Between Human and Divine Justice: Lindsay Clancy and Papadiamantis' "The Murderess"

I had been following the case of Lindsay Clancy before her trial began. As a resident of Massachusetts, it was difficult to dismiss it as if it were a tragedy taking place somewhere far away. The names of Duxbury and Plymouth were familiar places, and the deaths of three young children in January 2023 had remained in the background of my thoughts as the case slowly moved toward trial. During the trial I began thinking about Alexandros Papadiamantis’ The Murderess (Η Φόνισσα), a novella written more than a century earlier that also confronts the almost unbearable subject of a woman who takes the lives of children, beginning with her own grandchild. Last week, while I was passing the Duxbury and Plymouth area on my way to Cape Cod, I took a detour and visited some of the places associated with the case. There was something sobering about seeing the ordinary landscape in which this terrible event had taken place. The story I had been following for weeks suddenly had a physical setting: ordinary roads, houses, and neighborhoods where ordinary life continues. It made me think less about a case being argued in court and more about the reality of three children whose lives had ended there, and the tragedy their parents now faced.

The trial has now ended without a verdict. After seven days and more than thirty-eight hours of deliberation, the jury remained deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial on September 4. Clancy does not dispute that she killed her three children. The question before the jury was whether she was criminally responsible for what she did. The defense argued that she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and that her mental state had made her legally incapable of understanding or controlling her actions. The prosecution argued that, whatever her mental-health difficulties, she deliberately planned the killings and understood what she was doing. After hearing weeks of testimony and competing expert opinions, the jurors could not reach a unanimous conclusion. The mistrial is neither a finding of innocence nor a finding of guilt; it leaves the question unresolved. Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek another trial.

"Goutou Goupatou" (1899) by Alexandros Papadiamantis

Introduction

Goutou Goupatou is a short story by Alexandros Papadiamantis, first published on January 1, 1899, in the Athenian newspaper Akropolis. It combines humor, compassion, and a sharp observation of village life. At its center is Manolis, known mockingly as “the Octopus,” a physically disabled and speech-impaired man who is ridiculed by the children and young men of the village but whose extraordinary strength becomes unexpectedly important. Through Manolis and the colorful world surrounding him, Papadiamantis portrays the rivalries, cruelties, loyalties, superstitions, and everyday customs of a small Greek community. The story is especially notable for Papadiamantis’s use of language: alongside his own literary narration, he reproduces the distorted speech of Manolis and the lively colloquial expressions of the villagers, creating both humor and a vivid sense of place. Beneath its comic surface, however, the story reveals a deeply humane portrait of a marginalized man whose devotion to his mother and unexpected courage ultimately command the reader’s sympathy.

From the Prayer Rope to Scrolling...

I know, I know — months have passed since the last time I was deemed worthy to write you a couple of lines, but spare a thought for me too, the humble Sexton, and what I endure without your knowing it…

Although my stomach is still conducting difficult negotiations with the Paschal lamb and the tsoureki bread, I found a little time to bring up something an elderly Metropolitan confided to me between bites of cheese and pear.

“Sexton,” he says to me, “I watch with admiration — and a little bewilderment — the newfound flourishing of the ‘digital shepherds.’”

I confess I was left dumbfounded. So I seized the opportunity to ask what the “poet” — or rather the Hierarch — meant.

From Ben-Hur to the Fall of Constantinople: Lew Wallace, Faith, and the Limits of Historical Imagination

The literary career of Lew Wallace, who had previously served as a Union general in the American Civil War, reveals a remarkable development in both religious reflection and historical interpretation. His two most ambitious works, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880) and The Prince of India; or, Why Constantinople Fell (1893), are not merely historical novels; they represent distinct stages in Wallace’s engagement with Christianity. The former emerges from a personal search for faith and expresses theology through narrative experience, while the latter attempts a sweeping interpretation of world history and religious decline. Taken together, these works trace a movement from lived religious encounter to abstract historical speculation—a movement that ultimately reveals both Wallace’s strengths and the limits of his perspective, particularly in his understanding of Orthodox Christianity and the Byzantine world.

To understand this development, one must begin with the circumstances that gave rise to Ben-Hur. Prior to writing the novel, Wallace was not firmly grounded in Christian belief. A decisive moment occurred in 1876, when he entered into conversation with the noted agnostic lecturer Robert G. Ingersoll. Ingersoll’s confident skepticism exposed Wallace’s own uncertainty and lack of theological clarity. Confronted with his inability to articulate or defend Christian doctrine, Wallace resolved to undertake a serious study of Christianity. Rather than producing a theological treatise, however, he turned to narrative as his medium.

A New Television Series on the Life of Saint Joseph the Hesychast Coming Soon

 

Aris Servetalis is preparing to return to the small screen on Greece's Mega Channel, nearly 25 years after his last television appearance. He will star in a new religious series, portraying Saint Joseph the Hesychast, one of the most significant figures of modern Orthodox monasticism.

The role of the Saint is said to be depicted in two age phases: the young Joseph will be played by Tasos Lekkas, while Servetalis will portray him in his mature years. Rumors suggest that Pygmalion Dadakaridis and Nikos Gkelias have also already joined the cast.

The series, which will consist of 12 episodes, is scheduled to begin filming after Easter, with the aim of airing in the next television season. The script is written by Giorgos Tsiakkas (who also wrote the script for the television series on Saint Paisios the Athonite), and the series is directed by Stamos Tsamis (who also directed the television series on Saint Paisios the Athonite). Production is supported by the Monastery of Vatopaidi and the Institute of Saint Maximus the Greek, as was the case with the cinematic adaptation of the life of Saint Nektarios of Aegina.