Ascetic, Preacher, Bishop

Golden Mouth: The Story of John Chrysostom-Ascetic, Preacher, Bishop by J.N.D. Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a re-read from my patristics reading craze in the early 2000s. I've had this in my library for years and read it a few times, but never got around to reviewing here, so here we go.

This is a biography of the Church Father, theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople and, above all, sermon writer, St. John Chrysostom (the Golden-Tongued). Written by J.N.D. Kelly, a giant in patristics from the last couple of generations, this is a thorough biography of this brilliant, if controversial figure. Kelly does a good job with the abundant sources for John's life (his own sermons and treatises, the histories of the big three fourth century church historians- Socrates Scholasticus, Sozomon and Theodoret of Cirrhus, as well as assorted saint's lives etc). He pieces together John's dramatic life, especially in his dealing with the imperial court of Arcadius.

It is a good, readable biography which explains much about John's career. The reconstructions make sense, although a thorough review would involved a lot of reading. It is a good introduction to this fascinating early Christian writer. Now, go out and find some of St. John's sermons, because they are worth reading on their own.

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Review: The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe

The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe by Matthew Gabriele
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those popularizing books on the Middle Ages (sorry, Bright Ages) which come out every once in a while, which are trying to make it clear that the Middle Ages were not a swamp of illiteracy, superstition and nastiness as Renaissance thinkings characterized it, but a vibrant and interesting time in its own right. As someone who is drawn to elements of the Middle Ages, I have to admit my sympathies here and now. It is tedious to constantly hear the tired, old characterizations of that era over and over again.

So, the author's answer is to call these years (roughly 450s to 1350s) the Bright Ages. I have to admit that my reaction to that was to wonder if was a bit 'Monty Python, Life of Brian "You Always have to Live on the Bright Side of Life'. And it is...a little. That is, unlike many takes on these years, the focus is on the positive and as a corrective it is useful. That said, the authors also don't shy away from the darker sides of those years too, so there is more balance than one normally finds in these kinds of books.

The writing is quite superb, if episodic. The authors focus on important moments in the period to give a sense of the culture, often anchoring it in great works of art. That means having a good sense of the general narrative of the mediaeval period is a good thing, otherwise, I can see getting a bit lost in the episodes. That said, the writing is beautiful and really insightful. The reflections on the Crusades in the era of the alt.right and the Black Plague in the age of COVID are particularly affecting for their connection to today. The breadth of the discussion, taking in not only Western Europe, but also the Byzantine and Islamic East (and south), is also fascinating, bringing in episodes which most people will not be aware of and revealing the connections within the mediaeval world which most people aren't aware of.

This is a really great book and worth taking time to savour.

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Review: Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys: A Native American Expression of the Jesus Way

Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys: A Native American Expression of the Jesus Way by Richard Twiss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is actually one of my wife's books, but I wanted to pick it up because I do think I need to diversify my theological reading. I'm glad I did because this takes an interesting approach to a critical question, that of acculturation. The perspective, of course, is an indigenous one and is taking on the heavy hand of Western conceptions of Christianity within indigenous communities. Twiss brings an abundance of experience in finding a new way to worship Christ within a specifically indigenous context, adapting such practices as drumming, singing and sweat lodges (to name a few) to a Christian one.

The main point of the book is the argument that this kind of incorporation of various indigenous practices into Christian worship is not only acceptable practice (contrary to those who argue that only the Western concepts are free of idolatry etc), but is preferential. His point that Christianity has always acculturated itself to the cultures it encounters is, for me, pretty transparently obvious- any look at Christian history such, for instance, the patristic era, will make that clear enough. However, I also recognize that the Western prejudice towards its own acculturated practices is so prevalent that the point has to be made and argued. And Twiss does that quite clearly.

This is a valuable book and, I think, an important one in order to understand what indigenous Christian spirituality contributes to the mosaic of Christian expressions.

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Review: Lectio Divina as Contemplative Pedagogy: Re-appropriating Monastic Practice for the Humanities

Lectio Divina as Contemplative Pedagogy: Re-appropriating Monastic Practice for the Humanities by Mary Keator
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was something of a chance purchase because I bought it pretty much sight unseen while looking around on my online bookstore. It intrigued me because it combined two parts of my life, my vocation as a teacher and interest in Benedictine spirituality. I mean, how could I leave this on the virtual shelf?

This book, of course, has to be understood within the context of the contemplative teaching movement, which has been gaining steam since the 1990s, with the writings, especially, of Parker Palmer, bell hicks and such educational commentators. It is an attempt to recover a spiritual focus on the whole learner by deepening the experience of learning through contemplative techniques. Much of the literature has tended to draw its inspiration from Buddhism or a secularized version of Buddhist thinking around mindfulness. This book caught my eye because it was trying to apply a specifically Christian spiritual discipline to contemplative learning.

The focus of the book is trying to use the spiritual practice of lectio divina, a monastic way of reading texts (especially the Bible) slowly and reflectively. Keator applies the lectio approach to her college literature courses, discusses the background to the practices, how one can reflect them in a modern classroom and what the pedagogical challenges are. She isn't the first to think of this- Maria Lichtmann did it before her- but what I like about this book is that she applies it very practically and gives suggestions about how to do it with a flesh and blood class. It is still a difficult process because it runs counter to so much in our culture- careerism, the speed of technology, the reluctance to dig deep. But Keator makes it feel possible.

A caveat though. This approach works best, I think, when the instructor has more or less total control over the curriculum. That is, it presumes that one person is making the decisions and can structure their course whatever way they like. I'm a high school teacher and, while I teach Latin and have that freedom, I also teach English and that is a little harder to manage. Full independence is difficult to achieve in a high school, which may explain why the contemplative teaching movement seems to be slower to catch on in that context.

However, I still think it is important to consider these insights and, honestly, I think this is going to be a book that I read and re-read several times to see what I can do. I may not be able to structure my whole course like this, but I think that I can take some of the insights and use them to good effect.

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Review: Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe

Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe by Judith Herrin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I ran into this book browsing the electronic offerings of my public library. I was searching for Byzantine books and this one, written by one of the more notable Byzantinists of this generation, leaped out at me. Ravenna,that bastion of Byzantine power in Italy, was, it turns out a labour of love for the author, who visited Ravenna when she was younger and was inspired by the fusion of Byzantine, Gothic and Roman art and architecture.

This book looks at the history of this remarkable city. That is not an easy task because, like many cities in the Mediterranean at this time, sources are lacking and there are substantial gaps in the records. Herrin uses written sources such as histories as well as inscriptions and physical evidence to produce a coherent narrative of this city from the fifth century, when it rose to prominence as the capital of the Western Roman Empire into the 9th century, as an outpost of Byzantine control until its fall to the Lombards. The story is complicated and more and more focused on the ecclesiastical politics which characterized the mediaeval era in Italy.

This is a fascinating book, which gives a clear sense of the history of Ravenna, but just as importantly, a real sense of the physical setting of the city and its art. I've never visited Ravenna on my various travels in Italy, but, I admit, this puts it firmly on my list.

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Review: A Bridge Too Far

A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a throwback to my high school days, when I read this book on a rather regular basis. It is an account, heavily based on eyewitnesses and on detailed archive research, of the ill-fated Operation Market-Garden, the British offensive in September of 1944, which sought to drive the German army out of the Netherlands and gain a bridgehead on the Rhine at Arnheim. The strategy to gain that objective was the most massive airborne landing in history, which was designed to capture the bridges along one highway leading to the Rhine bridge at Arnheim. Then, a armoured spearhead would push up that one highway and reach the Rhine within two days, establish a bridgehead and, maybe, even drive for Berlin. Conceived in the heady days of the liberation of France in the summer and fall of 1944, the plan assumed the Germans were close to collapse. Despite the heady optimism, one of the commanders, during the planning, wondered openly whether they might be trying to going one bridge too far.

The book offers a vivid narrative of the planning and execution of this ambitious and, well, rather fool-hardy offensive. It covers the over-confidence of the planners, who missed two battered SS panzer divisions who arrived in the Arnheim area to rest and the chaos as the troops on the ground faced both heavier than expected resistance, but also more difficult weather, logistics and support. Despite everything that went wrong, Ryan conveys an effort which almost, but not quite managed to succeed. His meticulous research gives a clear sense of what was going on at any point on both sides and among the Dutch civilians. It makes for fascinating reading.

Despite its age, this book is a classic in World War Ii battle history. It is so well written that it was even made into a movie, which popularized the story. It is a really worthwhile book to read for those who want to get a sense of what World War II was like on the ground.

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Review: Day by Day with Saint Benedict

Day by Day with Saint Benedict by Terrence G. Kardong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up just over a year ago and decided to use it as part of my daily spiritual routine each day for 2021. It is, as one suggests, a setting of readings organized daily throughout the year. The readings, equally obviously, are drawn from the Rule of Benedict, the handbook of monastic life. The excerpts are arranged by Father Terrence Kardong, of Assumption Abbey in North Dakota, who was a noted expert in the Rule of Benedict and Benedictine monk, who passed away recently.

The excerpts are arranged for each day and followed by some commentary on the day's excerpt, written by Father Kardong. The commentary ranges from giving background, connections to the monastic context and sometimes stories involving the principle at the time. They aren't arranged in the sequence they occur in the Rule. In fact, I'm not sure if I quite understand how they are organized. That could get a bit confusing at times, even for someone, like me, who is moderately familiar with the Rule.

I found it a helpful resource most days, but occasionally verging on abstruse or downright unclear. The stories are often amusing, but sometimes not clear about what their point is. There is much that is useful in this book, so it is definitely worth reading, but the organization can sometimes fight the final result.

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Review: Augustine of Hippo: A Biography

Augustine of Hippo: A Biography by Peter R.L. Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of the classic biographies on Augustine of Hippo by one of the great scholars of the last generation, Peter Brown. It is also a re-read for me because I had to read this book as part of a course on Mediaeval History, which I unofficial termed 'Beginnings Intensive Augustine' because we read the Confessions, City of God and this biography in one term. So, twenty years later, I thought I'd go back and see how Peter Brown has faired.

Well, he faired not badly. Not that that is a surprise. Peter Brown is a superb scholar and will always be worth reading. He , along with others, spearheaded a revival of interest in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages in the 1970s and 80s. And he's written several classic monographs, this one included. If you're interested in Augustinian studies, you'll probably want to read this one sooner or later.

That said, I have to admit that I also think that this book is showing its age a bit, in much the same way that Ronald Syme's Roman Revolution was in the 90s when I read it. The occasional intrusion of Cold War political categories can be distracting, even when we recognize that, at the time, it was topical. That's a minor point, of course- nothing ages easier than contemporary references. It doesn't invalidate the work.

I also have to admit that I think Brown's views on Augustine shift as Augustine ages. He pretty clearly likes the young Augustine, struggling with philosophy and belief, sympathizes, but is wary of the middle-aged Augustine and positively dislikes the elderly Augustine (especially of the Pelagian controversy). That is a common take on Augustine, so he comes by it honestly, although it is one that I'm wary of. The Pelagians and their talk of personal responsibility and dismissal of primal sin are congenial to our modern and post-modern ears. I do think that that we tend to ignore the dark side of this Pelagian theology, that it is terribly perfectionistic because, if you're sinning, well, you'd better just smarten up and pull up your spiritual bootstraps. That is also a pretty modernist way of thinking of things, but I'm not sure if it is especially helpful to those who may be struggling in their faith. But that is neither here nor there for this review.

Of course, if you're interested in Augustine, you should read this book. It is one of the best treatments of him. So, go, read it.

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Review: Red Moon Rising: How 24-7 Prayer Is Awakening a Generation

Red Moon Rising: How 24-7 Prayer Is Awakening a Generation by Pete Greig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found this book because of an app. The app, Lectio 365, is a wonderful meditation app that I stumbled upon and have made a part of my morning devotions over the last year or so. I've really appreciate its lectio divina style and its commitment to prayer, mission, learning, justice, and creativity. So, I knew this book was one of the essential texts, telling the story of the movement which created the Lection 365 app- 24/7 prayer.

The story goes back to the turn of the millenium (that sounds impressive!), with the creation of a few prayer rooms, committed to praying around the clock. The author, Pete Grieg, stumbled on the idea, rather than planned it, partly as he was seeking new ways to reach young people and partly as a result of encountering the Moravian Church's earliest church, Hernhut in Germany. The movement grew rapidly, especially in Europe, but also throughout the world, so that, within years, a whole movement emerged. The books captures the headiness of the time and the passion of both Grieg and his co-workers. The movement went viral in a way that is a bit more common place now, but was astonishing and a little scary at the time. It is an inspiring story.

But...I found this book a little hard to read. Part of that might be because I'm a pretty introverted person and my own lean in prayer tends to be quiet and contemplative. Part of it is that I'm not sure I always know what to do with intercessory prayer which is a major focus in this book, both doing it and finding answers to those prayers. And I know I struggle with the concept of 'prayer warriors'- those who take on themselves the task of intercessory prayer as a species of spiritual warfare. I found the imagery of the 24/7 prayer movement being a army of young people praying rather worrying, especially because I am so used to the co-opting of Christian spirituality by politicians, so I know this 'prayer warrior' language is so often a part of a conservative expression of Christianity which I really worry about.

This isn't to say that prayer doesn't have an aspect of confronting evil or confronting sin in the world (spiritual warfare, otherwise). I think it does. But I also believe that the battlelines lie within as much as they lie without. And I don't even think Grieg and 24/7 Prayer would disagree with that.
But I admit, I'm still uncomfortable that the imagery because it does suggest that the problem is out there, not in here.

Still, I'm glad to have read this. It is good to see how this group came about and I'm grateful that they came to a place to provide such a grounding and helpful presence in the world. I'm grateful for the grounding influence of the Moravian church and of the neo-monastic Boiler Rooms which grew out of the prayer rooms.

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Review: Spirit, Soul, Body: Toward an Integral Christian Spirituality

Spirit, Soul, Body: Toward an Integral Christian Spirituality by Cyprian Consiglio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this book up because I've seen the author, who is the Prior of New Camaldoli Hermitage in California, on several YouTube videos which I have found really helpful. I'm glad I did, although I have to admit that this has not been an easy read by any stretch of the imagination. However, it has been worthwhile, I think.

So, this book's main focus is to set out the case for a non-dualist understanding of the Christian faith- one that sees no division between body and soul, and, for that matter, spirit. The author uses Christian texts, to be sure, but also weaves in his extensive knowledge of Eastern, especially Hindu and Buddhist, thinking, often mediated through the work of Bede Griffiths. If that sounds like a lot, it is. I was drawn to this approach because I'm not especially acquainted with the Eastern sources or Bede Griffiths, but was interested to see how they might intersect. I'm not sure I actually understand all that I've read about these traditions because my lack of a background meant that some of the denser passages were rather heavy going.

I'm not sure that I have especially incisive things to say beyond this. I really struggled with understanding large parts of this book, but I put that down to lack of exposure to many of the ideas and concepts discussed therein. I know I had to go back and re-read chapters to make sure I actually understood that. That was particularly true of the passages dealing with Eastern ideas, but really I found the overall vision enticing. I still would recommend the book because its vision of combined contemplation and action, body, soul and spirit is something that I think Christians need to take head of.

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Review: Rome and Persia in Late Antiquity: Neighbours and Rivals

Rome and Persia in Late Antiquity: Neighbours and Rivals by Beate Dignas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this book up in the spring because I was really looking for materials for Rome's interactions with the surrounding civilizations. It is a combination of a short monograph and a selection of sources on the relationship of the Romans and the Sasanian Persians from the foundation of Sasanian rule in the third century to the collapse of Persia in the face of the Islamic invasions. The scholarship is sound and gives a good picture of this relationship from both sides.

The only caveat I have about this book is that I would have liked more Persian sources. There are some, don't get me wrong, but the majority are Roman-Byzantine which tends to imbalance the document section a bit. I should also note here that I'm by no means an expert on Persian sources for this period, so it may be that there aren't many more that are available. However, more, if possible, would work against the prevalent bias towards the Roman point of view.

However, even with that caveat, this is a superb book and worth spending time with. It gives a good view of Persian-Roman relations and many of the important sources for them.

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Review: Slavery in the Roman World

Slavery in the Roman World by Sandra R. Joshel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked up this book while trawling for books around Christmas and just got around to reading it. Joshel offers a good overview of Roman slavery, without getting too bogged down in the controversies and other distractions in the topic. She presents a variety of historical, legal and epigraphic texts to tease out what slavery meant in the Roman world, but the strength of the book really is in the attempt to understand how it look at it from the slave point of view. It is an occupational hazard in the study of the ancient Greek and Roman world that most of our sources are elite sources, so it is harder work to tease out what is happening to everyone else. And slaves are among the most invisible of the invisible.

Joshel also considers Roman slavery with other forms. Her point that there really was no 'North' to run to or really any secure place to escape is a good one, and, I think, crucial for the development of Roman slavery. Her discussion on resistance to slavery as shown by elite criticisms of slaves as lazy or dishonest or unreliable is a good one and one I'll be incorporating into my Latin classes in the fall.

This is a slim volume and a good overview. Obviously, there is much more to say about the topic. However, this is an excellent place to start.

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Review: Lovers of the Place: Monasticism Loose in the Church

Lovers of the Place: Monasticism Loose in the Church by Francis Kline
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Learning Latin the Ancient Way: Latin Textbooks from the Ancient World

Learning Latin the Ancient Way: Latin Textbooks from the Ancient World by Eleanor Dickey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Practice of the Presence of God

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Romans: From Village to Empire: A History of Rome from Earliest Times to the End of the Western Empire

The Romans: From Village to Empire: A History of Rome from Earliest Times to the End of the Western Empire by Mary T. Boatwright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a good, university level textbook which covers the history of the Roman Empire from its foundation to its end. Written by a team of first-rate scholars, this book provides a strong overview for the Romans and is an excellent place to start the study of the Romans. This edition is the second edition, so it has presumably been updated from the first (I hadn't read the first edition, so I can't comment on improvements).

What I enjoyed about this text is its blend of political and social/cultural history for each period. It makes interesting connections to cultures around it, as well as giving a good view of what was going on internally which influenced the development of the Roman state and culture. For me, it was a good review and, as I had intended it, a good general resource for my teaching, when I need to remind myself about something. That makes it a quite useful text.

Like any textbook, the view is general and there's always nuances that one might want to make, but for which there isn't space. However, this book gives a strong sense of the field and deserves a place on the shelf for anyone interested in Roman history.

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A Classical Resourcement

 A word that has been going around my head the last few months happens to be a French word.  That is a bit odd for me because my French is so poor that it is rare for any French word to stick, but this one has. It is resourcement. Its original meaning relates to a Roman Catholic theological movement of the early 20th century which set the stage for the Vatican II reforms by an re-examination of the past in order to re-examine the accretions of the past. Oddly, it, also, seems to be seeping into the world of the spirituality of education as a term whereby one shifts the emotional tone of a conflict to allow for a new and creative response. In itself, this shift is intriguing, but I'm not sure what to do with that. I don't normally quote Wiktionary, but here are some quotations for that usage: Wiktionary-resourcement

Now, what is it about this word that is causing it to stick in my mind? After all, it is a term for a somewhat obscure theological movement or a  new word emerging in a strange, but intriguing corner of the educational world. That is a good question, if I say so myself. What fascinates me about resourcement is that, at least in my mind, it is a word that seems to look both backwards and forwards. The backwards part is easy, of course. The most common cry of those interested in resourcement is "ad fontes!" or 'To the sources!" and, if that isn't a cry that every self-respecting historian can get behind, I don't know what is. In its own way, isn't it just a historian's slogans which we keep shouting at each other as we beaver through the archives. How is all this resourcement talk supposed to relate to now?

Yet, somehow it does. Hidden in that strange French word is a hint that we don't just go back to the past for its own sake or because we'd like to escape there or for our own edification. We go back to try to understand. We go back because we look around this world and wonder, how did we get here and is all this all have be the way we say it is. It is reflecting on the past, but with different questions in our mind- 'did our source actually say that?' 'why did we think it said something else?' 'where did it get that idea?' 'is there some other way we could go?' We may find some surprising things which cause us to see our world and our practices with new eyes or we may find there are something about the past that we don't want to emulate anymore, which are no longer good for us (if they ever were). It is this sense of using the past to disturb the status quo which fascinates me. 

I could go in so many different directions with how practically the word can be used in my varied interests, but I'll confine myself to just one- the field of Classics. Let me propose that there now, thankfully, a resourcement underway. We heard the first rumblings of it in the 1990s when I was in grad school with the Black Athena controversies, but it has burst forth with greater and greater momentum in the late 2010s and in COVID-tide. It is a call to look again at our sources with an anti-racist lens to ask new questions: 'what are the connections of the Graeco-Roman world to the rest of the world?' 'how does white supremacy influence how we read our sources?' 'how have we marginalized non-white voices in the past and how are we doing it now?' 

Those are critical questions and ones whose answers are not just a matter of academic interest, but which need to inform our decisions about our future as a discipline as well as what we bring to the wider non-scholarly world. For too long, we have believed our privilege was our justification for our place in the educational world- knowing Latin and Greek as the marks of 'civilized' people. Yet, what we've discovered is that there are so many civilized peoples, so many flourishing cultures that we no longer have the corner of that market, if we ever truly did. What we are scrambling to do is try to figure out why Graeco-Roman Classics is worth studying, amid all these other choices out there? What makes us compelling when we remove our assumed privilege? The answer- I don't know, but one path to get that answer is resourcement- filtering for white privilege and recasting ourselves in a new way.