WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.060 Welcome to today's Deep Dive. I am just so glad 00:00:03.060 --> 00:00:05.040 you could join us because we have a, well, a 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:06.860 truly fascinating mission today. We really do. 00:00:07.059 --> 00:00:09.779 Yeah, we're going to be exploring the wonderfully 00:00:09.779 --> 00:00:13.019 paradoxical life of a 19th century Scottish figure. 00:00:13.660 --> 00:00:17.120 So picture a man who had mastered over a dozen 00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:21.309 languages. Right. A scholar. who was literally 00:00:21.309 --> 00:00:24.589 described by his contemporaries as a breathing 00:00:24.589 --> 00:00:27.089 library of wisdom. A breathing library. It's 00:00:27.089 --> 00:00:29.289 a great title. It is. And you would think someone 00:00:29.289 --> 00:00:31.210 with that kind of intellect would have left behind 00:00:31.210 --> 00:00:33.509 just shelves and shelves of thick, dusty books. 00:00:33.530 --> 00:00:36.030 You'd assume so. Well, he didn't. He left behind 00:00:36.030 --> 00:00:38.149 almost no written work of his own. It's a remarkable 00:00:38.149 --> 00:00:40.810 historical puzzle, honestly. To guide us today, 00:00:40.890 --> 00:00:43.250 we are diving into a comprehensive Wikipedia 00:00:43.250 --> 00:00:46.649 biographical article on John Duncan. John Duncan. 00:00:46.810 --> 00:00:50.310 Right. He lived from 1796 to 1870. And he was 00:00:50.310 --> 00:00:53.869 a theologian, a linguist, and a man who became 00:00:53.869 --> 00:00:56.609 famously known to history simply as Rabbi Duncan. 00:00:56.829 --> 00:00:58.909 And the contradictions in this man's life are 00:00:58.909 --> 00:01:00.909 just the ultimate hook for me. We're talking 00:01:00.909 --> 00:01:04.230 about someone who began his rigorous formal theological 00:01:04.230 --> 00:01:07.090 studies. that is, as an outspoken atheist. Which 00:01:07.090 --> 00:01:10.450 is wild. Exactly. How exactly does an atheist 00:01:10.450 --> 00:01:14.269 become a revered theologian? And how does a recognized 00:01:14.269 --> 00:01:17.750 genius, someone whose colleagues actually said 00:01:17.750 --> 00:01:19.430 he could speak his way to the wall of China, 00:01:19.609 --> 00:01:22.650 how does a guy like that become best known, not 00:01:22.650 --> 00:01:25.450 for grand sweeping lectures, but simply for taking 00:01:25.450 --> 00:01:27.700 walks in the park with his students? Okay, let's 00:01:27.700 --> 00:01:30.060 unpack this. To really understand John Duncan, 00:01:30.180 --> 00:01:32.140 we have to start at the beginning, which was 00:01:32.140 --> 00:01:33.920 quite humble, especially when you consider the 00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:37.000 towering intellect he would become. He was born 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:41.219 in Gilcomston, Aberdeen in 1796. He was the son 00:01:41.219 --> 00:01:44.840 of a working class shoemaker. Okay, so very modest 00:01:44.840 --> 00:01:47.879 beginnings. Very modest. But despite that, he 00:01:47.879 --> 00:01:50.420 clearly possessed an extraordinary mind very 00:01:50.420 --> 00:01:52.859 early on. He studied at Mareshaw College in the 00:01:52.859 --> 00:01:55.219 University of Aberdeen, and he eventually earned 00:01:55.219 --> 00:01:58.019 his Master of Arts degree. in 1814. Wow. So he 00:01:58.019 --> 00:02:00.379 was quite young. He was. But his path forward 00:02:00.379 --> 00:02:03.180 into theology was anything but traditional or 00:02:03.180 --> 00:02:05.480 straightforward for that matter. That feels like 00:02:05.480 --> 00:02:07.939 a massive understatement because when you look 00:02:07.939 --> 00:02:11.039 at the timeline in our source, there is this 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:13.900 one detail that just stands out. It's wildly 00:02:13.900 --> 00:02:15.840 relatable for anyone listening who has ever, 00:02:15.939 --> 00:02:18.000 you know, suffered from imposter syndrome. Oh, 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:20.180 absolutely. Or anyone who's ever felt fundamentally 00:02:20.180 --> 00:02:24.740 out of place in their chosen environment. Duncan 00:02:24.740 --> 00:02:27.699 began his formal theological study while identifying 00:02:27.699 --> 00:02:31.180 as a strict atheist. Exactly. And to understand 00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:33.280 the weight of that, you really have to look at 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:35.759 the religious landscape of 19th century Scotland. 00:02:35.939 --> 00:02:38.680 Right. This was a society where theology was 00:02:38.680 --> 00:02:41.719 the absolute pinnacle of academic rigor. It was 00:02:41.719 --> 00:02:44.139 intellectually demanding, highly structured, 00:02:44.199 --> 00:02:46.560 and deeply integrated into the culture. It wasn't 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:49.520 just a side subject. No, not at all. Duncan pursued 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:51.740 the study through two different avenues. First, 00:02:51.960 --> 00:02:54.919 the anti -burger secession church and later the 00:02:54.919 --> 00:02:57.460 established Church of Scotland. Can we pause 00:02:57.460 --> 00:02:59.400 on those specific church names for a second? 00:02:59.500 --> 00:03:01.840 Sure. Because for those of us who aren't, you 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:04.659 know, experts in 19th century Scottish ecclesiastical 00:03:04.659 --> 00:03:07.259 history, what do those groups actually represent? 00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:10.340 It is an important context. So the established 00:03:10.340 --> 00:03:13.539 church was the main state recognized church of 00:03:13.539 --> 00:03:15.879 Scotland. OK, the mainstream one. Right. The 00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:18.180 anti -burger secession church, on the other hand, 00:03:18.259 --> 00:03:21.060 was part of a movement that had broken away from 00:03:21.060 --> 00:03:24.319 the main church over disputes about how ministers 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:27.960 were appointed. OK. The anti -burgers in particular 00:03:27.960 --> 00:03:30.719 were a strict faction. They basically refused 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:34.180 to take oaths to local town councils, believing 00:03:34.180 --> 00:03:36.500 it compromised their spiritual independence. 00:03:36.539 --> 00:03:40.259 Got it. So Duncan was immersing himself in some 00:03:40.259 --> 00:03:44.000 of the most rigorous, highly debated and intensely 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:46.500 principled theological environments of his day. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:49.360 Yes. And yet internally. He didn't believe a 00:03:49.360 --> 00:03:51.740 word of the foundational premise. He really didn't. 00:03:51.740 --> 00:03:53.800 It makes you wonder how we function day to day. 00:03:53.900 --> 00:03:56.080 I mean, you are studying those profound questions 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:59.699 of divinity, surrounded by devout peers and instructors 00:03:59.699 --> 00:04:02.080 who are debating the finer points of church independence. 00:04:02.580 --> 00:04:04.500 And you're viewing it all through the lens of 00:04:04.500 --> 00:04:06.520 atheism. Yeah. You must have treated it like 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:09.020 this massive philosophical puzzle. What's fascinating 00:04:09.020 --> 00:04:11.780 here is the sheer length and methodical nature 00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:14.400 of his intellectual and spiritual evolution. 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:17.720 It was not an emotional overnight revelation. 00:04:17.939 --> 00:04:20.779 Not a sudden lightning bolt. No, it was a grueling 00:04:20.779 --> 00:04:23.339 decade -long process of textual and philosophical 00:04:23.339 --> 00:04:26.300 analysis. By the time he finished his formal 00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:29.439 studies in 1821, he had shifted his worldview 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:32.779 from atheism to becoming a theist. Meaning he 00:04:32.779 --> 00:04:36.019 believed in a god, but not necessarily the specific 00:04:36.019 --> 00:04:38.399 Christian framework he was studying. Exactly. 00:04:38.699 --> 00:04:40.600 And the timeline gets even stranger from there. 00:04:40.699 --> 00:04:43.370 Right. Our source notes that in 1825, he was 00:04:43.370 --> 00:04:46.110 actually licensed to preach. Right. But by his 00:04:46.110 --> 00:04:49.389 own later admission, he still was not fully converted 00:04:49.389 --> 00:04:51.209 to the Christian faith at that time. Which is 00:04:51.209 --> 00:04:54.170 an incredible position to be in. Yeah. He is 00:04:54.170 --> 00:04:56.250 authorized to deliver a message he hasn't fully 00:04:56.250 --> 00:04:58.910 bought into. He wasn't truly converted until 00:04:58.910 --> 00:05:01.509 1826, and that was through the ministry of a 00:05:01.509 --> 00:05:04.430 Swiss Protestant figure named Cesar Millan. So 00:05:04.430 --> 00:05:07.129 that was the turning point. It was. Only then 00:05:07.129 --> 00:05:09.509 did he truly align his internal beliefs with 00:05:09.509 --> 00:05:12.740 his external profession. He commenced his ministry 00:05:12.740 --> 00:05:16.379 at Percy in Perthshire in 1830, moved to Glasgow 00:05:16.379 --> 00:05:19.639 in 1831, and was finally ordained as the minister 00:05:19.639 --> 00:05:24.339 of Milton Parish Church on April 28, 1836. Just 00:05:24.339 --> 00:05:27.160 think about the tenacity that requires to pursue 00:05:27.160 --> 00:05:29.860 a discipline so deeply for well over a decade 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:32.379 before fully believing in it yourself. I mean, 00:05:32.379 --> 00:05:34.180 most people would just walk away when the cognitive 00:05:34.180 --> 00:05:36.600 dissonance got too loud. They really would. But 00:05:36.600 --> 00:05:38.980 Duncan just kept digging deeper into the original 00:05:38.980 --> 00:05:42.160 texts and the philosophy until he found a foundation 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:45.189 he could actually stand on. And that intense 00:05:45.189 --> 00:05:48.629 textual focus is what led to his absolute mastery 00:05:48.629 --> 00:05:51.029 of languages, which brings us to a pivotal moment 00:05:51.029 --> 00:05:54.350 in his career. This is in 1836. The chair of 00:05:54.350 --> 00:05:56.149 Oriental Languages opened up at the University 00:05:56.149 --> 00:05:58.889 of Glasgow, and Duncan decided to offer himself 00:05:58.889 --> 00:06:00.990 as a candidate for the professorship. Now, when 00:06:00.990 --> 00:06:03.149 we apply for a job today, we might pat our resume 00:06:03.149 --> 00:06:05.550 just a little bit. Sure. Maybe we exaggerate 00:06:05.550 --> 00:06:08.410 our proficiency in a software program. But the 00:06:08.410 --> 00:06:11.149 application John Duncan submitted is on another 00:06:11.149 --> 00:06:13.980 level entirely. He didn't just claim he was good 00:06:13.980 --> 00:06:16.639 at a few languages. He formally stated that he 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:20.060 knew Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, 00:06:20.339 --> 00:06:23.459 Bengali, Hindustani, and Marathi. And remember 00:06:23.459 --> 00:06:26.459 the context of the 1830s. There are no online 00:06:26.459 --> 00:06:28.519 courses. Right. No apps on your phone. There 00:06:28.519 --> 00:06:30.540 are no audio tapes to practice pronunciation. 00:06:31.120 --> 00:06:34.500 Learning Sanskrit or Marathi in Scotland meant 00:06:34.500 --> 00:06:37.560 relying entirely on imported, highly complex 00:06:37.560 --> 00:06:40.360 grammar books and raw texts. Just pouring over 00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:42.959 manuscripts. Yes. But he didn't stop at just 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:45.699 listing those eight languages. In regard to Hebrew 00:06:45.699 --> 00:06:48.019 literature specifically, he professed to know 00:06:48.019 --> 00:06:50.220 essentially everything that had ever been written. 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:52.480 The source is very specific about this, too. 00:06:52.579 --> 00:06:54.639 He claimed knowledge of the grammarians, the 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:57.019 commentators, the law books, the controversial 00:06:57.019 --> 00:06:59.220 books, the books of ecclesiastical scholastics, 00:06:59.379 --> 00:07:02.339 and even the bellettes. Right. And bellettes 00:07:02.339 --> 00:07:05.139 simply refers to the fine literature and poetry 00:07:05.139 --> 00:07:07.639 of the language. So he wasn't just claiming to 00:07:07.639 --> 00:07:10.319 know the alphabet or the religious laws. He was 00:07:10.319 --> 00:07:13.480 claiming to have internalized the entire cultural 00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:19.839 artistic... It is a staggering assertion of mastery. 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:22.540 It has to be one of the most confident job applications 00:07:22.540 --> 00:07:24.720 in academic history. But here's where it gets 00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:29.040 really interesting. Despite this massive, unbelievable 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:33.399 flex, his application actually failed. It did. 00:07:33.560 --> 00:07:35.459 The university passed him over for the chair. 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:38.759 It is a surprising twist. We don't have the exact 00:07:38.759 --> 00:07:41.120 committee notes on why they rejected him. Perhaps 00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:43.279 they thought he was exaggerating, or perhaps 00:07:43.279 --> 00:07:45.360 his unconventional background worked against 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:47.500 him. That makes sense. The University of Glasgow 00:07:47.500 --> 00:07:50.560 did give him an honorary LLD, a doctorate of 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:53.500 laws, a few years later in 1840. So it was a 00:07:53.500 --> 00:07:56.079 clear recognition of his undeniable genius, even 00:07:56.079 --> 00:07:57.899 if he didn't get the specific job he wanted. 00:07:58.060 --> 00:08:00.660 But that rejection ultimately forced a pivot 00:08:00.660 --> 00:08:02.779 that completely defined his historical legacy. 00:08:03.100 --> 00:08:06.769 Around October of 1840, The Church of Scotland 00:08:06.769 --> 00:08:09.129 was experiencing a surge of interest in the conversion 00:08:09.129 --> 00:08:12.490 of the Jewish people. And Duncan, with his deep, 00:08:12.509 --> 00:08:15.410 long -standing interest in Israel and his absolute 00:08:15.410 --> 00:08:18.490 mastery of Hebrew, was the perfect fit. The timing 00:08:18.490 --> 00:08:20.889 was perfect. He was appointed as the first missionary 00:08:20.889 --> 00:08:23.180 to the Jews. from the Church of Scotland. And 00:08:23.180 --> 00:08:25.439 this was not just a quiet administrative role. 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:28.379 In 1841, he actually set out for Pest, which 00:08:28.379 --> 00:08:31.019 is part of modern -day Budapest in Hungary. Right 00:08:31.019 --> 00:08:33.320 into the heart of Europe. Exactly. It was a major 00:08:33.320 --> 00:08:36.299 cultural crossroads. During his mission, he had 00:08:36.299 --> 00:08:39.240 the crucial support of the Duchess Maria Dorothea 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:41.620 of Württemberg. She was very sympathetic to his 00:08:41.620 --> 00:08:44.139 cause and helped facilitate his work in the region. 00:08:44.299 --> 00:08:46.460 And according to the historical record, his work 00:08:46.460 --> 00:08:50.100 there was wildly impactful. Our source quotes 00:08:50.100 --> 00:08:52.720 an author named John McLeod who wrote that, since 00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:54.960 the days of the apostles, there is hardly on 00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:57.519 record such a striking work of grace among the 00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:00.059 Jews as took place in the days of his labors 00:09:00.059 --> 00:09:03.220 in Budapest. That is an incredibly high level 00:09:03.220 --> 00:09:05.440 of praise within theological circles. I bet. 00:09:05.639 --> 00:09:08.320 To be compared to the era of the apostles means 00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:10.500 his work was viewed as fundamentally transformative. 00:09:11.950 --> 00:09:14.789 During his brief two years in Hungary, his mission 00:09:14.789 --> 00:09:17.429 led to the conversions of some very notable figures. 00:09:17.710 --> 00:09:20.789 Like who? Well, among them were Adolf Saffer 00:09:20.789 --> 00:09:24.129 and Alfred Edersheim, both of whom would go on 00:09:24.129 --> 00:09:26.629 to become highly significant theologians and 00:09:26.629 --> 00:09:28.529 historical figures in their own right. And it 00:09:28.529 --> 00:09:30.990 was also during this deeply immersive era that 00:09:30.990 --> 00:09:33.990 he earned his famous moniker. He became known 00:09:33.990 --> 00:09:37.279 affectionately to history as Rabbi Duncan. Rabbi 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:39.620 Duncan. It is such a striking detail. You have 00:09:39.620 --> 00:09:42.159 a Scottish Presbyterian minister, but the title 00:09:42.159 --> 00:09:44.480 Rabbi stuck to him for the rest of his life. 00:09:44.620 --> 00:09:47.120 It speaks volumes about how he was perceived 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:49.240 by the Jewish community he was interacting with. 00:09:49.340 --> 00:09:52.059 It wasn't a mocking nickname. It was a mark of 00:09:52.059 --> 00:09:54.740 profound respect for his deep linguistic knowledge 00:09:54.740 --> 00:09:57.080 and his genuine immersion in the culture. So 00:09:57.080 --> 00:09:59.870 they really respected him. Absolutely. He wasn't 00:09:59.870 --> 00:10:02.269 viewed as a superficial outsider coming in with 00:10:02.269 --> 00:10:05.429 a pamphlet. He could debate the law, the commentaries, 00:10:05.429 --> 00:10:08.049 and the poetry in their own language at the highest 00:10:08.049 --> 00:10:10.490 possible intellectual level. That's incredible. 00:10:10.730 --> 00:10:14.490 He eventually left Hungary in 1843, and the timing 00:10:14.490 --> 00:10:17.110 of his return to Scotland coincided with a massive 00:10:17.110 --> 00:10:19.990 earthquake in the National Church. Yes, a defining 00:10:19.990 --> 00:10:23.289 event known as the Disruption of 1843. Right. 00:10:23.909 --> 00:10:26.129 This is crucial context for the second half of 00:10:26.129 --> 00:10:28.889 his life. The disruption was a major schism where 00:10:28.889 --> 00:10:32.350 over 400 ministers fundamentally walked out of 00:10:32.350 --> 00:10:35.029 the established Church of Scotland. 400? Yeah, 00:10:35.149 --> 00:10:37.210 they gave up their incomes, their status, their 00:10:37.210 --> 00:10:40.029 homes, all to form the Free Church of Scotland. 00:10:40.629 --> 00:10:43.870 The core issue, much like the earlier secessions, 00:10:43.929 --> 00:10:46.190 was about whether the state or the church had 00:10:46.190 --> 00:10:48.889 the ultimate power to appoint ministers to local 00:10:48.889 --> 00:10:51.990 congregations. It was a huge, defining moment 00:10:51.990 --> 00:10:54.730 of principle. And out of this new free church 00:10:54.730 --> 00:10:56.750 movement, they needed to establish their own 00:10:56.750 --> 00:10:59.269 academic institutions to train new ministers. 00:10:59.450 --> 00:11:01.649 They did. Which led to the creation of New College 00:11:01.649 --> 00:11:04.309 in Edinburgh. And guess who they invited to fill 00:11:04.309 --> 00:11:06.950 the chair of Hebrew and Oriental languages? John 00:11:06.950 --> 00:11:09.950 Duncan. He finally got the academic chair he 00:11:09.950 --> 00:11:11.990 had applied for all those years ago in Glasgow. 00:11:12.389 --> 00:11:14.750 A redemption there. Definitely. He accepted the 00:11:14.750 --> 00:11:17.070 position at New College and he occupied that 00:11:17.070 --> 00:11:20.250 chair for 27 years, right up until his death. 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:23.100 Which brings us to the era of his life that I 00:11:23.100 --> 00:11:25.580 find the most perplexing. This is the era of 00:11:25.580 --> 00:11:28.340 the absent -minded Socrates. It's a great description. 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:30.799 You have a man whose brain is overflowing with 00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:33.940 languages, who spent 27 years as a professor 00:11:33.940 --> 00:11:37.200 at a major theological institution. Yet the paradox 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:39.840 of his output is that he wrote... Practically 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:43.120 nothing. It is a striking irony. Our source notes 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:46.399 that he edited a British edition of Edward Robinson's 00:11:46.399 --> 00:11:49.679 Lexicon of the Greek New Testament in 1838, and 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:52.379 he published a few scattered lectures. But there 00:11:52.379 --> 00:11:55.519 are no major books. Nothing. No sweeping, multi 00:11:55.519 --> 00:11:58.980 -volume theological treatises. For a man of his 00:11:58.980 --> 00:12:01.460 intellect in the 19th century, that is highly 00:12:01.460 --> 00:12:03.980 unusual. The article actually includes a great 00:12:03.980 --> 00:12:06.480 observation from Thomas Guthrie, referring to 00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:08.759 the sheer linguistic power of Duncan and his 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:11.440 colleague, Alexander Black. Oh, I love this quote. 00:12:11.620 --> 00:12:13.820 Yeah. Guthrie used to joke that those two could 00:12:13.820 --> 00:12:16.100 speak their way to the wall of China, yet no 00:12:16.100 --> 00:12:18.259 corresponding products of their immense learning 00:12:18.259 --> 00:12:20.519 were ever given to the public. All of that knowledge 00:12:20.519 --> 00:12:22.580 was contained within his mind, but he wasn't 00:12:22.580 --> 00:12:25.379 interested in churning out publications. And 00:12:25.379 --> 00:12:28.779 this lack of output seems deeply tied to his 00:12:28.779 --> 00:12:32.059 very specific and somewhat eccentric personality. 00:12:32.539 --> 00:12:35.379 How so? We have a quote from a biographer named 00:12:35.379 --> 00:12:38.240 Sinclair, who described Duncan as being remarkably 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:40.419 absent -minded in regard to the common things 00:12:40.419 --> 00:12:44.179 of life, but simultaneously intensely exercised 00:12:44.179 --> 00:12:46.960 about the higher and eternal realities. He sounds 00:12:46.960 --> 00:12:54.240 like the absolute archetype of the abs - That's 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:59.620 probably exactly what was happening. And that 00:12:59.620 --> 00:13:02.220 intense internal focus apparently made him a 00:13:02.220 --> 00:13:04.860 pretty terrible traditional teacher. That is 00:13:04.860 --> 00:13:07.139 what the historical record suggests. The text 00:13:07.139 --> 00:13:09.720 notes he was only a moderately successful theological 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:13.080 educator if you judge him by traditional classroom 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:15.600 metrics. Right, the standard metrics. His mind 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:18.299 was described as highly fertile, but also completely... 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:21.059 undisciplined he did not deliver his best work 00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:23.379 while standing still behind lectern reading from 00:13:23.379 --> 00:13:25.659 notes some of his contemporaries even thought 00:13:25.659 --> 00:13:27.360 the free church would have been better off if 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:29.320 they just let him abandon formal lectures entirely 00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:32.919 because his real magic his true genius as an 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:35.919 educator happened when he was moving yes he would 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:38.779 conduct walks twice a week with his students 00:13:38.779 --> 00:13:41.679 through edinburgh's prince's street gardens he 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:44.159 was a peripatetic teacher teaching while walking 00:13:44.620 --> 00:13:46.720 just like the ancient Greek philosophers. There 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:49.259 is a beautiful description of this from one of 00:13:49.259 --> 00:13:52.440 his students, A. Taylor Innes. He said it seemed 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:55.179 as if Pascal had shuffled into the sandals of 00:13:55.179 --> 00:13:57.860 Socrates and walked up and down Edinburgh streets. 00:13:58.340 --> 00:14:00.740 Wow. It is a profound analogy when you unpack 00:14:00.740 --> 00:14:04.539 it. Blaise Pascal was a brilliant, deeply introspective 00:14:04.539 --> 00:14:07.639 mathematician and theologian who famously wrestled 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:09.480 with the hiddenness of God and the nature of 00:14:09.480 --> 00:14:12.320 faith. Socrates, on the other hand, never wrote 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:15.070 a single word down. He just walked through the 00:14:15.070 --> 00:14:18.110 marketplace, engaging people in relentless conversational 00:14:18.110 --> 00:14:20.529 questioning. So Duncan was the perfect fusion 00:14:20.529 --> 00:14:23.570 of those two historical giants. He had the deep, 00:14:23.570 --> 00:14:26.769 tormented, hard -won theology of Pascal, but 00:14:26.769 --> 00:14:29.789 he delivered it entirely through the street -level 00:14:29.789 --> 00:14:32.789 conversational method of Socrates. If we connect 00:14:32.789 --> 00:14:35.309 this to the bigger picture, it presents a fascinating 00:14:35.309 --> 00:14:38.110 counter -narrative to how we usually measure 00:14:38.110 --> 00:14:40.590 intellectual success. It really does. We live 00:14:40.590 --> 00:14:43.429 in a culture of publish or perish. Whether you 00:14:43.429 --> 00:14:46.789 are in academia striving for tenure or just existing 00:14:46.789 --> 00:14:48.870 in the modern economy where you are expected 00:14:48.870 --> 00:14:52.490 to constantly create visible, measurable content. 00:14:52.690 --> 00:14:55.309 Content creation is everything now. Right. But 00:14:55.309 --> 00:14:58.190 Duncan proves that profound, lasting impact does 00:14:58.190 --> 00:15:00.809 not always require a massive paper trail. His 00:15:00.809 --> 00:15:03.129 impact was deeply relational. It was transferred 00:15:03.129 --> 00:15:05.990 directly, mind to mind, person to person on those 00:15:05.990 --> 00:15:07.909 walks through the gardens. He didn't need to 00:15:07.909 --> 00:15:09.799 write a book. because his students effectively 00:15:09.799 --> 00:15:13.519 became his living books. And Duncan seemed incredibly 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:16.519 self -aware about this dynamic. He famously, 00:15:16.659 --> 00:15:18.740 and quite self -deprecatingly, described himself 00:15:18.740 --> 00:15:21.519 as being just a talker. Just a talker. But our 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:23.080 source is quick to point out that he possessed 00:15:23.080 --> 00:15:26.240 a true genius for epigrammatic wisdom. epigrammatic 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:29.500 wisdom meaning he spoke in these brilliant dense 00:15:29.500 --> 00:15:32.840 highly memorable sound bites and his legacy was 00:15:32.840 --> 00:15:35.039 preserved entirely because of the students who 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:37.740 walked beside him they wrote it down yes one 00:15:37.740 --> 00:15:40.379 student in particular william knight realized 00:15:40.379 --> 00:15:43.320 the value of what he was hearing and began compiling 00:15:43.320 --> 00:15:46.240 a book of duncan's sayings it was published under 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:49.240 the title colloquia peripatetica which translates 00:15:49.240 --> 00:15:51.639 roughly to conversations while walking or deep 00:15:51.639 --> 00:15:54.320 sea soundings right and later another edited 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:56.250 version of his sayings was released fittingly 00:15:56.250 --> 00:15:59.789 called Just a Talker. The Wikipedia article provides 00:15:59.789 --> 00:16:02.629 two specific examples of his aphorisms from that 00:16:02.629 --> 00:16:05.129 volume, and they're brilliant case studies in 00:16:05.129 --> 00:16:07.549 how his mind worked. Let's look at the first 00:16:07.549 --> 00:16:10.629 quote. Duncan said, I am first a Christian, next 00:16:10.629 --> 00:16:13.230 a Catholic, then a Calvinist, fourth a Paedo 00:16:13.230 --> 00:16:15.730 -Baptist, and fifth a Presbyterian. I cannot 00:16:15.730 --> 00:16:18.190 reverse this order. It is a remarkable statement 00:16:18.190 --> 00:16:20.649 of identity, structured almost like a nesting 00:16:20.649 --> 00:16:22.830 doll. And to fully appreciate it, we need to 00:16:22.830 --> 00:16:25.179 understand the terms he is using. When he says 00:16:25.179 --> 00:16:27.779 Catholic here, he means it in the original sense 00:16:27.779 --> 00:16:30.519 of the universal worldwide body of believers, 00:16:30.559 --> 00:16:33.000 not the specific Roman Catholic Church. God of 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:36.240 the lowercase c, Catholic. Exactly. As he drills 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:39.440 down, he identifies as a Calvinist, referencing 00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:43.279 a specific theological framework of grace. Then 00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:46.149 he calls himself a paedobaptist. which is a theological 00:16:46.149 --> 00:16:48.889 term meaning he believes in the baptism of infants 00:16:48.889 --> 00:16:52.230 rather than just consenting adults. Finally, 00:16:52.230 --> 00:16:54.769 he arrives at Presbyterian, his specific structural 00:16:54.769 --> 00:16:57.629 denomination. By laying it out that way, he is 00:16:57.629 --> 00:17:00.029 showing an incredible level of intellectual honesty 00:17:00.029 --> 00:17:03.490 and prioritization. In an era like the 19th century, 00:17:03.669 --> 00:17:06.609 which was defined by massive sectarian splintering, 00:17:06.609 --> 00:17:08.990 like the disruption we just talked about, he 00:17:08.990 --> 00:17:11.569 refused to let the secondary details overshadow 00:17:11.569 --> 00:17:14.150 the primary ones. He really did. He knew exactly 00:17:14.150 --> 00:17:17.069 where the universal foundations lay, and he prioritized 00:17:17.069 --> 00:17:19.690 those above the hyper -specific local debates 00:17:19.690 --> 00:17:22.690 of his day. Exactly. The second quote the article 00:17:22.690 --> 00:17:24.549 gives us highlights a different skill entirely. 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:27.920 His ability to use imagery to explain incredibly 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:37.319 complex debates. Duncan said, It's so good. Even 00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:39.579 if you don't have a degree in historical theology, 00:17:39.900 --> 00:17:42.380 the architecture of that analogy immediately 00:17:42.380 --> 00:17:44.940 gives you a sense of the debate. But let's clarify 00:17:44.940 --> 00:17:47.339 what those two concepts actually represent. This 00:17:47.339 --> 00:17:49.420 is where his genius for summary really shines. 00:17:49.640 --> 00:17:52.259 In the theological debates of his era, hyper 00:17:52.259 --> 00:17:55.220 -Calvinism leaned heavily into the absolute sovereignty 00:17:55.220 --> 00:17:58.220 of God and strict predestination. The idea that 00:17:58.220 --> 00:18:00.019 God has already determined everything. Right. 00:18:00.180 --> 00:18:02.079 Duncan is arguing that this system is like a 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:04.480 structurally sound house, but it has no door. 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:07.480 There is no room for human free will, no clear 00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:09.740 entry point for an individual's choice. And on 00:18:09.740 --> 00:18:12.619 the flip side, you have Arminianism. Right. Arminianism 00:18:12.619 --> 00:18:14.859 is a theological system that places a massive 00:18:14.859 --> 00:18:17.700 emphasis on human free will and the individual's 00:18:17.700 --> 00:18:20.759 ability to choose or reject grace. So Duncan 00:18:20.759 --> 00:18:23.059 describes this as being all door and no house. 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:26.519 It is entirely focused on the entrance, the invitation. 00:18:27.099 --> 00:18:30.319 But in his view, it lacked the rigid, secure, 00:18:30.579 --> 00:18:33.299 structural foundation of divine sovereignty behind 00:18:33.299 --> 00:18:36.619 it. So what does this all mean for you listening 00:18:36.619 --> 00:18:39.380 right now? Well, if you ever find yourself needing 00:18:39.380 --> 00:18:42.519 to present dense information, or if you're trying 00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:45.920 to explain a highly complicated idea to a colleague 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:49.299 or a friend, John Duncan is offering a masterclass. 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:51.839 He really is. You can apply this epigrammatic 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:54.599 style to your own communication. If you want 00:18:54.599 --> 00:18:56.339 people to remember something, don't just hand 00:18:56.339 --> 00:18:59.140 them a textbook of dry facts. Distill your complex 00:18:59.140 --> 00:19:01.880 ideas into vivid, memorable imagery. Give them 00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:04.339 a house and a door. Give them an anchor for their 00:19:04.339 --> 00:19:06.880 thoughts they can hold in their mind long after 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:09.059 the conversation is over. It is the ultimate 00:19:09.059 --> 00:19:11.380 tool for a teacher. He gave his students these 00:19:11.380 --> 00:19:13.599 brilliant little mental models, which is exactly 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:15.660 why William Knight was able to remember them 00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:17.859 and write them down years later. As we start 00:19:17.859 --> 00:19:19.920 to wrap up the biographical details of Rabbi 00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:22.920 Duncan's life, the source also reveals a deeply 00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:25.900 human and often quite tragic side to his story 00:19:25.900 --> 00:19:27.859 behind all the intellect. Yes. He was married 00:19:27.859 --> 00:19:31.259 twice and he experienced profound loss. He married 00:19:31.259 --> 00:19:34.539 his first wife, Janet Towers, in January 1837. 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:37.740 Tragically, she died just two years later following 00:19:37.740 --> 00:19:40.299 the premature birth of their second child. They 00:19:40.299 --> 00:19:42.720 did have a daughter together, Annie, who was 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:45.559 born in 1838. He later married for a second time 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:48.140 to Janet Douglas, who was a widow, but sorrow 00:19:48.140 --> 00:19:50.880 followed him again. She also passed away before 00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:54.259 him, dying in October of 1852. That's heartbreaking. 00:19:54.619 --> 00:19:57.359 It is. With his second wife, he had another daughter, 00:19:57.460 --> 00:20:01.000 Maria, born in 1842. The historical record notes 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:02.920 that both of his daughters eventually married 00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:05.279 and moved abroad. John Duncan himself passed 00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:08.599 away on February 26, 1870, at the age of 73 or 00:20:08.599 --> 00:20:11.420 74. If you visit Edinburgh today, you can actually 00:20:11.420 --> 00:20:13.779 find his grave. Oh, really? Yeah. He's buried 00:20:13.779 --> 00:20:16.380 under a large, striking obelisk in the northeast 00:20:16.380 --> 00:20:18.799 section of the Grange Cemetery. The inscription 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:20.920 on his tombstone captures his complex essence 00:20:20.920 --> 00:20:23.299 beautifully. It calls him an eminent scholar 00:20:23.299 --> 00:20:26.519 and metaphysician, a profound theologian, a man 00:20:26.519 --> 00:20:28.640 of tender piety and of a lowly loving spirit. 00:20:29.069 --> 00:20:31.910 The eulogies left by his contemporaries really 00:20:31.910 --> 00:20:34.809 hammer home the profound impact of this man who 00:20:34.809 --> 00:20:38.400 claimed to be just a talker. William Garden Blakey 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:41.180 praised his profound originality, deep piety, 00:20:41.299 --> 00:20:45.160 and childlike simplicity, humility, and affectionateness. 00:20:45.220 --> 00:20:47.200 What a tribute. Blakey noted that it was this 00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:50.259 unique combination of massive intellect and childlike 00:20:50.259 --> 00:20:52.400 humility that commanded the respect of every 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:55.880 student. And of course, William Knight, the student 00:20:55.880 --> 00:20:58.359 who meticulously preserved his quotes, offered 00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:01.420 perhaps the greatest tribute. Upon Duncan's death, 00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:03.960 Knight simply remarked that with him has perished 00:21:03.960 --> 00:21:08.420 a breathing library of wisdom. This raises an 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:09.900 important question, and it is a thought I want 00:21:09.900 --> 00:21:11.960 to leave you to mull over today. We have spent 00:21:11.960 --> 00:21:14.119 this time marveling at John Duncan's intellect, 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:17.019 his mastery of a dozen complex languages, his 00:21:17.019 --> 00:21:19.940 deep reading of endless texts, his internalizing 00:21:19.940 --> 00:21:22.660 of an entire cultural universe. In our own lives, 00:21:22.680 --> 00:21:25.000 we all strive to master our own languages, whether 00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:27.140 that is a technical skill, a professional discipline, 00:21:27.380 --> 00:21:30.440 or a deep well of specialized knowledge. But 00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:32.440 Duncan didn't build a legacy by hoarding that 00:21:32.440 --> 00:21:35.740 knowledge or publishing dense, impenetrable books. 00:21:35.819 --> 00:21:39.019 to prove how smart he was. He used his vast intellect 00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:42.140 to craft simple, memorable doors for other people 00:21:42.140 --> 00:21:44.299 to walk through. That's a great way to put it. 00:21:44.380 --> 00:21:46.700 So think about the specialized knowledge you 00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:49.359 have acquired in your own life. Are you building 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:51.839 a house with a door to actively invite others 00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:54.859 into your understanding? Or are you just stockpiling 00:21:54.859 --> 00:21:57.720 facts inside yourself like a closed off, unreadable 00:21:57.720 --> 00:22:00.470 library? How are you translating what you know 00:22:00.470 --> 00:22:02.650 into a simple walk in the park with someone else? 00:22:02.910 --> 00:22:05.369 That is a brilliant challenge to end on. It really 00:22:05.369 --> 00:22:07.690 shifts the focus from simply acquiring knowledge 00:22:07.690 --> 00:22:10.869 to finding the most human way to share it. Thank 00:22:10.869 --> 00:22:12.789 you so much for joining us on this deep dive 00:22:12.789 --> 00:22:15.109 into the paradoxical, brilliant life of Rabbi 00:22:15.109 --> 00:22:17.849 John Duncan. We hope you found some aha moments 00:22:17.849 --> 00:22:19.990 today and maybe a little inspiration for your 00:22:19.990 --> 00:22:22.750 next conversation. Keep questioning, keep seeking 00:22:22.750 --> 00:22:24.809 out those surprising stories, and above all, 00:22:24.890 --> 00:22:26.789 keep learning. We will catch you next time.