Sarah Ruden on Truth, Power, and Responsibility
What happens when sacred stories are used to justify oppression—and when telling the truth feels like rebellion?In this episode of The Seed: Conversations for Radical Hope, host Dwight Dunston speaks with Sarah Ruden, an award-winning translator, essayist, and Quaker writer whose work exposes how language, power, and faith intersect. Known for her acclaimed translations of The Aeneid, The Gospels, The Confessions of Augustine, and Perpetua: The Woman, the Martyr, Ruden brings deep historical insight and moral clarity to this conversation about love, responsibility, and truth.Drawing on the biblical story of Hagar and Ishmael, Sarah unpacks how ancient hierarchies still shape the present. She traces the lineage of propaganda around women’s bodies from Ovid’s Rome to today’s reproductive politics—and challenges the spiritual evasions that allow injustice to endure. She also draws on her forthcoming book, Reproductive Wrongs: A Short History of Bad Ideas About Women.Key Quotes“The silence of women in the Hebrew Bible is very interesting—very provocative to think about.”“People, especially men, don’t want to take responsibility for what actually happens.” “We have to start by telling the truth.”Together, Dwight and Sarah explore what it means to live with integrity in a time of crisis, how Quaker faith can both guide and confuse, and why empirical truth—science, evidence, and witness—matters for spiritual survival.🔗 Resources MentionedReproductive Wrongs: A Short History of Bad Ideas About Women – forthcoming from KnopfPerpetua: The Woman, the Martyr – Yale University PressThe Face of Water: A Translator on Beauty and Meaning in the Bible – VintageThe story of Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 16–21)Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “When Peace Becomes Obnoxious” (1957) https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/when-peace-becomes-obnoxiousGrace Lee Boggs and “The Clock of the World” – The Harvard CrimsonLearn more about Sarah’s work at https://sarahruden.com/NEW Video Version available at Pendle Hill's YouTube page. The transcript for this episode is available on https://pendlehillseed.buzzsprout.com/----The Seed is a project of Pendle Hill, a Quaker center open to all for Spirit-led learning, retreat, and community. We’re located in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, on the traditional territory of the Lenni-Lenape people. Help us to grow The Seed!Share your thoughts with us through our listener survey. Follow us @PendleHillUSA on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to The Seed wherever you get your podcasts to get episodes in your library as they're released. To learn more, visit pendlehill.org/podcast. Online Quaker Worship with Dwight: Dwight will attend the Pendle Hill online Quaker worship on the last Friday of the month from 8:30 to 9:10 AM (Eastern Time). Visit Pendle Hill Online Worship for details. This project is made possible by the generous support of the Thomas H. & Mary Williams Shoemaker Fund.
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