Last night I watched Quo Vadis (2025)

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The Original Church, with Dr. James L. Papandrea, is an ecumenical Christian community exploring our common roots in the early Church for the purposes of spiritual growth and practicing the Christian faith. No politics, debates, or proselytizing, just "faith seeking understanding" from the perspective of the early (and medieval) Church and the Church fathers. Jim Papandrea is an author and Professor of Church History and Historical Theology.

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James L. Papandrea@Jim_Papandrea

May 09, 2024

Last night I watched Quo Vadis

I love the old "sword and sandal" films, but I usually end up gravitating toward The Robe and its sequel, Demetrius and the Gladiators. I often forget about Quo Vadis, which I went back to last night - and it's actually a better film, for a lot of reasons. It's slightly more historically accurate (which is to say it perpetuates fewer myths about the early Christians and weaves in the history of Rome a little more). But it's fiction - the story is from a novel, which is based on one of the apocryphal acts documents from the early Church. In a document called The Acts of Peter, there is the story of Peter meeting the risen Jesus on the Appian Way on the outskirts of Rome. It's a pious legend (or is it?) but nevertheless the spot where it supposedly happened is marked by a small chapel on the Appian Way out by the catacombs.

Anyway, the point is - it's a great movie, worth your time. That is, assuming you like old movies where the Christians are the good guys ;^)

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James L. Papandrea@Jim_Papandrea

January 24, 2024

Name this movie...

00:00:08

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James L. Papandrea@Jim_Papandrea

November 29, 2023

She likes Mass better in Latin

00:00:05

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James L. Papandrea@Jim_Papandrea

July 20, 2023

The Holy Column

Here's a short (about a minute) video I took going around the Holy Column in the church of Santa Prassede. This is the column that Jesus was tied to when he was scourged by Pontius Pilate. They don't always have the barrier down, so you usually don't get to see it from all the way around. I wanted to get video of the whole thing all the way around because I ran across a note in an ancient document that said that those who made a pilgrimage (at that time to the Holy Land, since it was still in Jerusalem) could visit the Holy Column, and could see marks left from the hands of Jesus where he gripped it as he was being whipped. I assume that this is pious legend, but I figured since the column has that dark & light marble, maybe there's a place where the dark parts look like hands. I did not see it, but if you do, let me know!

00:00:46

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James L. Papandrea@Jim_Papandrea

April 29, 2024

Here's another song... Come Let Us Climb the Lord's Mountain

I mentioned in The Journey that I wrote a song based on Isaiah 2, which is one of my favorite OT passages:

In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain, and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it. Many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and set terms for many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!

I hope you like the song!

Here's another song... Come Let Us Climb the Lord's Mountain

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James L. Papandrea@Jim_Papandrea

2 hours ago

I've been reading more G.K. Chesterton...

Chesterton is one of my favorite authors - partly because of his writing style, which I like (some people don't) but more so because he was a kind of 20th century prophet - many of the problems we face in our culture, he already saw them in his, and he's able to drill down right to the heart of the issue - which is often still the heart of the issue.

Have others appreciated Chesterton? What have you read that you especially liked?

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James L. Papandrea@Jim_Papandrea

November 15, 2024

Alternative listening for Tomorrow

As I mentioned below, I'm sorry to say I won't be able to do The Journey tomorrow, but here's a podcast I did on The Catholic Theology Show:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5FrE80KYwHj92OqJ9iNAc2?si=vuNhXImzSxup5xdVDHXU9A&nd=1&dlsi=1a8e4f01ea354604

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James L. Papandrea@Jim_Papandrea

November 14, 2024

The best family movie I've seen in a long time:

Harold and the Purple Crayon

If you haven't seen it, you should - even without kids. It's not just a movie adaptation of the book(s). It takes place after the stories in the books. Zachary Levi is great as a little boy in an adult's body - I know he did that in Shazam but this is a much better movie, with a much better script.

If you have seen it, anyone else catch any biblical themes? I remember reading the first book to my boys 30 years ago, but come to find out it's a whole series of books. Back then, I never noticed anything particularly theological, but would be interested if anyone else is seeing it.

Off to Garrett today for the last of my weekend class sessions this semester. Unfortunately I won't be able to do The Journey from there this Saturday, so we'll have to skip another week. Sorry about that - The Journey will return on the feast of St. Clement, Nov. 23rd.

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