The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind
Lobel Center for Jewish Classical Education
Welcome to The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind, a podcast that tells the story of the prophets, philosophers, and poets who created the West.
In this podcast, Rabbi Dr. Mitchell Rocklin guides listeners through more than 3,000 years of Western history, offering a coherent, civilizational story of how the West came to be—along with a deepened understanding of the challenges it now faces. While many of the texts discussed will be familiar to students of the humanities, Rabbi Rocklin offers a new framework for understanding them—a framework in which the teachings of the Jewish religious tradition play a central role. For, as Rabbi Rocklin explains, Western civilization can only be understood as the product of a transformative and ongoing collision between the great traditions of Jerusalem and Athens—between the religious spirit of the Jews and the philosophical spirit of the Greeks.
In this podcast, Rabbi Dr. Mitchell Rocklin guides listeners through more than 3,000 years of Western history, offering a coherent, civilizational story of how the West came to be—along with a deepened understanding of the challenges it now faces. While many of the texts discussed will be familiar to students of the humanities, Rabbi Rocklin offers a new framework for understanding them—a framework in which the teachings of the Jewish religious tradition play a central role. For, as Rabbi Rocklin explains, Western civilization can only be understood as the product of a transformative and ongoing collision between the great traditions of Jerusalem and Athens—between the religious spirit of the Jews and the philosophical spirit of the Greeks.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 27, 2025 • 48min
The Age of Exploration: Europe's Commerce and Classes
The spirit of discovery in the Renaissance will push Europe to expand its trade horizons and reshape its economy. On today’s episode, we’ll address the following questions: What were the technological innovations in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries that made long-distance sailing easier? Why did Portugal, of all countries, become a dominant force in expanding European trade in the East? How did the Age of Exploration completely pull Europe out of a feudal economic system and into an era of mercantilism?
Aug 20, 2025 • 35min
Of Kings, Nobles, and Commoners: The Emergence of the New Monarchs
Consolidation of power will dramatically alter politics, wars, and loyalties in Europe. To help us expand this notion, we’ll explore the following questions: What caused political power in Europe to shift from being localized in the hands of the lords to being wielded by royal families ruling vast territories? How did a rise in national loyalties lead to increasing suspicion of divergent religious groups? Why were the common people important to kings such that kings allied themselves with the populace against the nobility?
Aug 13, 2025 • 34min
The Northern Renaissance: Aesthetics, Mystics, and Humanists
The Northern Renaissance may be infused with the same spirit as the Italian Renaissance, but it manifested in uniquely northern European ways. On today’s episode, we’ll take a look at the following questions: How does Goethe’s Faustus grapple with the relationship between knowledge and goodness? What was the danger in Nicholas of Cusa’s philosophical innovation regarding man’s relationship with God? Why did the Northern Renaissance produce great thinkers and reformers? Recommended Viewing: Northern Renaissance paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) Northern Renaissance paintings at the Museo del Prado (Madrid, Spain)
Aug 6, 2025 • 43min
To be Loved or Feared: Machiavelli and the Politics of Power
Modern politics cannot be fully understood without Machiavelli. To help us unpack this claim, Rabbi Rocklin will explore the following questions: How does Machiavelli shift the way that virtue is understood? Why do some scholars consider Machiavelli to be the first modern political philosopher? How does Machiavelli justify his claim that a ruler should use cruelty and fear as tools to control the people? Recommended Reading: Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince, 2nd edition. Translated by Harvey Mansfield, University of Chicago Press: 1998.
Jul 30, 2025 • 32min
Human Dignity: Petrarch and Pico della Mirandola
The notion of human dignity takes center stage as humanism comes to the fore with Petrarch and Pico. To help us explore the topic, Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions: Why did Petrarch, who is often considered the father of humanism, heavily criticize Medieval philosophers? According to Pico, what makes man unique and uniquely dignified? How does that shift the general understanding of man’s relationship with God? Both Pico and the Greeks seem to have asserted that man can change through culture. How is Pico’s assertion notably different? Recommended Reading: Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni. Oration on the Dignity of Man. 1486.
Jul 23, 2025 • 44min
An Era of Rebirth: The Italian Renaissance
A new era dawns on history as the Renaissance begins. As we begin to explore this period, Rabbi Rocklin will help us answer the following questions: Can the Renaissance truly be characterized as a new period, as opposed to simply an outgrowth of the Middle Ages? Why does the re-examining of Greco-Roman thought lead to a religious emphasis on man’s greatness and centrality to creation? What was the Church’s reaction to the changes of the Renaissance era?
Jul 16, 2025 • 35min
Medieval Literature IX: Drama and Tales
Chaucer is arguably the most famous writer of the Middle English period. To give us a sense of his greatness, we’ll address the following questions: Since Chaucer was not the typical Medieval scholar, how did he gain access to the texts that made him such a great writer? How does Chaucer’s “The Pardoner’s Tale” challenge the offices of the Church during this time? What was Chaucer’s dynamic contribution to the development of literature? Recommended Reading: Lavinsky, David. The Material Text in Wycliffite Biblical Scholarship: Inscription and Sacred Truth. England: Boydell and Brewer, 2017.
Jul 9, 2025 • 49min
Medieval Literature VIII: Dante and Boccaccio
Dante and Bocaccio did more to develop vernacular writing than perhaps any other writers of their era. On today’s episode, we’ll explore the following questions: To what extent should Dante be considered an innovator with what he accomplished in the Divine Comedy? Why has Dante endured through the centuries? What makes him still relevant today? How can Boccaccio’s writings be considered spiritual?
Jul 2, 2025 • 33min
Medieval Literature VII: Medieval Chivalry III
Tales of knights, lords, and ladies have held a prominent position in the western imagination since they were first told. As we survey some of those tales, we’ll address the following questions: How does Sir Gawain and the Green Knight highlight the importance of personal promises? Why is the will of God notably prominent in Medieval epic tales? What role does honor play in the still-popular tale Robin Hood? Recommended Reading: Green, Roger Lancelyn. The Adventures of Robin Hood. Puffin Books, 2010.
Jun 25, 2025 • 48min
Medieval Literature VI: Medieval Chivalry II
Passion, love, and romance take center stage in Medieval chivalric literature. As we survey some of the greatest works of that genre, we’ll find answers to the following questions: How does Tristan and Iseult highlight the tension between marriage and love that was commonplace in the past? What light does Tristan and Iseult shed on the nature of love versus loyalty? Why is the chivalric idealization of woman such an important development in the context of Christendom and Western culture? Recommended Reading: The Romance of Tristan & Iseult. Retold by J. Bédier. Translated by H. Belloc, George Allen & Company, Ltd., 1913. de Troyes, Chrétien. Arthurian Romances. Translated William W. Kibler and Carleton W. Carroll, Penguin Classics, 2004. Early Fiction in England: From Geoffrey of Monmouth to Chaucer. New York: Penguin Classics, 2015.
