Only a householder could do the rites, they said – not a sannyasi.

Two conclusions stand out: The Bible is a cherry-picker's paradise, and human beings cannot function without double standards.

Reuniting the cast of Trainspotting for a new adventure 21 years on could have gone badly. The BBC’s misjudged This Life + 10, bringing the cast of the iconic 90s TV drama back together, is a case in point. But Boyle and his four musketeers give it just the right frantic, jaded energy and manic anxiety.

...satisfy the Doubtful, confirm the Wavering, recover the Lapsed, and be useful to all according to their several Circumstances and Conditions.