“Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” With this proverb, the ancient Hebrew sages defined the value of friendship. Similarly, the Stoic Marcus Aurelius began his Meditations enumerating the friends to whom he owed particular traits of character and wisdom. However, we need not return to ancient times to see this venerable model of enriching friendship lived out. A circle of friends like this flourished only a few generations ago, in England, and it included two of the best known Christian writers of the 20th century: C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. This circle of friends was called the Inklings, and their friendship proved to be the fertile ground for art and ideas that still entertain and enlighten our world. In this episode of Christian Humanist Profiles, David Grubbs discusses the Inklings with Colin Duriez, writer, researcher, and author of The Oxford Inklings: Lewis, Tolkien and Their Circle (Lion Hudson 2015; US release by Kregel).

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