Dramatis Personae

This is, as it were, just a brief guide to some of the characters you're bound to run into around these parts.


Admetus: A Latter-day Saint CES Institute teacher from Colorado who worked in the Greece - Athens mission while JB was studying there. Also a former LDS bishop when he lived in Utah. Husband of Alcestis. He's a jovial, good-natured, fairly sharp-minded fellow.

Aethelbald: An older friend of JB's who occasionally attends classes at JB's college.

Ajax: A Latter-day Saint missionary who served in the Greece - Athens mission while JB was studying there.

Alcestis: A Latter-day Saint woman from Colorado. Wife of Admetus.

Alcibiades: A Latter-day Saint man who served as mission president of Greece in 2009.

Almog: A young Jehovah's Witness man from Pennsylvania whom JB met at a circuit assembly.

Amythaon: The second counselor in the bishopric of the Latter-day Saint ward nearest to where JB went to college.

Ananias: A Jehovah's Witness man from Pennsylvania.

Atarah: A Jehovah's Witness woman from Pennsylvania. Wife of Uriah.

Aquila: A young Jehovah's Witness man from New Jersey whom I met at a district convention.

Beriah: An older Jehovah's Witness man from Pennsylvania. Taught Uriah.

Childeric: JB's college roommate during his final semester as an undergraduate. A conservative charismatic Christian with an extreme focus on miraculous faith-healings, modern-day prophecy, etc.

Cleisthenes: A Latter-day Saint missionary who served in the Greece - Athens mission while JB was studying there.

Creon: A Latter-day Saint missionary and BYU student from California who served in the Greece - Athens mission while JB was studying there and was transferred to the Greece - Thessaloniki mission a few weeks after JB left. One of the missionaries with whom JB did the missionary discussions. Fairly soft-spoken fellow, but eminently likeable.

Daedalos: A Latter-day Saint missionary from Nevada who served for a time in the Greece - Athens mission while JB was studying there, but who was transferred to the Cyprus mission. One of the missionaries with whom JB did the missionary discussions initially.

Daniel: JB's best friend and partner in crime. A moderately conservative evangelical Christian and university student from Pennsylvania. Consider him JB's mischievous evil twin - or the other way around.

Demophon: A Latter-day Saint missionary serving his mission in Pennsylvania.

Ealhswith: A friend of JB's and an evangelical/charismatic Christian and university student from Pennsylvania.

Ehud: A Jehovah's Witness man from Pennsylvania. Attends same congregation as Uriah and Shem. Dynamic speaker who delivered talks at both the 2009 district convention and the 2010 circuit assembly.

Ezbon: Formerly the local district overseer of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Ham: A Jehovah's Witness man from Pennsylvania. Brother of Shem and Japheth, son of Zibiah.

Harthacanute: A Christian man from Pennsylvania. Formerly associate pastor of JB's church.

Ithamar: A Jehovah's Witness elder who moved from the Midwest to Pennsylvania. Serves in the same congregation as Uriah.

Japheth: A Jehovah's Witness man from Pennsylvania. Brother of Shem and Ham, son of Zibiah.

JB: Author of this blog. A moderately conservative evangelical Christian and religion and philosophy student from Pennsylvania. Self-professed jerk.

Kallinos: A Latter-day Saint missionary from California who served a mission in Pennsylvania. Demophon's partner after Sthenlos' transfer.

Kostas: A Latter-day Saint missionary from Italy whom JB met at a fireside chat in Athens, Greece.

Lysistrata: A female Latter-day Saint missionary from Connecticut who served in the Greece - Athens mission while JB was studying there. Partner of Sappho.

Medea: A Latter-day Saint woman whom JB met in Athens.

Mephibosheth: A Jehovah's Witness man from Pennsylvania.

Meret: A Jehovah's Witness woman who moved from the Midwest to Pennsylvania. Wife of Ithamar.

Mieszko: Friend and fellow student at JB's college.

Nahath: The local circuit overseer (Pennsylvania Circuit 5) of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Nick: JB's friend. A conservative evangelical Christian and philosophy student at Southern Evangelical Seminary in North Carolina.

Noam: A Jehovah's Witness man from Pennsylvania whom JB met at a circuit assembly.

Orestes: A Latter-day Saint missionary from Utah who served in the Greece - Thessaloniki mission initially and who was transferred to the Greece - Athens mission while JB was studying there. One of the missionaries with whom JB did the majority of the missionary discussions. Likeable fellow who exudes confidence and good cheer.

Polyxena: A Latter-day Saint woman from Pennsylvania who teaches a Gospel Essentials class at the ward near where JB went to college.

Priscilla: A young Jehovah's Witness woman from New Jersey whom JB met at a district convention.

Ray: Friend of JB and Nick. A conservative evangelical Christian and student and Southern Evangelical Seminary in North Carolina.

Sappho: A female Latter-day Saint missionary from Finland who served in the Greece - Athens mission while JB was studying there. Partner of Lysistrata.

Sarah: JB's girlfriend. A young Christian woman from Pennsylvania (originally, Wisconsin).

Shem: A Jehovah's Witness ministerial servant from Pennsylvania. One of the Jehovah's Witnesses with whom JB does their 'Bible study'. Raised in a Jehovah's Witness home, rebelled, then returned to their faith. Very quiet fellow with a good sense of humor.

Solon: A Latter-day Saint missionary who served in the Greece - Athens mission while JB was studying there. When JB met him, Solon had recently injured himself playing football.

Sthenelos: A Latter-day Saint missionary who served a mission in Pennsylvania. Creon's roommate at BYU. Met with JB once before being transferred to another ward.

Sweyn: A Christian student who attends the same college as JB.

Talya: A Jehovah's Witness woman originally from England. Mother of Meret.

Tiresias: A Latter-day Saint missionary from Sweden who served in the Greece - Athens mission while JB was studying there.

Uriah: A Jehovah's Witness congregational elder from Pennsylvania. One of the Jehovah's Witnesses with whom JB does their 'Bible study'. A convert to their faith from Methodism. A very likeable, down-to-earth, good-natured fellow.

Zedekiah: A very talkative Jehovah's Witness man who engaged me in conversation at a district convention.

Ze'ev: A Theocratic Ministry School overseer for a congregation in Pennsylvania Circuit 5. JB met him at the 2010 circuit assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Zibiah: A Jehovah's Witness woman from Pennsylvania. Mother of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.