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Light Through the Past

Light Through the Past

239 episodes — Page 1 of 5

From Late Antiquity to Byzantium

Oct 15, 2026

The Legacy of St. Gregory the Dialogist

Oct 8, 2026

St. Gregory and the English Mission

Oct 1, 2026

St. Gregory and the Prerogatives of the Bishop of Rome

Sep 24, 2026

St. Gregory's Legacy of Allegorical Spirituality

Sep 17, 2026

An Update

Sep 10, 2026

St. Gregory the Dialogist and the Liturgy: Part 1

Sep 2, 2026

St. Gregory, Chalcedon, and the Istrian Schism

Aug 27, 2026

Gregory the Great and the Active Life

Aug 20, 2026

An Introducation to St. Gregory the Dialogist

Aug 13, 2026

The Unorthodox Origins of Penal Substitutionary Atonement

Aug 6, 2026

Risible Excommunicable Offenses

Jul 30, 2026

The Little Flock: The Deeds of God in the Epistle to the Romans

Jul 23, 2026

Questions 2: Truth, Councils, Authority, and the Corpus Mysticum

Jul 16, 2026

Questions Part I: St. Augustine and Origen

Jul 9, 2026

Closing Thoughts on the Schism

Jul 2, 2026

The Aftermath of Florence 3: The Fall of Constantinople

Jun 25, 2026

Put Not Your Trust in Princes: Florence's aftermath 2

Jun 18, 2026

The Aftermath of the Council of Florence, Part 1

Jun 11, 2026

Florence and the Roman Primacy

Jun 4, 2026

Florence and Purgatory. The Debate

May 28, 2026

Florence and Purgatory. An Introduction

May 21, 2026

Florence and Purgatory. An Introduction

May 14, 2026

Florence and the Filioque, part 2

May 14, 2026

Florence and the Filioque

May 7, 2026

St. Mark of Ephesus and Latin Theology

Apr 30, 2026

Making Sense of the Council of Florence

Apr 23, 2026

From Constance to Florence

Apr 16, 2026

A Eucharistic Divertimento

Apr 9, 2026

The Rise of Conciliarism

At the beginning of the 15th century the doctrine that the council stood over the pope dominated the Latin Church, and its ascendence provided a necessary ingredient for the coming council of Florence. Dr. Jenkins takes this episode to explain this movement. https://tinyurl.com/FrDamickDrMoritz

Apr 2, 2026

Blaspheming, Sword-wielding Monks: The Knights Templar and the Council of Florence

In this episode Dr. Jenkins continues the long strange trip through maze of Latin church history that brings us to the Council of Florence, by looking at the trial of the Templars, an element without which Florence as it happened would not have occurred. https://tinyurl.com/FrDamickDrMoritz

Mar 26, 2026

Intro to the Council of Florence: A Pope so Important even the Bees Love Him

The long journey of the Council of Florence begins with imperious popes, corrupt Italian families, and conniving French lawyers. It ends with the Catholics going from demanding submission to the pope, to allowing a debate of the issues dividng the Church. St. Basil Society Lectures: https://tinyurl.com/FrDamickDrMoritz

Mar 19, 2026

The Faith of the Orthodox, the Faith of Blachernae

This episode Dr. Jenkins finishes looking at the tumultuous 25 years that followed the retaking of Constantinople, examining the Council of Blachernae’s decision on how the Spirit proceeds “through the Son," and what this entails for the Nicene doctrine of the Trinity.

Mar 12, 2026

Cleaning Up Michael VIII's Mess: The Council of Blachernae, part 1

Michael VIII's death found the Byzantine empire secured from its enemies, but theologically and ecclesiastically in confusion on all sides. This episode looks at the task that awaited Patriarch Gregory II as he began cleaning up the late emperor's madness.

Mar 5, 2026

The Aftermath of the Council of Lyons

From mutilations to executions, Michael VIII violently imposed the Union of Lyons, while at the same time successive popes raised demands on the Orthodox, while Charles of Anjou waited in the background.

Feb 26, 2026

The Political Union of Lyons

Prof. Jenkins continues his look at the course of the Schism, focusing specifically on the events surrounding the Council of Lyons in 1274, and how the whole affair was driven by political considerations on the part of the emperor, Michael VIII Palaeologos.

Feb 19, 2026

Michael VIII Palaeologos and the Byzantine Dilemma

In this episode Dr. Jenkins unpacks the perilous aftermath of the Byzantine reconquest of Constantinople, and the extreme ecclesiastical length's the emperor was willing to take to secure the Empire's safety.

Feb 12, 2026

The Consequences of the Sack of Constantinople

In this episode Dr. Jenkins looks at the political implications of sack of Constantinople in 1204 (implications never far removed from the questions of Church history nor the life of the Church).

Feb 5, 2026

The Fourth Crusade

In this episode Dr. Jenkins covers the details of the 4th Crusade, how it happened to be diverted from its original destination, and how it happened that the city was sacked and pillaged by the army of the 4th Crusade. Fr. Deacon Corrado's lecture on the Shroud of Turin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5glqEGO5cM Basilian Media & Publishing: https://basilianmedia.org/

Jan 29, 2026

A Prelude to the 4th Crusade

As Dr. Jenkins continues looking at the Schism between Greek East and Latin West, he picks up with the perhaps the most dramatic event in the history of the two communions, the sack of Constantinople by the armies of the 4th Crusade. This event and its long sequel shall dominate the podcast for the next several weeks.

Jan 22, 2026

The Tension between the Churches in the 12th Century

This episode Dr. Jenkins looks at the worsening situation between the Orthodox East and the Latin West, comparing the witness of one tenth-century Latin bishop, critical in its own right, with a more vitriolic work by a twelfth-century French monk. For the most recent issue of The Rule of Faith: tinyurl.com/Rule6-2 For the essay mentioned by Prof. Siecienski: https://tinyurl.com/Union-Siecienski

Jan 15, 2026

Anselm of Havelberg and Church Unity

This week Dr. Jenkins's look at the schism takes us to a disputation on Constantinople in 1135, one that reveals real differences between the Orthodox and the Latins, but one which also reveals a good bit of cordiality and amity, seeking a way forward to overcome differences. For the latest issue of Rule of Faith: ttps://tinyurl.com/Rule6-2

Jan 8, 2026

St. Leo the Great, Pope St. Nicholas, and Answering a Philosophical Question

This episode Dr. Jenkins returns one last time to the question of the powers and prerogatives of the bishop of Rome, revisiting some matters as regards St. Leo I, but then looking again at pope St. Nicholas, before turning at last to a question from a former student.

Jan 1, 2026

"Lies! All Lies" The Symmachian and Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals in the Formation of Papal Dogma

This week Dr. Jenkins continues his study of the growth of the papacy, looking at the context of a few notable frauds and forgeries that nonetheless play a key role in the formation of the doctrines of the Papal Primacy.

Dec 25, 2025

St. Photios, the Mystagoge, and the Council of 879

This week Dr. Jenkins ends his look at St. Photios's thought on the Filioque by speaking about both his Mystagoge of the Holy Spirit and the council of 879.

Dec 18, 2025

St. Photios and the Filioque: An Introduction

This week we continue looking at matter of the Schism, and in particular the theological and philosophical underpinings of the doctrine laid bare first by St. Photios, patriarch of Constantinople.

Dec 13, 2025

Persecuted Monastics and Imperial Factions

This week Dr. Jenkins returns to the question of the Schism, but focusing again on the questions surrounding the Patriarchates of St. Ignatios and St. Photios, and the papacy of Nicholas I.

Dec 4, 2025

Pope St. Leo the Great as Legal Heir of St. Peter

In this issue Dr. Jenkins returns to the question of the powers and prerogatives of the pope, and what this has to do with the Schism.

Nov 27, 2025

An Episode 1700 Years in the Making 4

This episode Dr. Jenkins concludes his series on the Council of Nicaea and its implications for the Orthodox Church.

Nov 20, 2025

An Episode 1700 Years in the Making, Part 3

This week Dr. Jenkins continues his detour, discussing the significance of the Council of Nicaea. Fr. Deacon Patrick Mitchell's recent book: https://tinyurl.com/christtruth

Nov 13, 2025