1 |
The Tower of Babel |
Cuneiform |
Unknown |
BCE 250000-539 |
For thousands of years, cuneiform was the means of transmitting information through space and time in the Ancient Near East. Then, something happened. |
01:28:00 |
 |
 |
2 |
Before the Flood |
Enuma Elish and Atrahasis |
Unknown |
BCE 1700-1500 |
The Enuma Elish and the Atrahasis, in circulation 3,800 years ago, were Mesopotamia's creation and flood epics, making them 1,000 years older than Genesis. |
01:11:00 |
 |
 |
3 |
He Who Saw the Deep |
The Epic of Gilgamesh |
Unknown |
BCE 1500-1100 |
The Epic of Gilgamesh, composed 3,000-5,000 years ago, and first translated in the 1860s and 70s, was one of the greatest literary discoveries of all time. |
01:01:00 |
 |
 |
4 |
Divine Judgment |
The Book of the Dead |
Unknown |
BCE 1550 |
In the 3,500 year old Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, we can find the roots of the world's religions. |
00:48:00 |
 |
 |
5 |
Beneath the Obelisks |
Ancient Egyptian folktales |
Unknown |
BCE 2000-1800 |
We know about Ancient Egypt's pyramids, temples, and sarcophagi. What about its folktales and stories? |
00:53:00 |
 |
 |
6 |
The Pros and Cons of Wisdom |
Ancient Egyptian wisdom literature |
Unknown |
BCE 1100 |
Ancient Egypt produced a great deal of proverbs and wisdom literature. Some of it even slipped into the bible. But how wise is wisdom literature? |
00:49:00 |
 |
 |
7 |
Hesiod's Lands and Seasons |
Works and Days |
Hesiod |
BCE 700s |
Before Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato, there was a grouchy farmer poet whose Works and Days continues to fascinate us. |
01:10:00 |
 |
 |
8 |
Before Orthodoxy |
The Theogony |
Hesiod |
BCE 700s |
Elementals, giants, titans and gods! Hesiod's Theogony chronicles a great war - one which would leave a single entity sovereign over the cosmos. |
00:57:00 |
 |
 |
9 |
Glittering Bronze Men |
The Iliad |
Homer |
BCE 700s |
The Iliad, Books 1-8. Homer’s Iliad is the Tyrannosaurus Rex of ancient epics. And at the core of its 24 books is one shiny metal. |
01:51:00 |
 |
 |
10 |
Homer's Gods |
The Iliad |
Homer |
BCE 700s |
The Iliad, Books 9-16. The violent and spellbinding middle books of the Iliad leave us with questions about Homer’s theology. |
01:47:00 |
 |
 |
11 |
Who Was Homer? |
The Iliad |
Homer |
BCE 700s |
The Iliad, Books 17-24. As the Iliad reaches its spectacular climax, it’s time to ask a big question. Who wrote it? |
01:41:00 |
 |
 |
12 |
Kleos and Nostos |
The Odyssey |
Homer |
BCE 700s |
The Odyssey, Books 1-8. Adventure, monsters, temptresses, and a whole lot of wine-dark Aegean. Learn all about the world of Homer’s Odyssey. |
01:47:00 |
 |
 |
13 |
His Mind Teeming |
The Odyssey |
Homer |
BCE 700s |
The Odyssey, Books 9-16. The most famous part of Homer's Odyssey sees Odysseus through perilous adventures and begins to give us a sense of who he is. |
01:48:00 |
 |
 |
14 |
The Autumn Leaves |
The Odyssey |
Homer |
BCE 700s |
The Odyssey, Books 17-24. As we reach the violent climax of Odysseus’ great adventures, it’s time to spend some time considering Homer’s worldview. |
02:11:00 |
 |
 |
15 |
Canaan |
Biblical Archaeology |
n/a |
BCE 1670-586 |
The Old Testament, Part 1 of 10. 1207 BCE. Two world empires. And between them, an unassuming strip of seacoast land that has been at the center of history, ever since. |
01:32:00 |
 |
 |
16 |
Four Main Parts |
The Old Testament |
various |
BCE 750-50 |
The Old Testament, Part 2 of 10. There are tons of books, thousands of proper nouns, and many versions of the Old Testament. But all of it fits into four main parts. |
01:14:00 |
 |
 |
17 |
Roots of the Pentateuch |
Genesis-Deuteronomy |
various |
BCE 750-50 |
The Old Testament, Part 3 of 10. Hear the Biblical story of creation and the first founders of Israel, and the texts that may have influenced this story.
|
01:56:00 |
 |
 |
18 |
The 613 Commandments |
Genesis-Deuteronomy |
various |
BCE 750-50 |
The Old Testament, Part 4 of 10. Eden, the Flood, the Commandments– all fine. But what’s with all the stuff about tents, sacrifices, and – uh – testicles?
|
01:44:00 |
 |
 |
19 |
The One Who Struggles with God |
Joshua-Esther |
various |
BCE 750-50 |
The Old Testament, Part 5 of 10. The Historical Books tell of Israel’s conflicts with Syria, Assyria, Egypt, and finally, exile to the corridors of Babylon. |
02:08:00 |
 |
 |
20 |
The Problem of Evil |
The Book of Job |
various |
BCE 750-50 |
The Old Testament, Part 6 of 10. If God is so good, then why do the good and innocent suffer? The Book of Job’s aim is to answer this question. |
01:28:00 |
 |
 |
21 |
The Bible's Magic Trick |
The Book of Psalms |
various |
BCE 750-50 |
The Old Testament, Part 7 of 10. In the Book of Psalms, a single, fascinating, familiar linguistic device propels the world’s most famous poems. |
01:24:00 |
 |
 |
22 |
Fatalism |
Ecclesiastes |
various |
BCE 750-50 |
The Old Testament, Part 8 of 10. If there is one Biblical book that explains all of life, thick and thin, love and anguish, that book is probably Ecclesiastes. |
01:34:00 |
 |
 |
23 |
Love, Desire, Exegesis |
The Song of Songs |
various |
BCE 750-50 |
The Old Testament, Part 9 of 10. What’s the Song of Songs doing in the Bible? Is it a pious hymn to God, or just a couple of horny lovers talking to each other? |
01:18:00 |
 |
 |
24 |
God May Relent |
The Prophetic Books |
various |
BCE 750-50 |
The Old Testament, Part 10 of 10. The seventeen Prophetic Books, produced during war and diaspora, are both despairingly bleak and searingly hopeful. |
01:53:00 |
 |
 |
25 |
Lyrical Ballistics |
Archaic Greek Poetry |
various |
BCE 750-500 |
The work of Sappho, Pindar, and other remarkable Greek lyric poets makes us question everything we think we know about poetry, what it is, and what it does. |
01:35:00 |
 |
 |
26 |
Ancient Greek Theater |
The History of Classical Athenian Theater |
n/a |
BCE 508-404 |
Masks. Choruses. Huge prosthetic penises. Before you read Sophocles, Euripides, and company, it’s a good idea to know a bit about Ancient Greek theater. |
01:39:00 |
 |
 |
27 |
The Bloody King |
Agamemnon |
Aeschylus |
BCE 458 |
Aeschylus’ Oresteian Trilogy, 1 of 3. A terrible family curse. A wronged queen. The Trojan War was only the start of the bloodshed. |
01:53:00 |
 |
 |
28 |
A Mother's Curse |
The Libation Bearers |
Aeschylus |
BCE 458 |
Aeschylus’ Oresteian Trilogy, 2 of 3. The infernal House of Atreus had witnessed almost every imaginable act of depravity. Except for one. |
01:37:00 |
 |
 |
29 |
The Mound and the Furies |
The Eumenides |
Aeschylus |
BCE 458 |
Aeschylus’ Oresteian Trilogy, 3 of 3. Pursued all the away to Athens by the monstrous Furies, will Orestes prevail, or be torn apart? |
01:29:00 |
 |
 |
30 |
Two Legs in the Afternoon |
Oedipus the King |
Sophocles |
BCE 429 |
Sophocles’ Theban Plays, 1 of 3. Oedipus the King is one of literature’s great stories. It’s also a haunting window into the fears of war torn Athens in 429 BCE. |
01:54:00 |
 |
 |
31 |
The Requiem at Athens |
Oedipus at Colonus |
Sophocles |
BCE 401 |
Sophocles’ Theban Plays, 2 of 3. Oedipus at Colonus, out of the ashes of the Peloponnesian War, is a story about a man who has lost everything but his own dignity. |
01:29:00 |
 |
 |
32 |
Trees Bending to the Torrent |
Antigone |
Sophocles |
BCE 441 |
Sophocles’ Theban Plays, 3 of 3. Antigone is a timeless and dark story about a clash of wills. But it’s also fascinating snapshot of the philosophical brawls of 5th-century BCE Athens. |
01:59:00 |
 |
 |
33 |
Woman the Barbarian |
Medea |
Euripides |
BCE 431 |
Euripides’ Medea is Ancient Greece’s most famous play. But what did it mean to the Athenians in 431 BCE who watched it on the Acropolis? |
01:57:00 |
 |
 |
34 |
The Traditions of Our Forefathers |
The Bacchae |
Euripides |
BCE 405 |
Euripides’ The Bacchae, one of the darkest and bloodiest works of Ancient Greek tragedy, is about the spread of cult religions during the late Peloponnesian War. |
02:06:00 |
 |
 |
35 |
The Great Thundercrap |
The Clouds |
Aristophanes |
BCE 423 |
Aristophanes’ The Clouds is a dazzling satire on Athenian philosophy, showing a very different Socrates than Plato’s. |
01:39:00 |
 |
 |
36 |
War and Peace and Sex |
Lysistrata |
Aristophanes |
BCE 411 |
Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, with all of its nudity, sex, and explicit language, was nonetheless his most powerful salvo against the Peloponnesian War. |
01:40:00 |
 |
 |
37 |
The New Comedy |
Old Cantankerous |
Menander |
BCE 316 |
Menander’s Old Cantankerous (316 BCE), produced during the New Comedy period, shows theater beginning to take on its modern form. |
01:36:00 |
 |
 |
38 |
The Epic Anti-Hero |
Jason and the Argonauts |
Apollonius |
BCE 250 (c) |
Jason and the Argonauts, Books 1-2. Journey with Jason to find the Golden Fleece, and learn about the Greco-Egyptian writer, Apollonius of Rhodes. |
01:51:00 |
 |
 |
39 |
Medea and the Argonauts |
Jason and the Argonauts |
Apollonius |
BCE 250 (c) |
Apollonius’ Jason and the Argonauts, Books 3-4. Mesmerizing Medea takes center stage at the Argonautica’s end, dominating the epic’s events. |
01:36:00 |
 |
 |
40 |
Hellenism and the Birth of the Self |
n/a |
n/a |
BCE 330-30 |
The Hellenistic period – 330-30 BCE, saw Alexander’s successor kingdoms rotting away in the east, the rise of Rome, and the birth of modern consciousness. |
01:55:00 |
 |
 |
41 |
Everything So Far |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
A retrospective of everything L&H has covered so far, plus some special announcements. |
01:22:00 |
 |
 |
42 |
The Beginnings of Roman Literature |
n/a |
n/a |
BCE 364-160 |
Roman literature grew slowly from Greek traditions during the 300s and 200s BCE. Learn about its earliest figures, and how they paved the way for the age of Cicero. |
01:50:00 |
 |
 |
43 |
On the Move |
The Rope |
Plautus |
BCE 195-85 |
Plautus (c. 254-184 BCE) was a prolific comedy writer. His late play, The Rope, captures the dizzying changes sweeping Rome after the Second Punic War. |
01:55:00 |
 |
 |
44 |
Homo Sum |
The Brothers |
Terence |
BCE 160 |
The Roman playwright Terence (c. 184-159 BCE) produced a string of brilliant comedies in the 160s BCE. His masterpiece, The Brothers, continues to astonish us today.
|
01:55:00 |
 |
 |
45 |
The Uncuttables |
On the Nature of Things |
Lucretius |
c. BCE 60 |
Lucretius (c. 94-53 BCE) is our most important source for Epicurean philosophy, perhaps the most misunderstood school of thought from the ancient world.
|
01:50:00 |
 |
 |
46 |
The Republic at Twilight |
Cicero's Early Life and the Late Republic |
Cicero |
BCE 106-80 |
Cicero (106-43 BCE) was the undisputed master of the Latin language. During his first thirty years, he witnessed events that heralded the Republic’s end.
|
01:32:00 |
 |
 |
47 |
O Tempora, O Mores! |
Cicero's Career Up to 62 BCE |
Cicero |
BCE 106-80 |
The story of Cicero’s career is an epic tale, filled with courtroom dramas, corruption, conspiracy, greed, and Cicero’s own enduring hope for a better future.
|
01:42:00 |
 |
 |
48 |
The Right and the Expedient |
Cicero's Career After 62 BCE |
Cicero |
BCE 106-80 |
Following his consulship, Cicero did his best to salvage the battered Republic, eventually going head to head with the powerful young general Mark Antony.
|
01:35:00 |
 |
 |
49 |
The Strange Roots of Love |
The Poetry of Catullus |
Catullus |
BCE 84-54 |
Catullus (c. 85-54 BCE) is Rome’s most famous early poet. Departing from epic tradition, Catullus wrote a canon of short works that have been famous since antiquity. |
01:54:00 |
 |
 |
50 |
Our Brutal Age |
The Poetry of Horace |
Horace |
BCE 35-13 |
The Roman poet Horace (65-8 BCE), a contemporary of Augustus, endured wars, regime changes, and became a literary spokesman for the new principate. |
01:52:00 |
 |
 |
51 |
Horace and Augustan Poetry |
The Poetry of Horace |
Horace |
BCE 35-13 |
Horace (65-8 BCE) was a central figure in shaping Augustan Age tastes in satire and literary criticism. His bumbling, self conscious persona has been charming readers for millenia. |
01:43:00 |
 |
 |
52 |
White Flowers Die |
The Eclogues |
Virgil |
BCE 38 |
Virgil’s Eclogues (c. 38 BCE) are poems about country life. Far from being innocent celebrations, though, they are often cryptic, and filled with a haunting darkness. |
01:50:00 |
 |
 |
53 |
Then Came Hard Iron |
The Georgics |
Virgil |
BCE 29 |
Virgil’s Georgics (c. 29 BCE), or agriculture poems, show the poet reaching his full strength as a writer, and using an old form to analyze the history around him. |
01:53:00 |
 |
 |
54 |
Out of Troy |
The Aeneid Books 1-3 |
Virgil |
BCE 19 |
Virgil's Aeneid, Books 1-3. The Aeneid is Rome's great epic. Learn the story of its first three books, and when and why Virgil began writing it. |
02:13:00 |
 |
 |
55 |
Among the Shades |
The Aeneid Books 4-6 |
Virgil |
BCE 19 |
Virgil’s Aeneid, Books 4-6. The story of Dido and Aeneas, and his subsequent journey to the underworld, is the heart of Rome’s most famous poem. |
02:23:00 |
 |
 |
56 |
I Shall Release Hell |
The Aeneid Books 7-9 |
Virgil |
BCE 19 |
Virgil’s Aeneid, Books 7-9. Aeneas’ arrival in Italy begins auspiciously enough, but soon things take a turn for the worse.
|
01:58:00 |
 |
 |
57 |
The World Grows Dim and Black |
The Aeneid Books 10-12 |
Virgil |
BCE 19 |
Virgil’s Aeneid, Books 10-12. The end of Rome’s great epic is about something Romans of Virgil’s generation knew very well indeed. War. |
01:58:00 |
 |
 |
58 |
She Caught Me with Her Eyes |
The Poetry of Propertius |
Propertius |
BCE 29-15 |
Propertius (c. 50-1 BCE) took the Latin elegiac form to new heights of complexity and passion, even weaving subtle satire throughout his work. |
01:44:00 |
 |
 |
59 |
Early Ovid |
The Amores and Heroides |
Ovid |
BCE 23-3 |
The love poetry of Ovid (43 BCE-17 CE) was standard Latin curriculum for hundreds of years, but it was also the product of a very specific historical moment.
|
01:30:00 |
 |
 |
60 |
How to Make Love to a Roman |
The Ars Amatoria and Remedia Amoris |
Ovid |
BCE 4 |
Ovid’s Art of Love is ancient Rome’s manual of seduction – a record of the steamier side of the Augustan Age. |
01:50:00 |
 |
 |
61 |
Changes of Shape |
The Metamorphoses, Books 1-5 |
Ovid |
CE 8 |
This book influenced thousands of years of later literature, and remains one of our best source texts on classical mythology. |
02:14:00 |
 |
 |
62 |
A Curious Passion |
The Metamorphoses, Books 6-10 |
Ovid |
CE 8 |
Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Books 6-10. In the middle portion of Ovid’s great poem, psychological transformations become as gripping as physical ones. |
02:07:00 |
 |
 |
63 |
All Is In Flux |
The Metamorphoses, Books 11-15 |
Ovid |
CE 8 |
Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Books 11-15. The vast Metamorphoses draws to a resonant conclusion as Ovid brings his great poem to Rome itself. |
02:11:00 |
 |
 |
64 |
Ovid's Exile |
The Tristia and Epistulae Ex Ponto |
Ovid |
CE 8-13 |
For mysterious reasons, in 8 CE, Ovid was exiled from Rome. Ovid’s last works were composed an ocean away from Italy, on the western shore of the Black Sea. |
01:39:00 |
 |
 |
65 |
Seneca and the Julio-Claudians |
The Life and Works of Seneca the Younger |
Seneca |
CE 40-65 |
Seneca the Younger (c 1 BCE-65 CE) practiced the philosophy of stoicism over the course of several volatile, and very different imperial reigns. |
02:07:00 |
 |
 |
66 |
Stoicism, Seneca, St. Paul |
Senecan Philosophy, Acts, and the Epistles |
Seneca |
CE 40-65 |
Stoicism, starting with Zeno in 300 BCE, was a popular philosophy by the lifetime of Seneca, perhaps even making its way into the New Testament. |
01:34:00 |
 |
 |
67 |
Jaws Dripping Blood |
Thyestes |
Seneca |
CE 54-65 |
Seneca’s Thyestes, probably written around the 50s CE, is one of the most horrifying and influential plays ever written. |
01:13:00 |
 |
 |
68 |
Love Means Sin |
Phaedra |
Seneca |
CE 54-65 |
Seneca’s Phaedra (c 50s CE) is the story of an illicit passion, a stoic cautionary tale and simultaneously vivid character study. |
01:35:00 |
 |
 |
69 |
Rome's Comic Novel |
The Satyricon |
Petronius |
CE 60-3 |
Petronius’ Satyricon is a contender for history’s first novel, a picaresque filled with sex, misadventures, and details about daily life. |
02:00:00 |
 |
 |
70 |
Rome's Forgotten Epic |
The Thebaid |
Statius |
CE 92 |
Statius’ Thebaid, Books 1-6. This epic is hardly ever read or taught these days, but in 100 CE, it was as famous as anything in the Roman world. |
01:55:00 |
 |
 |
71 |
The Gods Depart |
The Thebaid |
Statius |
CE 92 |
Statius’ Thebaid, Books 7-12. Six hundred years after Aeschylus, Statius once again brought the Theban epic to a thunderous conclusion. |
02:16:00 |
 |
 |
72 |
Bread and Circuses |
The Satires |
Juvenal |
CE 100-130 |
Juvenal’s Satires, produced some time in the decades around 100 CE, mercilessly mock some of the more colorful aspects of Roman life. |
01:51:00 |
 |
 |
73 |
The Golden Ass |
The Golden Ass |
Apuleius |
c. 160 CE |
Apuleius’ The Golden Ass is Ancient Rome’s only novel to survive in full – a strange, often disturbing fairytale that had a huge influence on posterity. |
02:35:00 |
 |
 |
74 |
Marcus Aurelius |
The Meditations |
Marcus Aurelius |
c. 165-180 CE |
Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations shows an intelligent emperor coping with the realities of an empire buckling under its own weight. |
01:51:00 |
 |
 |
75 |
Dusk and Starlight |
None |
None |
100-800 CE |
A retrospective on the material we’ve covered thus far as we head into Early Christianity and Late Antiquity, plus some announcements. |
02:06:00 |
 |
 |
76 |
Judea Under Herod |
None |
None |
73-4 BCE |
The Roman client king Herod (c. 73-4 BCE) ruled Judea for thirty years. Learn about his rule, and the political and religious climate of Judea just before the birth of Christ. |
01:52:00 |
 |
 |
77 |
The Gospels |
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John |
Various |
c. 60-90 CE |
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the heart of the New Testament. And today, historians and Biblical scholars know more about them than ever before. |
02:40:00 |
 |
 |
78 |
The Book of Acts |
The New Testament Book of Acts |
Anonymous |
c. 85 CE |
The story of Christianity’s first missionaries is a sweeping , intercontinental narrative, filled with danger, strange encounters, and the hope for a better future. |
02:16:00 |
 |
 |
79 |
The Pauline Epistles |
The Letters of Saint Paul |
Paul of Tarsus et. al. |
c. 50-65 CE |
Possibly the most influential theologian in history, Paul codified and clarified Christianity as it emerged into the diverse world of the Eastern Mediterranean. |
02:17:00 |
 |
 |
80 |
The General Epistles |
The Epistles of James, John, Peter and Jude |
Various |
c. 50-120 CE |
The later epistles of the New Testament show early Christian theology expanding and evolving in the ancient Mediterranean. |
02:04:00 |
 |
 |
81 |
Revelation |
The Apocalypse of John |
John of Patmos |
c. 70-100 CE |
One of the most spectacular pieces of writing in the world’s religious texts, Revelation influenced generations of writers and theologians. |
02:18:00 |
 |
 |
82 |
Zoroastrianism |
The Avesta and Early History of Zoroastrianism |
n/a |
1,000 BCE - 1,000 CE |
Learn the basic tenets and early history of Zoroastrianism, one of the most important and widespread religions in the ancient world, and possibly earth’s oldest living monotheism. |
02:19:00 |
 |
 |
83 |
Gnosticism |
The Nag Hammadi Library, Codex Tchacos, and Berlin Codex |
n/a |
c. 100-500 CE |
The Nag Hammadi Library, Codex Tchacos, and Berlin Codex, as they came to light in the twentieth century, radically changed our understanding of early Christianity. |
02:16:00 |
 |
 |
84 |
Manichaeanism |
Manichaean Texts from Egypt and Xinjiang |
n/a |
c. 224-500 CE |
After 300 CE, Manichaeism spread quickly from its origins in modern day Iraq and Iran. Recent archaeological discoveries have finally allowed us to learn about it firsthand. |
01:59:00 |
 |
 |
85 |
River |
A retrospective of Early Christianity |
n/a |
n/a |
A primer on Biblical canon formation, retrospective on what we’ve covered so far, and introduction to the upcoming season. |
01:56:00 |
 |
 |
86 |
An Introduction to Late Antiquity |
n/a |
n/a |
c. 200-700 CE |
Once pervasively described as a period of fall and decline, today Late Antiquity is often understood as a period of cultural flowering and economic revolution. |
02:23:00 |
 |
 |
87 |
Lucian of Samosata |
The Short Works of Lucian |
Lucian of Samosata |
c. 160-180 CE |
The satirist Lucian (c. 125-180) was popular in his own time and during the Renaissance, among other things probably being the first author of science fiction. |
01:42:00 |
 |
 |
88 |
Ancient Greek Sci-fi |
A True Story |
Lucian of Samosata |
c. 160-180 CE |
In roughly the 160s CE, the Greek satirist Lucian of Samosata wrote A True Story, one of history’s earliest surviving novels, with strong tinges of what we’d call science fiction. |
01:56:00 |
 |
 |
89 |
The Aethiopica of Heliodorus |
The Aethiopica |
Heliodorus of Emesa |
c. 250-370 CE |
Heliodorus of Emesa (3rd/4th century CE) wrote the longest novel to have survived from antiquity, an adventurous romance that reemerged into Europe in the 1500s. |
02:12:00 |
 |
 |
90 |
Ante-Nicene Catholicism |
n/a |
n/a |
c. 60-200 CE |
Learn the documentary history behind how the Catholic Church was founded and set up as an organization, together with some of the works of the earliest church fathers. |
02:04:00 |
 |
 |
91 |
The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity |
The Martyr Narrative of Saint Perpetua of Carthage |
unknown |
c. 203-9 CE |
In Carthage, in 203 CE, a Roman noblewoman and her retinue were butchered in an amphitheater. Learn her story, and the earliest history of Christian martyrs. |
02:12:00 |
 |
 |
92 |
Athanasius' Life of Antony |
Early Christian Eremitic Saints' Lives |
Athanasius |
c. 355-95 CE |
Athanasius (c. 297-373) wrote a wildly popular biography of the desert hermit St. Anthony, touting the ideals of asceticism and triumph over demonic temptation. |
02:06:00 |
 |
 |
93 |
Severus' Life of Saint Martin |
The Life of Saint Martin and Priscillianist Controversy |
Sulpicius Severus |
c. 397 CE |
Sulpicius Severus’ (c. 363-425) life of St. Martin is one of the great hagiographies – a portrait of a timeless saint, but also of a human being and working bishop. |
01:58:00 |
 |
 |
94 |
Ausonius |
The Poetry of Ausonius |
Ausonius |
c. 330-390 CE |
One of the later Latin poets of the Empire, Ausonius’ expansive body of work gives us a window into the changing world of fourth-century Roman culture. |
01:53:00 |
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95 |
Rutilius Namatianus |
De Reditu Suo |
Rutilius Namatianus |
c. 417 CE |
In 417 CE, the Roman poet Rutilius Namatianus journeyed from Rome back to his homeland of Gaul, not knowing whether there was a home to return to. |
02:03:00 |
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96 |
The Last Pagan Epic |
The Dionysiaca, Books 1-24 |
Nonnus |
Fifth Century CE |
The last epic from Greco-Roman antiquity that survives in full, Nonnus’ fifth-century Dionysiaca tells of the wine god Dionysus’ journey eastward, to India. |
02:14:00 |
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97 |
Blood and Ivy |
The Dionysiaca, Books 25-48 |
Nonnus |
Fifth Century CE |
The Dionysiaca, Part 2 of 2. The last surviving Greek epic of antiquity draws to a close with Dionysus fighting wars far to the east, in India. |
02:32:00 |
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98 |
The Life and Works of Saint Jerome |
Saint Jerome's Generation and Catholic Theology, 370-420 |
Jerome |
370-420 |
Polyglot Jerome (347-420) had a gigantic impact on all subsequent Christian history, leaving behind a huge body of works, including the Latin Bible. |
02:10:00 |
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99 |
The Boy Who Stole Pears |
The Confessions, Books 1-7 |
Augustine of Hippo |
397-400 |
Augustine’s Confessions, Part 1 of 2. The first half of Augustine’s Confessions tells of his wayward early years, his intellectual journey, and his spiritual awakening. |
01:55:00 |
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100 |
Late Have I Loved You |
The Confessions, Books 8-13 |
Augustine of Hippo |
397-400 |
Augustine’s Confessions, Part 2 of 2. The second half of Augustine’s Confessions contains some of the most famous theology in Christian history.
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02:05:00 |
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101 |
Against the Pagans |
The City of God, Books 1-10 |
Augustine of Hippo |
413-17 |
Augustine’s City of God, Part 1 of 2. The first half of the City of God is a broadside against paganism – its culture, religion, and history, subjects about which Augustine had much to say. |
02:16:00 |
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102 |
An Old Man's Book |
The City of God, Books 11-22 |
Augustine of Hippo |
417-27 |
Augustine’s City of God, Part 2 of 2. The second half of the City of God contains some of Late Antiquity’s most influential writings – most notably Augustine’s take on Original Sin. |
02:28:00 |
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