The Lord of Spirits

Reading the Bible is easier now than in any previous moment in history. And misreading it is also the easiest it’s ever been. What does it mean to read the Bible historically? To read it literally? What are some interpretive/hermeneutic ideas that don’t make sense if you look closely at them? Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick as they go “meta” for this episode and talk about what it means to read the Bible as Orthodox Christians.

In this pre-recorded episode, Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick tackle dozens of recorded questions sent in by listeners from all over the world, with topics ranging from catechism to giants to the evil eye to the Ziz.

When ancient Israel encountered pagan nations worshiping their gods (and sometimes joined in themselves), what exactly were they worshiping? Are they fallen angels, demons, ancestors, the spirits of dead humans, or maybe even nothing at all? How did the early Church understand this worship? What is idolatry and how does it work? Do idolatry and paganism exist today? Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young look at ancient heathen religion and what it means in the Bible and for us today.

What exactly is a priest? Who is a priest? Are all believers priests? Is that the same thing as presbyters? And what are those priests in the Bible wearing, anyway? Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick as they look closely at what the Bible says about priests in their ancient context and what that means for Christians today.

The podcast is back with all Q&A, all the time. Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick make it an open-line night at the podcast. With calls stretching from California to Romania, callers asked about God's foreknowledge, UFOs, Sasquatch, spirits imprisoned in the underworld, the difference between hell and Hades and Sheol, prayers for the departed, and a host more.

When the prophets ascend in heavenly visions they see the divine council, the throne of God, the cherubim and seraphim, the angels—and a man. And sometimes, outside of prophetic visions, that man shows up on earth, and he talks and even eats with people. Who is this man in heaven? Who is this man from heaven? Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick as they conclude their four-part series on the Christology of the Old Testament.

The phrase “son of man” appears over 100 times in the Old Testament, and most of them are in the book of the Prophet Ezekiel. It shows up again, dozens of times, in the Gospels and then gets used elsewhere in the New Testament. What does it mean? Does this refer to Jesus? Every time? Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick for part 3 of their 4-part series on the Christology of the Old Testament.

Fr. Andrew and Fr. Stephen continue their four-part series on the Christology of the Old Testament. This time they discuss the Word of the Lord or the Word of God. Like "Angel of the Lord," this is another phrase that gets people confused sometimes. What does "Word of God" mean exactly? Is it the Bible? Is it Christ? Can we use the phrase for both? Is it preaching? Listen and find out.

The Angel of the Lord is mentioned dozens of times in the Holy Scriptures, yet the identity and nature of this figure is fuzzy for many Christians. Is he an angel like one of heavenly hosts? Is he a symbol of Jesus Christ? Is he the Son of God Himself? Does he have a body? Is this figure compatible with Trinitarian theology? Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young begin a four-part series on the Christology of the Old Testament.

Werewolves. Vampires. Lilith. Lamia. Unicorns. Donkey-centaurs. Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick open up their demonic bestiary and their Bibles for this special episode.

Leviathan, Behemoth, and other monsters lurk in the Bible—demonic horrors and other assorted beasts. Did ancient people believe these were real creatures? Do they have some kind of global, geo-political meaning? How do they figure into the biblical narrative? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick pull out their Bibles and go monster-hunting.

Melchizedek is a figure who gets mentioned three very brief and mysterious times in the Scriptures. But who is he? Why does he have a pagan name? Why does St. Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews link him to Christ? Is he a pre-New Testament appearance of the Son of God? What is the “order of Melchizedek”? Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young unravel the mystery and weave the threads together.

The great biblical patriarch Abraham began his life in the shadow of the sacrificial ziggurat of Ur, dedicated to a pagan moon god. What does it mean that God called him out of that context, why did God direct Abraham's gaze to the stars, and why did Abraham bring his son Isaac to the top of a mountain? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick focus on this towering biblical figure, this father of all the faithful.

In the Scripture and throughout Orthodox Tradition, the holy Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John occupies a place parallel though not identical to that of the Holy Virgin Mary. Yet he is at the same time a more enigmatic and lesser-understood figure in Christianity. Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick together discuss the Voice that prepared the way for the coming of God in the flesh.

The keeping and veneration of relics of saints is one of the practices of Christianity that may disturb or even shock some. How do the bodies of saints relate to their lives? Is that body still their body even after death? Why do some relics have miracles associated with them? And how does this relate to Christian burial? Join Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young as they take a journey into the catacombs with the bones of the saints.

The word "Apocalypse" stirs up forebodings of the end of the world—natural disasters, wars, massive destruction, giant comets, etc. But is that how the Bible uses the term? What if there were apocalypse throughout the Scriptures? And even now? Join Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young for this sequel to the "Nous" episode to see what apocalypse has to do with your life as a Christian.

According to the Bible, how do we know things? What exactly is the mind? What is consciousness? What are thoughts, and how do they work? And what does knowledge do to someone? Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick as they take a mind-bending journey into the Biblical image of the Nous.

The Day of Pentecost is the end of a golden thread that begins with Eden and runs through the Tabernacle, the Temple, the Theotokos, Christ, Christians, the Church and the whole Cosmos. What is that thread? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick look to the Scriptures to show what connects all these things together.

The Ascension of Christ in glory is not merely Jesus going back where he came from when he was done on earth. Nor is it an abandonment of his disciples. But what is it? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick look at how ancient people would have understood the Ascension of Christ to his throne in the heavens.

Christ appeared to his disciples and to many others after he rose from the dead, numerous times over the forty days leading up to his Ascension. What happened at those appearances? What was their purpose? And how do the Gospel writers understand what was happening? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick explore the vision of the resurrected Jesus Christ.

It's all Q&A, all the time. Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick make it an open-line night at the podcast.

With this Holy Week / Pascha special episode, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young take a close biblical look at what happens when the Lord of Spirits himself journeys into the underworld to set his people free.

With this second installment of their series on sacred geography, Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick take a journey into the shadowy and much-misunderstood realm of the dead—the Underworld, Hades, Hell, Sheol, the Grave. Do these words mean the same thing? Where is this place? And who or what exactly is there?

The Scriptures speak of what we might call spiritual places—sacred geography—the Mountain of God, Heaven, Paradise, the Underworld. Are these imaginary places? If not, how does one go there? In this first of two episodes on sacred geography, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young begin a fantastic voyage into another world.

"Atonement" is a word invented for the translation of the Bible into English, because there was no good English word for the concept it describes. So what does it mean? People have atonement theories. Is atonement purely theoretical? Does it have anything to do with suffering or punishment? And who or what is atoned for? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick finish their three-part series on sacrifice.

Ancient pagans sacrificed to their gods, and ancient Israel was no exception when it came to offering sacrifice to the One they belonged to. But what did those sacrifices look like, and what did they do? Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young continue their series on sacrifice, showing both the surprising similarities and striking differences between pagans and Israel.

What exactly is worship? What does it do? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick explore worship in the ancient world, both pagan and Israelite, showing how it all resolves into one act—sacrifice. And does that mean killing?

Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew continue their discussion on bodies. What about angel bodies? How many types of human bodies are there? Are human and animal bodies the same? And how many bodies does Christ have?

What exactly is a "body?" Do gods have bodies? How many? Does God, being immaterial, have one? If so, where exactly is it? How do we make sense of the Old Testament passages which talk about God walking, standing, fighting in battles, eating, or speaking face to face with Moses? Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young tackle one of the most difficult teachings of the Scripture.

The Star of Bethlehem has long been seen as a sign of Christ’s birth, but was it just an astronomical event such as one might observe with a telescope? Why a star? And what does Jewish astrology have to do with this? Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young discuss the true nature of the great Star of the Nativity.

The Messiah is the Son of David and King of Israel, surrounded by His royal court, including His mother—just like the Davidic kings before him. Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick explore how Christ united the court of David with the Divine Council and how the role of the Theotokos was established in ancient Israel, centuries before she was born.

There are giants in the Bible. Many Christians have tried to explain them away, ignore them, or treat them as mere metaphors. But the Orthodox Church takes giants seriously. Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick as they venture into the ancient Land of Giants and discuss why the Book of Joshua is probably not what you thought it was.

Will heaven be boring? Do the saints sit around on clouds playing harps for all eternity? Or is there something that they're doing? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick continue their discussion of what it means to become part of God's divine council.

Christians argue every year about Hallowe’en: Is it participation in the occult, cavorting with demons we should be running away from, or is it harmless dressing up and candy? Some more traditionally-minded say it’s not about demons; it’s about the feast of All Saints. In this special Hallowe’en episode, Orthodox Christian priests Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young say it really is about demons, and they’re ready to run toward them.

Theosis—becoming like God—is perhaps the best-known understanding of salvation in the Orthodox tradition. But what isn't often discussed is what angels have to do with it. Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discuss how God's divine council is the intended destiny of mankind.

When did the fallen angels fall? Before the creation of the world? Did they all fall at once? How does angelic fall affect mankind? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick take another deep dive into the Holy Scriptures and other parts of Orthodox tradition to explore these major questions that frame salvation history.

Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick are back with their second episode focused on angels and demons in the Orthodox tradition, laying more critical groundwork for this program by talking about God's Divine Council, then looking at the various kinds of angels, and finishing up by talking about what demons are and why they’re still around.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young inaugurate this new live, call-in podcast focused on the union of the seen and unseen in Orthodox Christian biblical, patristic and liturgical tradition.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young introduce a new live call-in show, beginning Thursday (9/10/20) at 7pm Eastern / 4pm Pacific.