2025-06-25
36 分钟Hey there, it's Stephen Dubner.
We heard from a lot of listeners who really liked our most recent episode,
which was called What It's Like to be Middle-aged in the Middle Ages.
So I figured you might want a little bit more medieval programming.
Here is a bonus episode.
It's an updated version of an episode we first published in 2013.
It's called What Do Medieval Nuns and Bo Jackson Have in Common?
The answer is probably not what you think.
As always, thanks for listening.
That's Lisa Oliver.
When we spoke with her for this episode around 12 years ago,
she was studying medieval law at Louisiana State University.
And what do you think she's talking about that was so darn painful?
Between the 5th and the 12th century in early modern Europe,
barbarity swept through the continent and also the island of England,
and often the targets of these attacks were monasteries and nunneries.
But nunneries, you had the added incentive of rape to add to sort of pillage and destruction.
For a nun, rape was especially problematic, aside from the obvious reasons.
Rape violated a nun's chastity.
which meant that as a bride of Christ, she might be forbidden entry into heaven.