Authoritarianism
From Draft to Bookshop – A Journey
Almost two years ago this weekend my wife and I, rather nervously, drove into a small Devon village on our way to visit a family that I had only met through Going Postal but who [more…]
Philosophy
Christianity
Ezekiel the Mystical Prophet Part 2 – the Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones
I wrote these articles at the prompting of Goodnight Vienna who became very interested in the Old Testament prophets at the end of her life, and the pair on Ezekiel were the last ones she [more…]
Christianity
Ezekiel – The Mystical Prophet Part 1
The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel is regarded as one of the three major prophetic books of the Old Testament, behind Isaiah and Jeremiah. After a period in the middle 20th century when scholars tended to [more…]
20th Century
Emmet Dalton and the raid on Mountjoy Prison
This is a story about one of the rebels against British rule over Ireland and about one incident in that rebellion in the early 20th century. Emmet Dalton was born in the United States in [more…]
Christianity
Moses Gives a Warning
I was reading my bible before bed the other day (I know, I’m a wild man) when I came across a few passages in Deuteronomy which caught my eye. Deuteronomy is the book where Moses [more…]
Christianity
Was Jesus a Refugee?
Over the Christmas holidays I heard many references to Jesus being a refugee. This happens most years, but this year it was given extra credence by the number of migrants trying to cross the Channel [more…]
Christianity
Why Then? Why There? The First Coming of the Messiah
We are at the end of Advent, the Christian season that looks forward to Christ’s nativity. Today I am not going to tell you what you most probably already know about Advent, its significance and [more…]
Arts
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Painted in about 1470/75, it is in the National Gallery. One of my favourite carols: Merry Christmas! OldTrout 2018
Christianity
Martin Luther and Brexit: Game Changers
We all know that Henry VIII famously broke with the Pope in Rome to seek a marriage with Anne Boleyn. But another important question is how was he able to do this? More specifically, would [more…]