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24<script id="wpcom_remote_login_js"> 25var wpcom_remote_login_extra_auth = ''; 26function wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( element_id ) { 27 var dom_node = document.getElementById( element_id ); 28 if ( dom_node ) { dom_node.parentNode.removeChild( dom_node ); } 29} 30function wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_classes( class_name ) { 31 var dom_nodes = document.querySelectorAll( '.' + class_name ); 32 for ( var i = 0; i < dom_nodes.length; i++ ) { 33 dom_nodes[ i ].parentNode.removeChild( dom_nodes[ i ] ); 34 } 35} 36function wpcom_remote_login_final_cleanup() { 37 wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_classes( "wpcom_remote_login_msg" ); 38 wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( "wpcom_remote_login_key" ); 39 wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( "wpcom_remote_login_validate" ); 40 wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( "wpcom_remote_login_js" ); 41 wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( "wpcom_request_access_iframe" ); 42 wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( "wpcom_request_access_styles" ); 43} 44 45// Watch for messages back from the remote login 46window.addEventListener( "message", function( e ) { 47 if ( e.origin === "https://r-login.wordpress.com" ) { 48 var data = {}; 49 try { 50 data = JSON.parse( e.data ); 51 } catch( e ) { 52 wpcom_remote_login_final_cleanup(); 53 return; 54 } 55 56 if ( data.msg === 'LOGIN' ) { 57 // Clean up the login check iframe 58 wpcom_remote_login_remove_dom_node_id( "wpcom_remote_login_key" ); 59 60 var id_regex = new RegExp( /^[0-9]+$/ ); 61 var token_regex = new RegExp( /^.*|.*|.*$/ ); 62 if ( 63 token_regex.test( data.token ) 64 && id_regex.test( data.wpcomid ) 65 ) { 66 // We have everything we need to ask for a login 67 var script = document.createElement( "script" ); 68 script.setAttribute( "id", "wpcom_remote_login_validate" ); 69 script.src = '/remote-login.php?wpcom_remote_login=validate' 70 + '&wpcomid=' + data.wpcomid 71 + '&token=' + encodeURIComponent( data.token ) 72 + '&host=' + window.location.protocol 73 + '//' + window.location.hostname 74 + '&postid=111870' 75 + '&is_singular='; 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131 132 var css = 'html { -webkit-transition: margin-top 1s; transition: margin-top 1s; } /* 9001 */ html { margin-top: 46px !important; } * html body { margin-top: 46px !important; } @media screen and ( max-width: 660px ) { html { margin-top: 71px !important; } * html body { margin-top: 71px !important; } #wpcom_request_access_iframe { display: block; height: 71px !important; } } #wpcom_request_access_iframe { border: 0px; height: 46px; position: fixed; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; min-width: 100%; z-index: 99999; background: #23282d; } '; 133 134 var style = document.createElement( 'style' ); 135 style.type = 'text/css'; 136 style.id = 'wpcom_request_access_styles'; 137 style.appendChild( document.createTextNode( css ) ); 138 document.body.appendChild( style ); 139 140 document.body.appendChild( iframe ); 141 } 142 143 if ( data.msg === 'DONE' ) { 144 wpcom_remote_login_final_cleanup(); 145 } 146 } 147}, false ); 148 149// Inject the remote login iframe after the page has had a chance to load 150// more critical resources 151window.addEventListener( "DOMContentLoaded", function( e ) { 152 var iframe = document.createElement( "iframe" );
153 iframe.style.display = "none"; 154 iframe.setAttribute( "scrolling", "no" ); 155 iframe.setAttribute( "id", "wpcom_remote_login_key" ); 156 iframe.src = "https://r-login.wordpress.com/remote-login.php" 157 + "?wpcom_remote_login=key" 158 + "&origin=aHR0cHM6Ly9tZXJlaW5rbGluZy5uZXQ%3D" 159 + "&wpcomid=26930382" 160 + "&time=" + Math.floor( Date.now() / 1000 ); 161 document.body.appendChild( iframe ); 162}, false ); 163</script>
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555 <div id="content" class="site-content"> 556 557 <div id="primary" class="content-area"> 558 <main id="main" class="site-main" role="main"> 559 560 561 562 563<article id="post-111870" class="post-111870 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-animals category-c-s-lewis category-history category-j-r-r-tolkien category-latin category-literature category-modern-life category-music category-narnia category-nature category-words category-writing tag-aesop tag-ai tag-ai-writing tag-allegories tag-animals tag-apologues tag-aslan tag-c-s-lewis tag-fables tag-fiction tag-genres tag-j-r-r-tolkien tag-lions tag-literature tag-music tag-narnia tag-nonfiction tag-parables tag-writing"> 564 <div class="entry-wrapper"> 565 <header class="entry-header"> 566 <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/07/22/c-s-lewis-apologues-and-allegories/" rel="bookmark">C.S. Lewis, Apologues & Allegories</a></h1> 567 <div class="entry-meta"> 568 <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/07/22/c-s-lewis-apologues-and-allegories/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published updated" datetime="2025-07-22T08:47:48-07:00">July 22, 2025</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://mereinkling.net/author/robstroud/">robstroud</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/animals/" rel="category tag">Animals</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/c-s-lewis/" rel="category tag">C.S. Lewis</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/history/" rel="category tag">History</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/j-r-r-tolkien/" rel="category tag">J.R.R. Tolkien</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/history/latin/" rel="category tag">Latin</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/literature/" rel="category tag">Literature</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/modern-life/" rel="category tag">Modern Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/music/" rel="category tag">Music</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/narnia/" rel="category tag">Narnia</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/nature/" rel="category tag">Nature</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/writing/words/" rel="category tag">Words</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/writing/" rel="category tag">Writing</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/07/22/c-s-lewis-apologues-and-allegories/#comments">29 Comments</a></span> </div><!-- .entry-meta --> 569 </header><!-- .entry-header --> 570 571 <div class="entry-content"> 572 <div class="wp-block-image"> 573<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/aslan-allegory.png"><img data-attachment-id="111884" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/2025/07/22/c-s-lewis-apologues-and-allegories/aslan-allegory/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/aslan-allegory.png" data-orig-size="2359,1531" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="aslan allegory" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/aslan-allegory.png?w=640" width="1024" height="664" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/aslan-allegory.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-111884" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/aslan-allegory.png?w=1024 1024w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/aslan-allegory.png?w=2048 2048w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/aslan-allegory.png?w=150 150w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/aslan-allegory.png?w=300 300w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/aslan-allegory.png?w=768 768w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/aslan-allegory.png?w=1440 1440w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure> 574</div> 575 576 577<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It has been argued that C.S. Lewis wrote apologues, but I humbly disagree.</p> 578 579 580 581<p class="wp-block-paragraph">An â<a href="https://en.bab.la/dictionary/english/apologue" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">apologue</a>,â you see, is defined as âa moral fable, especially one with animals as characters.â From that c
581ore definition, it makes sense to some that works such as <em>The Chronicles of Narnia</em> might be described as apologues. </p> 582 583 584 585<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, this term is usually applied to much simpler, more concise stories â  short moral fables (think Aesop) rather than an extended tales. âApologueâ is a vastly insufficient label for what J.R.R. Tolkien described as <em><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2024/10/08/only-god-can-create/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">subcreation</a></em>. Narnia is not a fable, it is a <em>world</em>.</p> 586 587 588 589<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Years ago I compared Aesopâs brief â<a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/11339/11339-h/11339-h.htm#THE_KINGDOM_OF_THE_LION" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Kingdom of the Lion</a>,â with C.S. Lewisâ brilliant vision of Aslan.</p> 590 591 592 593<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In â<a href="https://mereinkling.net/2014/02/13/the-lions-command/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Lionâs Command</a>,â I identified a virtuous parallel between the brief regent in the fable and the well-developed protagonist of Narnia. In the <em>Chronicles</em>, Narniaâs hero is nothing other than the Alpha and Omega, reigning over its <a href="https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2023/04/creation-narnia-joseph-pearce.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">creation</a> and preserving his kingdom to its <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2012/06/19/the-road-taken/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ultimate culmination</a>.</p> 594 595 596 597<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In â<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/45297226" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">C.S. Lewis and the Art of the Apologue</a>,â Samuel Joeckel argues that â<em>The Screwtape Letters </em>and <em>The Great Divorce</em> might be read as pure apologues, while Lewis’s other works of mythopoeia contain elements of the apologue.â This is an intriguing proposal, which has not gained much traction. Of course, Joeckelâs point that âelementsâ of apologue are present is certainly true, but that would be so when considering the work of numerous authors.</p> 598 599 600 601<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>If not an Apologue, might Narnia be an Allegory?</strong></p> 602 603 604 605<p class="wp-block-paragraph">An interesting article about <a href="https://study.com/academy/lesson/parable-in-literature-definition-examples.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">parables</a> contrasts parables and apologues in the following manner.</p> 606 607 608 609<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 610<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Another story style that is related to parables is the apologue. Apologues are short stories that are intended to convey a lesson, and they often use animals as characters. . . . Unlike parables, which generally have realistic scenarios, apologues allow an element of fantasy while maintaining a moral point.</p> 611</blockquote> 612 613 614 615<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The same article describes differences between parables and apologues as contrasted with allegories, such as George Orwellâs <em>Animal Farm</em>.</p> 616 617 618 619<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 620<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Parables are not the only type of story that present a moral lesson. Allegories are stories or poems where different elements are designed to convey abstract or spiritual meaning. . . . Allegories and parables are related in their use of symbolic language.</p> 621</blockquote> 622 623 624 625<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The difference is, in essence, one of complexity. While parables (and apologues) normally focus on a single lesson, allegories feature broader elements fleshing out a more elaborate lesson or message. </p> 626 627 628 629<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 630<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Allegories are more metaphorical and often involve characters representing abstract ideas, and the symbolism can be deeply complex. However, parables are more direct, with a simple narrative that usually involves a human character facing a moral dilemma or the consequences of a bad decision (â<a href="https://becomeawritertoday.com/allegory-vs-parable/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Allegory Vs. Parable</a>â). </p> 631</blockquote> 632 633 634 635<p class="wp-block-paragraph">â<a href="https://thecontentauthority.com/blog/allegory-vs-apologue" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Allegory vs Apologue</a>,â offers a similar distinction between these two literary exercises. </p> 636 637 638 639<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 640<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Allegory and apologue are both forms of extended metaphor that use symbolic characters and events to convey a deeper meaning. However, there are some important distinctions between the two. . . .</p> 641 642 643 644<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Apologue, on the other hand, is a more general term that refers to any story or fable that teaches a moral lesson. Unl
644ike allegory, apologue does not necessarily have a hidden meaning . . .</p> 645</blockquote> 646 647 648 649<p class="wp-block-paragraph">C.S. Lewis challenges the notion that allegories possess âhiddenâ themes. In his preface to <em>The Pilgrimâs Regress</em>, he argues that true allegories do not mask their message. </p> 650 651 652 653<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 654<p class="wp-block-paragraph">People . . . suppose that allegory is a disguise, a way of saying obscurely what could have been said more clearly. But in fact all good allegory exists not to hide but to reveal; to make the inner world more palpable by giving it an (imagined) concrete embodiment.</p> 655</blockquote> 656 657 658 659<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In <em><a href="https://lewisiana.nl/allegsum/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Allegory of Love: A Study of Medieval Tradition</a></em>, C.S. Lewis describes the unique goal of this literary device. </p> 660 661 662 663<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 664<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The function of allegory is not to hide but to reveal, and it is properly used only for that which cannot be said, or so well said, in literal speech.</p> 665 666 667 668<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The inner life, and specially the life of love, religion, and spiritual adventure, has therefore always been the field of true allegory; for here there are intangibles which only allegory can fix and reticences which only allegory can overcome. </p> 669</blockquote> 670 671 672 673<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In an essay about the author of <em><a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Faerie_Queene/ezGJtqUVqBMC?hl=en&gbpv=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Faerie Queene</a></em>, âEdmund Spenser, 1552â99,â Lewis lauds the path allegories pursue to illumine readers.</p> 674 675 676 677<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 678<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We shall understand it best (though this may seem paradoxical) by not trying too hard to understand it. Many things â such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly â are done worst when we try hardest to do them. Allegory is not a puzzle.</p> 679</blockquote> 680 681 682 683<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With C.S. Lewisâ genuine appreciation for good allegory, it is unsurprising that some readers are tempted to label <em>The Chronicles of Narnia</em> as such. After all, too brief and far too elaborate to be a collection of mere apologues, it seems logical. Yet, Lewis himself dispelled that conclusion. His opinion is expressed clearly in the following passage from a letter written in 1958.</p> 684 685 686 687<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 688<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If Aslan represented the immaterial Deity in the same way in which <a href="https://kenpulsmusic.com/pilgrimsprogress93.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Giant Despair</a> represents Despair [in<em> <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/131" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Pilgrimâs Progress</a></em>], he would be an allegorical figure.</p> 689 690 691 692<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In reality however he is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, âWhat might Christ become like, if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?â This is not allegory at all.</p> 693</blockquote> 694 695 696 697<p class="wp-block-paragraph">No, the <em>Chronicles</em> offer no mere allegory. Aslan and Narnia are something altogether more rare and precious . . . and uniquely inspiring.</p> 698 699 700 701<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> 702 703 704 705<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Bonus:</strong></p> 706 707 708 709<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For those inclined to see how the AI at ChatGPT might compose an analogue, consider the following examples. I offered three brief prompts and amazingly swift apologues. </p> 710 711 712 713<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1 wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#2516cc">â <strong><em>Write an apologue in ancient roman style about why a porcupine is hard to get along with.</em></strong></p> 714 715 716 717<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Certainly! Here’s an apologue in the style of ancient Roman moral tales â think Aesop with a Roman flavor (e.g., Phaedrus) â explaining why the porcupine is hard to get along with. This style uses simple characters, a brief narrative, and a moral at the end.</p> 718 719 720 721<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Apologue: The Porcupine and the Burrowers</strong></p> 722 723 724 725<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Characters:<br>~ Porcupine (Hystrix)<br>~ Mole (Talpa)<br>~ Hedgehog (Erinaceus)<br>Moralitas at the end.</p> 726 727 728 729<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the time when the earth still whispered secrets to beasts, a bitter winter approached. The animals who dwelt below ground gathered to find warmth together.</p> 730 731 732 733<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Mole, who dug deep and dark tunnels, said, âLet us share one chamber, and n
733one shall freeze.â</p> 734 735 736 737<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Hedgehog, with bristles soft enough in the cold, agreed. âWe are small and spined, but kindred in spirit.â</p> 738 739 740 741<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Then came the Porcupine, bristling with long, sharp quills. âI seek shelter,â he said. âLet me in.â</p> 742 743 744 745<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The others, though wary, welcomed him. âThere is warmth in many bodies, if none poke too hard.â</p> 746 747 748 749<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But when the Porcupine curled to sleep, his quills pricked every side of the burrow. The Mole winced. The Hedgehog bled. They shifted, gave him space â but no space was enough.</p> 750 751 752 753<p class="wp-block-paragraph">âFriend Porcupine,â said the Mole, âcan you not soften your stance?â</p> 754 755 756 757<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Porcupine replied, âMy quills are my nature. I mean no harm, yet I cannot change.â</p> 758 759 760 761<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, one by one, the others left, seeking colder but safer places.</p> 762 763 764 765<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Porcupine remained, alone in warmth â but with no friend near.</p> 766 767 768 769<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Moralitas:<br>He who cannot bend his nature to spare his neighbors must be content with solitude, for warmth of company is given only to those who wound not.</p> 770 771 772 773<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>Having delivered the moral of the fable, the AI was so thoughtful as to ask: âWould you like a Latin version of the apologue as well?â</em></strong></p> 774 775 776 777<p class="has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph">~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~</p> 778 779 780 781<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2 wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#2516cc">â <strong><em>Write an apologue in the style of C.S. Lewis about why classical music is better than rock and roll.</em></strong></p> 782 783 784 785<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Certainly! Here is an apologue in the style of C.S. Lewis â reminiscent of his storytelling in <em>The Screwtape Letters</em>, <em>The Chronicles of Narnia</em>, and <em>The Pilgrimâs Regress</em>. Lewis often used allegory and fable to convey theological or philosophical arguments through richly imagined, morally charged tales.</p> 786 787 788 789<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Apologue: The Two Gardens</strong></p> 790 791 792 793<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In an ancient land that bordered both silence and song, there lived two brothers: Eldarion and Ruckus.</p> 794 795 796 797<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Their father, the Keeper of Harmony, was a master gardener who tended to two great gardens, each grown from a different seed of music.</p> 798 799 800 801<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One garden was called Lyrion, and it bloomed with strange and delicate flowers. Trees sang there â not with words, but with symphonies. The air was always filled with the faint sound of strings, like something half-remembered from a dream. This was the realm of Classica, the music that had deep roots and slow unfolding blossoms.</p> 802 803 804 805<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The other garden, Thundra, was younger, wilder. Vines twisted with fire, and great drums beat like the hearts of giants. Flames leapt from the leaves when touched. This was the realm of Rocka, born of storm and impulse. It throbbed with noise and power.</p> 806 807 808 809<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One day, the father called his sons. âEach of you shall choose a garden to tend,â he said. âBut take heed: a garden grows into the likeness of its gardener.â</p> 810 811 812 813<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Eldarion, quiet and curious, chose Lyrion. He studied the old scores carved into the bark of the elder trees. He listened for the faintest cadences hidden in the wind. His garden grew slowly, but with order and depth. Some who visited said they heard <strong>truth</strong> in its song â though they could not explain it.</p> 814 815 816 817<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ruckus chose Thundra. He brought iron tools and thunderous machines. He shouted into the wind and danced among the fire-vines. His garden grew quickly, wildly, and it drew many visitors who loved its power. But the soil became hard, and the songs repeated themselves. At night, when the fire died, there was silence â and the silence frightened him.</p> 818 819 820 821<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Years passed.</p> 822 823 824 825<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One evening, Ruckus visited his brotherâs garden. It was still and strange, yet somehow more al
825ive. The music there did not grab the ear â it waited, like a cathedral waits for a footstep.</p> 826 827 828 829<p class="wp-block-paragraph">âI do not understand this,â said Ruckus.</p> 830 831 832 833<p class="wp-block-paragraph">âYouâre not meant to at first,â Eldarion said gently. âBut if you sit long enough, you may find it is not music you hear â but yourself.â</p> 834 835 836 837<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Moral:<br>Not all noise is music, and not all music is noise. That which is deep may not dazzle, but it endures.</p> 838 839 840 841<p class="has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph">~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~</p> 842 843 844 845<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3 wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#2516cc">â <strong><em>Write an apologue in the style of C.S. Lewis showing how reading nonfiction and fiction can be equally beneficial.</em></strong></p> 846 847 848 849<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Certainly! Hereâs an apologue in the style of C.S. Lewis, with his characteristic blend of gentle allegory, rational argument, and spiritual insight. Think of something akin to <em>The Great Divorce</em> or <em>The Pilgrimâs Regress</em> â a story that carries philosophical weight through symbolic characters and a clear moral undercurrent.</p> 850 851 852 853<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Apologue: The Library of the Lantern</strong></p> 854 855 856 857<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There was once a Traveller who came upon an ancient Library, tucked between the hills of two realms: Factland, where the roads were straight and numbered, and Fablemere, where the paths curled like ivy and sometimes moved when you werenât looking.</p> 858 859 860 861<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Traveller, weary from debate and burdened with questions, was greeted by an old librarian named Lucidus, who wore a cloak woven from both parchment and ink.</p> 862 863 864 865<p class="wp-block-paragraph">âYou may read whatever you like here,â said Lucidus. âBut I warn you: some shelves are straight, others crooked â and both are true.â</p> 866 867 868 869<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Traveller began in the Hall of Records, where volumes bore names like <em>The History of the World</em>, <em>Natural Laws</em>, <em>The Mind Explained</em>, and <em>Economics in Twelve Systems</em>. The books were hard, clear, and bright like winter ice. Every sentence pointed like an arrow, and the Traveller felt smarter with every page. âHere,â he thought, âis what I came for: answers.â</p> 870 871 872 873<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But after a time, the light grew harsh, and the words â though sharp â offered no rest. He felt he had learned much, and yet not grown.</p> 874 875 876 877<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So he wandered next into the Chamber of Tales. Here were strange books that spoke of dragons and dying stars, of heroes who were cowards and cowards who became saints. The logic bent like a rainbow, and the truth came sideways.</p> 878 879 880 881<p class="wp-block-paragraph">At first he scoffed. âThese things never happened!â</p> 882 883 884 885<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Lucidus appeared beside him and said quietly, âNo â but they always happen.â</p> 886 887 888 889<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So the Traveller read on. And he wept when the fox died, and laughed when the king made a fool of himself. He saw his pride in the villain and his longing in the wandering knight. He saw the world as it might be â and in doing so, saw more clearly what the world was.</p> 890 891 892 893<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Time passed. The Traveller read from both wings of the library, sometimes walking the marble floors of Factland, sometimes lying on the mossy rugs of Fablemere. One sharpened his mind; the other softened his heart. One taught him how things work; the other, why they matter.</p> 894 895 896 897<p class="wp-block-paragraph">At last, he approached Lucidus.</p> 898 899 900 901<p class="wp-block-paragraph">âWhich was truer?â the Traveller asked. âThe world I could measure, or the one I could feel?â</p> 902 903 904 905<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Lucidus smiled. âAh. One is the lamp, the other the flame. But both are needed to see.â</p> 906 907 908 909<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Moral:<br>Fiction teaches the soul what nonfiction explains to the mind â and wisdom lives where both meet.</p> 910 911 912 913<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>This proved to be a very interesting exercise, indeed.</em></strong></p> 914 915 916 917<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p> 918 919 920 </div><!-- .entry-content --> 921 </div> 922</article><!-- #post-## --> 923 924 925 926<article id="post-111627" class="post-111627 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-animals category-c-s-lewis category-christian-life category-family category-j-r-r-tolkien category-modern-life category-nature tag-adoption tag-animal-rescue tag-animals tag-c-s-lewis tag-cats tag-compassion tag-dogs tag-family tag-j-r-r-tolkien tag-mental-health tag-pets tag-suicide"> 927 <div class="entry-wrapper"> 928 <header class="entry-header"> 929 <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/07/02/dog-rescues/" rel="bookmark">Dogs & Rescues</a></h1> 930 <div class="entry-meta"> 931 <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/07/02/dog-rescues/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published updated" datetime="2025-07-02T14:18:06-07:00">July 2, 2025</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://mereinkling.net/author/robstroud/">robstroud</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/animals/" rel="category tag">Animals</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/c-s-lewis/" rel="category tag">C.S. Lewis</a>
931, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/christian-life/" rel="category tag">Christian Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/modern-life/family/" rel="category tag">Family</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/j-r-r-tolkien/" rel="category tag">J.R.R. Tolkien</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/modern-life/" rel="category tag">Modern Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/nature/" rel="category tag">Nature</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/07/02/dog-rescues/#comments">17 Comments</a></span> </div><!-- .entry-meta --> 932 </header><!-- .entry-header --> 933 934 <div class="entry-content"> 935 <div class="wp-block-image"> 936<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/willow-stroud.png"><img data-attachment-id="111630" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/2025/07/02/dog-rescues/willow-stroud/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/willow-stroud.png" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="Willow Stroud" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/willow-stroud.png?w=640" width="768" height="1024" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/willow-stroud.png?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-111630" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/willow-stroud.png?w=768 768w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/willow-stroud.png?w=1536 1536w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/willow-stroud.png?w=113 113w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/willow-stroud.png?w=225 225w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/willow-stroud.png?w=1440 1440w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a></figure> 937</div> 938 939 940<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When we add an un-homed dog to our family, who is the true ârescuer?â In the States, we call many of our agencies placing orphaned pets ârescue centers.â But I believe most of us who have welcomed such creatures into our homes feel less pride in doing whatâs noble, than we do appreciation for what these loving animals bring into our lives.</p> 941 942 943 944<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Long ago, I learned that the best way to tell about a personâs true character and compassion is to observe <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2018/06/28/worshipping-cats-dogs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">how they treat animals</a>.</p> 945 946 947 948<p class="wp-block-paragraph"> Nothing Iâve witnessed in the past decades has caused me to question that conviction.</p> 949 950 951 952<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Recently I saw a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln which expresses the same sentiment. </p> 953 954 955 956<p class="has-text-align-center has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4 wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#1c23a6">âI care not for a man’s religion<br>whose dog and cat are not the better for it.â</p> 957 958 959 960<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While the attribution of these words to Americaâs sixteenth president may be <a href="https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2020/08/unfounded-quotes-attributed-to-abraham-lincoln.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">questioned</a>, they are certainly consistent with his regard for dogs . . . and, as the quotation declared, <a href="https://conservationcubclub.com/president-lincoln-and-his-cats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cats</a> as well.</p> 961 962 963 964<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Four of our most recent six <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2014/01/13/a-song-has-ended/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dogs</a> have been rescues. All but one has been a <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2014/12/23/adopting-a-puppy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">border collie</a>.</p> 965 966 967 968<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The latest girl who joined our family, just last year, was promoted on a Border Collie Rescue page. She appeared to be a young mix with, of all things, a dalmatian.</p> 969 970 971 972<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When we traveled to meet her, we immediately suspected she lacked any border collie DNA, but we (and our older border collie) connected with her that day and she came home with us. A year later, weâre certain sheâs just, as our vet assessed, a mutt â but thatâs fine with us. The picture at the top of this page shows her resting on her adoptive momâs lap. (Many of her black spots have spread since we first got her when she resembled the victims of Cruella de Vil.)</p> 973 974 975 976<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Iâve written in the past about how <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2012/11/08/c-s-lewis-beloved-dogs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">C.S. Lewis loved dogs</a>. Itâs no surprise, of course, that a good-natured man of faith like Lewis would love animals.</p> 977 978 979 980<p class="wp-block-paragraph">J.R.R. Tolkien also loved dogs. They are featured in a number of his books, and a canine named Rover featured as the protagonist of his 1925 childrenâs story, <em>
980<a href="https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Roverandom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roverandom</a></em>.</p> 981 982 983 984<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>A Caution</strong></p> 985 986 987 988<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pay attention to how people treat animals. It is a clue to their psyche and a window into their soul. </p> 989 990 991 992<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While some people are indifferent to animals, which is normal, there are those who treat them with cold disregard or animosity. The message of â<a href="https://aldf.org/article/the-link-between-cruelty-to-animals-and-violence-toward-humans-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Link Between Cruelty to Animals and Violence Toward Humans</a>â confirms what we all recognize intuitively.</p> 993 994 995 996<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 997<p class="wp-block-paragraph">People who hurt animals donât stop with animals. There is an established link between cruelty to animals and violence toward humans . . .</p> 998 999 1000 1001<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This link makes it critically important that cruelty toward animals be taken seriously by law enforcement, and by society at large. This is for the sake of the animals themselves, and for people who are also at risk. . . .</p> 1002 1003 1004 1005<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ample research backs up the finding that there is a direct link between acts of cruelty to animals and violence toward humans. This includes child abuse, domestic violence, elder abuse and other violent behavior.</p> 1006</blockquote> 1007 1008 1009 1010<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There are good people, and bad people. Fortunately, in the case of the treatment of pets, the former outnumber the latter. One day, when Earth is made new and restored to its initial goodness, all life will once again be in harmony. As we hear in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%20148&version=ESV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Psalm 148</a> and <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rev%205%3A13&version=ESV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Revelation 5</a>,</p> 1011 1012 1013 1014<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1015<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Praise the Lord from the earth,<br> you great sea creatures and all deeps,<br>fire and hail, snow and mist,<br> stormy wind fulfilling his word!<br>Mountains and all hills,<br> fruit trees and all cedars!<br>Beasts and all livestock,<br> creeping things and flying birds!</p> 1016 1017 1018 1019<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, âTo him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb<br>be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!â</p> 1020</blockquote> 1021 1022 1023 1024<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Until that day, let us each act with compassion toward the creatures that enrich our lives, particularly those who trust us to protect their welfare.</p> 1025 1026 1027 1028<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>A Closing Thought</strong></p> 1029 1030 1031 1032<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sometimes the word ârescueâ applies literally. More than one lonely and clinically depressed person has stopped contemplating the <a href="https://servicedogssavinglives.org/transforming-suicide-prevention-through-canine-companions-for-veterans-and-first-responders/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ending of their life</a> when a gentle support animal brought light to their dark world. </p> 1033 1034 1035 1036<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Then there is the recent case of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/04/16/g-s1-60747/dog-finds-and-rescues-toddler-who-spent-night-lost-and-alone-in-arizona-desert" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Buford</a>, a ranch dog who found a two-year-old boy lost in a desert wilderness and remained with him overnight until he could lead him safely home.</p> 1037 1038 1039 1040<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As for who rescues whom, count me in the camp of those who believe the gift is mutual.</p> 1041 1042 1043 1044<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p> 1045 1046 1047 </div><!-- .entry-content --> 1048 </div> 1049</article><!-- #post-## --> 1050 1051 1052 1053<article id="post-110672" class="post-110672 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-c-s-lewis category-history category-just-war category-military-history category-modern-life category-narnia category-theological-matters tag-aslan tag-atomic-bomb tag-c-s-lewis tag-chronicles-of-narnia tag-enduring-freedom tag-iran tag-israel tag-military-operations tag-mutually-assured-destruction tag-narnia tag-nuclear-war tag-operation-narnia tag-queen-jadis tag-rising-lion tag-salvation tag-war"> 1054 <div class="entry-wrapper"> 1055 <header class="entry-header"> 1056 <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/06/24/c-s-lewis-irans-nuclear-program/" rel="bookmark">C.S. Lewis & Iranâs Nuclear Program</a></h1> 1057 <div class="entry-meta"> 1058 <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/06/24/c-s-lewis-irans-nuclear-program/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published updated" datetime="2025-06-24T13:38:46-07:00">June 24, 2025</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://mereinkling.net/author/robstroud/">robstroud</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/c-s-lewis/" rel="category tag">C.S. Lewis</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/history/" rel="category tag">History</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/theological-matters/just-war/" rel="category tag">Just War</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/history/military-history/" rel="category tag">Military History</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/modern-life/" rel="category tag">Modern Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/narnia/" rel="category tag">Narnia</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/theological-matters/" rel="category tag">Theological Matters</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/06/24/c-s-lewis-irans-nuclear-program/#comments">18 Comments</a></span> </div><!-- .entry-meta --> 1059 </header><!-- .entry-header --> 1060 1061 <div class="entry-content"> 1062 <div class="wp-block-image"> 1063<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/empress-jadis.png"><img data-attachment-id="110685" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/2025/06/24/c-s-lewis-irans-nuclear-program/empress-jadis/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/empress-jadis.png" data-orig-size="1855,1343" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="Empress Jadis" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/empress-jadis.png?w=640" width="1024" height="741" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/empress-jadis.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-110685" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/empress-jadis.png?w=1024 1024
1063w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/empress-jadis.png?w=150 150w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/empress-jadis.png?w=300 300w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/empress-jadis.png?w=768 768w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/empress-jadis.png?w=1440 1440w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/empress-jadis.png 1855w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure> 1064</div> 1065 1066 1067<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Connecting C.S. Lewis to the pursuit of nuclear weapons by Iranâs mullahs admittedly sounds like a protracted stretch. Yet the current conflict between Iran and Israel <em>does</em> have one astonishing element that does link the great Oxbridge professor with the conflict.</p> 1068 1069 1070 1071<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If youâre familiar with Lewisâ writings, you might logically assume the connection relates to his writing on <a href="https://www.acq.osd.mil/ncbdp/nm/NMHB2020rev/chapters/chapter13.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nuclear weapons</a>. After all, in 1948 he wrote an essay entitled â<a href="https://www.andybannister.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/cslewis-living-in-an-atomic-age.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">On Living in an Atomic Age</a>.â The matter is even more acute since we moved from the era of relatively minuscule A-bombs into a time when humanityâs H-bombs, employing fusion rather than mere fission, are thousands of times more deadly.</p> 1072 1073 1074 1075<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Lewis discusses some interesting philosophical (and theological) questions in his article. He begins by placing the question within the context of our inherent physical mortality. He writes, âdo not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation.â</p> 1076 1077 1078 1079<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1080<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. . . .</p> 1081 1082 1083 1084<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.</p> 1085</blockquote> 1086 1087 1088 1089<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Donât let the stoic beginning of his thoughts deter you from reading the essay itself, because C.S. Lewis does not leave us despairing. On the contrary, he offers <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2012/12/04/avoid-living-in-fear/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hope</a> and practical advice for maximizing the meaning of our lives. </p> 1090 1091 1092 1093<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Although C.S. Lewis lived into the beginning of the MAD (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/mutual-assured-destruction" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mutually Assured Destruction</a>) era, he chose not to inject himself into <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2020/09/15/c-s-lewis-and-garters/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">political subjects</a>, lest it detract from his advocacy for the simple Gospel.</p> 1094 1095 1096 1097<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Nevertheless, the brief note â<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/45347810" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">C.S. Lewis and Nuclear Weapons</a>,âpenned forty years ago by a âpeace activistâ pastor, conjectures on what the authorâs opinion may have been. It is thought-provoking, especially in mentioning a possible link between nuclear destruction and the âdeplorable wordâ referred to in The Chronicles of Narnia. </p> 1098 1099 1100 1101<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In <em>The Magicianâs Nephew</em>, Lewisâ child protagonists encounter a witch queen on the devasted world of Charn. Queen Jadis, when denied the power to rule over the planet, chose to invoke a curse that destroyed every living thing other than herself.
1101âThen I spoke the Deplorable Word. A moment later I was the only living thing beneath the sun.â</p> 1102 1103 1104 1105<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While Lewis does not elaborate on the nature of the destructive nature of this most deplorable of powers, Aslan does offer the following caution near the end of the novel.</p> 1106 1107 1108 1109<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1110<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It is not certain that some wicked one of your race will not find out a secret as evil as the Deplorable Word and use it to destroy all living things. And soon, very soon, before you are an old man and an old woman, great nations in your world will be ruled by tyrants who care no more for joy and justice and mercy than the Empress Jadis. Let your world beware.</p> 1111</blockquote> 1112 1113 1114 1115<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>So, what does this have to do with Iran & Israel?</strong></p> 1116 1117 1118 1119<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Frankly, I find the connection to be especially odd. As you may know, military entities have a propensity to apply nicknames or euphemisms to various things, such as their <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2013/09/30/powerful-names/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">weapon systems</a>.</p> 1120 1121 1122 1123<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is true for military campaigns or discrete operations. For example, the <a href="https://libguides.fdlp.gov/military-history-american-conflicts-and-wars/military-conflicts-since-1975" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">United States</a> has employed labels like Operation Linebacker (in Vietnam) and <a href="https://www.uso.org/stories/1798-naming-military-operations-is-a-war-of-words" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Operation Crossroads</a> (for 1946 nuclear weapons tests).</p> 1124 1125 1126 1127<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sadly, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK220068/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Operation Enduring Freedom</a> (in which I personally took part) did not live up to <em>its</em> name. Under the Taliban, Afghanistan has degenerated once again into a primitive morass which abuses its women and children.</p> 1128 1129 1130 1131<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A number of distinct operations have taken place during the current war between Iran (and its proxies) and Israel. <a href="https://www.christiantoday.com/news/operation-rising-lion-what-s-behind-the-name-of-israel-s-offensive-against-iran" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Operation Rising Lion</a> is Israelâs nomenclature for the various elements of their direct attack on Iran. One independent Jewish <a href="https://forward.com/culture/728869/meaning-of-operation-rising-lion-netanyahu-israel-iran-bible/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">news site</a> points out how Benjamin Netanyahu foreshadowed the campaign in May when he said, âthe verse in the Tanach that most fits with an existential war? Thatâs our war â a war of existence . . . A people that rises like a lion, leaps up like the king of beasts.â</p> 1132 1133 1134 1135<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1136<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Every Israeli <a href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/israel-s-wars-and-operations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">military operation</a> has a name, and the Iran attack is now called <em>Am Kâlavi</em>, or âa people like a lionâ â the exact wording Netanyahu used six weeks ago. English-language publications now refer to the operation as âRising Lion.â</p> 1137</blockquote> 1138 1139 1140 1141<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While this is quite interesting, it is the name assigned to one of the subsidiary operations encompassed by Rising Lion which possesses a genuinely shocking designation.</p> 1142 1143 1144 1145<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One initial focus of Israelâs campaign was to eliminate the leading scientists leading Iranâs efforts to pursue a nuclear arsenal. They named this particular facet <strong>Operation Narnia</strong>.</p> 1146 1147 1148 1149<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When I first saw that, I immediately thought I must have misread the title. But no, they actually chose Narnia as the name for the assassinations. At that point I thought they might be referring to some <em>other</em> Narnia. Alas, it doesnât appear they were alluding to the <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/37337/narni-italys-ins
1149piration-for-the-magical-realm-of-c-s-lewis" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">medieval Italian city</a> whose name inspired C.S. Lewis.</p> 1150 1151 1152 1153<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The reason for choosing Narnia as the operationâs title was apparently an intentional reference to the amazing world where so many of us met the awesome and compassionate Aslan. In ââ<a href="https://matzav.com/operation-narnia-how-israeli-intelligence-targeted-key-iranian-nuclear-scientists/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Operation Narnia:â How Israeli Intelligence Targeted Key Iranian Nuclear Scientists</a>,â we read:</p> 1154 1155 1156 1157<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1158<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Israel kicked off Operation âRising Lionâ last Friday, launching a sweeping military assault that dealt a major blow to Iranâs leadership and nuclear infrastructure. . . .</p> 1159 1160 1161 1162<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In a surprising detail, the <em>Jerusalem Post </em>reports, the component of the mission aimed at Iranâs nuclear scientists was codenamed âNarniaâ by Israeli forces â a reference to the fantasy realm, underscoring how bold and unlikely such a strike might have seemed before it was executed.</p> 1163</blockquote> 1164 1165 1166 1167<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Another intriguing rationale for entitling the Operation after C.S. Lewisâ creation is even more provocative. The Substack blog <a href="https://wardrobedoor.substack.com/p/cs-lewis-role-in-israels-attack-on" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wardrobe Door</a> proposes a supernatural consideration for the choice of âNarnia.â</p> 1168 1169 1170 1171<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1172<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The <em>[Jerusalem] Post</em> says the name âreflects the operationâs improbable nature, like something out of a fantasy tale rather than a real-world event.â One could also imagine it involved deep espionage tactics that may have had soldiers sneaking in areas as if through a magical wardrobe.</p> 1173</blockquote> 1174 1175 1176 1177<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whatever tactics may have been used in Operation Narnia, it is intriguing to consider how the power of C.S. Lewisâ vision has spread across national boundaries. May all people heed Lewisâ witness to humanityâs Savior, for surely,</p> 1178 1179 1180 1181<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1182<p class="wp-block-paragraph">God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing (<em>Mere Christianity</em>).</p> 1183</blockquote> 1184 1185 1186 1187<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p> 1188 1189 1190 </div><!-- .entry-content --> 1191 </div> 1192</article><!-- #post-## --> 1193 1194 1195 1196<article id="post-100388" class="post-100388 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-books category-c-s-lewis category-christian-life category-christianity category-church-history category-great-authors-writing category-history category-humor category-latin category-literature category-marriage category-modern-life category-ordained-ministry category-the-medieval-church category-theological-matters category-words tag-abelard tag-c-s-lewis tag-cannons tag-canons tag-castration tag-clergy tag-france tag-heloise tag-heresy tag-historical-fiction tag-hypocrisy tag-judgment tag-limbo tag-love tag-lust tag-lutheran tag-mark-twain tag-norway tag-paris tag-pastors tag-roman-catholic tag-romance"> 1197 <div class="entry-wrapper"> 1198 <header class="entry-header"> 1199 <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/06/13/explosive-clergy/" rel="bookmark">Explosive Clergy</a></h1> 1200 <div class="entry-meta"> 1201 <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/06/13/explosive-clergy/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2025-06-13T14:30:41-07:00">June 13, 2025</time><time class="updated" datetime="2025-06-13T14:31:31-07:00">June 13, 2025</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://mereinkling.net/author/robstroud/">robstroud</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/writing/books/" rel="category tag">Books</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/c-s-lewis/" rel="category tag">C.S. Lewis</a>
1201, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/christian-life/" rel="category tag">Christian Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/theological-matters/christianity/" rel="category tag">Christianity</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/church-history/" rel="category tag">Church History</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/writing/great-authors-writing/" rel="category tag">Great Authors</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/history/" rel="category tag">History</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/humor/" rel="category tag">Humor</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/history/latin/" rel="category tag">Latin</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/literature/" rel="category tag">Literature</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/modern-life/marriage/" rel="category tag">Marriage</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/modern-life/" rel="category tag">Modern Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/theological-matters/ordained-ministry/" rel="category tag">Ordained Ministry</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/church-history/the-medieval-church/" rel="category tag">The Medieval Church</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/theological-matters/" rel="category tag">Theological Matters</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/writing/words/" rel="category tag">Words</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/06/13/explosive-clergy/#comments">17 Comments</a></span> </div><!-- .entry-meta --> 1202 </header><!-- .entry-header --> 1203 1204 <div class="entry-content"> 1205 <div class="wp-block-image is-resized"> 1206<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/pair-of-canons.png"><img data-attachment-id="100399" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/pair-of-canons/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/pair-of-canons.png" data-orig-size="974,941" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="pair-of-canons" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/pair-of-canons.png?w=640" loading="lazy" width="974" height="941" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/pair-of-canons.png?w=974" alt="" class="wp-image-100399" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/pair-of-canons.png 974w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/pair-of-canons.png?w=150 150w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/pair-of-canons.png?w=300 300w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/pair-of-canons.png?w=768 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 974px) 100vw, 974px" /></a></figure> 1207</div> 1208 1209 1210<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whatâs with <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://mereinkling.net/2013/09/09/unimpressive-clergy/" target="_blank">pastors</a>? As one, I probably know more than the typical person does about them â and all too often, they disappoint. </p> 1211 1212 1213 1214<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thatâs a bit harsh. Most pastors are pretty selfless. Thatâs fairly evident in their salaries (if they even receive one). And, trust me, trying to be a faithful leader and <a href="https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-embattled-pastor" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">peacemaker</a> in any group comprised of human beings, is no easy task.</p> 1215 1216 1217 1218<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My sainted grandmother, born at the end of the nineteenth century, was the daughter of <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2018/07/05/c-s-lewis-and-american-fjords/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Norwegian</a> immigrants. She was an authentic follower of Jesus, and when she was young the sermons at Fordefjord Lutheran Church* were preached in the immigrantsâ tongue. We occasionally talked about how scandalized she was when one of the ministers serving the congregation pronounced â<em>helvete vil være fullt av pastorer</em>â (hell will be full of pastors).</p> 1219 1220 1221 1222<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Well, not âfullâ perhaps, but in principle he was right. And, sadly, his warning is not at all shocking to us today. We read regularly about clergy who are arrested for violating the trust of the most vulnerable. Likewise, we hear about the outrageous <a href="https://www.therichest.com/richest-celebrity-preachers-in-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wealth</a> of some ministers (including, it seems, nearly every televangelist). Even pastors in small enclaves with little access to the temptation offered by easily accessible cash, can too often succumb to the sirens of pride and power, twisting their pastoral authority into a weapon to abuse others. (Itâs the opposite of the messianic promise found in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+2%3A4&version=ESV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Isaiah 2:4</a>.)</p> 1223 1224 1225 1226<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Itâs almost enough to drive a person from the Lordâs house. But that is <em>not</em> the answer, of course. Finding a truly Christian church, with a pastor earnestly (albeit imperfectly) pursuing his holy vocation, is the best course.</p> 1227 1228 1229 1230<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Scriptures say many things about ministry, and Jesus himself provides the perfect example of willingness to <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+2%3A4&version=ESV" target="_blank">lay down oneâs life</a> for the sheep. </p> 1231 1232 1233 1234<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The letter of <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=james+3%3A1-2&version=ESV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">James</a> cautions those considering a life of âministryâ that they will face a <em>stricter judgment</em> than the laity (which comes from λαÏÏ which refers to the people at large).</p> 1235 1236 1237 1238<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Personally, I especially appreciate being reminded of Godâs warning to religious leaders from the lips of <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+23%3A1-4&version=ESV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jeremiah</a>. (I also appreciate the ironic tone of Godâs judgment.)</p> 1239 1240 1241 1242<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1243<p class="wp-block-paragraph">âWoe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!â declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: âYou have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and
1243you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds,â declares the Lord.</p> 1244</blockquote> 1245 1246 1247 1248<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The picture at the top of this column comes from one of <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2018/02/08/mark-twains-editorial-sketches/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mark Twain</a>âs travelogues. It illustrates the vindictive priest Fulbert, in Twainâs retelling of the story of Abelard and Héloïse, 12th century lovers. More about that momentarily. Abelard was a prominent philosopher who tangled for several years with Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a significant dispute ably discussed <a href="https://www.patheos.com/blogs/evangelicalpulpit/2018/05/learning-the-good-life-and-skin-in-the-game/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p> 1249 1250 1251 1252<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Abelard and the Inklings</strong></p> 1253 1254 1255 1256<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/peter-abelard-and-the-development-of-scholasticism/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Abelard</a> (c. 1079-1142) was a philosopher who, as was common during the Middle Ages, was also a theologian. Among his contributions to religion was revising the Roman Catholic doctrine of <em>limbus infantium</em> (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/limbo-Roman-Catholic-theology#ref222487" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Limbo</a> for unbaptized infants).</p> 1257 1258 1259 1260<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/abelard-and-heloise-735128" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">popular culture</a>, Abelardâs love affair with his eventual âwifeâ is more prominent than his religious pursuits. Although Abelard was a famous figure during the medieval period, he did not feature significantly in C.S. Lewisâ thought. He did, however, exert a prominent influence on Charles Williamsâ <em><a href="https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.225993/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Place of the Lion</a></em>, a volume Lewis praised.</p> 1261 1262 1263 1264<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In âFriendship in <em><a href="https://pillars.taylor.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1343&context=inklings_forever" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Place of the Lion</a></em>,â Dan Hamilton provides a very accessible synopsis of Williamsâ book. He describes the experience of a primary character, who is writing her dissertation on âPythagorean Influences on Abelard.â As she struggles with the appearance of supernatural phenomena, âshe encounters the specter of Abelard, a major subject of her studies. But he is dead, and powerless to give her any aid, not even a meaningful word.â The âarchetypesâ in the story, by contrast, possess genuine power. It is a very unique book.</p> 1265 1266 1267 1268<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Returning to Mark Twainâs retelling of the popular medieval tale, we leave the realm of platonic philosophy, and enter the world of sordid human activities. Twain, you see, was not sympathetic to Abelardâs wooing of a young student and his eventual repentance. In his account, Twain desired âto show the public that they have been wasting a good deal of marketable sentiment very unnecessarily.â If you are curious as to his perspective on the events, continue reading.</p> 1269 1270 1271 1272<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Twainâs Take on Abelard and Héloïse</strong><br>(not brief, but well worth reading)</p> 1273 1274 1275 1276<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In his own words, Twainâs âfaithfulâ version of their story â but first, he begins with a description of their shared gravesite.</p> 1277 1278 1279 1280<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But among the thousands and thousands of tombs in <a href="https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/paris/articles/the-10-unforgettable-graves-to-see-in-pere-lachaise-cemetery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Père la Chaise</a> [cemetery] there is one that no man, no woman, no youth of either sex, ever passes by without stopping to examine. Every visitor has a sort of indistinct idea of the history of its dead, and comprehends that homage is due there, but not one in twenty thousand clearly remembers the story of that tomb and its romantic occupants. This is the grave of Abelard and Heloise â a grave which has been more revered, more widely known, more written and sung about and wept over, for seven hundred years, than any other in Christendom, save only that of the Saviour.</p> 1281 1282 1283 1284<p class="wp-block-paragraph">All visitors linger pensively about it; all young people capture and carry away keepsakes and mementoes of it; all Parisian youths and maidens who are disappointed in love come there to bail out when they are full of tears; yea, many stricken lovers make pilgrimages to this shrine from distant provinces to weep and wail and âgritâ their teeth over their heavy sorrows, and to purchase the sympathies of the chastened spirits of that tomb with offerings of immortelles and budding flowers.</p> 1285 1286 1287 1288<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Go when you will, you find somebody snuffling over that tomb. Go when you will, you find it furnished with those bouquets and immortelles. Go when you will, you find a gravel-train from Marseilles arriving to supply the deficiencies caused by memento-cabbaging vandals whose affections have miscarried.</p> 1289 1290 1291 1292<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Yet who really knows the story of Abelard and Heloise? Precious few people. The names are perfectly familiar to every body, and that is about all. <em>With infinite pains I have acquired a knowledge of that history, and I propose to narrate it here</em>, [italics added] partly for the honest information of the public and partly to show that public that they have been wasting a good deal of marketable sentiment very unnecessarily.</p> 1293 1294 1295 1296<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Heloise was born seven hundred and sixty-six years ago. She may have had parents. There is no telling. She lived with her uncle Fulbert, a canon of the cathedral of Paris. I do n
1296ot know what a canon of a cathedral is, but that is what he was. He was nothing more than a sort of a mountain howitzer, likely, because they had no heavy artillery in those days. Suffice it, then, that Heloise lived with her uncle the howitzer, and was happy.</p> 1297 1298 1299 1300<p class="wp-block-paragraph">She spent the most of her childhood in the convent of Argenteuil â never heard of Argenteuil before, but suppose there was really such a place. She then returned to her uncle, the old gun, or son of a gun, as the case may be, and he taught her to write and speak Latin, which was the language of literature and polite society at that period.</p> 1301 1302 1303 1304<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Just at this time, Pierre Abelard, who had already made himself widely famous as a rhetorician, came to found a school of rhetoric in Paris. The originality of his principles, his eloquence, and his great physical strength and beauty created a profound sensation. He saw Heloise, and was captivated by her blooming youth, her beauty and her charming disposition. He wrote to her; she answered. He wrote again, she answered again. He was now in love. He longed to know her â to speak to her face to face.</p> 1305 1306 1307 1308<p class="wp-block-paragraph">His school was near Fulbertâs house. He asked Fulbert to allow him to call. The good old swivel saw here a rare opportunity: his niece, whom he so much loved, would absorb knowledge from this man, and it would not cost him a cent. Such was Fulbert â penurious . . . He asked Abelard to teach her.</p> 1309 1310 1311 1312<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Abelard was glad enough of the opportunity. He came often and staid long. A letter of his shows in its very first sentence that he came under that friendly roof like a cold-hearted villain as he was, with the deliberate intention of debauching a confiding, innocent girl. This is the letter :</p> 1313 1314 1315 1316<p class="wp-block-paragraph">âI can not cease to be astonished at the simplicity of Fulbert; I was as much surprised as if he had placed a lamb in the power of a hungry wolf. Heloise and I, under pretext of study, gave ourselves up wholly to love, and the solitude that love seeks our studies procured for us. Books were open before us, but we spoke oftener of love than philosophy, and kisses came more readily from our lips than words.â</p> 1317 1318 1319 1320<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And so, exulting over an honorable confidence which to his degraded instinct was a ludicrous âsimplicity,â this unmanly Abelard seduced the niece of the man whose guest he was. Paris found it out. Fulbert was told of it â told often â but refused to believe it. He could not comprehend how a man could be so depraved as to use the sacred protection and security of hospitality as a means for the commission of such a crime as that. But when he heard the rowdies in the streets singing the love-songs of Abelard to Heloise, the case was too plain â love-songs come not properly within the teachings of rhetoric and philosophy.</p> 1321 1322 1323 1324<p class="wp-block-paragraph">He drove Abelard from his house. Abelard returned secretly and carried Heloise away to Palais, in Brittany, his native country. Here, shortly afterward, she bore a son, who, from his rare beauty, was surnamed Astrolabe. . . . The girlâs flight enraged Fulbert, and he longed for vengeance, but feared to strike lest retaliation visit Heloise â for he still loved her tenderly. At length Abelard offered to marry Heloise â but on a shameful condition: that the marriage should be kept secret from the world, to the end that (while her good name remained a wreck, as before) his priestly reputation might be kept untarnished. It was like that miscreant.</p> 1325 1326 1327 1328<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Fulbert saw his opportunity and consented. He would see the parties married, and then violate the confidence of the man who had taught him that trick; he would divulge the secret and so remove somewhat of the obloquy that attached to his nieceâs fame. But the niece suspected his scheme. She refused the marriage, at first; she said Fulbert would betray the secret to save her, and besides, she did not wish to drag down a lover who was so gifted, so honored by the world, and who had such a splendid career before him. It was noble, self-sacrificing love, and characteristic of the pure-souled Heloise, but it was not good sense.</p> 1329 1330 1331 1332<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But she was overruled, and the private marriage took place. Now for Fulbert! The heart so wounded should be healed at last; the proud spirit so tortured should find rest again; the humbled head should be lifted up once more. He proclaimed the marriage in the high places of the city, and rejoiced that dishonor had departed from his house. But lo! Abelard de
1332nied the marriage! Heloise denied it! The people, knowing the former circumstances, might have believed Fulbert, had only Abelard denied it, but when the person chiefly interested â the girl herself â denied it, they laughed despairing Fulbert to scorn.</p> 1333 1334 1335 1336<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The poor canon of the cathedral of Paris was spiked again. The last hope of repairing the wrong that had been done his house was gone. What next? Human nature suggested revenge. He compassed it. The historian says: âRuffians, hired by Fulbert, fell upon Abelard by night, and inflicted upon him a terrible and nameless mutilation.â</p> 1337 1338 1339 1340<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I am seeking the last resting-place of those âruffians.â When I find it I shall shed some tears on it, and stack up some bouquets and immortelles, and cart away from it some gravel whereby to remember that howsoever blotted by crime their lives may have been, these ruffians did one just deed, at any rate, albeit it was not warranted by the strict letter of the law.</p> 1341 1342 1343 1344<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Heloise entered a convent and gave good-bye to the world and its pleasures for all time. For twelve years she never heard of Abelard â never even heard his name mentioned. She had become prioress of Argenteuil, and led a life of complete seclusion. She happened one day to see a letter written by him, in which he narrated his own history. She cried over it, and wrote him. He answered, addressing her as his âsister in Christ.â</p> 1345 1346 1347 1348<p class="wp-block-paragraph">They continued to correspond, she in the un-weighed language of unwavering affection, he in the chilly phraseology of the polished rhetorician. She poured out her heart in passionate, disjointed sentences; he replied with finished essays, divided deliberately into heads and sub-heads, premises and argument. She showered upon him the tenderest epithets that love could devise, he addressed her from the North Pole of his frozen heart as the âSpouse of Christ!â The abandoned villain!</p> 1349 1350 1351 1352<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On account of her too easy government of her nuns, some disreputable irregularities were discovered among them, and the Abbot of St. Denis broke up her establishment. Abelard was the official head of the monastery of St. Grildas de Ruys, at that time, and when he heard of her homeless condition a sentiment of pity was aroused in his breast (it is a wonder the unfamiliar emotion did not blow his head off), and he placed her and her troop in the little oratory of the Paraclete, a religious establishment which he had founded.</p> 1353 1354 1355 1356<p class="wp-block-paragraph">She had many privations and sufferings to undergo at first, but her worth and her gentle disposition won influential friends for her, and she built up a wealthy and flourishing nunnery. She became a great favorite with the heads of the church, and also the people, though she seldom appeared in public. She rapidly advanced in esteem, in good report and in usefulness, and Abelard as rapidly lost ground. The Pope so honored her that he made her the head of her order.</p> 1357 1358 1359 1360<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Abelard, a man of splendid talents, and ranking as the first debater of his time, became timid, irresolute, and distrustful of his powers. He only needed a great misfortune to topple him from the high position he held in the world of intellectual excellence, and it came. Urged by kings and princes to meet the subtle St. Bernard in debate and crush him, he stood up in the presence of a royal and illustrious assemblage, and when his antagonist had finished he looked about him, and stammered a commencement; but his courage failed him, the cunning of his tongue was gone: with his speech unspoken, he trembled and gat down, a disgraced and vanquished champion.</p> 1361 1362 1363 1364<p class="wp-block-paragraph">He died a nobody, and was buried at Cluny, A.D., 1144. They removed his body to the Paraclete afterward, and when Heloise died, twenty years later, they buried her with him, in accordance with her last wish. He died at the ripe age of 64, and she at 63. After the bodies had remained entombed three hundred years, they were removed once more. They were removed again in 1800, and finally, seventeen years afterward, they were taken up and transferred to Pere la Chaise, where they will remain in peace and quiet until it comes time for them to get up and move again.</p> 1365 1366 1367 1368<p class="wp-block-paragraph">
1368History is silent concerning the last acts of the mountain howitzer. Let the world say what it will about him, <em>I</em>, at least, shall always respect the memory and sorrow for the abused trust, and the broken heart, and the troubled spirit of the old smooth-bore. Rest and repose be his!</p> 1369 1370 1371 1372<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Such is the story of Abelard and Heloise. (<em><a href="https://twain.lib.virginia.edu/innocent/iahompag.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Innocents Abroad</a></em>).</p> 1373 1374 1375 1376<hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity" /> 1377 1378 1379 1380<p class="wp-block-paragraph">* Later Fordefjord was unimaginatively renamed âFirst Lutheran Church.â</p> 1381 1382 1383 1384<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A novel entitled Peter Abelard was published in 1933 by Helen Waddell. It is available at <em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://archive.org/details/peterabelard030669mbp/" target="_blank">Internet Archive</a></em> for those who prefer their history via the medium of historical fiction. The illustration below, apparently imitating a fading fresco, comes from that volume.</p> 1385 1386 1387<div class="wp-block-image is-resized"> 1388<figure class="aligncenter size-medium"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/heloise.png"><img data-attachment-id="100390" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/heloise/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/heloise.png" data-orig-size="678,1108" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="heloise" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/heloise.png?w=627" loading="lazy" width="184" height="300" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/heloise.png?w=184" alt="" class="wp-image-100390" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/heloise.png?w=184 184w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/heloise.png?w=368 368w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/heloise.png?w=92 92w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 184px) 100vw, 184px" /></a></figure> 1389</div> 1390 1391 1392<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p> 1393 1394 1395 </div><!-- .entry-content --> 1396 </div> 1397</article><!-- #post-## --> 1398 1399 1400 1401<article id="post-105038" class="post-105038 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-c-s-lewis category-christian-life category-modern-life category-theological-matters tag-anxiety tag-c-s-lewis tag-christianity tag-crime tag-fear tag-insomnia tag-jesus tag-john-of-the-cross tag-light tag-mental-health tag-sleep tag-spiritual-warfare tag-worry"> 1402 <div class="entry-wrapper"> 1403 <header class="entry-header"> 1404 <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/28/nighttime-anxiety/" rel="bookmark">Anxiety & Nighttime</a></h1> 1405 <div class="entry-meta"> 1406 <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/28/nighttime-anxiety/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published updated" datetime="2025-05-28T20:02:28-07:00">May 28, 2025</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://mereinkling.net/author/robstroud/">robstroud</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/c-s-lewis/" rel="category tag">C.S. Lewis</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/christian-life/" rel="category tag">Christian Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/modern-life/" rel="category tag">Modern Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/theological-matters/" rel="category tag">Theological Matters</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/28/nighttime-anxiety/#comments">12 Comments</a></span> </div><!-- .entry-meta --> 1407 </header><!-- .entry-header --> 1408 1409 <div class="entry-content"> 1410 <div class="wp-block-image"> 1411<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/worried-sleep.png"><img data-attachment-id="105059" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/28/nighttime-anxiety/worried-sleep/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/worried-sleep.png" data-orig-size="1943,1232" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="worried sleep" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/worried-sleep.png?w=640" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="649" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/worried-sleep.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-105059" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/worried-sleep.png?w=1024 1024
1411w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/worried-sleep.png?w=150 150w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/worried-sleep.png?w=300 300w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/worried-sleep.png?w=768 768w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/worried-sleep.png?w=1440 1440w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/worried-sleep.png 1943w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure> 1412</div> 1413 1414 1415<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Everyone experiences some anxiety, but it is only considered a â<a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">disorder</a>â when it negatively affects oneâs quality of life. Sadly, that level has been reached by nearly twenty percent of Americans.</p> 1416 1417 1418 1419<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1420<p class="wp-block-paragraph">An estimated 19.1% of U.S. adults had an anxiety disorder in the past year. Past year prevalence of any anxiety disorder was higher for females (23.4%) than for males (14.3%). An estimated 31.1% of U.S. adults experience any anxiety disorder at some time in their lives (<a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Institute of Mental Health</a>).</p> 1421</blockquote> 1422 1423 1424 1425<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As one <a href="https://www.hcf.com.au/health-agenda/body-mind/mental-health/anxiety-at-night" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">specialist</a> puts it, âthere’s a very strong, well-documented bidirectional link between sleep and mental health issues like anxiety.â And it can become a vicious cycle: âIf you have poor sleep, youâre at greater risk of a mental health issue. And if you have a mental health condition like anxiety, youâre more likely to develop a sleep disorder.â</p> 1426 1427 1428 1429<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Those âdisorderâ figures are only for anxiety passing a problematic threshold. Feeling some anxiety is a normal part of life, even for Christians. (Fortunately, however, we have an Intercessor who alleviates anxiety in our fallen lives.)</p> 1430 1431 1432 1433<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1434<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1435<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%204%3A6-7&version=ESV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Philippians 4:6-7</a>).</p> 1436</blockquote> 1437</blockquote> 1438 1439 1440 1441<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The universality of experiencing anxiety is evidenced by the etymology of the word itself. The Latin <em>anxius</em> simply means troubled or worried (i.e. anxious). </p> 1442 1443 1444 1445<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In his classic <em>Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer</em>, C.S. Lewis addresses the negativity associated with being anxious, that actually worsens the problem.</p> 1446 1447 1448 1449<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1450<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Some people feel guilty about their anxieties and regard them as a defect of faith. I don’t agree at all. They are afflictions, not sins. Like all afflictions, they are, if we can so take them, our share in the Passion of Christ.</p> 1451</blockquote> 1452 1453 1454 1455<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, if most of us admit to experiencing some <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2012/12/04/avoid-living-in-fear/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">worry</a>, the question posed by a recent article in <em><a href="https://time.com/7203404/why-is-anxiety-worse-at-night/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TIME</a></em> is whether the anxiety peaks at night. While not universal, âresearch has long suggested that, for many people, anxiety symptoms spike and mental health otherwise suffers at night.â While the piece cited several reasons, it left out two causes I consider self-evident.</p> 1456 1457 1458 1459<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The article points to studies about how substance abuse and suicidal behavior rise âafter midnight,â and how âthe racing thoughts that plague many anxiety sufferers are at their worst in the evening.â While I didnât read the linked research, these statements are simply descriptive of the problem.</p> 1460 1461 1462 1463<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As for identified causes, the studies point to our diminished ability to âregulate emotionsâ as we tire. The issue of isolation is noted as a second factor, since âthe rest of the world is asleep.â Further, the lack of daytime distractions may set the stage for ârunaway anxietyâ as we ponder the âwhat ifsâ of the future. Another logical finding is that anxiety builds as we sleep poorly because we are worrying, which makes us prone to becoming even more anxious.</p> 1464 1465 1466 1467<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>So What are the Uncited Factors?</strong></p> 1468 1469 1470 1471<p class="wp-block-paragraph">First, it seems to me that the darkness of night itself is a major consideration. Since <a href="https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/31354/0000265.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">primordial times</a>, night was foreboding. Sharpened wooden or stone-tipped weapons offered little enough defense when we could see predators (beast or human). Our ability to make fires and light candles ignited trifling circles of light that barely penetrated the shadows.</p> 1472 1473 1474 1475<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The uncertainty about what lurks in those shadows remains with us today. Just consider how quickly chaos can arise when there are <a href="https://www.apu.apus.edu/area-of-study/security-and-global-studies/resources/most-law-enforcement-agencies-are-not-prepared-for-long-term-power-outages/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">power outages</a>
1475 and the âprotectionâ offered by light instantly evaporates.</p> 1476 1477 1478 1479<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Related to this is the simple fact that bad things (like <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2015/02/17/slippery-crimes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">crimes</a>), increase during darkness. While many <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2016/07/13/c-s-lewis-the-police/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unlawful acts</a> certainly occur during daylight hours, many of the most violent and heinous crimes, such as rape, occur after the sun sets. You can compare many variables at <a href="https://www.vivint.com/resources/article/when-does-crime-occur-most" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this website</a>. </p> 1480 1481 1482 1483<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It is simply common sense to recognize we are more vulnerable to violent attack when darkness masks attackersâ identities. The Book of Job vividly describes this lawless predilection.</p> 1484 1485 1486 1487<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1488<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There are those who rebel against the light,<br>     are not acquainted with its ways,<br>     and do not stay in its paths.<br>The murderer rises before it is light,<br>    that he may kill the poor and needy,<br>     in the night he is like a thief.<br>The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight,<br>    saying, âNo eye will see me;â<br>     he veils his face.<br>In the dark they dig through houses;<br>    by day they shut themselves up;<br>    they do not know the light.<br>For deep darkness is morning to all of them;<br>for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2024%3A13-17&version=ESV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Job 24:13-17</a>).</p> 1489</blockquote> 1490 1491 1492 1493<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While the increased criminal behavior during darkness may have been omitted due to the tacit acknowledgment that it is a factor, my second observation was quite possibly overlooked due to ignorance or prejudice.</p> 1494 1495 1496 1497<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The Spiritual Consideration</strong></p> 1498 1499 1500 1501<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I am convinced there is a spiritual component to our wariness related to darkness. Even those secularists dismissive of this reality would likely recognize this as a common perception. After all, it is no accident that stories (ancient and modern) depict wicked gatherings and malevolent supernatural events as taking place primarily at night.</p> 1502 1503 1504 1505<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Scriptures discuss this Light/Dark dichotomy extensively. One of the clearest examples comes in the explanation for why sinful people choose to reject the coming of Christ.</p> 1506 1507 1508 1509<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1510<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. . . .</p> 1511 1512 1513 1514<p class="wp-block-paragraph">[Jesus said] âFor God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned . . . the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.</p> 1515 1516 1517 1518<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in Godâ (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201%3A1-5%2C%203%3A16-21&version=ESV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">John 1â3</a>, selected verses).</p> 1519</blockquote> 1520 1521 1522 1523<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Because darkness helps mask unsavory behavior, author Dave Jenkins advises people to be vigilant regarding their own temptations. He shares his <a href="https://servantsofgrace.org/night-time-danger-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">personal story</a> attesting to his contention that ânight time for many men and women is danger time.â</p> 1524 1525 1526 1527<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This certainly is not Godâs desire for any of us. As â<a href="https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-godliness-of-a-good-nights-sleep" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Godliness of a Good Nightâs Sleep</a>â concludes, âsleep, it seems, is no fallen necessity, nor merely a fleshly temptation, but a divine gift.â</p> 1528 1529 1530 1531<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In <em>The Screwtape Letters</em>, C.S. Lewisâ brilliant exploration of diabolic strategies, the senior demon advises his protégé, how to rob humanity of this blessing.</p> 1532 1533 1534 1535<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1536<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1537<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human’s mind against the Enemy. He wants men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them.</p> 1538</blockquote> 1539</blockquote> 1540 1541 1542 1543<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But fortunately, humanityâs first <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2017/10/26/when-the-angel-is-a-demon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Enemy</a> does not have the final say in the matter.</p> 1544 1545 1546 1547<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Even During the Darkest Night</strong></p> 1548 1549 1550 1551<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We need never be alone nor despair in the night. In fact, even the trials posed by anxiety can become a pathway to a more intimate reliance and relationship with God.</p> 1552 1553 1554 1555<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Perhaps most famously, this concept has been associated in Christian circles with â<a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/157984/the-dark-night-of-the-soul" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dark Night of the Soul</a>,â a poem written by Saint John of the Cross in the sixteenth century. In an upcoming post, we will c
1555onsider Johnâs life and the controversial actions which followed his death.</p> 1556 1557 1558 </div><!-- .entry-content --> 1559 </div> 1560</article><!-- #post-## --> 1561 1562 1563 1564<article id="post-99981" class="post-99981 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-c-s-lewis category-c-s-lewis-the-inklings category-christian-life category-christianity category-history category-j-r-r-tolkien category-modern-life category-the-bible tag-c-s-lewis tag-elves tag-grief tag-healing tag-health tag-j-r-r-tolkien tag-medicine tag-mental-health tag-middle-earth tag-parousia tag-pharmaceuticals tag-psychology tag-second-coming"> 1565 <div class="entry-wrapper"> 1566 <header class="entry-header"> 1567 <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/22/c-s-lewis-medicine/" rel="bookmark">C.S. Lewis & Medicine</a></h1> 1568 <div class="entry-meta"> 1569 <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/22/c-s-lewis-medicine/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2025-05-22T17:33:16-07:00">May 22, 2025</time><time class="updated" datetime="2025-05-23T11:07:16-07:00">May 23, 2025</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://mereinkling.net/author/robstroud/">robstroud</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/c-s-lewis/" rel="category tag">C.S. Lewis</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/" rel="category tag">C.S. Lewis & the Inklings</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/christian-life/" rel="category tag">Christian Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/theological-matters/christianity/" rel="category tag">Christianity</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/history/" rel="category tag">History</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/j-r-r-tolkien/" rel="category tag">J.R.R. Tolkien</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/modern-life/" rel="category tag">Modern Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/literature/the-bible/" rel="category tag">The Bible</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/22/c-s-lewis-medicine/#comments">6 Comments</a></span> </div><!-- .entry-meta --> 1570 </header><!-- .entry-header --> 1571 1572 <div class="entry-content"> 1573 <div class="wp-block-image"> 1574<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/christian-surgeon-and-child.png"><img data-attachment-id="104978" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/22/c-s-lewis-medicine/christian-surgeon-and-child/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/christian-surgeon-and-child.png" data-orig-size="819,1229" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="christian surgeon and child" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/christian-surgeon-and-child.png?w=640" loading="lazy" width="682" height="1023" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/christian-surgeon-and-child.png?w=682" alt="" class="wp-image-104978" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/christian-surgeon-and-child.png?w=682 682w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/christian-surgeon-and-child.png?w=100 100w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/christian-surgeon-and-child.png?w=200 200w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/christian-surgeon-and-child.png?w=768 768w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/christian-surgeon-and-child.png 819w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px" /></a></figure> 1575</div> 1576 1577 1578<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><em>[I originally penned this post in 2020, but delayed its publication due to failing in my attempt to secure permission to receive <a href="https://nathangreene.com/products/chief-of-the-medical-staff-16x20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this</a> perfect illustration. Five years later, AI allowed me to create the image shown above. Since the message remains pertinent, I’m offering my thoughts on this subject today.]</em></p> 1579 1580 1581 1582<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Medicines are precious. Right now we are seeing the release of the first antiviral drugs devised to protect us from the covid plague. The trials have been positive, and now the caregivers on the frontlines are receiving these protective injections.</p> 1583 1584 1585 1586<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Unfortunately, some so-called medicines are not effective. They can even be harmful. Thatâs the case with â
1586patent medicinesâ hawked by shysters lying about their results. Originally the term was positive. According to one <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.hagley.org/research/digital-exhibits/history-patent-medicine" target="_blank">museum</a>, âpatent medicines originally referred to medications whose ingredients had been granted government protection for exclusivity.â</p> 1587 1588 1589 1590<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1591<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sadly, though, âthe recipes of most 19th century patent medicines were not officially patented. Most producers (often small family operations) used ingredients quite similar to their competitorsâvegetable extracts laced with ample doses of alcohol.</p> 1592</blockquote> 1593 1594 1595 1596<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In a previous post, I shared Lewisâ view of <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://mereinkling.net/2019/04/08/medical-science-and-god/" target="_blank">Godâs role in healing</a>.</p> 1597 1598 1599 1600<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1601<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In his essay entitled âMiracles,â C.S. Lewis described during World War II the Christian viewpoint that God is the author of healing. After discussing the natural order of creation, he argues that God is at work in restoring the health of the those who are ailing.</p> 1602</blockquote> 1603 1604 1605 1606<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In 1962, Lewis commiserated with a correspondent complaining about the number of pills she needed to take. He acknowledges the problem, and then points to a very positive corollary.</p> 1607 1608 1609 1610<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1611<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Yes, and one gets bored with the medicines tooâbesides always wondering âDid I remember to take them after breakfast?â and then wondering whether the risk of missing a dose or the risk of an over dose is the worst!</p> 1612 1613 1614 1615<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Yes, one gets sick of pills. But thank God we donât live in the age of horrible medicines such as our grandparents had to swallow.</p> 1616</blockquote> 1617 1618 1619 1620<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In <em>A Grief Observed</em>, Lewis used an illustration of physical pain to explore the emotional pain caused by his sorrow at his <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://mereinkling.net/2016/01/11/c-s-lewis-women/" target="_blank">wifeâs passing</a>.</p> 1621 1622 1623 1624<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1625<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I once read the sentence âI lay awake all night with a toothache, thinking about the toothache and about lying awake.â Thatâs true to life. Part of every misery is, so to speak, the miseryâs shadow or reflection: the fact that you donât merely suffer but have to keep on thinking about the fact that you suffer. I not only live each endless day in grief, but live each day thinking about living each day in grief.</p> 1626</blockquote> 1627 1628 1629 1630<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In some ways, psychological suffering is particularly painful. The mentally ill have historically been ostracized. For all of the neurological discoveries that have been made in recent years, the human brain remains a mystery.</p> 1631 1632 1633 1634<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Fortunately, medical science has experienced some success formulating medicines that are helpful in treating mental disorders. One problem, however, is that (like nearly all meds) psychological formulas occasionally produce extreme side effects.</p> 1635 1636 1637 1638<p class="wp-block-paragraph">C.S. Lewisâ primary experience of psychological suffering came through grief. <em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://tweakingo.com/world-famous-christian-authors-quotes-about-mental-illness/" target="_blank">Tweaking Optimism</a></em>, a great blog, has gathered a number of Lewisâ thoughts on mental anguish. One passage he cites from <em>The Problem of Pain</em> aptly contrasts physical and mental suffering.</p> 1639 1640 1641 1642<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1643<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and frequently more difficult to bear. The common attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say âMy tooth is achingâ than to say âMy heart is broken.â</p> 1644</blockquote> 1645 1646 1647 1648<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the same book, Lewis lifts up the truth about suffering. In cases where no cure can bring relief, he beautifully describes various ways to survive journeying through the valley.</p> 1649 1650 1651 1652<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1653<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When pain is to be born, a little courage helps more than much knowledge, a little human sympathy more than much courage, and the least tincture of the love of God more than all.</p> 1654</blockquote> 1655 1656 1657 1658<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>C.S. Lewisâ Prescription for Christians Today</strong></p> 1659 1660 1661 1662<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We live in an uncertain and turbulent time. Only God knows how long this world will last, but he has promised to deliver from death and hell those who call on his name. Thus, Jesusâ followers need not live in dread or despair.</p> 1663 1664 1665 1666<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We live with hope, and look forward with enthusiasm to our Lordâs return. It is to that glorious day, the <em>Parousia</em>, that Lewis refers in his essay âThe Worldâs Last Night.â</p> 1667 1668 1669 1670<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1671<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The doctrine of the Second Coming, then, is not to be rejected because it c
1671onflicts with our favorite modern mythology. It is, for that very reason, to be the more valued and made more frequently the subject of meditation. It is the medicine our condition especially needs.</p> 1672</blockquote> 1673 1674 1675 1676<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>An Entertaining Tolkien âGameâ</strong></p> 1677 1678 1679 1680<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The inspiration for this revisitation of Lewisâ thoughts about medicine came from a fun website I recently encountered. Some creative soul noticed the similarity between two dissimilar mattersâantidepressant medications and residents of <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2019/05/20/return-with-me-to-middle-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Middle Earth</a>.</p> 1681 1682 1683 1684<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The game offers 24 words, and you are challenged to identify the group into which it falls. Is it the name of a pharmaceutical, or is it one of the characters created by J.R.R. Tolkien? One name is a giveaway, but you may find many of the others rather difficult to discern.</p> 1685 1686 1687 1688<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Kudos to anyone who gets over twenty correct. (I <em>almost</em> did . . . well, if sixteen is close.) Have fun, and learn something, at the very same time!</p> 1689 1690 1691 1692<p class="has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a href="https://antidepressantsortolkien.vercel.app" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antidepressants or Tolkien Character?</a></strong></p> 1693 1694 1695 1696<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p> 1697 1698 1699 </div><!-- .entry-content --> 1700 </div> 1701</article><!-- #post-## --> 1702 1703 1704 1705<article id="post-104889" class="post-104889 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-c-s-lewis category-christian-life category-christianity category-church-history category-history category-latin category-martin-luther category-reading category-the-bible category-theological-matters tag-bible tag-bible-translation tag-c-s-lewis tag-christianity tag-great-britain tag-henry-viii tag-james-i tag-kjv tag-languages tag-martin-luther tag-translations tag-tyndale"> 1706 <div class="entry-wrapper"> 1707 <header class="entry-header"> 1708 <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/12/do-not-read-the-bible/" rel="bookmark">Do Not Read the Bible</a></h1> 1709 <div class="entry-meta"> 1710 <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/12/do-not-read-the-bible/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published updated" datetime="2025-05-12T21:37:45-07:00">May 12, 2025</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://mereinkling.net/author/robstroud/">robstroud</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/c-s-lewis/" rel="category tag">C.S. Lewis</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/christian-life/" rel="category tag">Christian Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/theological-matters/christianity/" rel="category tag">Christianity</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/church-history/" rel="category tag">Church History</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/history/" rel="category tag">History</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/history/latin/" rel="category tag">Latin</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/church-history/martin-luther/" rel="category tag">Martin Luther</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/literature/reading/" rel="category tag">Reading</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/literature/the-bible/" rel="category tag">The Bible</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/theological-matters/" rel="category tag">Theological Matters</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/12/do-not-read-the-bible/#comments">9 Comments</a></span> </div><!-- .entry-meta --> 1711 </header><!-- .entry-header --> 1712 1713 <div class="entry-content"> 1714 <div class="wp-block-image"> 1715<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/do-not-read-the-bible.png"><img data-attachment-id="104903" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/12/do-not-read-the-bible/do-not-read-the-bible/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/do-not-read-the-bible.png" data-orig-size="1115,12
171517" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="do not read the bible" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/do-not-read-the-bible.png?w=640" loading="lazy" width="938" height="1023" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/do-not-read-the-bible.png?w=938" alt="" class="wp-image-104903" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/do-not-read-the-bible.png?w=938 938w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/do-not-read-the-bible.png?w=137 137w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/do-not-read-the-bible.png?w=275 275w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/do-not-read-the-bible.png?w=768 768w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/do-not-read-the-bible.png 1115w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 938px) 100vw, 938px" /></a></figure> 1716</div> 1717 1718 1719<p class="wp-block-paragraph">How would you respond if the government prohibited you from reading the Holy Scriptures? That was the situation in Great Britain when the Parliament passed the ironically named â<a href="https://archive.org/details/pp63095195/page/107/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Act for the Advancement of True Religion</a>.â</p> 1720 1721 1722 1723<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Nearly five centuries ago, on May 12, 1543, Britainâs enlightened politicians and bishops determined that people of the âlower sortâ needed to be protected from reading and interpreting the Bible themselves. </p> 1724 1725 1726 1727<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Just sixty-one years later, <a href="https://www.nms.ac.uk/discover-catalogue/a-brief-history-of-james-vi-and-i" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">King James VI/I</a> would commission the translation of the Authorized Version, making Godâs Word more accessible to all who could read English. William Tyndale (c. 1494 â 1536) had actually translated a fair portion of the Scriptures a decade prior to Parliamentâs restrictive law. For this, and similar âProtestantâ sins, Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake in Belgium.</p> 1728 1729 1730 1731<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Even the so-called <a href="https://www.textusreceptusbibles.com/Great/1/1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Great Bible</a> had been authorized by <a href="https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/henry-viii-the-reformation-and-the-first-authorized-bible/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Henry VIII</a> in 1539. The approval decreed âone book of the bible of the largest volume in English, and the same set up in some convenient place within the said church that ye have care of, <em>whereas your parishioners may</em> most commodiously resort to the same and <em>read it</em> [emphasis mine].â</p> 1732 1733 1734 1735<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Nevertheless, not <em>all</em> of the powers that be apparently agreed with making the text of the Bible accessible to the common folk. We will consider this category of âinadequatesâ momentarily.</p> 1736 1737 1738 1739<p class="wp-block-paragraph">First letâs consider the distaste expressed by some for any modern translation of the Scriptures. (If youâve ever attended a Bible study group you have probably encountered at least one person who insists on using the <em>true</em> <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2018/04/18/c-s-lewis-school-of-translation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">KJV</a>, despite the archaic language.</p> 1740 1741 1742 1743<p class="wp-block-paragraph">C.S. Lewis addressed this reticence for clear translations in an essay entitled âChristian Apologetics.â It was originally presented to Anglican priests and youth leaders in 1945.</p> 1744 1745 1746 1747<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1748<p class="wp-block-paragraph">âDo we not already possess,â [some will say] âin the Authorised Version the most beautiful rendering which any language can boast?â Some people whom I have met go even further and feel that a modern <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2013/03/12/translating-the-word/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">translation</a> is not only unnecessary but even offensive.</p> 1749 1750 1751 1752<p class="wp-block-paragraph">They cannot bear to see the time-honoured words altered; it seems to them irreverent. There are several answers to such people. In the first place the kind of objection which they feel to a new translation is very like the objection which was once felt to any English translation at all.</p> 1753 1754 1755 1756<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Dozens of sincerely pious people in the sixteenth century shuddered at the idea of turning the time-honoured Latin of the <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2015/01/06/sanctified-languages/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vulgate</a>
1756 into our common and (as they thought) âbarbarousâ English. A sacred truth seemed to them to have lost its sanctity when it was stripped of the polysyllabic Latin, long heard at Mass and at Hours, and put into . . . language steeped in all the commonplace associations of the nursery, the inn, the stable, and the street.</p> 1757</blockquote> 1758 1759 1760 1761<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The Biblically Unworthy</strong></p> 1762 1763 1764 1765<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, who were these âlower sortâ of individuals deemed unsuited for reading the Scriptures already translated into their native tongue? Well, <a href="https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=2419" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">they included</a> âwomen, artificers, apprentices, journeymen, serving-men of the rank of yeoman and under, husbandmen and laborers.â Women of the <a href="https://www.history.org.uk/student/module/4536/overview-of-elizabeth-i/4543/social-structure" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gentry class</a> were allowed an exception, being able to read the Scriptures, but only in private.</p> 1766 1767 1768 1769<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Fortunately, the law was short-lived. Henryâs son, Edward VI/I would have it repealed in the Treason Act of 1547. (Of course, this goodwill did not prevent Edward from condemning the translations of the aforementioned martyr, William Tyndale.)</p> 1770 1771 1772 1773<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Who Should Read the Bible?</strong></p> 1774 1775 1776 1777<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The short answer is âeveryone.â Yet the fact exists that some individuals are susceptible to <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2017/05/16/understanding-the-bible/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">confusion</a> â or even to intentional twisting of the clear meaning of Godâs Word. So, while the Scriptures should be accessible to all, it is wise to guide children and the easily-confused in their studies. After all, what we all desire is honest understanding and enlightenment.</p> 1778 1779 1780 1781<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This direct access is one reason Martin Luther, William Tyndale and others labored so tirelessly to translate the Bible into the <a href="https://www.kloster-bebenhausen.de/en/interesting-amusing/files/the-vernacular" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">vernacular</a>. Cheerfully, âbelievers no longer had to read Latin [or Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic] to understand the word of God.â</p> 1782 1783 1784 1785<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As for those who would directly attempt to distort Godâs inspired words, a clear example is found in the <a href="https://www.gotquestions.org/New-World-Translation.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New World version</a> paraphrase invented by Jehovahâs Witnesses. Another example, which I have discussed in the past, is the distorted abomination created by the <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2020/11/23/beijings-murderous-jesus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chinese Communist Party</a>. </p> 1786 1787 1788 1789<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There are also âabbreviatedâ versions of the Bible, which contain properly translated passages, but leave out passages that challenge preconceived positions. This would include <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2024/07/06/military-hymns/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Thomas Jefferson</a>âs cut and paste Bible and an edition of the Scriptures developed for teaching <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2023/06/21/a-bible-translation-for-slaves/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">slaves</a> to read.</p> 1790 1791 1792 1793<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> 1794 1795 1796 1797<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you are interested in receiving daily notes about Christian history such as the one which prompted this post, visit the <a href="https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/today" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christian History Institute</a>.</p> 1798 1799 1800 </div><!-- .entry-content --> 1801 </div> 1802</article><!-- #post-## --> 1803 1804 1805 1806<article id="post-104464" class="post-104464 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-c-s-lewis category-c-s-lewis-the-inklings category-church-history category-history category-j-r-r-tolkien category-likely-useless-trivia category-modern-life category-theological-matters tag-c-s-lewis tag-charles-williams tag-george-macdonald tag-inklings tag-j-r-r-tolkien tag-mark-twain tag-nikola-tesla tag-rennes-le-chateau tag-serbia tag-six-degrees-of-separation tag-tesla tag-william-butler-yeats tag-winston-churchill"> 1807 <div class="entry-wrapper"> 1808 <header class="entry-header"> 1809 <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/07/tesla-and-the-inklings/" rel="bookmark">Tesla & the Inklings</a></h1> 1810 <div class="entry-meta"> 1811 <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/07/tesla-and-the-inklings/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published updated" datetime="2025-05-07T14:51:49-07:00">May 7, 2025</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://mereinkling.net/author/robstroud/">robstroud</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/c-s-lewis/" rel="category tag">C.S. Lewis</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/" rel="category tag">C.S. Lewis & the Inklings</a>
1811, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/church-history/" rel="category tag">Church History</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/history/" rel="category tag">History</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/j-r-r-tolkien/" rel="category tag">J.R.R. Tolkien</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/trivia/likely-useless-trivia/" rel="category tag">Likely Useless Trivia</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/modern-life/" rel="category tag">Modern Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/theological-matters/" rel="category tag">Theological Matters</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/07/tesla-and-the-inklings/#comments">5 Comments</a></span> </div><!-- .entry-meta --> 1812 </header><!-- .entry-header --> 1813 1814 <div class="entry-content"> 1815 <div class="wp-block-image"> 1816<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/tesla-and-twain.png"><img data-attachment-id="104467" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/07/tesla-and-the-inklings/tesla-and-twain/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/tesla-and-twain.png" data-orig-size="2691,1753" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="tesla and twain" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/tesla-and-twain.png?w=640" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="667" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/tesla-and-twain.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-104467" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/tesla-and-twain.png?w=1024 1024w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/tesla-and-twain.png?w=2048 2048w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/tesla-and-twain.png?w=150 150w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/tesla-and-twain.png?w=300 300w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/tesla-and-twain.png?w=768 768w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/tesla-and-twain.png?w=1440 1440w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure> 1817</div> 1818 1819 1820<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I recently uncovered a curious connection between C.S. Lewis and Tesla. (Not the current target of <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/25/us/fbi-task-force-tesla-attacks-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">anarchist vandalism</a>, the scientist.) While researching scientists living in the early twentieth century, a photograph of Tesla and his friend Mark Twain ignited my curiosity as to whether or not there might have been any connection between Lewis and Tesla.</p> 1821 1822 1823 1824<p class="wp-block-paragraph">C.S. Lewis (1898 â 1963) and Nikola Tesla (1856 â 1943) never met or corresponded. And yet, they do possess a rather tenuous, speculative connection.</p> 1825 1826 1827 1828<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Their connection isnât based on any similarities. Tesla was a radically innovative scientist. Lewis was a grounded literary master who was wisely suspicious of misplaced faith in scientism. </p> 1829 1830 1831 1832<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Despite the fact Teslaâs father and uncle were both Serbian Orthodox priests, and he maintained an interest in various religious traditions throughout his life, his adult beliefs were eclectic.</p> 1833 1834 1835 1836<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Lewis, the grandson of a Church of Ireland priest, went through a period of atheism before returning to Christianity as a devout member of the Anglican communion.</p> 1837 1838 1839 1840<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, how might the two men have been connected? Before exploring the notion that they shared a mysterious source of inspiration, consider the application of a modern theory.</p> 1841 1842 1843 1844<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Six Degrees of Separation</strong></p> 1845 1846 1847 1848<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Various experiments have supported the idea that people (in Western nations, at least) find it âtruly possible to trace a social connection between any two random people within <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/six-degrees-of-separation-theory-has-been-confirmed-by-experts/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">just six steps</a>â (This is far more refined than the overlapping of lifespans as discu
1848ssed <a href="https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/the-big-map-of-who-lived-when/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.)</p> 1849 1850 1851 1852<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1853<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But the pressing question remained: Why six? The answer has finally been revealed in a paper published in the journal <em>Physical Review X</em>. The study authors include researchers from Israel, Spain, Italy, Russia, Slovenia, and Chile. </p> 1854</blockquote> 1855 1856 1857 1858<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For an academic study of the phenomenon check out â<a href="https://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevX.13.021032" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Why Are There Six Degrees of Separation in a Social Network?</a>â</p> 1859 1860 1861 1862<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Even without the existence of social media, which some have argued may reduce â<a href="https://www.thomasarts.com/insights/the-world-is-shrinking-6-degrees-of-separation-is-now-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">6 Degrees of Separation [to] 2</a>,â I uncovered a pair of paths connecting Tesla and Lewis.</p> 1863 1864 1865 1866<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The first example is the more âdirect,â but the second includes as an intermediate link, a writer of great importance to C.S. Lewis.</p> 1867 1868 1869 1870<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Nikola Tesla </strong>(1856 â 1943)<br>Had as a friend who visited his laboratory, and later invited the inventor to attend his <a href="https://bigthink.com/high-culture/the-secret-to-mark-twains-friendship-with-nikola-tesla/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">daughterâs wedding</a>â¦</p> 1871 1872 1873 1874<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Mark Twain</strong> (1835 â 1910)<br>Who, after offering a scathing indictment of British colonialism, <a href="https://winstonchurchill.org/publications/finest-hour/finest-hour-149/cover-story-when-the-twain-met-winston-churchill-and-samuel-clemens/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">officially introduced</a> to deliver a 1900 speech in New Yorkâ¦</p> 1875 1876 1877 1878<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Winston Churchill</strong> (1874 â 1965)<br>Who offered âthe honour of becoming a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (<a href="https://winstonchurchill.org/publications/finest-hour-extras/his-usual-good-sense-c-s-lewis-on-winston-churchill/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CBE</a>)â toâ¦</p> 1879 1880 1881 1882<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>C.S. Lewis</strong> (1898 â 1963)<br>one of the most renowned scholars to ever teach at Oxford and Cambridge.</p> 1883 1884 1885 1886<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>And an alternate path:</em></p> 1887 1888 1889 1890<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Nikola Tesla </strong>(1856 â 1943)<br>Had as a friend who visited his laboratory, and later invited the inventor to attend his daughterâs weddingâ¦</p> 1891 1892 1893 1894<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Mark Twain</strong> (1835 â 1910)<br>Who maintained a longtime literary and <a href="https://www.george-macdonald.com/resources/mark_twain_and_george_macdonal.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">personal friendship</a> withâ¦</p> 1895 1896 1897 1898<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>George MacDonald</strong> (1824 â 1905)<br>Who <a href="https://delcat.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?context=WorldCat&vid=01UDEL_INST:01UDEL_INST&adaptor=WorldCatLocal&docid=WorldCat1162815112" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">received as a gift</a> <em>A Speech and Two Poems </em>with a personal letter from Irish poetâ¦</p> 1899 1900 1901 1902<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>William Butler Yeats </strong>(1865 – 1939)<br>Who, on more than one occasion, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2017/08/30/c-s-lewis-yeats-and-an-intermediary/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">entertained in his home</a>â¦</p> 1903 1904 1905 1906<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>C.S. Lewis </strong>(1898 â 1963)<br>who, coincidentally, regarded the very same <a href="https://www.1517.org/articles/the-man-from-whom-c-s-lewis-borrowed-most-of-his-ideas" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">George MacDonald</a> as one of his greatest mentors.</p> 1907 1908 1909 1910<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Tracking down these relationship paths was not that difficult. It was actually fun. If I wasnât so busy, I would create a few more examples.</p> 1911 1912 1913 1914<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Was there Another Connection?</strong></p> 1915 1916 1917 1918<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Nikola Tesla (Ðикола ТеÑла) was a Serbian-American inventor and futurist. His design of the alternating current (AC) electricity system was a breakthrough. As n
1918oted above, he was not a credal Christian. In â<a href="https://www.pbs.org/tesla/res/res_art11.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A Machine to End War</a>,â he described his beliefs in the following manner.</p> 1919 1920 1921 1922<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1923<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To me, the universe is simply a great machine which never came into being and never will end. The human being is no exception . . . Man, like the universe, is a machine. . . . what we call âsoul â or âspirit,â is nothing more than the sum of the functionings of the body. When this functioning ceases, the âsoulâ or the âspiritâ ceases likewise.</p> 1924</blockquote> 1925 1926 1927 1928<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The possible connection between Tesla and the Inklings, postulated by a <a href="https://www.coasttocoastam.com/guest/fanthorpe-lionel-5962/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sensationalist</a> Anglican priest, is offered in <em>Secrets of Rennes Le Chateau</em>. The author, <a href="https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?2161" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">R. Lionel Fanthorpe</a>, an Anglican priest who believes âthere are as many roads to the loving God of all mankind as there are individual human beings,â has written about many offbeat subjects. </p> 1929 1930 1931 1932<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the aforementioned work, he references passages from J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams and George MacDonald as writers whose fiction may âcontain hints about the Rennes-le-Château enigma.â He immediately follows this discussion with the case of âanother contemporary of theirs [who] was one of the strangest and most brilliant menâ of his age, Nikola Tesla.</p> 1933 1934 1935 1936<p class="wp-block-paragraph">He ends the chapter with the question, âwhat if the enigma with which all our Men of Mystery seem to have been involved was some form of superior communication? But communication with what? Or with whom?â</p> 1937 1938 1939 1940<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I doubt there is any connection in the source of the inspiration experienced by the Inklings, Tesla and the church at Rennes-le-Château. That said, it is an odd place of worship, due to the renovations made by its eccentric Roman Catholic priest, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bérenger_Saunière" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">François-Bérenger Saunière</a> (1852 â 1917).</p> 1941 1942 1943 1944<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Among the alterations made was the addition of a holy water font resting on the back of a devil or demon. That certainly qualifies as a âmysteriousâ decision. A mystery with which the Inklings bear no connection. </p> 1945 1946 1947 1948<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ultimately, Fanthorpeâs odd musings are illusory. Better to dismiss them and focus on the <em>actual</em> connection between C.S. Lewis and Nikola Tesla â one documented through the Six Degrees of Separation model.</p> 1949 1950 1951 </div><!-- .entry-content --> 1952 </div> 1953</article><!-- #post-## --> 1954 1955 1956 1957<article id="post-104792" class="post-104792 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-c-s-lewis category-christian-life category-christianity category-church-history category-history category-martin-luther category-modern-life category-narnia category-numismatics category-ordained-ministry category-the-modern-church tag-c-s-lewis tag-christianity tag-coffins tag-coins tag-czechoslovakia tag-eisenach tag-funerals tag-inflation tag-john-calvin tag-lutheran tag-martin-luther tag-narnia tag-notgeld tag-numismatics tag-papal-funeral tag-pope-francis tag-pope-john-xxiii tag-switzerland tag-united-nations tag-vatican-city tag-wartburg-castle tag-zwingli"> 1958 <div class="entry-wrapper"> 1959 <header class="entry-header"> 1960 <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/02/a-curious-papal-funerary-tradition/" rel="bookmark">A Curious Papal Funerary Tradition</a></h1> 1961 <div class="entry-meta"> 1962 <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/02/a-curious-papal-funerary-tradition/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published updated" datetime="2025-05-02T11:53:07-07:00">May 2, 2025</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://mereinkling.net/author/robstroud/">robstroud</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/c-s-lewis/" rel="category tag">C.S. Lewis</a>
1962, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/christian-life/" rel="category tag">Christian Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/theological-matters/christianity/" rel="category tag">Christianity</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/church-history/" rel="category tag">Church History</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/history/" rel="category tag">History</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/church-history/martin-luther/" rel="category tag">Martin Luther</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/modern-life/" rel="category tag">Modern Life</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/narnia/" rel="category tag">Narnia</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/numismatics/" rel="category tag">Numismatics</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/theological-matters/ordained-ministry/" rel="category tag">Ordained Ministry</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/church-history/the-modern-church/" rel="category tag">The Modern Church</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/02/a-curious-papal-funerary-tradition/#comments">4 Comments</a></span> </div><!-- .entry-meta --> 1963 </header><!-- .entry-header --> 1964 1965 <div class="entry-content"> 1966 <div class="wp-block-image"> 1967<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pope-francis-coinage.png"><img data-attachment-id="104811" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/02/a-curious-papal-funerary-tradition/pope-francis-coinage/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pope-francis-coinage.png" data-orig-size="1836,1432" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="Pope Francis Coinage" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pope-francis-coinage.png?w=640" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="798" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pope-francis-coinage.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-104811" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pope-francis-coinage.png?w=1024 1024w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pope-francis-coinage.png?w=150 150w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pope-francis-coinage.png?w=300 300w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pope-francis-coinage.png?w=768 768w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pope-francis-coinage.png?w=1440 1440w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pope-francis-coinage.png 1836w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure> 1968</div> 1969 1970 1971<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Several unique items are buried with modern popes when they die. Most, including their vestments, point to their spiritual role as the Bishop of Rome and patriarch of the Roman Catholic Church. One, however, highlights his secular role as the leader of the worldâs <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Vatican-City" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">smallest independent nation</a> state.</p> 1972 1973 1974 1975<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This post is not about Pope Francisâ reign, or the papacy in general. As C.S. Lewis noted in a letter to an American poet, <a href="https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/197830185/mary-willis-shelburne" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mary Willis Shelburne</a>, opinions on such matters differ in sometimes unproductive ways. In response to a comment she had written about the passing of Pope John XXIII (1881 â 1963), who had convened the Second Vatican Council, Lewis astutely observed,</p> 1976 1977 1978 1979<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1980<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Godâs purposes are terribly obscure. I am thinking both of your [physical] sufferings and of the removal of such a Pope at such a moment. And the horrid conclusions which some bigots on both sides will probably draw from it.</p> 1981</blockquote> 1982 1983 1984 1985<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rather than discussing the role of the Bishop of Rome, I am considering one specific aspect of the office of the Bishop of Rome â the formalities associated with the funeral and burial/interment of a deceased pope. My focus is further restricted to a single unique facet of that process. This involves the<a href="https://www.mondayvatican.com/vatican/pope-francis-rules-whereas-paul-vi-reigned-does-the-vatican-need-a-ruler-or-a-king" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> coinage of the Vatican</a> City State issued during their reign.</p> 1986 1987 1988 1989<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Despite its status as a nation, Vatican City has declined full membership in the United Nations. This is due to the admirable goal of remaining detached from the official political tentacles associated with having an official vote. Instead, through the <a href="https://holyseemission.org/contents/mission/5ac79b91753bc.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Holy See</a>, the papacyâs ecclesiastical office, the Roman Catholic Church maintains a presence and voice in the UN.</p> 1990 1991 1992 1993<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Vatican City is one of the few independent states that has not become a member of the United Nations. It does hold permanent observer status, with all the rights of a full member except for having a vote in the General Assembly.</p> 1994 1995 1996 1997<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 1998<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On April 6, 1964, the Holy See became a Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations and established its Mission in New York City. This was fitting, not only because of the growing involvement of the Holy See in UN deliberations, but above all because the four pillars of the UN as enshrined in its Charter dovetail very well with four main pillars of Catholic Social Teaching . . .</p> 1999 2000 2001 2002<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Holy See enjoys by its own choice the status of Permanent Observer at the United Nations, rather than of a full Member. This is due primarily to the desire of the Holy See to maintain absolute neutrality in specific political problems.</p> 2003</blockquote> 2004 2005 2006 2007<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In accordance with tradition, âpreparations are also being made for a numismatic commemoration of the Sede Vacante.â The Latin term means âvacant seat,â and refers to the transitional period between popes. Thus, in addition to the papal coins minted for each pope, special issues are normally released during the interims. However, due to a reorganization of the Vaticanâs coinage office, <em>
2007<a href="https://new.coinsweekly.com/news-en/questions-and-answers-for-coin-collectors-regarding-the-death-of-pope-francis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CoinsWeekly</a></em> reports it remains âuncertain whether a 2-euro commemorative coinâ will be produced for this papal interregnum. </p> 2008 2009 2010 2011<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em><a href="https://www.numismaticnews.net/between-one-pope-and-the-next-the-sede-vacante-coins" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NumismaticNews</a></em> echoes the fact that due to their rarity, Sede Vacante issues rapidly increase in value. Fortunately due to their infrequency, they â are seldom at the center of a collectorâs radar. Thatâs probably a good thing, as it means we are not losing popes quickly or routinely.â</p> 2012 2013 2014 2015<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A number of items are traditionally <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pope-francis-dead-what-happens-next-rcna128745" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">included in a popeâs casket</a>. Unsurprisingly, these include a miter, crozier, and rosary. They also include coins minted during their reign, reflecting their role as ruler of the Papal State. This last fact surprised me.</p> 2016 2017 2018 2019<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, precisely what is the precedent being set with Pope Francisâ funeral? First, he was not buried in the Vatican, but in a <a href="https://www.basilicasantamariamaggiore.va/en/basilica/storia-e-arte/salus-popoli-romani.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">basilica</a> dedicated to St. Mary.</p> 2020 2021 2022 2023<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There was another, more significant symbol of the simplicity that characterized his papacy. While popes traditionally have three elaborate caskets nestled inside one another, Francis asked to have only <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-04/pope-francis-is-buried-in-st-mary-major.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">one simple wooden casket</a> with a modest zinc inner lid.</p> 2024 2025 2026 2027<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Pope Francisâ 2017 Revision of Vatican Coinage</strong></p> 2028 2029 2030 2031<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For centuries, the portrait of the current Bishop of Rome graced coins in Rome. That tradition ended with Pope Francis. In 2017, he personally requested that his visage no longer appear on coins. This is commendable, since it was presumably based on Francisâ humility. </p> 2032 2033 2034 2035<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This then, his image has been replaced by the papal coat of arms. Notably, every other country minting euros bears the head of its head of state. It will be interesting to see whether or not Francisâ successor follows his example.</p> 2036 2037 2038 2039<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>A Brief Note on Protestant Coinage</strong></p> 2040 2041 2042 2043<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Although there have been some historical attempts to create governmental structures led by religious leaders besides Roman Catholicism, they have been the rare exception. (The claimed leadership of the Church by sovereigns such as King Henry VIII is another case.) </p> 2044 2045 2046 2047<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In Zurich, Huldrych Zwingli (1484 â 1531) sought to establish a <a href="https://lutheranreformation.org/history/luther-and-zwingli/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">theocracy</a>, and actually perished on the battlefield resisting the Roman Catholic armies of several Swiss cantons. John Calvin (1509 â 1564) pursued similar goals in Geneva, and beyond. Calvin, however, never bore arms in his effort.</p> 2048 2049 2050 2051<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Fortunately, the â<a href="https://witness.lcms.org/2020/temporal-and-eternal/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">two kingdoms</a>â theology of Martin Luther became dominant in primarily <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2017/02/07/timing-the-reformation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Protestant</a> realms. It is based on the declaration Jesus made during his trial before Pontius Pilate that âMy kingdom is not of this worldâ (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2018%3A36-37&version=ESV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">John 19</a>).</p> 2052 2053 2054 2055<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For a fascinating discussion of the implications of this theological position, consider â<a href="https://davenantinstitute.org/luther+farewell+arms" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Martin Lutherâs Farewell to Arms: The Two Kingdoms and the Rejection of Crusading</a>.â</p> 2056 2057 2058 2059<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Turning to numismatics, it is not rare to find religious leaders portrayed on historical coinage. However, these portrayals serve as commemorations of individuals who have made a cultural or ethical contribution to a particular society â not because they sat upon a throne.</p> 2060 2061 2062 2063<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For example, Switzerland minted a 20 franc coin with the images of <
2063a href="https://www.coinworld.com/news/world-coins/swiss-mint-issues-silver-coin-for-reformation-anniversary.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Zwingli and Calvin</a> during the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.</p> 2064 2065 2066 2067<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Likewise, in 1965, the Communist government of Czechoslovakia produced a 10 korun coin in honor of the 550th anniversary of the martyrdom of <a href="https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces20200.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jan Hus</a>. This particular coin, like many similar pieces, was actually minted as a non-circulating coin, intended for collectors rather than daily commerce.</p> 2068 2069 2070 2071<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This leads us to note that most coin-like pieces of metal bearing the likeness of reformers are actually medallions, not coins. As such, the vast majority of the commemoratives have been fashioned by organizations, rather than governments.</p> 2072 2073 2074 2075<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Being an amateur <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2019/12/11/constantines-augustae-c-s-lewis-joy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">numismatist</a> and a <a href="https://mereinkling.net/mercy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lutheran</a> pastor myself, I have several related items in my personal collection (none of which were costly, of course . . . since itâs just a hobby). One of my favorite items is a genuine 1 Mark coin minted in Eisenach in Weimar Germany in 1921 (pictured below). What makes it especially unusual is that due to postwar metal shortages, it was actually struck in porcelain!</p> 2076 2077 2078 2079<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This emergency coinage and currency was called âNotgeld,â which means ânecessity moneyâ because individual cities found it necessary to provide their own money when the Reichsbank succumbed to <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2021/10/19/value-of-money/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hyperinflation</a> between the world wars.</p> 2080 2081 2082 2083<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The city of Eisenach chose the centennial of Martin Lutherâs work because of his historic ties to the city. The <a href="https://www.lutherhaus-eisenach.com/start" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lutherhaus Eisenach</a> cultural center commemorates, among other events, Lutherâs early schooldays there, and his stay at <a href="https://www.luther.de/en/wartburg.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wartburg Castle</a> where he translated the New Testament into German.</p> 2084 2085 2086 2087<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Conclusion</strong></p> 2088 2089 2090 2091<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In light of Pope Francisâ funeral and the association it has with numismatics, it is a good time to consider how coinage has often carried a religious message. Although this was more frequent in past centuries, it still occurs today. It will be interesting to see just how many nations eventually mint coins in honor of Pope Francis. The Philippines, Samoa and the Cook Islands already have.</p> 2092 2093 2094 2095<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And even <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2021/02/04/inkling-patina/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Narnia</a>, the home of Aslan, minted coins in honor of its heroes, didnât it?</p> 2096 2097 2098<div class="wp-block-image"> 2099<figure class="aligncenter size-medium"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/porcelain-notgeld.png"><img data-attachment-id="104809" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/2025/05/02/a-curious-papal-funerary-tradition/porcelain-notgeld/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/porcelain-notgeld.png" data-orig-size="1826,1440" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="porcelain notgeld" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/porcelain-notgeld.png?w=640" loading="lazy" width="300" height="236" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/porcelain-notgeld.png?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-104809" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/porcelain-notgeld.png?w=300 300w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/porcelain-notgeld.png?w=600 600w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/porcelain-notgeld.png?w=150 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100v
2099w, 300px" /></a></figure> 2100</div> 2101 2102 2103<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p> 2104 2105 2106 </div><!-- .entry-content --> 2107 </div> 2108</article><!-- #post-## --> 2109 2110 2111 2112<article id="post-104688" class="post-104688 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-c-s-lewis category-education category-great-authors category-literature category-modern-life tag-anglo-irish tag-c-s-lewis tag-england tag-ethnicities tag-geography tag-hiberno-english tag-ireland tag-literature tag-writers tag-writing"> 2113 <div class="entry-wrapper"> 2114 <header class="entry-header"> 2115 <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/04/24/c-s-lewis-ethnic-ancestry/" rel="bookmark">C.S. Lewis & Ethnic Ancestry</a></h1> 2116 <div class="entry-meta"> 2117 <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/04/24/c-s-lewis-ethnic-ancestry/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2025-04-24T20:28:18-07:00">April 24, 2025</time><time class="updated" datetime="2025-04-25T14:22:02-07:00">April 25, 2025</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://mereinkling.net/author/robstroud/">robstroud</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/c-s-lewis-the-inklings/c-s-lewis/" rel="category tag">C.S. Lewis</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/modern-life/education/" rel="category tag">Education</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/great-authors/" rel="category tag">Great Authors</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/literature/" rel="category tag">Literature</a>, <a href="https://mereinkling.net/category/modern-life/" rel="category tag">Modern Life</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2025/04/24/c-s-lewis-ethnic-ancestry/#comments">24 Comments</a></span> </div><!-- .entry-meta --> 2118 </header><!-- .entry-header --> 2119 2120 <div class="entry-content"> 2121 <div class="wp-block-image"> 2122<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/baby-with-globe-1.png"><img data-attachment-id="104720" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/2025/04/24/c-s-lewis-ethnic-ancestry/baby-with-globe-2/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/baby-with-globe-1.png" data-orig-size="1823,1391" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="baby with globe" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/baby-with-globe-1.png?w=640" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="781" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/baby-with-globe-1.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-104720" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/baby-with-globe-1.png?w=1024 1024w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/baby-with-globe-1.png?w=150 150w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/baby-with-globe-1.png?w=300 300w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/baby-with-globe-1.png?w=768 768w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/baby-with-globe-1.png?w=1440 1440w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/baby-with-globe-1.png 1823w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure> 2123</div> 2124 2125 2126<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Most American think C.S. Lewis was English. But thatâs not quite right, is it? After all, he was born in Belfast, which is in Northern Ireland. And that makes him Irish, doesnât it? Well, yes but not <em>exactly</em>.</p> 2127 2128 2129 2130<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The most accurate description is that C.S. Lewis was Anglo-Irish, with an identity linked to both English and Irish identities. Unfortunately, even that designation is subject to potential confusion, since it holds more than one definition. It is sometimes used for persons of English descent living in Ireland, Irish folks living in England, or those of mi
2130xed Irish and English ancestry. </p> 2131 2132 2133 2134<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The classical definition, directly applicable to C.S. Lewis, is: âof English descent but born or resident in Ireland, or a member of such a family, and associated particularly with the Protestant Ascendancyâ (<em><a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095413520?p=emailA0gR66zNHBOW.&d=/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095413520" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oxford Reference</a></em>).</p> 2135 2136 2137 2138<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The <a href="https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/ireland-emerald-isle" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Emerald Isle</a> is particularly confusing to most Americans. Only a minority possess any awareness of the history which led to the division of Ireland into todayâs Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. (Read to the end and discover a little known aspect about Americaâs dominant ethnicities.)</p> 2139 2140 2141 2142<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If Ireland is a mystery to those in the United States, so too are other identifications. The âUnited Kingdomâ itself is perplexing to many on â<a href="https://www.oed.com/dictionary/water_n" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this side of the pond</a>â (i.e. the Atlantic). </p> 2143 2144 2145 2146<p class="wp-block-paragraph">People find it baffling that a nation consists of three one-time kingdoms (England, Wales and Scotland) and the northeast counties on the island of Ireland. Add to that the fact that the initial three <em>also</em> comprise âGreat Britain,â and eyes can <a href="https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/glaze-over" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">glaze over</a>.</p> 2147 2148 2149 2150<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Why does it matter? Because a personâs background and heritage often influences many aspects of their personality and values. And the outcome of this blending is particularly manifest in the unique combination of the Irish and English cultures. The <a href="https://www.atlanticlanguage.com/what-is-hiberno-english/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hiberno-English</a> dialect provides a colorful example, with words like the adjective âcatsâ (awful), âamnâtâ (am not), plámás (flattery), and âthe jacksâ (bathroom), plus phrases such as âacting the maggotâ (misbehaving). </p> 2151 2152 2153 2154<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Like all other tongues, Hiberno-English continues to <a href="https://www.persee.fr/doc/irlan_0183-973x_2006_num_31_2_1762" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evolve</a>.</p> 2155 2156 2157 2158<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Anglo-Irish Writers</strong></p> 2159 2160 2161 2162<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Irish-literature/The-Irishness-of-Anglo-Irish-l
2162iterature" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anglo-Irish literature</a> constitutes a distinct category of poetry and prose. Ironically, it is the essential <em>Irishness</em> of the style in âAnglo-Irish literature [which] registers itself [as] the most difficult . . . and the most importantâ element to be identified.</p> 2163 2164 2165 2166<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Few non-Europeans recognize there are many prominent Anglo-Irish writers.* Many, including C.S. Lewis who studied and taught in England, celebrated their Irish heritage. An example taken from a letter written in 1917 to his friend <a href="https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/like-raindrops-on-a-window" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arthur Greeves</a> provides an illustration of this pride. Describing a day spent walking with a classmate while debating the merits of various authors, he wrote:</p> 2167 2168 2169 2170<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 2171<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Like all Irish people who meet in England we ended by criticisms on the invincible flippancy and dulness of the Anglo-Saxon race. After all, there is no doubt, ami, that the Irish are the only people: with all their faults I would not gladly live or die among another folk.</p> 2172</blockquote> 2173 2174 2175 2176<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While this tongue in cheek remark reflects Lewisâ youthful humor, you can read a more brilliant study of the subject in â<a href="https://www.academia.edu/3537724/_C_S_Lewis_An_Irish_Writer_Irish_Studies_Review_18_1_February_2010_17_38" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">C.S. Lewis: An Irish Writer.</a>â</p> 2177 2178 2179 2180<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It discusses, among other matters, why âLewis, a proud Irishman, [chose] not to promote himself as an Irish writer or write more regularly about Irish themes.â</p> 2181 2182 2183 2184<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>American Geographical Eccentricities</strong></p> 2185 2186 2187 2188<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sadly, <a href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/850:_World_According_to_Americans" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">geography</a> is quite undervalued in the American educational system. The common ignorance about the makeup of other continents is nothing less than embarrassing. Of course, Americans arenât the only people ignorant about such matters, as <a href="https://www.geocurrents.info/blog/2014/04/30/american-geographical-illiteracy-perhaps-worlds-worst-atlas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GeoCurrents</a> notes.</p> 2189 2190 2191 2192<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> 2193<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But if geographical ignorance is pronounced in the United States . . . the problem does seem to be even more extreme in some other parts of the world.</p> 2194</blockquote> 2195 2196 2197 2198<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The United States as it exists today, is the product of constant immigration. During the early years of the colonies and Republic, most arrivals were Europeans, with nearly eleven million Africans brought involuntarily to North America, most during the rule of the British (<a href="https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teacher-resources/historical-context-facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History</a>).</p> 2199 2200 2201 2202<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As a result of this influx of foreigners, each state possesses its own unique identity (or, more accurately, identities). The following <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-common-ancestry-in-every-us-state-map-2019-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">map</a> shows the largest single ancestral ethnicity of the residents of each state. It contains a few surprises.</p> 2203 2204 2205 2206<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The fact that Irish descendants represent a plurality in five states raises the question of just how many talented Irish-American writer may have shared the intercultural experiences of C.S. Lewis.</p> 2207 2208 2209 2210<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/united-states-ancestry.png"><img data-attachment-id="104713" data-permalink="https://mereinkling.net/2025/04/24/c-s-lewis-ethnic-ancestry/united-states-ancestry/" data-orig-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/united-states-ancestry.png" data-orig-size="1300,975" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-title="united states ancestry" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/united-states-ancestry.png?w=640" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="768" src="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/united-states-ancestry.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-104713" srcset="https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/united-states-ancestry.png?w=1024 1024
2210w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/united-states-ancestry.png?w=150 150w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/united-states-ancestry.png?w=300 300w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/united-states-ancestry.png?w=768 768w, https://mereinkling.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/united-states-ancestry.png 1300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure> 2211 2212 2213 2214<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> 2215 2216 2217 2218<p class="wp-block-paragraph">* A list of noteworthy Anglo-Irish writers would include, in addition to C.S. Lewis:</p> 2219 2220 2221 2222<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2021/08/13/writing-styles-revisited/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jonathan Swift</a> (1667 â 1745)<br>Oliver Goldsmith (c. 1730 â 1774)<br>Maria Edgeworth (1768 â 1849)<br>Joseph Sheridan LeFanu (1814 â 1873)<br>Dionysius Boucicault (1820 â 1890)<br>Lady Augusta Gregory (1852 â 1932)<br>Oscar Wilde (1854 â 1900)<br>George Bernard Shaw (1856 â 1950)<br>John Bagnell Bury (1861 â 1927)<br><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2017/08/30/c-s-lewis-yeats-and-an-intermediary/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">William Butler Yeats</a> (1865 â 1939)<br>James Owen Hannay (aka George A. Birmingham) (1865 â 1950)<br>John M. Synge (1871 â 1909)<br>Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett (aka Lord Dunsany) (1878 â 1957)<br>Lady Clodagh Beresford (1879 â 1957)<br>Emily Lorimer (1881 â 1911)<br><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2013/08/22/autistic-considerations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">James Joyce</a> (1882 â 1941)<br>Terence James Stannus Gray (aka Wei Wu Wei) (1895 â 1986)<br>Elizabeth Bowen (1899 â 1973)<br><a href="https://mereinkling.net/2020/04/28/pen-names-pseudonyms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cecil Day-Lewis</a> (1904 â 1972)<br>Samuel Beckett (1906 â 1989)<br>Louis MacNeice (1907 â 1963)<br><a href="https://mitchteemley.com/about/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mitch Teemley</a></p> 2223 2224 2225 2226<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p> 2227 2228 2229 </div><!-- .entry-content --> 2230 </div> 2231</article><!-- #post-## --> 2232 2233 2234 2235 <nav class="navigation posts-navigation" aria-label="Posts"> 2236 <h2 class="screen-reader-text">Posts navigation</h2> 2237 <div class="nav-links"><div class="nav-previous"><a href="https://mereinkling.net/page/2/" >Older posts</a></div></div> 2238 </nav> 2239 2240 </main><!-- #main --> 2241 </div><!-- #primary --> 2242 2243 2244<div id="secondary" class="widget-area" role="complementary"> 2245 <aside id="follow_button_widget-3" class="widget widget_follow_button_widget"> 2246 <a class="wordpress-follow-button" href="https://mereinkling.net" data-blog="26930382" data-lang="en" data-show-follower-count="true">Follow Mere Inkling Press on WordPress.com</a> 2247
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Line numbers count LF bytes from the start of the resource, as the search results do. Vendor segments are library code the classifier recognised; they are stored but not indexed. Bytes are shown as Latin1 characters, one per byte.