Ascend - The Great Books Podcast

With Justin Jackson, Benedict Whalen

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Justin Jackson, and Dr. Benedict Whalen of Hillsdale College end the twelve-week study of the Odyssey with Books 23 and 24, unearthing more of Homer's truth.

Dr. Frank Grabowski and Thomas Lackey join Dcn. Garlick to discuss Book 11 of the Odyssey, where Odysseus fills a trench with blood to summon the prophet Tiresias in the underworld.

With Gregory McBrayer

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Gregory McBrayer discuss Books 9 and 10 of the Odyssey, the first half of Odysseus' own story, covering the lotus eaters, the cyclops, and Circe.

With David Niles

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Adam Minihan, David Niles, Thomas Lackey, and Frank Grabowski close the Odyssey with Hermes leading the suitors' souls to Hades and Athena brokering peace in Ithaca.

With Karl Schudt

Deacon Harrison Garlick welcomes Dr. Karl Schudt to discuss Book 3 of the Iliad, the story of Helen and Paris, Trojan politics, and the meaning of guest-friendship.

With Grayson Quay

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan are joined by Grayson Quay to discuss Book 5 of the Iliad, where Athena tells Diomedes to fight the Trojans and to fight no immortal save Aphrodite.

With Luke Heintschel

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, and Luke Heintschel, the Academic Headmaster of Coeur du Christ Academy, discuss Books 11 and 12 of the Odyssey, following Odysseus' katabasis into the underworld.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Frank Grabowski discuss Books 6 through 8 of the Odyssey, covering Odysseus' time among the Phaeacians and the nature of the Phaeacians.

With Glenn Arbery

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Glenn Arbery, and Dr. Frank Grabowski discuss Book 5 of the Odyssey and why Odysseus rejects Calypso's offer to make him a god.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan close the Iliad with Priam kissing the hands of Achilles, the man who killed his son Hector, to beg for the body's return.

With Evan Amato

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan welcome Evan Amato to discuss Book 5 of the Odyssey, where Zeus, at Athena's pleading, agrees that Calypso must let Odysseus leave her island.

With David Niles

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Adam Minihan, Thomas Lackey, and David Niles discuss Book 12 of the Iliad, the gods' dispute over the wall of the Achaeans, and Hector disregarding a bird-sign.

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, and Thomas Lackey open the Odyssey with Book One, discussing the invocation to the Muses, Zeus' comment on fate, and what happened to Agamemnon.

With Alex Priou

With Pavlos Papadopoulos

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Pavlos Papadopoulos, and Dr. Frank Grabowski open a new twelve-week study of the Odyssey with Book One, calling it one of the greatest texts in the Western canon.

With Eli Stone

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Eli Stone discuss Book 8 of the Odyssey, where a bard's song of Troy makes Odysseus weep and the bard returns to sing of Aphrodite's adultery against Hephaestus.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Hector returning to Troy in Book 6 of the Iliad, the duel between Glaucus and Diomedes, and Helen's lament to Prince Hector.

With Alex Petkas

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, and Dr. Alex Petkas of the Cost of Glory discuss Books 13 and 14 of the Odyssey, where Odysseus reaches Ithaca sleeping through the Phaeacian voyage.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Frank Grabowski discuss Books 17 through 19 of Homer's Odyssey, where the disguised king returns to Ithaca as a beggar and has a heartbreaking reunion with his loyal dog Argos.

With Pavlos Papadopoulos

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan welcome Dr. Pavlos Papadopoulos to discuss Book 13 of the Odyssey, where the Phaeacians bring Odysseus home to Ithaca and Poseidon punishes them for it.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan call Book 18 arguably the most philosophically dense book in the entire Iliad, discussing what the heart of Achilles teaches and how to interpret his shield.

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, and Thomas Lackey discuss Books 20 and 21 of Homer's Odyssey, where the stage is set for the suitors' long-awaited slaughter.

Deacon Harrison Garlick welcomes Thomas Lackey to discuss Book 16 of the Odyssey, where Athena transforms the beggar back into Odysseus and father and son embrace and weep together.

With Eli Stone

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Adam Minihan, and Eli Stone discuss Book 6 of the Odyssey, where Nausicaa washes clothes by the river and a naked Odysseus emerges to ask for her mercy.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan open the Iliad with the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus the King of Phthia, against Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae.

With Jack Drury

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, and Latin teacher Jack Drury discuss Books 15 and 16 of the Odyssey, covering Telemachus' journey home and the father-son reunion in the swineherd's hut.

With Eli Stone

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Eli Stone discuss Book 7 of the Odyssey, where Queen Arete is the first to question Odysseus about his name and homeland and King Alcinous offers his daughter Nausicaa in marriage.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Book 9 of the Odyssey, where Odysseus finally names himself and tells of the Lotus-eaters and the cyclops who devours his men.

With Kyle Washut

Deacon Harrison Garlick welcomes Kyle Washut, President of Wyoming Catholic College, to discuss the Odyssey as a guide for rebuilding culture and the influence of John Senior on education.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Patroclus begging Achilles to let him fight in his armor in Book 16, and whether Patroclus deserved the fate that follows.

With Adam Cooper

Deacon Harrison Garlick welcomes Dr. Adam Cooper to discuss Odysseus' revenge upon the suitors in Book 22, where an arrow through the neck of Antinous begins the slaughter in the hall.

With Adam Conque

Deacon Harrison Garlick welcomes fellow Catholic deacon Adam Conque to discuss Penelope's test of the bow in Book 21, which Telemachus, Leodes and Eurymachus each fail before Odysseus the beggar strings it with ease.

With Alec Bianco

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan welcome Alec Bianco to discuss Book 14 of the Odyssey, where the disguised Odysseus tests the hospitality of his loyal swineherd, Eumaeus.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Menelaus defending the body of Patroclus in Book 17, asking whether human agency can affect fate and what Homer means by Hector's dark heart.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Book 12 of the Odyssey, where Odysseus survives the Sirens and Scylla only to lose his last ship after his men eat the sun god's cattle.

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, and Thomas Lackey discuss Book 3 of the Odyssey, where old King Nestor from the Iliad helps Telemachus and recalls the Achaeans' wrath from Athena.

With Jared Zimmerer

Deacon Harrison Garlick welcomes Dr. Jared Zimmerer to discuss Book 17 of the Odyssey, where the dog Argo recognizes his master and then dies, and Antinous hurls a stool at the beggar.

With Patrick Deneen, Chad Pecknold, Richard Meloche

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss the embassy to Achilles in Book 9 of the Iliad, the role of Phoenix, and the bond between Achilles and Patroclus.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan welcome Thomas Lackey to discuss Book 14 of the Iliad, where Love and Sleep conquer Zeus in what Adam calls one of the funniest books so far.

With Rachel Greb

Deacon Harrison Garlick welcomes Rachel Greb to discuss Book 23 of the Odyssey, where Penelope tests her husband with the secret of their marriage bed rooted in an olive tree.

Deacon Harrison Garlick explores Book 10 of the Odyssey alone, where King Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag of winds and the goddess Circe turns his men into pigs.

With Mary Pat Donoghue

Deacon Harrison Garlick welcomes Mary Pat Donoghue to discuss Book 19 of the Odyssey, where the beggar tells Penelope her husband is returning and the maid Eurycleia recognizes his scar.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Achilles driving half the Trojan army back toward Troy over the plains and the other half into the Xanthus river and his fight with the river god in Book 21.

With Jennifer Frey

Deacon Harrison Garlick welcomes Dr. Jennifer Frey to discuss Book 20 of the Odyssey, where Odysseus prays to Zeus for an omen and the prophet Theoclymenus sees the house drenched in blood.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Book 15 of the Odyssey, where Athena sends Telemachus home from Sparta and the swineherd reveals he was once a kidnapped prince.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Book 8 of the Iliad, the turning tide of battle, whether the Achaeans truly need Achilles, and the relationship between Athena and Zeus.

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, and Thomas Lackey discuss Book 2 of the Odyssey, where Telemachus, inspired by Athena, addresses the assembly of Ithaca and condemns the suitors.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan cover the death of Hector, who waits alone outside the walls of Troy as Achilles declares there are no binding oaths between men and lions.

With Father Bonaventure

Adam Minihan and Father Bonaventure, OP discuss Book 4 of the Odyssey, where Telemachus reaches Sparta during a double wedding feast as Menelaus' daughter marries the son of Achilles.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Zeus calling the gods to council in Book 20 and Poseidon's promise that Aeneas and his descendants will rule the men of Troy.

With Jessica Hooten Wilson

Deacon Harrison Garlick welcomes Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson to discuss Book 15 of the Iliad, the Achaean armies at bay, and the relationship between men and the will of the gods.

With Jared Zimmerer

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan, with Dr. Jared Zimmerer, discuss Book 18 of the Odyssey, where Odysseus the beggar defeats the beggar Irus and Penelope lures gifts from the suitors.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Agamemnon's day of glory in Book 11 of the Iliad, along with Peleus' command to Patroclus and Nestor's reminder that Achilles will listen to Patroclus for his own good.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Patroclus begging Achilles in a dream to bury him quickly so his spirit can pass the Gates of Hades, then the funeral games at the Achaean camp.

Deacon Harrison Garlick delivers a critique of Christopher Nolan's new film The Odyssey, arguing it flattens Homer's characters after the podcast's twelve-week deep dive into the epic.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan welcome Thomas Lackey back to discuss Book 13 of the Iliad, the story of Asius, and why Garlick calls it his least favorite book so far.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Book 10 of the Iliad, where Hector calls for a spy and Diomedes goes on a nighttime rampage while Agamemnon cannot sleep.

With Jason Craig

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan welcome Jason Craig of Sword and Spade magazine to discuss fatherhood in the Odyssey, the problem of fatherlessness in Ithaca, and Telemachus' coming of age.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Achilles arming for battle in Book 19, Odysseus' attempt to broker peace, Briseis weeping over Patroclus, and Ate, the goddess of ruin.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan ask who Homer was and whether he really wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey, noting that Troy is said to have fallen in 1184 B.C..

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan trace the gap between the Iliad and the Odyssey, where tradition turns to authors such as the Greek poets Sophocles and Euripides and the Roman poet Virgil to tell how Troy fell.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss Book 4 of the Iliad, where Zeus taunts Hera over the truce and admits he esteems Troy above any other city.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss the duel between Ajax and Hector in Book 7 of the Iliad, what Nestor says to Hector, and the importance of burying the dead.

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, and Thomas Lackey discuss Hesiod's Theogony, covering the role of the Muses, the primordial god Chaos, Eros as a binding force, and Zeus as bringer of civilization.

With Eli Stone

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Eli Stone, and Josiah discuss Oedipus the King by Sophocles, the play Aristotle called the best tragedy and the second in the Theban plays.

With Matthew Bianco

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Frank Grabowski open Euripides' The Bacchae, tracing Dionysus' transformation from Homer's jovial wine god into a cruel and diabolical figure, in a tragedy exploring the fragility of societal order.

A roundtable of friends wraps up Ascend's exploration of the Greek plays, from the Oresteia and Prometheus Bound to the Theban plays and the Bacchae, tracing themes of divinity, fate, and justice.

With David Niles

Dcn. Harrison Garlick, David Niles of the Catholic Man Show, and Dr. Frank Grabowski open Sophocles' Antigone, called the dark sign from the gods, as a meditation on piety.

With David Niles

David Niles and Dr. Frank Grabowski join Dcn. Garlick to finish Sophocles' Antigone, asking whether Antigone is the hero and how Haemon's interaction with Creon highlights his character and challenges Creon's perspective.

With Alec Bianco

Alec Bianco and the Athenian Stranger join Dcn. Harrison Garlick to introduce Plato's Phaedo, on the soul, with a deep dive into its opening allusion to the myth of Theseus.

With Eli Stone

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Eli Stone open Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus, the third play published in the Theban cycle but second in its narrative chronology, recorded in rural Oklahoma.

With Johnathan Bi

Deacon Harrison Garlick, the Athenian Stranger, and Johnathan Bi open the Gorgias, where an inquiry into rhetoric between Socrates and Gorgias erupts into a war for the soul of Athens.

With Brett Larson

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, Dr. Brett Larson, and Thomas Lackey draw on Plato's First Alcibiades and the Meno to discuss education and the teacher as a lover of the soul.

With Justin Brophy

With Alec Bianco

Ascend discusses First Alcibiades with Alec Bianco of the Circe Institute and the Athenian Stranger, calling it the best place to start with Plato.

With Justin Brophy

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Fr. Justin Brophy finish Plato's Apology, discussing Socrates' defense at his trial, his thoughts on death and virtue, and the influence of Saint Justin Martyr.

The podcast concludes Euripides' The Bacchae with the tragic descent of King Pentheus and the Bacchae as a parasite upon society and the question of piety under an evil god.

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, and Thomas Lackey open Agamemnon, the first play of Aeschylus' Oresteia, which tells of the homecoming of Agamemnon and is predominately animated by revenge.

With Eli Stone

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Eli Stone conclude Oedipus at Colonus, where Sophocles brings Oedipus to a redemptive end and the two discuss redemptive suffering and the binding power of love.

With Jared Zimmerer

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Jared Zimmerer discuss Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound, the first play of an otherwise lost triad, calling it the story of man and civilization, set against Prometheus' rebellion and Zeus' tyranny.

With Pavlos Papadopoulos

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Pavlos Papadopoulos discuss Plato's Crito, set in Socrates' prison cell, exploring his refusal to escape and his debt of gratitude to Athens.

With Joey Spencer

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, Thomas Lackey, and Dr. Joey Spencer open Plato's Euthyphro, a dialogue on piety, discussing piety as a political problem.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Alex of the Cost of Glory podcast discuss Plutarch's Life of Alcibiades, calling its subject a real-life Odysseus with all the same twists and turns.

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, and Thomas Lackey close Aeschylus' Oresteia with the second half of The Eumenides, where Athena conducts the trial of Orestes at the Areopagus, the Crag of Ares.

With Daniel Wagner

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Daniel Wagner discuss Plato's Meno, contrasting Meno's stagnant, power-seeking sophistry with the slave boy's rapid learning in the famous geometry demonstration.

With Erik Rostad

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Erik Rostad, and Dr. Grabowski discuss Plato's Ion, subtitled On the Iliad, where a victorious rhapsode claims to speak more beautifully about Homer than any other person.

With Joey Spencer

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Joey Spencer finish Plato's Euthyphro, exploring piety, morality, and the divine through the famous Euthyphro Dilemma.

With Brett Larson

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Larson, Dr. Grabowski, and Thomas Lackey discuss Plato's Hippias Minor, subtitled On the Lie, a short and largely forgotten dialogue.

A roundtable of a lawyer, two PhDs, and an independent scholar launches Ascend's study of Plato, asking who Plato was, why Christians should read Plato, and how Plato should be read.

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Thomas Lackey, and Adam Minihan open The Libation Bearers, the second play of Aeschylus' Oresteia, where Orestes appears as both the hero and the victim of the cycle of violence.

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, and Thomas Lackey open The Eumenides, the third play of Aeschylus' Oresteia, tracing justice's shift away from the familial blood avenger.

With Christopher Frey

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Christopher Frey conclude Plato's Phaedo, capturing Socrates' final hours and his arguments for the soul's immortality.

With Christopher Frey

With Gregory McBrayer

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Gregory McBrayer finish Plato's Gorgias, sections 481 to 527, with Socrates confronting Callicles, whom Greg calls the nastiest character in all of Plato.

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Adam Minihan, Thomas Lackey, and Dr. Frank Grabowski finish Agamemnon, the first play of Aeschylus' Oresteia, where Clytemnestra dominates her husband through murder, manipulation, and denial.

With Tsh Oxenreider

Tsh Oxenreider joins the podcast to discuss The Frogs by Aristophanes, where Dionysus travels to Hades to bring back Euripides and hosts a poetry contest between Aeschylus and Euripides.

With Zena Hitz

Dr. Zena Hitz of St. John's College joins Dcn. Harrison Garlick to discuss The Clouds by Aristophanes, its critique of Athenian society, and its questions about education and piety.

With Alec Bianco

Alec Bianco and the Athenian Stranger join Dcn. Harrison Garlick to finish Plato's First Alcibiades, picking up the conversation at 124(b) on knowing thyself.

With Brett Larson

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Dr. Larson, and Dr. Grabowski discuss Plato's Lovers, a short and often overlooked dialogue that seeks a definition of philosophy.

Deacon Harrison Garlick, Thomas Lackey, and Adam Minihan finish The Libation Bearers, the second play of Aeschylus' Oresteia, as Orestes moves toward his climactic role as blood avenger.

With Daniel Shields

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Daniel Shields discuss Plato's First Alcibiades and its use at Wyoming Catholic College, exploring self-knowledge and the importance of mentorship.

Deacon Garlick and Dr. Grabowski discuss Plato's Hipparchus, a short, strange, somewhat forgotten dialogue whose question, what is the love of gain, becomes an examination of the democratic soul.

Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan introduce Aeschylus, born in 525 BC, a warrior who fought at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC and became the father of Greek tragedy.

Deacon Harrison Garlick explains why the Greek plays form an intellectual bridge between Plato and Homer, naming justice, eros, fate and divinity as major themes and introducing each play to be read.