Ex Umbris

We are back...finally... Season 3 launch. Start up for teachers is NO JOKE! This podcast explores the rich symbolism and theological depth of Psalm 51, a powerful prayer of repentance attributed to King David. Our esteemed Dr. Duo discuss how Psalm 51 connects to Old Testament rituals like the red heifer sacrifice and the use of hyssop for purification, while also foreshadowing Christian themes of...

Part 2! Can the riddle of the universe be solved? The mystery genre holds out hope that it can be. Dr. Christopher Chan, international goodwill ambassador for Agathachristie.com and contributing editor to Gilbert Magazine, joins Scholarch McLarney and Schoolman Fawcett to discuss the Biblical and civilizational origins of the detective story and what its continued popularity tells us about people&...

Part 1 here first! Can the riddle of the universe be solved? The mystery genre holds out hope that it can be. Dr. Christopher Chan, international goodwill ambassador for Agathachristie.com and contributing editor to Gilbert Magazine, joins Scholarch McLarney and Schoolman Fawcett to discuss the Biblical and civilizational origins of the detective story and what its continued popularity tells us ab...

Can you know that God exists just by thinking about what the word "God" means? Anselm suggests that--with the help of God's grace--perhaps you can. Scholarch McLarney and Schoolman Fawcett discuss what the "ontological argument" of the Proslogion says (and doesn't say) and how to respond to the objections to the argument raised by Gaunilo and Thomas Aquinas. Dr. Gerard...

In part 1, we sketched out the context of this passage in John 4. Here we continue our discussion of Christ’s Basilikos as a type of Adam and as well a New Adam and the significance of his descent in light of Christ’s descent into this world.  Dr. Gerard McLarney and Mr. Brett Fawcett are teachers at St. Isidore ONLINE Chesterton Academy in Sherwood Park, AB Canada. SILC Chesterton Academy is a cl...

Episode 52: The Descent of Christ's Basilikos Part 1 Perhaps the most overlooked passage in John’s Gospel (4:43-54), the story of Jesus’s second sign and the Royal Official ( basilikos ), stand as a microcosm of the drama of salvation history. Jesus’s mission of descent and ascent, mirrored by the Royal Official’s descent from Cana to Capernaum, are considered by Scholarch McLarney and Schoolm...

Anselm is famous for (among other things) his ontological argument for God's existence in his book, the Proslogion, but what often gets missed is that the Proslogion isn't about Anselm coming up with a great argument: it's about God revealing who He is to Anselm. In this episode, Schoolman Fawcett makes his case to Scholarch McLarney that the Proslogion is a kind of psalm in which a po...

Part 2 Residing at the center of the Psalter, which in many ways is the heart of the Bible, is Psalm 118. In this two part discussion, Scholarch McLarney and Schoolman Fawcet, delve into the mysteries contained within this compelling and dramatic call to praise.  Dr. Gerard McLarney and Mr. Brett Fawcett are teachers at St. Isidore ONLINE Chesterton Academy in Sherwood Park, AB Canada. SILC Cheste...

Residing at the center of the Psalter, which in many ways is the heart of the Bible, is Psalm 118. In this two part discussion, Scholarch McLarney and Schoolman Fawcet, delve into the mysteries contained within this compelling and dramatic call to praise.  Dr. Gerard McLarney and Mr. Brett Fawcett are teachers at St. Isidore ONLINE Chesterton Academy in Sherwood Park, AB Canada. SILC Chesterton Ac...

Hegel and St. Irenaeus: Progress and History The ideas of history and progress infuse many contemporary discussions. Commonly issued phrases such as “being on the right side of history” or “in this new era of progress” tacitly assume there is a beginning, middle, and end of history. But where does this notion come from? In Part 2 we consider Hegel’s philosophy of the self-conscious, desire, and ho...

The ideas of history and progress infuse many contemporary discussions. Commonly issued phrases such as “being on the right side of history” or “in this new era of progress” tacitly assume there is a beginning, middle, and end of history. But where does this notion come from? A debt of gratitude is owed to 19th century German philosopher G.F.W Hegel, whose “march of reason” sets much of the stage...

Part 3 of 3 How “Substance” Helps Us Understand the Eucharist (and Everything Else) The idea of “substance” may seem a bit insubstantial, but getting a handle on this relatively simple idea not only unlocks what is (and isn’t!) happening in transubstantiation, but also helps us think correctly about everything in God’s creation. In this episode, Dr Brett Salkeld discusses how Aquinas turned Aristo...

Part 2 of 3 How “Substance” Helps Us Understand the Eucharist (and Everything Else) The idea of “substance” may seem a bit insubstantial, but getting a handle on this relatively simple idea not only unlocks what is (and isn’t!) happening in transubstantiation, but also helps us think correctly about everything in God’s creation. In this episode, Dr Brett Salkeld discusses how Aquinas turned Aristo...

How “Substance” Helps Us Understand the Eucharist (and Everything Else) The idea of “substance” may seem a bit insubstantial, but getting a handle on this relatively simple idea not only unlocks what is (and isn’t!) happening in transubstantiation, but also helps us think correctly about everything in God’s creation. In this episode, Dr Brett Salkeld discusses how Aquinas turned Aristotelian water...

Countless students and adults alike enjoy video games but what exactly are they? A benign form of recreation, high art, engaging sport, or simply an egregious waste of time? Scholark McLarney and Schoolman Fawcett consider the gaming phenomenon in light of Plato's Gorgias, while considering the distinction between beauty, aesthetics, entertainment and addiction.   #gaming #gamingaddiction #ent...

In response to an extremely genuine and earnest student request, Scholarch McLarney and Schoolman Fawcett look at the "grammar of bread" through the lens of anthropology, history, theology, and Scripture. They consider its role in the rise of civilization, the symbolism involved in the process of baking bread, why the Hebrew word for "bread" seems to be related to the word for...

It seems fitting for a podcast on classical Catholic education to have a Latin name, but what exactly does "ex umbris" actually mean? Not just, "How would you say it in English?", but, "Once you've translated it, what is it telling us?" In this episode, Schoolman Fawcett, Latin teacher at Chesterton Academy of St. Isidore, gives Scholarch McLarney a rundown on the...

Knitting involves more than meets the eye. When some in the McLarney household sought to delve deeper into the art, they went to the library, bringing home a book featuring not just techniques on threading, but a guide advocating a philosophy for dismantling all of systems on inequality. Here in the episode Scholark McLarney and Schoolman Fawcett take stock of the progressive tenants undergirding...

Prior to entering into the Promised Land, Moses presents Israel with stark choices, the path of life and that of death. Echoing Moses' exhortation to "choose life" and the Covenant rather than Canaan, St. Pope John Paul II presents contemporary men and women with the culture of life, and culture of death. For the Pontiff, the decision for life is crucial not just for individuals to f...

In this third segment on  Abolition of Man , Dr. Pinkoski explores the Part 3 of Lewis’s work, considering Lewis’s argument that the Conditioners who reshape morality engage in social engineering inspirited not only by animal instincts but also by preternatural forces. Seemingly mundane educational material such as the Green Book necessarily spill out into the arena of spiritual warfare because at...

Episode 37 picks up directly where we left off, discussing Abolition of Man with Dr. Pinkoski, elaborating upon the Tao, a shared moral heritage which connects our reason, passions, and sentiments to reality. Here we delve into the implications of shaping society outside of the “the Way,” as witnessed in Moa’s Cultural Revolution as well as the embrace of materialism in the West, before considerin...

This episode, the first of three discussing  Abolition of Man  with Dr. Nathan Pinkoski, a former EICS student and current Assistant Professor of Humanities at the Hamilton Center at the University of Florida, considers why it should be viewed as one of the great dystopian texts of the 20th century. Prompted by a review of “The Green Book,”   Lewis gave a series of lectures 80 years ago which were...

C.S. Lewis's Narnia, a well-loved series, presents fascinating portrayals of Christian themes. This episode delves into elements of the Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe that correlate closely with Catholicism while also considering Lewis's and Tolkien's approaches to myth, faith, and creative writing. #classicaleducation #narnia #cslewis Dr. Gerard McLarney and Mr. Brett Fawcett are teachers...

Dr. Gerard McLarney and Mr. Brett Fawcett are teachers at St. Isidore ONLINE Chesterton Academy in Sherwood Park, AB Canada. SILC Chesterton Academy is a classical curriculum that combines a broad, liberal arts education with a strong emphasis on the development of Christian virtues and an appreciation of beauty. Through our Three Pillars Model, we form our students in: Intellect, Character and Sp...

Unreeling Unearth: Hoizer and Dante Discussed First conceived during pandemic lockdowns, the recently released album Unreal Unearth by Hoizer, with songs like Francesca and Eat Your Young, plays on themes from Dante's Inferno. Schoolman Fawcett and Scholark McLarney unfurl some of the allusions while commenting on the tenor and themes of the brilliantly cyclical album from a classically inform...