Tolkien and Father Christmas with Richard Rohlin and Dr. Reno Lauro

Classical Education

About Our Guests
Richard W. Rohlin is an Orthodox Christian, author, podcaster, medievalist, and data analyst living in Grand Prairie, TX. A husband and father, he is the co-host of The Amon Sul Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio, regularly contributes to Jonathan Pageau's The Symbolic World YouTube channel, has published several works of fiction and non-fiction, and currently has several projects under development, including a collection of essays called Finding the Golden Key: Essays Toward a Recovery of the Sacramental Imagination. His most recent book, the Akboritha, a work of liturgical mythopoeia, is available from Darkly Bright Press.

Dr. Reno Lauro is a Classical Education Curriculum and Pedagogy Specialist for Coram Deo Academy. He received his Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts in 2011, where he wrote on J. R. R. Tolkien’s philosophy of Mythopoeia. For the past ten years, he has worked at the intersection of Humane and Digital learning.

After completing his degrees, Theology (MDiv) and History (BA), Reno apprenticed for 18 months on the Palme d’Or winning film The Tree of Life with director Terrence Malick, which transformed his understanding of the Classics, the modern world, and how to communicate the relationship between the two. He has taught at the graduate and undergraduate levels (University of Dallas and University of Arizona) and in both Lower and Upper School classrooms of Classical Schools. Before coming to Coram Deo Academy. He served as the Assistant Headmaster at Saint Peter’s and of a Great Hearts Archway School. He also worked closely with the CEO of the globally recognized BASIS.ed charter schools to create and pilot seminar-style history courses as alternatives to AP classes.

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Show Notes
In this episode, Reno Lauro and Richard Rohlin introduce us to the fatherly nature of Tolkien. Beginning with a definition of Mythopoeia, we then dive into The Letters of Father Christmas. Richard unpacks a brief history of these letters and how they developed into a full-fledged story about Father Christmas and the happenings at The North Pole. The Spirit of Christmas quickly become the center of our conversations. Our guests discuss the idea that Christmas lore helps us navigate the general hardships of daily life. Reno says, "These tales have teeth in reality and make sense of the life we live." The rich tradition of folk tales, stories, and myth helps us to see the implications of the incarnation and to make sense of the real God we see in the Christ Child. Richard closes by reading from Tolkien's Mythopoeia, saying, "Our whole understanding of the cosmos goes back to Christmas!"

from Mythopoeia
He sees no stars who does not see them first
of living silver made that sudden burst
to flame like flowers bencath an ancient song,
whose very echo after-music long
has since pursued. There is no firmament,
only a void, unless a jewelled tent
myth-woven and elf-pattemed; and no earth,
unless the mother's womb whence all have birth.

Some Topics and Ideas in this Episode Include:

• Celebrating the Spirit of Christmas in your home
• What are some misunderstandings about Christmas and Santa Clause?
• From St. Nicholas to Santa Clause, how ought Christians celebrate Christmas?
• The origins of Christmas as a pagan holiday
• Real and true are two different things and they have a necessary relationship to help our children engage the world as an enchanted space.

Connect with Richard's Resources:

• Jonathan Pageau's Symbolic World, Medieval Universal History playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N5s4n_lwB8&list=PLVX4HUUPrIY_M2uZP3yW6EEiod3fGD6FD&ab_channel=JonathanPageau
• Amon Sul Podcast (Tolkien & Orthodox Christianity): https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/amonsul
• The Akboritha (mythopoeic liturgical fantasy): https://darklybrightpre
• ss.com/akboritha/

Connect with Reno's Resources:

• Reno Lauro's blog, Time Out of Joint
• Reno's Tolkien's House of Being Facebook Page

Other Titles Mentioned:

• The Letter's From Father Christmas by J.R.R Tolkien
• Chesterton's Essay Santa Clause and Science
• Christmas at a Crisis for Civilization by Chesterton
• A Christmas Carol by Dickens
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
• The Two Babylons: Or, the Papal Worship Proved to Be the Worship of Nimrod by: Alexander Hislop
• Mythopoeia by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Tree of Life film by Terrence Malick
• Tolkien's essay on The Green Knight
• Anglo-Saxon Advent poem Christ I

Dr. Reno Lauro ends our podcast reading the first sentence in this poem. The whole poem is stunning!

O Earendel, brightest of angels,
sent to mankind over middle-earth,
righteous sun's radiance,
splendid above all stars! Of thine own self
thou ever enlightenest every age.
As thou, God born of God long ago,
Son of the true Father, eternally existed
without beginning in the glory of heaven,
so thine own creation cry with confidence
to thee now for their needs, that thou send
that bright sun to us, and come thyself
to lighten those who long have lived,
surrounded by shadows and darkness, here
in everlasting night; who, shrouded by sins,
have had to endure death's dark shadow.

Now, hope-filled, we look for healing,
brought to the world's people through the word of God,
who was in the beginning with the almighty Father
equally eternal with God, and now became
flesh, free of failings, born of the virgin,
a support to the sorrowful. God was with us,
seen without sin; together dwelt
the mighty Measurer's child and the son of man,
at peace among the people. We may ever address
our thanks to the lord of victory for his deeds,
because he chose to send himself to us.

Online Courses with Beautiful Teaching Consultants: https://beautifulteaching.coursestorm.com/

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Credits:

Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel

Logo Art: Anastasiya CF

Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic

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