Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. He asked about the infant, and I asked the question back to the three old fellows gathered on the benches here. “Why would an ealdorman keep a baby here?” The man with no teeth answers first. “He thaid it were hith own thun.” The owner of cows, Tam,Continue reading “#79.8 Thursday, April 16, 2026”
Category Archives: Christian History
#79.7 Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. At the ealdorman’s house, Ousbert left the desk and the chair, the empty shelves and the sleeping mat which I have washed in lye soap and refilled with fresh straw. And in the first room are also some benches lining the outer wall. I thought the benches were for peopleContinue reading “#79.7 Wednesday, April 15, 2026”
#79.6 Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. The baker came here with the sheer terror of Hell. I thought the issue was simply a matter of a miss-understanding about payment for bread. The abbot affirms the monastery doesn’t requisition their bread from local merchants. So, who is it that shows up every week and demands an abundanceContinue reading “#79.6 Tuesday, April 14, 2026”
#79.5 Thursday, April 9, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. To the abbot I say, “Assigned as I am to temporarily fill the place of the ealdorman, this man has a concern that needs to be settled. He is the village baker and every week he brings bread to this place, and the monks receive it, offering him onlyContinue reading “#79.5 Thursday, April 9, 2026”
#79.4 Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. The baker and I are waiting to meet with the abbot in the monk’s chapel of St. Paul. Here the window is leaded with pieces of colored glass. The places in this room where shadows would nestle are not shadows at all, but little patches of dancing light, though theContinue reading “#79.4 Wednesday, April 8, 2026”
#79.3 Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. The baker and I are waiting in a monk’s chapel near the river, with the monastery gardens all around. Just beyond the wall is the place where the grasses grow and grains are harvested. But here I am with this commoner, a baker, a village merchant who has a veryContinue reading “#79.3 Tuesday, April 7, 2026”
#79.2 Thursday, April 2, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. The baker and I set out to call upon the neighbor in baker’s complaint but apparently, this neighbor is the monastery. And the baker suffers a dreadful fear of God. Worse yet, he can’t distinguish between God and men of the cloth. He walks behind me with his head bowed.Continue reading “#79.2 Thursday, April 2, 2026”
#79.1 Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. Today I rule a cottage known by the very poor to be the “castle.” It is the assigned post of the ealdorman. Ousbert, the king-appointed captain of the guard in this region found the ealdorman who was here to be corrupt, and had him removed to await the king’s judgment.Continue reading “#79.1 Wednesday, April 1, 2026”
#78.13 Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. The ealdorman’s assigned house, (or “castle” if you are a pauper and have never been in a simple cottage) was purged of the fellow who had been appointed to this seat. The log book he kept for the king was taken away as evidence against him, along with all hisContinue reading “#78.13 Tuesday, March 31, 2026”
#78.12 Thursday, March 26, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. Asking Ousbert for a King’s law written for ealdorman to know and use, he scoffed at what he calls an “outdated” reliance on books, reminding me in these times kings are made on the battlefield, not amid the dusty law books. Kings are, after-all. appointed by God. We differ. IContinue reading “#78.12 Thursday, March 26, 2026”
Lazarus Ink 