Friendship is one of my favorite topics to read about. Love any piece that brings deeper reflection on the subject, especially when done this excellently! Thanks for another great one sir.
A wonderful commentary . I had gone back and read some Sophocles a few years ago. Now you have sparked an interest in Euripides . One of the great losses of “modernity” in the West are intimate friendships that rival family .
Sophocles is wonderful! Euripides is a bit more playful, I find. Sophocles may be the master but Euripides asks very interesting questions, especially about the gods.
“Man stands at the rudder. Virtue is forged with the fire of the will and the blow of every choice strikes like hammer on steel. In the Christian story we’re told our actions have consequences because in some sense or another we really chose them.”
Great piece! I really need to read more Greek mythology. I love the image of literally pulling a friend from the depths of hell, and then Theseus likewise sitting with Hercules in his self-made or divinely inflicted hell. It reminds me a bit of David and Jonathan’s friendship.
Highly recommend Greek mythology. A side benefit is that you'll pick up on a lot of references when reading philosophy because people like Nietzche love citing the Greek myths.
Love the comparison with David and Jonathan! That would've been a nice tie-in for the article.
Stunning work, Austin. What struck me most is how Herakles forces us to reckon with the scandal of friendship in the face of failure—not friendship as sentiment, but as incarnation: costly, embodied loyalty that refuses to flinch when shame knocks the wind out of someone’s soul.
In Desert and Fire, I often return to the theme of incarnational mysticism—the conviction that grace doesn’t hover at a distance, but takes on weight, texture, and bruised flesh. And in that light, Theseus becomes a kind of proto-Christ: a friend who steps not away from the broken, but into their pain, refusing to let guilt have the final word. He doesn’t sanitize Herakles’ sin, but neither does he withdraw his presence. He becomes, in a way, the love of God made tangible in the ruins of another man’s life.
The mystery, of course, is that Christ does more. He doesn’t just stand beside us at the edge of our undoing—He descends into it, transfigures it, and rises with us in His arms.
So thanks again for this one. It reminds me that if we are to embody the Incarnate One, we must become the kind of friend whose love is not afraid of dirt, madness, or blood. That’s where God chooses to dwell.
I love how you captured the ache of friendship—the cost of it—and yet didn’t leave it there.
The picture of Christ as the truer Theseus, the friend who sees our failure and still holds on, is one of the most hope-filled truths we have. “Grace abounds and our friendship with Christ persists”—what a needed reminder.
Friendship is one of my favorite topics to read about. Love any piece that brings deeper reflection on the subject, especially when done this excellently! Thanks for another great one sir.
I appreciate the kind words! Friendship is such a fruitful topic to reflect on. Enjoyed getting to do so in this one!
A wonderful commentary . I had gone back and read some Sophocles a few years ago. Now you have sparked an interest in Euripides . One of the great losses of “modernity” in the West are intimate friendships that rival family .
Sophocles is wonderful! Euripides is a bit more playful, I find. Sophocles may be the master but Euripides asks very interesting questions, especially about the gods.
“Man stands at the rudder. Virtue is forged with the fire of the will and the blow of every choice strikes like hammer on steel. In the Christian story we’re told our actions have consequences because in some sense or another we really chose them.”
Brilliantly said
Thanks!
Great piece! I really need to read more Greek mythology. I love the image of literally pulling a friend from the depths of hell, and then Theseus likewise sitting with Hercules in his self-made or divinely inflicted hell. It reminds me a bit of David and Jonathan’s friendship.
Highly recommend Greek mythology. A side benefit is that you'll pick up on a lot of references when reading philosophy because people like Nietzche love citing the Greek myths.
Love the comparison with David and Jonathan! That would've been a nice tie-in for the article.
Stunning work, Austin. What struck me most is how Herakles forces us to reckon with the scandal of friendship in the face of failure—not friendship as sentiment, but as incarnation: costly, embodied loyalty that refuses to flinch when shame knocks the wind out of someone’s soul.
In Desert and Fire, I often return to the theme of incarnational mysticism—the conviction that grace doesn’t hover at a distance, but takes on weight, texture, and bruised flesh. And in that light, Theseus becomes a kind of proto-Christ: a friend who steps not away from the broken, but into their pain, refusing to let guilt have the final word. He doesn’t sanitize Herakles’ sin, but neither does he withdraw his presence. He becomes, in a way, the love of God made tangible in the ruins of another man’s life.
The mystery, of course, is that Christ does more. He doesn’t just stand beside us at the edge of our undoing—He descends into it, transfigures it, and rises with us in His arms.
So thanks again for this one. It reminds me that if we are to embody the Incarnate One, we must become the kind of friend whose love is not afraid of dirt, madness, or blood. That’s where God chooses to dwell.
Thanks, Steve! I appreciate your thoughts on this.
I love how you captured the ache of friendship—the cost of it—and yet didn’t leave it there.
The picture of Christ as the truer Theseus, the friend who sees our failure and still holds on, is one of the most hope-filled truths we have. “Grace abounds and our friendship with Christ persists”—what a needed reminder.
Beautiful as always friend!