14 September, 2023
Dear Reader,
BOOK LAUNCH FOR A RABBI
On 3 September we were proud to host the launch of a new book by an orthodox Jewish Rabbi, Dr Shimon Cowen. The book, entitled A Populism of the Spirit, is a collection of his essays on politics and ‘universal ethics’. His book was launched by former Senator Eric Abetz in the presence of the Deputy Premier of Tasmania, the Hon Michael Ferguson. Both men clearly admire the Rabbi, speaking very warmly of him personally and of his work.
What is his book about? Cowen argues that what Jews call the Noahide Laws, the seven biblical laws given by God to Adam and Noah before the Ten Commandments were given to Moses, are not only binding on all humanity but are also common to all cultures.
St Paul was certainly thinking of the Noahide Laws when he wrote:
‘…the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm that. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them’ (Romans 2:15).
That Paul accepted the unique and universal nature of the Laws is no surprise, for he firmly asserts his own very orthodox Jewishness:
‘Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; and as regards the law, a Pharisee’ (Philippians 3:5)
In the last issue of this newsletter I quoted Cicero, a pagan Roman, who quite unequivocally asserted his own belief in this natural law.
Some readers may think it odd that the Dawson Centre, founded to promote the ‘Catholic Intellectual Tradition’, should host a book launch by a Jewish author. But Christ and the Apostles, and every one of the founders of our faith, without exception, were Jews, from Abraham to the first martyr Stephen. Scripture tells us how the mob cried out, ‘His blood be on us and on our children’ (Matthew 27:25), but stressing that passage (can children really inherit ancestral guilt?), while ignoring all the positive, has brought untold suffering into the world. The Jewish people are our elder siblings in the Faith, and they still have a vital role to play in the mystery of Salvation.
George Weigel, biographer of both Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, is fond of saying that the whole of our Christian civilisation is built on three pillars – Jerusalem, Athens andRome. May we of the ‘New Israel’ be ever grateful to those of the Old.
‘THE VOICE’ REFERENDUM
The vote on this matter is now only one month away. Advocates of both YES and NO agree on one thing, that voters have a duty to be well informed. We recognise that our own readers are divided on this issue, and we applaud the federal government’s distribution of a booklet in which the arguments for and against we set out carefully and at equal length. The Dawson Centre can take no position on this matter, even if government agencies and corporations all too often do. But in my own editorial piece I do feel bound to say, that having voted YES (along with 91% of the electorate in 1967) I intend to vote NO this time, because I do not believe that race should ever again be a criterion for selecting representatives for government or for bestowing public funds.
In the last issue we posted a link to an argument for the YES vote. Now one of our readers, Matthew Ogilvie, has written this piece in which he tries to envisage the outcome of either side winning. He is likely to vote NO, but is clearly an admirer of strong aboriginal Voice advocate Senator Pat Dodson, and recognises that whatever side wins there will be heartbreak and the nationwide distress. This article by Bev Cairns, however, takes a decidedly critical view of the Catholic Church’s support of the YES campaign.
With best wishes to all,
David Daintree
IN THE NEWS
TALK BY DR RALPH MARTIN
On 12 September we hosted a very moving lecture entitled ‘Living as Catholics in Challenging Times’ by Dr Ralph Martin, a world-renowned Catholic Apologist. As usual the talk was videoed and will shortly be uploaded to our YouTube channel.
Dr Martin is President of Renewal Ministries and the host of the weekly Catholic television program, ‘The Choices We Face’. He has a doctorate in theology and is the director of Graduate Theology Programs in the New Evangelization at Sacred Heart Major Seminaryin the Archdiocese of Detroit. Martin was invited to Belgium by Cardinal Leo Joseph Suenens to help jumpstart the Catholic charismatic renewal in Europe. In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him to a five-year term as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization.
Here is a list of Dr Martin’s books (you can order copies by clicking on the links):
A Church in Crisis: Pathways Forward
The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints
HISTORY – PREFERRING THE DARKNESS TO THE LIGHT
Britain’s Tate Gallery ‘re-hangs’ its paintings in a fit of ‘collective amnesia’. This very thorough critique by Lawrence Goldman focuses on the evident bias of some of the Gallery’s staff, and a number of factual errors in the presentation of the material.
CONSERVATIVISM IN A MODERN WORLD?
This piece by Kevin Donnelly deftly surveys the thought of Edmund Burke, Augusto del Noce, Michael Oakeshott and others. Good article.
RÓISÍN MURPHY FACES BACKLASH
The popular Irish singer has landed herself in trouble for criticising the use of puberty blockers on ‘little mixed-up kids’: ‘big pharma laughing all the way to the bank,‘ she calls it. She has apologised, as everybody must nowadays, but won’t be forgiven. By the way, Murphy’s sales have slowed in recent years, but her latest album has taken off. Could it be that being banned gives you a boost?
LAUGHTER UNDER SUSPICION
In a world ruled by wokery, humour is no longer funny. This article by Gerard Hendersonexamines, with wit and discernment, the true nature of humour and wonders why comedy is increasingly dominated by the po-faced.
‘THE ETON OF AFRICA’
This intriguing book focuses on the extraordinary and improbable impact of western classical culture on Malawi, one of Africa’s poorest countries. Kamuzu College was established by the now discredited dictator Dr Hastings Banda, a revolutionary anti-colonialist who wanted the future leaders of his country access the best the West had to offer.
COMING EVENTS
HOBART TUES 12 OCTOBER – 6.00 PM
PROF JOHN HALDANE
‘Catholic Education and the Common Good’
Hope and Anchor Tavern
Macquarie Street, Hobart.
SUMMER SCHOOLS JANUARY 2024
We shall be running three summer schools again in early 2024. They are listed below. At this stage we invite expressions of interest from those keen to participate.
SUMMER SCHOOL ON WESTERN CULTURE 2024
Monday 8 to Friday 12 January 2024 inclusive
Hobart – venue to be finalised
The Dawson Centre was founded to advance the notion that the Christian Faith and the intellectual tradition that grew up with it are essential components of our civilisation, not optional extras, but core elements in the very fabric of the culture. Christopher Dawson maintained that a true human culture cannot exist at all without a religious component, and the Christian religion is inherent in and inseparable from our Western culture.
What are some of the great and distinctive achievements of the West?
We are offering this course for the third time as a sort of a ‘taster’, a broad and sweeping view of the terrain and some of its principal landmarks. It cannot claim to be any more than a sketch of the panorama, but we hope it will meet a need and inspire participants to delve further into our fascinating and rich heritage.
SUMMER SCHOOL – LATE AND ECCLESIASTICAL LATIN
Monday 15 to Friday 19 January 2024
at Notre Dame Priory, Colebrook, Tasmania
The Latin school assumes some prior knowledge of the language and leads participants through a selection of important readings in poetry and prose, sacred and secular, from authors such as Augustine, Jerome, Bede, Peter Abelard, Aquinas, the Carmina Burana, and even Dante. In date our selections range from the poet Virgil to the abdication speech of Pope Benedict! Accommodation may be available on request at Bethany House in the Priory grounds.
SUMMER SCHOOL – BIBLICAL GREEK FOR BEGINNERS
Monday 22 to Friday 26 January 2024
at The Emmanuel Centre, 123 Abbott Street, Newstead, Launceston
The New Testament and Koine Greek school is for beginners who want to experience the excitement of reading parts of the Bible in the original language. We shall read extracts from the Gospel and Epistles, as well as some important passages from the Septuagint (the ancient Greek version of the Old Testament), as well as some pieces from the early Fathers of the Church and the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom. Accommodation at the Centre is available on request. We are trialling the Emmanuel Centre for the first time – it sounds ideal. We would appreciate expressions of interest at this time.