The Wounded Word with Elizabeth Schrader Polczer

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QUICK SUMMARY What if one of the most important women in the Gospels was quietly edited out of the story? New Testament scholar Dr. Elizabeth Schrader Polczer (Villanova University) joins Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich to share how a prayer in a Brooklyn garden, and a pop song, led her from a singer-songwriter career to a discovery in the world's oldest copy of the Gospel of John: the name "Mary" crossed out and changed to "Martha." Her peer-reviewed research is now changing the footnotes of the Greek text behind your Bible. Listen in. This one left Fr. John legitimately amazed. IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE [00:02:00] — From singer-songwriter to New Testament scholar. Elizabeth traces her spiritual journey from the Episcopal Church through Eastern meditation, and the prayer in a Brooklyn garden that changed everything: "Maybe you should talk to Mary Magdalene about that." [00:07:00] — Down the world's deepest rabbit hole. A trip to the Brooklyn Public Library, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Mary Magdalene, and a lay person's hunch: had the text of John's Gospel been changed? [00:10:00] — The discovery in Papyrus 66. Looking at the world's oldest copy of John (c. 200 AD), Elizabeth spots it in John 11: "the name Mary has been crossed out and changed to Martha." [00:13:00] — "You have to stop harassing these scholars. You have to go get a degree." When no one follows up on the 50-year-old findings, Elizabeth learns Greek, earns her MA, and publishes her thesis in the Harvard Theological Review, research that will now be reflected in the footnotes of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, the critical text from which modern Bibles are translated. [00:18:00] — Why Martha matters. The Christological confession: in the Synoptics it's Peter who declares Jesus the Messiah, but in John it's a woman. If that woman is Mary, possibly Mary Magdalene, she becomes a direct counterpart to Peter. [00:19:00] — The mirror between John 11 and John 20. The parallels linking Lazarus's sister Mary and Mary Magdalene: the same question ("Where have you laid him?"), the rare word sudarion, a weeping Mary at a tomb watching someone she loves rise. [00:23:00] — How (and why) a second-century editor might have done it. One letter separates Maria from Martha in Greek and adding Martha would mean "no woman can be seen as having too much authority." [00:30:00] — How the research strengthened her faith. Elizabeth's stunning reflection on John 11:4 and the "wounded Word": "Just as Jesus's body was wounded... this text is wounded, and the Word itself carries its wounds in its body for us." [00:36:00] — What do we actually know about Mary Magdalene after the resurrection? Legends of the South of France, the red egg of Eastern Orthodox tradition, and what the fragmentary Gospel of Mary does (and doesn't) tell us. [00:40:00] — Mary Magdalene on screen. The Last Temptation of Christ, The Chosen, and how Pope Gregory's sermon in 591 AD, not Scripture, turned Mary Magdalene into a prostitute in the popular imagination. [00:45:00] — A Protestant at a Catholic university. Life at Villanova, ecumenical dialogue, and why Elizabeth says her work argues for the inspiration of Scripture: "John is bigger than we've given it credit for." [00:54:00] — Listening without agenda. Elizabeth's answer to this season's signature question: "The thing you most need to hear is hidden in the person who you immediately dismiss as other." ABOUT DR. ELIZABETH SCHRADER POLCZER Dr. Elizabeth Schrader Polczer is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Villanova University. She earned her PhD in Early Christianity and New Testament from Duke University in 2023, specializing in textual criticism, Mary Magdalene, and the Gospel of John. A former singer-songwriter, her master's thesis was published in the Harvard Theological Review and is taught in seminaries nationwide. Her first book, An Abundant Bouquet: Narrative Variants in the Gospels, is forthcoming from SBL Press. MEMORABLE QUOTE "Just as Jesus's body was wounded, he carries his wounds — this text is wounded, and the Word itself carries its wounds in its body for us." — Elizabeth Schrader Polczer RESOURCES MENTIONED * Papyrus 66 — the world's oldest substantial copy of the Gospel of John (c. 200 AD) * Johannes.com [http://iohannes.com] — University of Birmingham's transcriptions of 100+ manuscripts of John * Elizabeth's master's thesis in the Harvard Theological Review (2017) — [INSERT LINK] * Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament — the critical text behind modern Bible translations * An Abundant Bouquet: Narrative Variants in the Gospels — Elizabeth's forthcoming book (SBL Press) * The Oxford Handbook of Mary Magdalene — featuring Elizabeth's chapter on Patristics * Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 5577 (published 2023) — possible new fragment of the Gospel of Mary * The Gospel of Mary and other extracanonical texts (Gospel of Philip, Gospel of Thomas) * Raymond Brown's commentary on John * Films & shows discussed: The Last Temptation of Christ (dir. Martin Scorsese), The Chosen

The Way of the Kami with Rev. Ann Evans & Rev. Taishi Kato

QUICK SUMMARY Shinto has no dogma, no scripture, and no conversion, so what is it? In this episode, we sit down with two Shinto priests. Rev. Ann Evans, one of the few Shinto priests in North America and a certified forest therapy guide, describes the moment a gravel walkway lined with towering cedars felt like home, chants a purification prayer for us, and explains why forest bathing is her “side door to Shinto.” Then Rev. Taishi Kato, heir to a 1,000-year-old shrine in Japan, reveals why the most important practice of a Shinto priest is sweeping leaves. IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE * [00:00] Cold open: “It was an incredibly spiritual experience for me, and it just was home” * [00:30] Dave and Fr. John introduce the Shinto episode, the traditional religion of Japan, with two priests as guests * [01:30] Meet Rev. Ann Evans: Shinto priest, ANFT-certified forest therapy guide, and author of Shinto Norito: A Book of Prayers * [03:00] Ann’s story: a Presbyterian upbringing in Pasadena, a Japanese exchange student, and the shrine ceremonies that moved her before she understood them * [05:00] The walk that changed everything: approaching Tsubaki Grand Shrine through towering cedars — “it just was home” * [06:30] Shinto and her Christian heritage: from “is this true?” to “it just is”, no dogma, no scripture, no conversion * [09:00] What is Shinto? The way of the kami, and why humans are innately pure and innately bright * [11:30] Misogi: cold-water purification in waterfalls, rivers, and the ocean, and why cold condenses spiritual energy * [14:00] Translating kami for the West: angels, saints, and loosening up our language * [16:00] Fr. John’s observation: misogi sounds baptismal, ritual, archetypal, and what incense and cold water share * [19:30] Life at the shrine: daily offerings of rice, water, sake, and salt; morning prayer; and ceremonies from baby blessings to business success * [22:00] Ann chants the Harai no kotoba, the prayer of purification, in Japanese, then translates it * [24:30] Why prayers stay in Japanese: kotodama, the belief that the sound of a word carries a soul * [26:30] No evangelists here: from ancient Ko-Shinto in the forests to Shrine Shinto, and Rev. Yukitaka Yamamoto’s vision of bringing Shinto to America in 1987 * [30:30] Miyazaki, Totoro, and the Kodama: what Ghibli films get right, and why Shinto must be experienced before it’s understood * [32:30] The torii gate: crossing from the secular to the sacred, plus the shimenawa rope and zigzag shide * [33:30] Heaven as “the high plain”: the unseen world, 50 days of prayer for the departed, and gratitude for ancestors who can still see us * [36:00] Forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) explained: “the forest is the therapist, and the guide opens the door” * [41:00] Why forest bathing isn’t a hike: covering an eighth of a mile in three hours, and what changes when you let yourself be led * [43:00] Chapters of a spiritual life: how Ann’s practice has evolved from young children to young grandchildren * [45:30] Listening without agenda: holding a space people are welcome to step into or not * [46:30] Where to find Ann: Matsuri Foundation of Canada, and the true meaning of “matsuri”, two hands offering a branch in gratitude * [48:30] Meet Rev. Taishi Kato: eldest son of a family that has served their 1,000-year-old shrine for generations * [50:30] Why 70–80% of Japanese people visit a shrine on New Year’s Day * [51:30] The most important practice of a Shinto priest: cleaning the shrine grounds * [53:00] Why it would be easier to cut down the 400-year-old trees and why sweeping their leaves is the point * [54:00] Dave’s closing reflection: there are no shortcuts in the spiritual journey, and what our traditions prepare us for * [55:00] Next episode preview: Elizabeth Schrader Polczer on the Gospel of John and Mary Magdalene MEMORABLE QUOTES “I was standing on this long gravel walkway with these huge towering cedar trees all around me, and it was an incredibly spiritual experience for me, and it just was home.” — Rev. Ann Evans “In Shinto, we don’t become Shinto. You don’t get converted to Shinto. It’s like Shinto just exists.” — Rev. Ann Evans “The forest is the therapist, and the guide opens the door.” — Rev. Ann Evans “The most important practice for a Shinto priest is to keep cleaning the grounds.” — Rev. Taishi Kato ABOUT ANN EVANS Ann Evans is a Shinto priest and ANFT-certified forest therapy guide and an author and spiritual teacher whose work explores the relationship between humans, spirituality, and nature. She is the founder and director of the Matsuri Foundation of Canada, which operates Shinmei Spiritual Centre in British Columbia, a branch shrine of Tsubaki Grand Shrine in Mie Prefecture, Japan, one of the most important shrines in the Shinto tradition, with a history spanning more than 2,000 years. Ann has been instrumental in establishing one of the few Shinto shrines in North America and is the author of Shinto Norito: A Book of Prayers, an English-language collection introducing readers to Shinto prayer and ritual practice. Connect with Ann: matsuri.ca ABOUT REV. TAISHI KATO Taishi Kato is a Shinto priest at Hattori Tenjingu Shrine in Japan, born the eldest son of a multi-generational family serving their 1,000-year-old shrine. He holds a Master of Arts in Religions of Asia and Africa from SOAS, University of London, and is committed to introducing Shinto to people around the world. He represented Shinto at the Religions for Peace 10th World Assembly, represented Japanese religious leaders at the G20 Religion Summit in Indonesia in 2022, co-produced an illustrated book of “Shinto moments” with two American collaborators, and in 2023 published The COVID Pandemic and the World’s Religions. RESOURCES MENTIONED * Matsuri Foundation of Canada / Shinmei Spiritual Centre: matsuri.ca * Shinto Norito: A Book of Prayers by Ann Llewellyn Evans * Tsubaki Grand Shrine, Mie Prefecture, Japan — and Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America, founded in Stockton, California in 1987 * Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) — Ann’s forest therapy certification * Hattori Tenjingu Shrine — where Rev. Taishi Kato serves * Studio Ghibli films mentioned: My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke * Writers referenced: Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell on ritual and archetype * Previous episode: Nikky Singh on Sikhism * Next episode: Elizabeth Schrader Polczer on the Gospel of John and Mary Magdalene

13. juli 202656 min

The Wounded Word with Elizabeth Schrader Polczer

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