Episode 2: Into the wilderness: mystery and atonement | From the Desert to the Garden

Here we focus in on ideas of sin and atonement in the Jewish tradition that lie at the back of much Christian language and its relation to other contemporary ancient traditions, in particular the mystery cult of Isis.  We branch into reflections on the first Christian ascetics, the desert fathers, and the way the Christian Lent fits into the theme of atonement and the ascetics choice of the desert as the place to encounter God.