Alan
and Em cover 3 stories each (or more like 6 each) from the non-fiction graphic work The Big book of Martyrs. They also talk generally about martyrs, saints, and persecution.
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Here is an example of how one of the stories referenced in the episode looks in the book:
Link #1: "Blood on the Church Floor," by Ravenhill
Link #2: "Over My Dead Body," by Steve Taylor
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"Up until the time of Constantine ..."
ReplyDeleteAt which point I picture the Evil Kermit for Muppets Most Wanted and think, "Well, that got weird fast." ;)
And then we get to the feedback segment and the discussion of Dragon Age: Inquisition and here comes Mel Brooks singing in my head.
DeleteLove the "live commenting" aspect of this, Gene.
DeleteOn the topic at hand, though, I always think of Saint Winifred when thinking of martyrs, and that's not so much because of my Catholic upbringing but because of my love of the Cadfael series staring Derek Jacobi.
ReplyDeleteIn most of the episodes, the Saint is used as a backdrop as a way to explain a festival or pilgrims. In the episode (and book) "A Morbid Taste for Bones", though, she plays a central role being both the McGuffin for the story and part of the solution to the problem at hand.
If neither of you has seen (or read) Cadfael, I would simply say WELL WHY NOT?!?! And then, calmer, I would point you to Amazon Prime where you can watch the whole series for free. Maybe even for a future episode, so then it would be considered "work". ;)
Great, Gene! You know that Em loves that kind of "work!"
DeleteFirst, the "old business": I did read The Book of Ruth graphic novel and really enjoyed it. I thought it was a really good "updating" of the story, and would be pretty easy for a contemporary reader to follow. My wife saw me reading it, and then she read it afterward, and enjoyed it, too. Also, I have listened to the audiobook versions of all six (so far) of the Fred, the Vampire Accountant novels and enjoyed them immensely. I recommended them to a friend who is an actuary, and she said she already has them on her "to read" list.
ReplyDeleteNow, to the "new business": You had me at "Big Book of Martyrs". The title alone brought me back to my parochial grammar school days, during which we read and heard many stories of the saints and martyrs. I was glad that you explained the distinction between saints, in general, and martyrs, in particular, as well as the stages in the process of canonization, and terms like "Devil's Advocate", since not everyone would be familiar with these things. The martyrs you picked to highlight were interesting, to say the least, as were those you did not pick. Have no fear, your choices not to pick Saints Peter and Paul did not trouble this particular Catholic. I find St. Peter far more interesting for what we know of his life than for his martyrdom, and St. Paul certainly gets enough attention already.
I laughed at the story of the sainted greyhound. It reminded me so very much of some of the "pious legends", as they were called, that we read and heard in my days at St. Bridget's School. Even as youngsters, we knew enough not to take these things as fact, but we were taught that even such fanciful stories had truths to tell us. ("Something doesn't have to be factual to be 'true' in a deeper sense.")
I also enjoyed your mentioning St. Agatha, and how she became the Patron Saint of Bell Ringers. ( See here, too)
Here is something hilarious for St. Stephen, as well.
Thanks, as always, to you and to your listeners who sent feedback for giving me things to remember, to think about, and to learn about.
Thank you for the St Stephen rock candy ... before that, we thought that only Evangelicals came up with insane products like that!
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ReplyDeleteThis episode inspired me to get and read The Big Book of Martyrs, which was fun. I particularly wanted to read one of the stories you talked about, that of St. Phocas. The last panel of that story, when the soldier said, "Seems such a waste. He was a decent man.", reminded me of this scene in The Princess Bride.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, the hyperlink doesn't seem to be working. I must have messed up the HTML. Anyway, it's the scene of the duel between Inigo Montoya and the Man in Black (at this point in the movie, we're not supposed to know who that is), with this bit of dialogue.
ReplyDeleteInigo: You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you.
Man in Black: You seem a decent fellow. I hate to die.
Perfect
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