Hi, this is Kylie. Thank you all for listening to Lent with the Saints and for sending in your questions. I loved hearing from you. I will be answering three of your questions in a bonus episode this weekend. This special episode comes out on Sunday at LentWithTheSaints.com or wherever you listen to the podcast. In this video, we'll be talking about the weight of invasions and economic turmoil. Amidst the chaos, Christianity rises, bringing hope. But as the gospel spreads across different lands and languages, contradicting translations lead to confusion, even heresies. The Church needs clarity, wisdom, and a firm hand to defend the truth. And in this turbulent age, one man rises to the challenge, and yielding dedication to Scripture. This is the story of Saint Jerome. LentWithTheSaints.com Beyond what's written in those old texts, like what? Do you truly believe that observing the mundane or listening to common folk holds greater value than mastering the rhetoric that built Rome? Please enlighten me, Buenosus, on what could possibly be more important than the wisdom and the very foundation of civilization. I meant Christ's teachings. I've never heard such wisdom. And his message? Buenosus, please. You sound just like my mother and her old boring friends in Striden. Oh, no, we're late for morning prayers. Yet the only thing they ever use their words for is gossip and intrigue. The only excitement that sleepy town has ever seen. But... No buts, Buenosus. If you want to learn prayers, go to church. I want knowledge. And hurry up! We're wasting precious daylight. Every moment we dawdle is a moment we could be reading scrolls. Well, at least he woke up in a good mood. Therefore, my fellow scholars, I put it to you. Without the profound wisdom of Virgil, the incisive logic of Cicero, and the epic narratives of Homer, men would be no better than beasts. These classics teach us how to think. How, I ask you, could you even recognize truth if not by first training the mind through reason? And who says we need you to understand the truth, or even to ask the right questions? Are you serious, Marcus? You wouldn't even know what a question is, let alone how to ask one. Oh, no. Here we go again. Whatever all you want, you'll learn in time. Mark my words. It seems like Jerome loves the sound of his own voice more than the truth. Always twisting words to suit himself. Twist words? I merely polish them until they shine with clarity, revealing the stark inadequacies of your own, something you might try sometime. Or is it too arduous a task to even attempt such precision? So, there again. Enough, enough. This debate on classical rhetoric is concluded. You've all made passionate arguments, but we must leave it there. Next week, we shall debate an even greater question. Is faith the true source of wisdom? Prepare yourselves accordingly. You may go now. Last dismissed. Jerome, stay a moment. A spirited debate has always. Today's debate was hardly a challenge, Master Donas. Jerome, I must admit your passion for learning is unmatched. Your sharp, a skilled order. Your mind is a gift. Thank you. Your tutelage has been invaluable, Master. However, there is a shadow that clouds your brilliance. A shadow? Your pride. I merely speak the truth as I see it. Should the truth be tempered for the sake of fragile egos? What would be the point of learning and knowing the truth if you have no friends to share it with? I have binossus. He'll always be my friend. He might not get all of it, but he's loyal. That's enough. And what about the others? Knowledge isn't meant to be hoarded. It's meant to be shared. I don't need to enlighten fools. Why waste wisdom on those who can't appreciate it? And perhaps the greatest wisdom of all still eludes my most brilliant student. Better to be right and alone than wrong in company. I didn't say I was Roman. I said I was Roman to Trojus. The day is still young, binossus. I heard there's a gathering at the forum. Philosophers, poets, come. Let's sharpen our minds. Thank you, Jerome, but I have other matters to attend to. Other matters? What could be more interesting than a night of discourse? Well, you wouldn't understand. I'll see you tomorrow. I wouldn't understand. What could be more interesting than spending time with me? Let's see where you're going, binossus, my friend. I think I'll follow you. New rugs, specially woven. Finest wore. Oh, come on in. Sandals? Get a new pair of sandals? Scribe available. Letters written. Documents read. Pottery? Strong? And beautiful. Darling, darling, look at this bug. We're nearly at the outskirts of Rome. Where are you going, binossus? The catacombs. This is where you'd rather be, binossus? Surrounded by cold stone walls, narrow passages, and graves with old bones? You followed me? What could possibly draw you to this lively place of death? Well, if you must know, I come here to remember the martyrs, the apostles. I find peace here. I come to read St. Ignatius of Antioch's letter to the Romans, written as he journeyed to his martyrdom. Here, listen to his words. I am God's wheat, to be ground by the teeth of beasts that I may become Christ's pure bread. What greater joy than to be poured out as a libation for his name. Don't you see, Jerome? These martyrs found something so powerful it transformed not just their lives, but their deaths into triumph. And you think your life can be as triumphant as Ignatius's? To die for a cause. How noble. What about you, Jerome? When you die, will people speak of you as they speak of these martyrs? Or will your name be forgotten, scattered like ashes despite all your brilliance? I have nothing else to say to you. We'll neither do these martyrs because they are dead. I really want to be alone. Don't follow me this time. Buenosus has lost his mind. How can he find some grand truth in these gloomy tunnels with damp air? You'll see. People will remember me. They'll have to, won't they? Buenosus had no right to question me like that. I've taught him so many things, so many. He's a fool, an ungrateful fool. But if he's a fool, why am I so angry about his words? What if he's right? What is the purpose of this mind of mine, this burning need to learn, to know? What if there's more than just learning, then knowing? Am I so busy proving I'm right that I'm blind to something greater? What if my brilliant mind was given to me for something more, for something greater? What if I have a purpose, a calling? Good morning, Jerome. You're late for school. So, are you done questioning my entire existence, or should I prepare for another lecture? That depends. Are you done avoiding important questions about the purpose of life? I wasn't avoiding anything. I was merely- Jerome! Buenosus! Wait! Rufinas, what's the matter? I've been looking everywhere for you both. I have news. What kind of news? I'm leaving Rome. Leaving Rome? Why? I'll be traveling through the Empire, seeing other cities. Antioch, Constantinople, Alexandria. I'll see them all. You two should come with me. Now? But our studies- Forget about your studies. Let's seek real education experience. You think everything worth knowing is wrapped inside a scroll? What could we possibly learn wandering aimlessly? The Greatest Minds are here, in Rome. That's why we came here from Striden. Oh, Jerome, do you still think the world ends at Rome's walls? There are scholars in Alexandria who could match wits with any Roman philosopher. Mystics in Syria whose wisdom would humble our greatest minds. Mystics and foreigners. Oh, I'm sure those some of you have heard of them. Foreigners. Oh, I'm sure those so-called Great Minds can enlighten us. What makes you think they can't teach you something? Are you seriously asking? What can a provincial mystic, whose world extends only to his village, possibly offer to one who has already mastered the works of the classics? Perhaps you're right, Jerome. They wouldn't be worthy debate partners for you, would they? No one can get the better of Jerome in a debate, Rufinas. Trust me. Or is that just what you tell yourself to stay comfortable? What are you trying to say? Oh, come on! It's time you embrace real adventures! Don't stay in the safety of your academic debates and your old dusty scrolls. Those scrolls were written by the most brilliant minds, Rufinas. Just think about it, both of you. I leave in two weeks. Rufinas has lost his mind. Or has he found something we haven't even considered? What if? What if Rome is not the center of the world anymore, Bonossus? You're not actually considering leaving with Rufinas, are you? I'm thinking about it. But if we go with Rufinas, we won't be able to come back later. We won't be able to come back later and study under Donatus' tutelage. What if no one wants to mentor us later? We're scholars. We shouldn't ruin our future. Weren't you the one questioning what's the purpose of life? Yes, but I must know what is the purpose of my life. Hi, this is Peter Atkinson from The Mary Baker's. Tune in to Episode 2, A Sharp Tongue, to hear the next installment of Saint Jerome. Listen to all the episodes and discover new shows at thestainspodcast.com. Tune in to Episode 2, A Sharp Tongue, to hear the next installment of Saint Jerome.
