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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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Welcome to The History of the Christian Church – Episode 24
John of Damascus: A Voice for Truth in the Rise of Islam

In today’s episode, we explore the remarkable life and enduring influence of John of Damascus, the last of the great early Church Fathers. Living in the heart of the Islamic world yet shaped by deep Christian conviction, John stood at a critical juncture in church history. Amidst imperial decrees and theological upheaval, he became a bold defender of Christian doctrine and a powerful voice for truth against the rise of Islam.

Best known for his defence of icons, John’s writings anchored Christian worship in the incarnation of Christ—proclaiming that the Word made flesh can and should be represented visually. Through his theological masterpiece, The Fountain of Knowledge, and his uncompromising witness under pressure, John of Damascus helped preserve and articulate the faith during a time of intense controversy.

Join us as we reflect on his life, legacy, and what his courageous stand means for us today.

📘 Episode Highlights

• John’s early life under Islamic rule and his formative education
• His transition from public service to monastic devotion
• The iconoclast controversy and John’s pivotal defense of sacred images
• A survey of his major works, including The Fountain of Knowledge
• His critique of Islam and role as a bridge between East and West
• Why his voice still matters in a world confused about truth and faith

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Maximus the Confessor – The Father of Byzantine Theology

[Part 23] Season 2, Episode 2

👋 Welcome

Welcome back to The History of the Christian Church! In Season Two, we continue our journey through the always vibrant and sometimes violent world of the Eastern Church. In today’s episode, we meet one of the most courageous and influential figures in Christian theology: Maximus the Confessor (c. 580–662). Philosopher, mystic, monk, and martyr in all but name, Maximus dared to defy emperors and resist compromise on one of the most essential truths of the Christian faith—that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man.

In a time when the unity of the empire seemed to hinge on theological concessions, Maximus chose faithfulness over safety. For this, he was imprisoned, exiled, and brutally mutilated. Yet his unwavering defense of the two wills of Christ would eventually be vindicated at the Sixth Ecumenical Council, shaping Eastern Christian theology for centuries to come.

📜 Episode Summary

In this episode, we explore:

• The dramatic and heroic life of Maximus the Confessor—from imperial court to desert monastery, from scholarly debates to imperial trials.
• The theological controversy of Monothelitism, and why it threatened the heart of the Gospel.
• Maximus’s unwavering belief in the full humanity and divinity of Christ, and why he insisted Christ must have two wills.
• How his theological reflections—on Christ, creation, love, and divine purpose—continue to shape Eastern Christian mysticism and theology.
• The tragic cost of his faithfulness: exile, torture, and silence. And yet, through it all, a lasting legacy that still speaks.

🔑 Key Themes

• Christology: Why the distinction between Jesus’ human and divine wills matters.
• Orthodoxy and Empire: What happens when political unity threatens doctrinal truth.
• Mysticism and Metaphysics: Maximus’s contribution to Christian mysticism and his engagement with Neoplatonic thought.
• Suffering and Witness: What it means to be a Confessor—to suffer for the truth without shedding blood.

📖 Quote of the Episode.

🙏 Reflection

Maximus’s story is not just about doctrinal precision. It’s about courageous fidelity to the Incarnate Christ. His life challenges us: Do we know what we believe—and are we willing to suffer for it? True theology leads not only to clarity, but to courage, worship, and love.

🔔 Subscribe & Share

If you’re enjoying this journey through church history, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast with friends or your church community. You can also support the show and get extra resources at https://patreon.com/JeremyMcCandless?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

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Welcome to Season Two of the History of the Christian Church Podcast!

In Season One, we traced the journey of the early church—from its apostolic foundations through persecution, the rise of Christian doctrine, and the establishment of Christianity as the dominant faith of the Roman Empire. We explored the theological battles that shaped orthodoxy and followed the church’s expansion through the first five centuries.

Now, in Season Two, we turn our attention eastward. While much of Western Christianity evolved under the influence of Rome, the Eastern Christian tradition developed along a different path—one shaped by Byzantine power, monastic spirituality, and theological debates that would define the future of Christendom. We will explore the towering figures of the Eastern Fathers, the rise of Constantinople as the "New Rome," the controversies over icons, and the Great Schism that divided the church.

Episode Notes: Dionysius the Areopagite - Telling Us What God is Not

In this episode, we begin our exploration of the Eastern Christian tradition by examining the enigmatic figure of Dionysius the Areopagite. Who was he? What did he teach? And why has his influence endured for centuries?

Dionysius is known for his apophatic (or "negative") theology, which emphasizes describing God by what He is not rather than attempting to define what He is. His works, written around 500 AD, were immensely influential in shaping mystical theology and were long thought to have been penned by the first-century Athenian judge mentioned in Acts 17:34. Today, we recognize the author as Pseudo-Dionysius, but his writings remain foundational to Christian thought.

Key topics covered in this episode:

• The historical context of the Eastern Christian tradition
• The mystery surrounding Dionysius and the question of authorship
• The core works of Dionysius: Divine Names, Mystical Theology, The Heavenly Hierarchy, and Ecclesiastical Hierarchy
• The influence of Neoplatonism on his theology
• The "negative way"—understanding God through what He is not

Dionysius' ideas continue to shape Christian mysticism and theology, challenging us to recognize that God is beyond human comprehension. Join me as we explore his impact on the Christian faith.

Stay tuned for more episodes as in season two we journey through the history of the Eastern Church!

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Welcome to the Season Finale of Season One in My History of the Christian Church. This is the climax of our journey together through the first 500 years of the Christian Church.

Episode 21: The Council of Chalcedon (451) and The Apostles’ Creed.

Have you ever wondered how the foundational beliefs of Christianity were forged? How the early church grappled with defining the nature of Christ, or how the Apostles’ Creed came to summarize the faith of countless generations?

In this season finale, we’re looing at one of the most pivotal moments in Christian history—the Council of Chalcedon as well as tracing its influence on the development of the Apostles’ Creed.

Episode Summary

In the year 451 AD, the church stood at a crossroads. The question of Christ’s true nature—fully God, fully man, or something in between—threatened to tear the Christian world apart. In response, the Council of Chalcedon was convened, a gathering of church leaders determined to define orthodoxy, refute heresies, and unify believers.

The result? The Chalcedonian Definition—a landmark statement affirming that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, united in one person without confusion, change, division, or separation. This definition clarified Christian doctrine for centuries to come and directly influenced the way the church articulated its beliefs in creeds like the Apostles’ Creed.

Although the Apostles’ Creed predates Chalcedon, its later form reflects the theological clarity the council helped establish. In this episode, we explore how these two foundational moments—the Council of Chalcedon and the Apostles’ Creed—are connected and why they remain central to Christian faith today.

Key Topics Covered in This Episode:

✅ The historical background and theological disputes leading up to Chalcedon
✅ The key decisions made at the Council of Chalcedon and their impact on Christian doctrine
✅ How the Apostles’ Creed evolved and was influenced by Chalcedonian Christology
✅ The role of creeds in preserving Christian truth across generations

Looking Ahead to Season Two

As we close this season, we prepare for an exciting new journey in Season Two, where we will explore the emerging Eastern Orthodox traditions in the early Christian church. We’ll consider the development of Eastern theology, liturgy, and spiritual practices from a evangelical perspective covering topics like the role of icons, monasticism, and the enduring influence of the Byzantine Empire.

Thank You for Listening!

This season has been an incredible exploration of the early church’s struggles, victories, and enduring legacy. Your passion for church history and theology has made this journey even more meaningful. I can’t wait to continue this exploration with you in Season Two!

Stay connected, spread the word, and may God bless you. See you next season!

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