Light Through the Past

This week Dr. Jenkins continues his peregrinations on the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, addressing the theological implications of Nicaea for the Orthodox way of thinking about theology. Dr. Jenkins book: http://tinyurl.com/DragonsAngelsSaints

Dr. Jenkins takes a detour from discussing pope St. Leo I to discuss the significance of the Council of Nicaea, on this its 1700th birthday, for the history of the Orthodox Church.

This week Dr. Jenkins shifts the discussion about the development of the claims of the medieval papacy to the important figure of Pope St. Leo I, the fifth-century pope remembered for his famous Tome that shaped the Christology of the Council of Chalcedon.

St. Athanasios appealed his deposition at the hands of the Arians to Pope St. Julius and the Apostolikos Thronos. What exactly did St. Athanasius believe this appeal entailed as regards the power of the papacy, and what can his appeal tell us about how we Orthodox should think about the rightly ordered authority of St. Peter’s heirs?

This episode Dr. Jenkins examines the clash between St. Cyprian of Carthage and St. Stephen of Rome. This confrontation brought to the fore the 3rd century's understanding of not only the extent of papal power, but also the question of the origin of the episcopate and the episcopal office. https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025

This week Dr. Jenkins again looks at the incident of St. Victor and his clash with the Quartodecimans and St. Irenaeus of Lyons, along with a divertimento about the Touchstone Conference. Orthodoxy & Education: https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025 https://tinyurl.com/ChristasTruth https://tinyurl.com/sundoesnotshine

This week Dr. Jenkins continues his discussion of the papacy in the early church, looking specifically at St. Irenaeus and his confrontation with pope St. Victor over his confrontation with the Churches in western Asia Minor. Orthodoxy & Education: https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025 https://tinyurl.com/ChristasTruth https://tinyurl.com/sundoesnotshine

Continuing the discussion of the development of the office of the Papacy, this week Dr. Jenkins looks at St. Peter and the office of the pope in the first two centuries of the life of the Church. https://tinyurl.com/ChristasTruth https://tinyurl.com/sundoesnotshine Orthodoxy & Education: https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025

This episode Dr. Jenkins continues to look at St. Peter's place in the New Testament, and how this status can shed light on how we should think about the St. Peter's successors in Rome. For the new books from Basilian Media & Publishing: https://tinyurl.com/ChristasTruth https://tinyurl.com/sundoesnotshine Orthodoxy & Education: https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025

In this episode Dr. Jenkins continues his look at the office of the Bishop of Rome by examining the Primacy of Peter and what the four Gospels have to say about his authority.

The week Dr. Jenkins shifts gears in his discussion of the Schism to offer an introduction to the office and function of the bishop of Rome. For the Orthodoxy and Education Conference: https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025.

Dr. Jenkins continues his discussion of the schism between the Orthodox and Latins, focusing this week on Anselm of Bec and Canterbury and his treatise on the Holy Spirit, and how this became the basis for so much of later Latin theology on the subject. For the Orthodoxy and Education Conference: https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025

This week Dr. Jenkins looks at the errors and misunderstandings that plagued by Rome and Michael Kerularius, and thus we examine both Humbert's Bull of Excommunication against the Patriarch, but also Peter of Antioch's reprimand of Kerularios for his own misunderstandings of the Latins. For the Orthodoxy and Education Conference: https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025

This episode Dr. Jenkins looks at the crucial and calamitous event that was the Papal legation to Constantinople in 1054, what it was (a sign of Rome's new jurisdictional claims), and what it wasn't (either the de facto or de jure beginning of the schism). https://tinyurl.com/OrthodoxRoadtoCollege

This episode Dr. Jenkins looks into the events and movements in the Latin world that lay the foundation for the claims of the late-medieval Roman popes, and how the two questions of the filioque and the powers of the pope became intertwined. Still Points https://tinyurl.com/StillPoints From the Morning Watch https://tinyurl.com/HaikuPsalms

Dr. Jenkins continues his discussion on the history of the Filioque by looking at the responses of the Latin west to the accusation leveled against it by St. Photios. What emerges are two responses, with one marking the future of Western theology, and the other a road pointed to by St. Maximos the Confessor, but untraveled. https://tinyurl.com/Doxamoot2025 https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025

In this episode Dr. Jenkins looks at the conflict between St. Photios the Great and Pope St. Nicholas, a confrontation that touched the question of the Filioque, but involved so much more, even scandalously so. https://tinyurl.com/Doxamoot2025 https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025 Byzantine course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium Still Points: https://tinyurl.com/StillPoints

This week Dr. Jenkins completes the discussion of the Frankish kingdom's descent into theological error (and the Pope's reprimand of them for it), and transitions to a key moment in Byzantine history which will bring East and West into conflict, and with it the first real disputes about the filioque. https://tinyurl.com/Doxamoot2025 https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025 Byzantine course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium Still Points: https://tinyurl.com/StillPoints

In this episode Dr.Jenkins looks at how the politics of the Germanic peoples and their posture towards the Byzantine empire play into not only the question of the filioque, but the Schism itself. https://tinyurl.com/Doxamoot2025 https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025 Byzantine course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium Still Points: https://tinyurl.com/StillPoints

Continuing his discussion of the schism, and the filioque's contribution to it, Dr. Jenkins this week looks at St. Maximos the Confessor (580-662). St. Maximos shows that in the 640s the Latins did not confess what would later be their doctrine, that the Spirit's person eternally procedes from the Son as He does also from the Father. https://tinyurl.com/Doxamoot2025 https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025 Byzantine course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium Still Points: https://tinyurl.com/StillPoints Next issue of Rule of Faith: https://tinyurl.com/RuleofFaith6-1

This week Dr. Jenkins examines the council of Toledo of 589, and how the filioque first appeared within the creed, and within the doctrinal standards off the western church. https://tinyurl.com/Doxamoot2025 https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025 Byzantine course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium Next issue of Rule of Faith: https://tinyurl.com/RuleofFaith6-1

This episode Dr. Jenkins looks at the 5th and 6th centuries, the period after St. Augustine (d. 430), wherein the Latin west nearly unanimously embraced doctrine of the double procession of the Holy Spirit. But this confession came with no real theological explanation about what exactly this meant. https://tinyurl.com/Doxamoot2025 https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025 Byzantine course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium Next issue of Rule of Faith: https://tinyurl.com/RuleofFaith6-1

This episode Dr. Jenkins begins untangling how the filioque arose in the West. It is a long, strange trip. https://tinyurl.com/Doxamoot2025 https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025 Byzantine course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium To subscribe to The Rule of Faith: https://stbasilcotc.org/journal/

As we contiue our look at the question of the Schism, we pick up with the matter of Theology proper, that is, how do we think and speak of God in Himself, as opposed to how God works in Creation and Redemption, and how this impacts the question of the Filioque. https://tinyurl.com/Doxamoot2025 https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025 Byzantine course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium To subscribe to The Rule of Faith: https://stbasilcotc.org/journal/

Building off of last week's episode, Dr. Jenkins continues discussing the preconditions of the schism, the geographical, cultural, historical, and linguistic concerns that fed into the schism, though certainly didn't create it. The links for the two conferences this Fall with the St. Basil Center. https://tinyurl.com/Doxamoot2025 https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025 Byzantine course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium To subscribe to The Rule of Faith: https://stbasilcotc.org/journal/

Prompted by thoughts on the ecclesiology of Pope St. Gregory the Dialogist, this episode begins a long discussion of the history of the schism: what it is, what's involved, and how it happened. The links for the two conferences this Fall with the St. Basil Center. https://tinyurl.com/Doxamoot2025 https://tinyurl.com/OrthEd2025

Dr. Jenkins begins a discussion of the power and prerogative of the bishops of Rome, looking at the second-century Quartodeciman controversy over the date of Pascha. This controversy marks the first interaction of the bishops of Rome with the Churches of the eastern Mediterranean. Byzantine course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium

Finishing his look at the Rule of St. Benedict, this week Dr. Jenkins explores how St. Benedict's vision of the monastic life came off the rails and morphed into something he had no intention for in the centuries following his death in the Latin west. Dr. Jenkins on Byzantine Empre: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium

Dr. Jenkins continues his look at St. Benedict, this episode focusing on the goal of the monastic life, the attaining of God. For the Byzantine Course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium

This episode Dr. Jenkins continues his look at St. Benedict's Rule treating the place of the Abbot, his authority, duties, and obligations, and most importantly, the place he holds in St. Benedict's monastery. For the Video of the Benedictine Monastery: https://tinyurl.com/BenedictineOrthodox For the Audio Book on St. Patrick: https://tinyurl.com/StPatrickAudio For the Audio Book on Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History: https://tinyurl.com/EusebAudio And for the Byzantine Course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium

For St. Benedict, that most necessary thing a monk could do was pray, what he called the work of God (Opus Dei), adn this episode Dr. Jenkins unpacks exactly what that looked like in a Benedictine monaster. For the Video of the Benedictine Monastery: https://tinyurl.com/BenedictineOrthodox For the Audio Book on St. Patrick: https://tinyurl.com/StPatrickAudio For the Audio Book on Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History: https://tinyurl.com/EusebAudio And for the Byzantine Course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium

Dr. Jenkins continues his investigation of Latin monasticism by at last turning to the man most responsible for its shape, St. Benedict of Nursia. You can find Dr. Jenkins course at https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium

This episode Dr. Jenkins concludes his discussion of early Irish Christianity but noting some possible links between the the earliest Irish Christians and influences on them that semm peculiar to eastern Mediterranean. For Dr. Jenkins new course on Byzantium: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium For Connie Marshner's Monastery and High Cross: https://tinyurl.com/MonasteryHighCross

This week Dr. Jenkins continues his discussion of the life of St. Patrick speaking, inter alia, about his confrontations with the Druids. On the Byzantine Course: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium

Dr. Jenkins continues his investigation of western Monasticism by looking at the life of St. Patrick of Armagh (Ireland). Though a monk, St. Patrick is better known for his missionary work among the Irish, a people who once had been his masters.

This episode, beginning our podcast's fourth year, Dr. Jenkins begins our look at monasticism in the Latin west.

This episode Dr. Jenkins looks at the beginnings of monasticism in Asia Minor, with whom we rightly associate St. Basil the Great, but who was inspired by the wayward Eustathios of Sebastea.

This episode Dr. Jenkins continues his survey of the history of early monasticism, looking at the several monastic communities of anchorites and hermits that made up the world of Egyptian monasticism.

Dr. Jenkins continues he discussion of the history of monasticism. This week Dr. Jenkins looks at the shift in monasticism that the introduction of Pachomius's early fourth-century reforms entailed.

St. Pachomius called St. Antony a pattern for those who pursued the life in the desert. This episode Dr. Jenkins unpacks what this means.

"Christian discipleship is one of leaving the world and following Christ. This episode Dr. Jenkins explores how the Church in the shadow of Martyrdom became the Church of monasticism, and why this shift was not as great as it might seem."

A cold has seized Dr. Jenkins, and so we have but an abbreviated version of Path to the Academy this week. You should however, read St. Ignatius of Antioch's beautiful Epistle to the Romans, as it will be discussed next week. You can find it here: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/richardson/fathers.vi.ii.iii.iv.html

Why do we have monks? Why do we have laity? Shouldn't all seek to lay aside all earthly cares all the time? This episode Dr. Jenkins explores the place of "simplicity" in the Christian life, both lay and monastic and how this informs the life of the desert. Fr. Patrick Reardon interview. https://tinyurl.com/FrReardon Are We All Cyborgs discount. https://tinyurl.com/cyborgsreduced

This episode Dr. Jenkins begins looking at Orthodox Monasticism and the question of the search and pursuit of God.

The "Three Chapters" caused real consternation among Latin Christians, and embroiled the duplicitous Pope Vigilius for years in a game of cat and mouse with the ever-exasperated Emperor St. Justinian. This episode Dr. Jenkins details how this issue was resolved in the 5th ecumenical council.

This episode Dr. Jenkins jumps into the deep, muddy, and at times turbulent waters that comprise the world of the Ecumenical councils, how the Church in the fifth and sixth centuries inchoately seemed to understand them, and how we should think about them.

Dr. Jenkins dives into the Christology of the Emperor St. Justinian, who, though not an original thinker, full grasped the theological currents of his day, and his writings set down the path the Church would follow in Her understanding of the Union of Christ in the One Hypostasis of the second Person of the All Holy Trinity.

This episode, abbreviated for the American holiday, Dr. Jenkins begins our look at Emperor St. Justinian.

The Cyrillian Defense of Chalcedon 2: Leontius of Jerusalem Description: Leontius of Jerusalem was the foremost of the defenders of Chalcedon in the early sixth century who showed how the council was not only faithful to Cyril, but the only way to understand Cyril. Links: Pelikan, Bach, Tolkien Lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdYpFTQc3FM&t=1060s Rule of Faith subscription: https://stbasilcotc.org/journal/

This week Dr. Jenkins looks at three defenders of Chalcedon and touches on a fourth, and treats their varied approaches to the question, each of which aims to show that Cyril of Alexandria was a Chalcedonian.