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Episode Notes:

Finding God in the Silence: Gregory Palamas

In this episode of the History of the Christian Church podcast, we turn to the 14th century and meet one of the most influential voices of Eastern Christianity: Gregory Palamas. A monk, mystic, and defender of Hesychasm, Palamas taught that the path to God is found not only in theology and doctrine, but in prayer, silence, and communion with the divine. His distinction between the “essence” and “energies” of God became a cornerstone of Orthodox theology.

But how should evangelical Christians view Palamas today? Can we learn from his emphasis on prayer and communion with God while still holding firmly to the sufficiency of Scripture and the finished work of Christ? Join us as we explore his life, his teaching, and why he still matters.

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🎙️ Welcome

In today’s episode — Symeon: Having a Personal Relationship With God — we turn to one of the most radical and profound voices of the 10th century: Symeon the New Theologian.

Long before the Reformation, Symeon challenged the formalism of the institutional church, insisting that every believer is called to a personal, experiential relationship with God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

He was exiled, rejected, and branded controversial — yet his writings, visions, and hymns continue to ignite hearts even today. Join us as we unpack the life, teachings, and legacy of a mystic who burned with divine love and called the Church back to its first love.

✍️ Episode Notes

Title: Symeon – Having a Personal Relationship With God

🔑 Key Themes:

• The necessity of direct encounter with God in the Christian life
• Symeon’s teaching on the visible light of divine presence
• His critique of spiritual formalism and institutional complacency
• The tension between mystical experience and biblical authority
• Relevance of Symeon’s passion for holiness, repentance, and transformation

🧠 Reflect:

• Do I seek a living relationship with Christ, or just religious routine?
• How can spiritual experience be pursued without neglecting Scripture and sound doctrine?
• What does it mean to live a life marked by repentance, holiness, and intimacy with God?

Thanks for listening! Subscribe, share, and stay with us as we continue our journey through Christian history — rediscovering voices that shaped the Church and still speak today.

Let’s not settle for religion without fire. Let’s pursue God Himself.

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Welcome

In today’s episode, we’re stepping once again into the drama of early church history — a time when emperors, bishops, and theologians gathered not only to settle fierce theological debates but to shape the foundations of Christian belief for centuries to come.

We’ll explore three pivotal church councils that took place in the great imperial cities of Constantinople and Nicaea. Each one left a lasting legacy on what Christians believe, how we speak of Christ, and even how we worship Him.

We begin with the often-overlooked Second Council of Constantinople in 553 AD — a council caught in the aftershocks of Chalcedon as it tried to balance orthodoxy with political unity.

Next, we turn to the Third Council of Constantinople in 681, which tackled a crucial Christological question: Did Christ have one will or two?

Finally, we arrive at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 — where the Church faced a different kind of controversy: not over Christ’s nature, but over the role of sacred images in Christian worship.

So, what do these three councils teach us?

Together, these councils remind us that Christian faith is not a static creed but a living, often contested, conversation — shaped by Scripture, guided by the Holy Spirit, and tested over time. Some of the outcomes were faithful and helpful. Others raise serious concerns.

They show a church striving to be faithful — often succeeding in doctrine, but failing in method. They reveal moments of theological clarity, but also times when politics, tradition, and coercion overshadowed the Word of God.

But we also remember that councils are not infallible. Scripture alone remains our final authority. And our worship must be in spirit and truth — not shaped by images or state power, but by God’s revealed Word.

Thanks for listening. In this episode, we’ve journeyed from 553 to 787 AD — and seen how the early church tried to clarify the faith. Some of their conclusions still serve the global church today. Others, we must test — and at times, reject — in the light of Scripture.

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