I mentioned in a previous post that I am using my sabbatical to pursue a graduate degree in “Liberal Studies” at Rollins College. This semester, I am enrolled in three classes: a 15-week seminar on ancient Greek and Roman literature led by Dr Scott Rubarth and two mini-courses (seven weeks each), including one on religion taught by Dr Todd French. Among the first batch of readings for Professor French’s class, which is titled “Saints and Sinners”, three passages grabbed my attention:

1. “It is not difficult to notice from the history of asceticism that it involves the performance of certain acts: fasting, withdrawal from society, silence, physical prayer, and manual labor, to name just a few.” (Richard Valantasis 1995, p. 548, emphasis added)
2. “… even a woman, a saint, or a street beggar could be a saint.” (Susan Ashbrook Harvey 2008, p. 615)
3. “People do what they want to believe.” (David Morgan 2010, p. 11)

I have to get back to The Iliad for my other seminar (my first discussion post is due on Sunday night), but I hope to expand on the ideas contained in these three passages in the next day or two: saints as artists, the democratisation of sainthood, and what it means to believe in something or in someone.