Welcome to our Halloween interlude, as we take a one-episode hiatus from our Tolkien's Greatest Characters series. I was recently in Nashville and took the opportunity to record with the incomparable Jordan Daniel Wood. 

In this episode, Jordan and I discuss George MacDonald's essay "The Imagination: Its Function and Culture," explore the meaning and magic of wearing masks, and the nature of identity and reality — and, as always, we add a dash of hope and a bit of Maximus. 

Jordan Daniel Wood is Assistant Professor of Theology at Belmont University. He holds an M.A. from St. Louis University and a Ph.D. from Boston College, both in Historical Theology. His interests range from Greek patristic theology to modern philosophy, especially Idealism. He is married to Alexis, a registered nurse, with whom he has four wonderful daughters. 

Jordan is the author of the much-acclaimed The Whole Mystery of Christ: Creation as Incarnation in Maximus Confessor, available here: https://tinyurl.com/3k8xshj5 

Jordan also posts regularly on his Substack, "Words in Flesh"

https://jordandanielwood.substack.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Tambika-Shield-Wisdom-Lightglider-Origins/dp/1645075486