Past Programs
History - 2007
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Mormonism's Lost Tribes Read Transcript
30/12/2007
The Book of Mormon spells out the origins of Mormonism, based on the belief that the Lost Tribes of Israel sailed to the American continent and became identified by European explorers as the American Indians. Using the latest DNA findings Simon Southerton questions this belief.
Brides of Slice Read Transcript
23/12/2007
The first home-grown Catholic women's religious order in Australia, the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict have a long baking tradition, starting from Granny Truss who migrated from Germany in the 1800s. Her recipes have been handed down by the Good Sams and carried on by two 'eighty-something' Sisters who bake Christmas goodies for people in need.
God, Guns and Government Read Transcript
09/12/2007
On 21 February 1891 in Central Australia the murder of two Aboriginal men prompted an enquiry and a murder trial of Mounted Constable William Willshire. They were just two deaths in a litany of killings, but this time it was more a crime of passion than punishment for cattle rustling. Peter Vallee has thoroughly researched this complex tale about the Central Australian Frontier.
Jewish Ritual Objects Read Transcript
02/12/2007
The Jewish tradition is full of rituals, old and new, and in Australia artists are creating new ritual objects (Judaica) now on display at the Jewish Museum of Australia in Melbourne. The cup for a girl's naming ceremony and tiny dreidels (spinning tops) for Hanukkah are among the objects that curator Rebecca Forgasz has included in this third such exhibition since 1991.
Anglican Church and State Read Transcript
25/11/2007
Founded by King Henry VIII, the Anglican Church has had an historic relationship to the State. But the conflict between the 'High' and 'Low' wings of the Church, and with the Roman Catholic Church, has forced changes to the relationship between church and state, as Tom Frame explains.
The Pursuit of the Millennium Read Transcript
04/11/2007
It's the title of one of the most important books written on the history of religion, by Norman Cohn, who died at the age of 92 on 31st July this year. Persecution driven by apocalyptic fanaticism was a central theme of Cohn's work, which is discussed by America's leading historian of millennialism, Richard Landes, at the University of Boston.
Westminster Abbey Read Transcript
28/10/2007
This most French of English cathedrals is a Gothic masterpiece. It has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs. Oxford University professor Richard Jenkyns takes us through Westminster Abbey.
Amazing Grace Read Transcript
14/10/2007
A deserter, slave-trader and atheist, John Newton, born in 1725, would become a Christian by the age of 25. He settled back in England, became a vicar, and in 1772 wrote the hymn Amazing Grace. Newton was also behind the first Christian service conducted in the colony of New South Wales.
Esoteric Aspects of <i>The Last Supper</i> Read Transcript
30/09/2007
After The Da Vinci Code bestseller, the hidden meanings of Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Last Supper have never been the object of so much speculation. English scholar Andrew Wolpert believes a powerful combination of artistic inspiration and esoteric wisdom traditions influenced this masterpiece and other artworks in the Renaissance, including Michelangelo's Last Judgement.
Dante's Divine Comedy Read Transcript
23/09/2007
The Divine Comedy is one of Italy's most influential literary works, exploring the realms of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. Written in the 13th century by Dante Alighieri, it incorporated pagan elements into his vision, that had little Biblical support.
The Word of God Times Three: Part 3 Read Transcript
09/09/2007
How do Muslims understand the revelation of God to Muhammad? The final in a series looking at Jewish, Christian and Muslim beliefs concerning the Word of God and how it was transmitted.
The Word of God Times Three: Part 2 Read Transcript
02/09/2007
Frank Peters, from New York University, explains the Christian understanding of Revelation, and how they came to possess a different Old Testament to the Jews.
The Word of God Times Three: Part 1 Read Transcript
26/08/2007
Frank Peters at New York University begins this three part series, looking at how revelation and transmission is understood in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions.
D.T.Suzuki: Zen Pilgrim to the West Read Transcript
19/08/2007
No one did more to promote Zen philosophy in the West than D.T. Suzuki. Among those influenced by him were Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, John Cage and a host of writers and poets from the Beat Generation.
Church Registers Read Transcript
05/08/2007
Checking on your ancestry used to entail long trips to country churches. Now the Society of Australian Genealogists has put church registrations of baptisms, marriages and burials on microfilm.
Torah in Space Read Transcript
29/07/2007
The first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, on the U.S. space shuttle Columbia took up a little Torah Scroll that his Physics professor Joachim Joseph received when he had a secret Bar Mitzvah as a boy in the Nazi concentration camp, Bergen Belsen.
The Camino, Starting from Granada Read Transcript
22/07/2007
Most pilgrims start the Camino, the path to the Spanish pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela, in France but Tony Kevin started in the south at Granada, the last outpost of Muslim rule in Spain.
Australia's First Cardinal Read Transcript
15/07/2007
The first cardinal appointed to Australia, Patrick Francis Moran (1830-1911) was arguably the strongest leader of the Catholic Church in Sydney.
The Buddhist Scrolls, Pt 2 Read Transcript
24/06/2007
Out of the turmoil of Afghanistan, several sensational collections of early Buddhist manuscripts have come to the West in the last ten years. They are the oldest original manuscripts of Buddhism still existing.
The Buddhist Scrolls, Pt 1 Read Transcript
17/06/2007
Out of the turmoil of Afghanistan, several sensational collections of early Buddhist manuscripts have come to the West in the last ten years. They are the oldest original manuscripts of Buddhism still existing.
Corpus Christi Procession Read Transcript
10/06/2007
About 12,000 people are expected to take part in the June 10, 2007 'Walk with Christ', a procession from St Patrick's Church Hill through the streets of Sydney to St. Mary's Cathedral commemorating the Feast of Corpus Christi.
Ada Cambridge Read Transcript
03/06/2007
A 19th century novelist and poet who lived in Melbourne, Ada Cambridge is enjoying a revival, particularly for her religious poetry which is to be set into a liturgy at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, on 10 June this year.
Crusader Medicine Read Transcript
27/05/2007
Crusader battlefields were the Emergency Wards of the medieval period of European history where injured knights received medical treatment provided by monks. Today's well known names, such as St John's Ambulance, have their origins in these monastic medical orders.
The Golden Girls Read Transcript
20/05/2007
In the 1940s, Marjorie Wilkinson and Ethel Helyar brought medical and spiritual support to the Australian outback through the pioneering Methodist Nursing Services.
Australia's Religious Beginnings Read Transcript
06/05/2007
The earliest records of the religious life in New South Wales have been collected and put online at the NSW State Library.
The Jesus Tomb Pt 3 Read Transcript
29/04/2007
Biblical scholar, Dr Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill casts doubt on the findings and conclusions put forth by Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino in their book, The Jesus Family Tomb.
The Jesus Tomb Pt 2 Read Transcript
22/04/2007
Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino believe they've found the family tomb of Jesus. The tomb, originally found in 1985, was deemed undistinctive but a recent reconsideration challenges the old view. Jacobovici has re-opened the debate, and next week we hear from a critic.
The Jesus Tomb Pt 1 Read Transcript
15/04/2007
Would the discovery of Jesus' family tomb change Christianity? Simcha Jacobovici thinks he's found the burial cave of Jesus, but why have archaeologists kept silent about what they've known for decades?
Visit to the Sepulchre Read Transcript
08/04/2007
Visitatio Sepulchri, The Visit to the Sepulchre, is a medieval Mystery Play, written for Easter morning, which focuses on the three Marys at Christ's tomb.
Mormonism's Lost Tribes Read Transcript
25/03/2007
The Book of Mormon spells out the origins of Mormonism, based on the belief that the Lost Tribes of Israel sailed to the American continent and became identified by European explorers as the American Indians. Using the latest DNA findings Simon Southerton questions this belief.
Quakers in Tasmania Read Transcript
18/03/2007
Historian Michael Bennett discusses the University of Tasmania's historic Quaker collection.
Sze Yup Temple Read Transcript
04/03/2007
During Chinese New Year, the Sze Yup Temple in Sydney's Glebe is a hive of activity, with Chinese of all backgrounds coming to pray to the god Kwan Ti.
The 'Religion' of Shakespeare Read Transcript
25/02/2007
The greatest English playwright is still one of the most mysterious people. He may or may not have been a closet Catholic, and the relationship of the actor's life to his writing is not reconcilable, according to historian William Rubinstein.
The Catholic Origin of Everything, Pt 2 Read Transcript
18/02/2007
Weightlifters pressing dumb-bells over their head are re-enacting an ancient Catholic rite. Right or wrong?
The Catholic Origin of Everything, Pt 1 Read Transcript
11/02/2007
A host of implements, names, foods and expressions have a Catholic origin, such as the knife, dumb bells, snack food and even sign language for the deaf.
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Read Transcript
28/01/2007
It's just over 100 years since the German founder of sociology, Max Weber, published his seminal essay on the origins of Capitalism.
Ikey Solomon, Another Australian Icon? Read Transcript
21/01/2007
Charles Dickens' Fagin in Oliver Twist is one of the most disagreeable Jewish characters in English literature. The man on whom Dickens partly based him was Ikey Solomon.
Galileo's Crime Read Transcript
07/01/2007
In 1633 Galileo Galilei was found guilty of 'vehement suspicion of heresy'. The trial has since been regarded as the greatest scandal in Christendom.
