Matthew Hudson > Recent Status Updates

Once again, skipping Beowulf due to a recent reading. Have read the Passion of St. Christopher, the Wonders of the East, and the Letter of Alexander the Great to Aristotle. Excited to read Judith, and finally have full context for Beowulf as we have it preserved.

Borrowed from a dear friend. A bit dense and technical in places, but the technical aspects are quickly followed by more easily grasped summaries. Shot through with warmth and insight.

I am beginning to think that John Mandeville likely visited Jerusalem, Egypt, and quite possibly China (Cathay as he calls it, under the rule of the Great Kahn.) In these places the customs seem most reasonable, and the descriptions, although exuberant, strike me as lifelike and ring true. But, for the rest of the places he has mentioned, I suspect he is simply repeating other legends.

I skipped the middle section because it is a translation of Beowulf, and I just finished my third or fourth reading of Beowulf recently.

The further from Jerusalem Sir Mandeville travels, the wilder his accounts become. Yet, every bizzare creature and caricature is balanced by strangely well thought out details.

Also, he mentions a story of a man who, travelling far enough, arrived at a land where they spoke his own language, and suggests that the man had circumnavigated the globe unawares. This reminds me of Chesterton's comments in Orthodoxy

It is a shame (bordering on heartbreak) that so many Anglo-Saxon poems exist only as fragments

A fascinating read. Written by a Russian-American Vietnam Vet in the 1980s, who also happens to be a professor of literature and an Orthodox Christian. So far it's an insight into the particular dynamics of Cold War american-russian relations, and a broader look at the intersection of Christianity and national identity.

I can already tell this book is going to be a wonderful challenge. Met. Anthony grasps prayer better than any writer I have encountered.

Finally picked this one back up. Gregory of Nyssa remains, as ever, insightful.