John and Jenny Wise

Simple Gifts

Arts EN ↓ 999 episodes

The Simple Gifts podcast is the gift of time and freedom. It is the simple presentation of the written word spoken without commentary. Join us in ruminating on great stories, poems, history and philosophy, theology and science. In a hectic and chaotic world, find here the “valley of love and delight,” a true simplicity, where “to bow and to bend we will not be ashamed,” where we can ponder the greatest words ever written, turning them over and over, “till by turning, turning, we come round right.”If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianathei...

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John and Jenny Wise

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Arts

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Latest episode

Jul 9, 2026

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Episodes

THE EVERLASTING MAN by G. K. Chesterton, Part 1, Chapter 7c 31.10.2023

THE EVERLASTING MAN by Gilbert Kyle Chesterton Part One: On The Creature Called Man Chapter Seven: The War of the Gods and the Demons Gilbert Kyle Chesterton remains one of the great voices of Christian faith in the last century, and it is a tragedy that more Christians are not familiar with his work. C. S. Lewis credits Chesterton, and in particular The Everlasting Man, with displaying the ration...

ROBINSON CRUSOE, by Daniel Defoe, Chapter 6b 27.10.2023

As an elementary school student, I remember reading for the first time Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. I was captivated by Crusoe's solitary ingenuity on the island, his trips back and forth to the foundered ship, his reconstruction of civilized life from the fundaments. It awakened in me a lifetime love of survival narratives, and a fascination with survival strategies and skills. If today I can forage...

Plato’s GORGIAS, Part 7 26.10.2023

Having not taught Plato's Gorgias since graduate school in the '90's, I had forgotten how rich and important this dialogue is to the Western tradition. Having now recorded the whole dialogue for Simple Gifts, I am delighted to share it with you. Gorgias was one of the most famous Sophists in the time of Classical Greece. He was one of a number of traveling teachers of the discipline of rhetoric, t...

THE FEDERALIST PAPERS #40, ”Powers of Convention to Form Mixed Government Examined and Sustained,” by James Madison 25.10.2023

Authored by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay to appear anonymously in New York papers under the pseudonym "Publius" in 1787 and 1788, the Federalist Papers aimed to rally public support for the proposed Constitution of the United States. As such, it is one of the most important sources for understanding the original intent of the US Constitution by those who participated in its const...

THE EVERLASTING MAN by G. K. Chesterton, Part 1, Chapter 7b 24.10.2023

THE EVERLASTING MAN by Gilbert Kyle Chesterton Part One: On The Creature Called Man Chapter Seven: The War of the Gods and the Demons Gilbert Kyle Chesterton remains one of the great voices of Christian faith in the last century, and it is a tragedy that more Christians are not familiar with his work. C. S. Lewis credits Chesterton, and in particular The Everlasting Man, with displaying the ration...

EVANGELINE, A TALE OF ACADIE by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Part 1 23.10.2023

"This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks." This first line of Longfellow's poem has rung down across time, as his poem was meant to do. He wrote it in blank dactylic hexameter, reminiscent of Homer and Latin heroic verse. It was his most famous poem during his lifetime. The first three stanzas of the poem ("the Prelude") tell the story in precis. The French-speaking settl...

ROBINSON CRUSOE by Daniel Defoe, Chapter 6a 20.10.2023

As an elementary school student, I remember reading for the first time Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. I was captivated by Crusoe's solitary ingenuity on the island, his trips back and forth to the foundered ship, his reconstruction of civilized life from the fundaments. It awakened in me a lifetime love of survival narratives, and a fascination with survival strategies and skills. If today I can forage...

Plato’s GORGIAS, Part 6 19.10.2023

Having not taught Plato's Gorgias since graduate school in the '90's, I had forgotten how rich and important this dialogue is to the Western tradition. Having now recorded the whole dialogue for Simple Gifts, I am delighted to share it with you. Gorgias was one of the most famous Sophists in the time of Classical Greece. He was one of a number of traveling teachers of the discipline of rhetoric, t...

THE FEDERALIST PAPERS #38, ”The Incoherence of the Objections,” (Cont.) by James Madison 18.10.2023

Authored by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay to appear anonymously in New York papers under the pseudonym "Publius" in 1787 and 1788, the Federalist Papers aimed to rally public support for the proposed Constitution of the United States. As such, it is one of the most important sources for understanding the original intent of the US Constitution by those who participated in its const...

THE EVERLASTING MAN by G. K. Chesterton, Part 1, Chapter 7a 17.10.2023

THE EVERLASTING MAN by Gilbert Kyle Chesterton Part One: On The Creature Called Man Chapter Seven: The War of the Gods and the Demons Gilbert Kyle Chesterton remains one of the great voices of Christian faith in the last century, and it is a tragedy that more Christians are not familiar with his work. C. S. Lewis credits Chesterton, and in particular The Everlasting Man, with displaying the ration...

THE SONG OF HIAWATHA by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Parts 21 and 22 (Conclusion) 16.10.2023

One of the great works of American poetry, without doubt, Longfellow's HIAWATHA gets into one's bloodstream with its trochaic tetrameter, sounding the drums of the native warriors of a bygone era. Enjoy this tribute to Native Americans along with us! Longfellow: The Song of Hiawatha, The Song of Hiawatha (hwlongfellow.org) If you enjoy our content, why not buy us a cup of coffee? via https://ko-fi...

ROBINSON CRUSOE by Daniel Defoe, Chapter 5b 13.10.2023

As an elementary school student, I remember reading for the first time Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. I was captivated by Crusoe's solitary ingenuity on the island, his trips back and forth to the foundered ship, his reconstruction of civilized life from the fundaments. It awakened in me a lifetime love of survival narratives, and a fascination with survival strategies and skills. If today I can forage...

Plato’s GORGIAS, Part 5 12.10.2023

Having not taught Plato's Gorgias since graduate school in the '90's, I had forgotten how rich and important this dialogue is to the Western tradition. Having now recorded the whole dialogue for Simple Gifts, I am delighted to share it with you. Gorgias was one of the most famous Sophists in the time of Classical Greece. He was one of a number of traveling teachers of the discipline of rhetoric, t...

THE FEDERALIST PAPERS #37, ”Difficulties in Devising a Proper Form of Government,” by James Madison 11.10.2023

Authored by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay to appear anonymously in New York papers under the pseudonym "Publius" in 1787 and 1788, the Federalist Papers aimed to rally public support for the proposed Constitution of the United States. As such, it is one of the most important sources for understanding the original intent of the US Constitution by those who participated in its const...

THE EVERLASTING MAN by G. K. Chesterton, Part 1, Chapter 6d 10.10.2023

THE EVERLASTING MAN by Gilbert Kyle Chesterton Part One: On The Creature Called Man Chapter Six: Demons and Philosopher Gilbert Kyle Chesterton remains one of the great voices of Christian faith in the last century, and it is a tragedy that more Christians are not familiar with his work. C. S. Lewis credits Chesterton, and in particular The Everlasting Man, with displaying the rationality of the C...

THE SONG OF HIAWATHA by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Part 20 09.10.2023

One of the great works of American poetry, without doubt, Longfellow's HIAWATHA gets into one's bloodstream with its trochaic tetrameter, sounding the drums of the native warriors of a bygone era. Enjoy this tribute to Native Americans along with us! Longfellow: The Song of Hiawatha, The Song of Hiawatha (hwlongfellow.org) If you enjoy our content, why not buy us a cup of coffee? via https://ko-fi...

ROBINSON CRUSOE by Daniel Defoe, Chapter 5a 06.10.2023

As an elementary school student, I remember reading for the first time Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. I was captivated by Crusoe's solitary ingenuity on the island, his trips back and forth to the foundered ship, his reconstruction of civilized life from the fundaments. It awakened in me a lifetime love of survival narratives, and a fascination with survival strategies and skills. If today I can forage...

Plato’s GORGIAS, Part 4 05.10.2023

Having not taught Plato's Gorgias since graduate school in the '90's, I had forgotten how rich and important this dialogue is to the Western tradition. Having now recorded the whole dialogue for Simple Gifts, I am delighted to share it with you. Gorgias was one of the most famous Sophists in the time of Classical Greece. He was one of a number of traveling teachers of the discipline of rhetoric, t...

THE FEDERALIST PAPERS #36, ”General Power of Taxation” (Cont.), by Alexander Hamilton 04.10.2023

Authored by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay to appear anonymously in New York papers under the pseudonym "Publius" in 1787 and 1788, the Federalist Papers aimed to rally public support for the proposed Constitution of the United States. As such, it is one of the most important sources for understanding the original intent of the US Constitution by those who participated in its const...

THE EVERLASTING MAN by G. K. Chesterton, Part 1, Chapter 6c 03.10.2023

THE EVERLASTING MAN by Gilbert Kyle Chesterton Part One: On The Creature Called Man Chapter Six: Demons and Philosopher Gilbert Kyle Chesterton remains one of the great voices of Christian faith in the last century, and it is a tragedy that more Christians are not familiar with his work. C. S. Lewis credits Chesterton, and in particular The Everlasting Man, with displaying the rationality of the C...

THE SONG OF HIAWATHA by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Parts 18 and 19 02.10.2023

One of the great works of American poetry, without doubt, Longfellow's HIAWATHA gets into one's bloodstream with its trochaic tetrameter, sounding the drums of the native warriors of a bygone era. Enjoy this tribute to Native Americans along with us! Longfellow: The Song of Hiawatha, The Song of Hiawatha (hwlongfellow.org) If you enjoy our content, why not buy us a cup of coffee? via https://ko-fi...

ROBINSON CRUSOE by Daniel Defoe, Chapter 4c 29.09.2023

As an elementary school student, I remember reading for the first time Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. I was captivated by Crusoe's solitary ingenuity on the island, his trips back and forth to the foundered ship, his reconstruction of civilized life from the fundaments. It awakened in me a lifetime love of survival narratives, and a fascination with survival strategies and skills. If today I can forage...

Plato’s GORGIAS, Part 3 28.09.2023

Having not taught Plato's Gorgias since graduate school in the '90's, I had forgotten how rich and important this dialogue is to the Western tradition. Having now recorded the whole dialogue for Simple Gifts, I am delighted to share it with you. Gorgias was one of the most famous Sophists in the time of Classical Greece. He was one of a number of traveling teachers of the discipline of rhetoric, t...

THE FEDERALIST PAPERS #35. ”General Power of Taxation,” (Cont.), by Alexander Hamilton 27.09.2023

Authored by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay to appear anonymously in New York papers under the pseudonym "Publius" in 1787 and 1788, the Federalist Papers aimed to rally public support for the proposed Constitution of the United States. As such, it is one of the most important sources for understanding the original intent of the US Constitution by those who participated in its const...

THE EVERLASTING MAN by G. K. Chesterton, Book 1, Chapter 6b 26.09.2023

THE EVERLASTING MAN by Gilbert Kyle Chesterton Part One: On The Creature Called Man Chapter Six: Demons and Philosopher Gilbert Kyle Chesterton remains one of the great voices of Christian faith in the last century, and it is a tragedy that more Christians are not familiar with his work. C. S. Lewis credits Chesterton, and in particular The Everlasting Man, with displaying the rationality of the C...

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