The Lord of Spirits

Martyrdom runs throughout the whole Scriptures, memorably referenced by Christ in His phrase "from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah." What is the inner meaning of martyrdom? Is it just getting killed, or does it have actual theological purpose? Intro: 0:00 1st Half: 1:08 2nd Half/Callers: 1:22:24 3rd Half/Callers: 1:45:06 Conclusion: 2:54:00

What is going on with the Gospel accounts of the passion of Jesus? Why do the Gospel writers describe it as they do? Join us for a close look at the moment when God died.

Is "salvation" a technical term in Christianity? How is it used in the Bible? And what does it mean to be faithful to the calling of salvation? Tune in to explore this key Christian term.

"If you were ever turned away for being too off-topic, this is your moment. The lines are open. Jam them up with your calls. No question is too weird. No questioner is unwelcome. (That means you, Bart Ehrman.)"

The voicemail is full. Doom. Doom. Doom. The system is down. Join the Podfathers for a pre-recorded SpeakPipepalooza.

Why is the Western theology of salvation, both Catholic and Protestant, different from Orthodoxy? Where did the Latin "treasury of merit" come from? Did Martin Luther fix it? Join the Podfathers for a direct look at a core theological difference with Orthodoxy.

Old Testament sacrifices were offered for sins, but was it only accidental ones? What happens if you sin on purpose? Does Jesus' sacrifice change all this? And why repent if Jesus paid it all? Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew explore the relationship between sin and sacrifice.

What do you do with a dead human body? The ancient world had strong opinions about this, and they showed up not only in their cemeteries and funerary rites but also in the myths central to their religious practice.

Icons of God in the Old Testament depict Jesus. The Hymn of Kassiani includes "I will kiss Thy feet whose tread, when it fell on the ears of Eve in Paradise..." How can this be? Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew discuss the eternality of the incarnation of Christ.

Mankind has looked to the heavens with fascination since pre-history, always charting the stars and sometimes worshiping them. But what is the Biblical witness? And is there such a thing as a Christian Zodiac? Join Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew for a look at astrology.

Christianity has been called a “mystery” religion. There are some who say that it is simply one of many mystery cults that existed in the ancient Greco-Roman world, such as the Eleusinian, Dionysian, Orphic or Samothracian mysteries. So what were their mysteries really like?

In 1954, deep under the streets of London, a mysterious 3rd c. temple was unearthed, but it was not as hoped a Christian church. It was a Mithraeum, a place of bloody secret rituals practiced by Roman soldiers. Who is their god Mithras? And is he the real Jesus?

In this live-recorded, in-person Q&A session, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew respond to questions and comments from the attendees at the Lord of Spirits Conference, hosted Oct. 2-5 at the Antiochian Village in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.

Some say that the Persians had their own Messiah, and some even say that this is where Israel got the idea. Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, once ruled much of the ancient world. But was he God's anointed?

Nebuchadnezzar II, king of the Neo-Babylonian empire, most powerful man in the world, was brought low by divine madness. Who was this king who lived in the shadow of Etemenanki, whose visions were revealed by a prophet, and whose apex in pop culture is as a wealthy zucchini?

The ancients told tales of the inundation of the world with water -- the Great Flood. How do these stories compare with the story told in Genesis, and what does this event mean for the Christian?

It's time to call in with all your weirdest, nuttiest, and most mind-bending questions, from giants to the gyrations of James T. Kirk.

The audio mailbag is starting to fill up again, so it's time to take out the garbage. Wait, that didn't come out right.

Fr. Stephen reads tales from the ancient world calculated to drive you mad.

The Apostles are given authority by Christ to preach, to bind and loose, to exorcise, to baptize, and so on. Did that authority die with them? What is the nature of the authority of a bishop?

Christ said that the scribes and Pharisees sat on the seat of Moses (Matthew 23:2). Is this a metaphor or a defined position of authority? Did Moses pass on his authority in succession, and is it the same as his own?

The Podfathers open their audio mailbag and turn it upside down to see what shakes out: How many will be saved? What's the deal with saints associated with certain themes? Is dancing wrong? And lots more!

Were there really 400 silent years between Malachi and Matthew? Is there a sudden disjunction starting with the New Testament? In this final episode of the History of Israel series, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew look at the Second Temple Jewish period.

Continuing their series on the Biblical history of Israel, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew chart the progress from after the Exodus up to the Second Temple Period. (Get excited about giants.)

In this first episode concerning the story of Israel, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew take us from Abraham to the Exodus.

Is the Cross just what the Romans happened to use to kill Jesus? Or is there something deeper and older that culminates in the crucifixion of Christ? Join Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew for a thorough look at the Cross in the Old Testament.

Ever read the Bogomil Bible? If not, you might still be interested in the place of Azazel in apocrypha. Continuing their series on Second Temple Jewish texts, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew read the Apocalypse of Abraham.

It's another no-holds-barred live Q&A with the Podfathers! Got a dragon on your mind, a giant in your closet, or a screech owl in your filing cabinet? This is your moment, scorpion-stompers! Give us a call.

Angels are active in the world. What does that activity actually look like? Is it just “benevolent haunting”? What about guardian angels? Join Fr. Andrew and Fr. Stephen as they also look at what all this means for human destiny.

Is your house haunted? Do demons still possess people? Can we see the activity of demons in the modern world? How would we recognize it? Join Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew as they uncover the darkest of all conspiracies.

What exactly is ritual impurity? Does it equal sinfulness? How do bodily functions figure in? Did the New Testament abolish the ritual impurity traditions of the Old Testament? And does it have any meaning today?

It's another metaphysical head-scratcher! Following up on some episodes from 2024, the podcast looks at what change actually means (if anything?) and what bearing that has on teleology.

The Podfathers clear out the voicemail backlogs with this pre-recorded end-of-year episode, covering everything from whether Eglon was fat or handsome to if the Orthodox believe in a kind of Calvinism to the unsettling logismoi of Wham! at Christmastime.

At the heart of Christian faith and life is the incarnation of the Son of God. When does that happen, exactly? It seems easy enough to answer, but a close look at Scripture yields a more complex picture.

In this pre-recorded episode, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew respond to your voicemail, ranging from whether Jesus could get a speeding ticket to why some canonical texts don't actually get read in church. And Fr. Andrew tries to nail down Fr. Stephen's notorious Nietzsche talk.

It’s Election Day on Lord of Spirits! Who is elected? What are they elected to? How is Israel involved in all this?

What if Guardian Angels had an exact opposite—Guardian Devils? Are some of those demons actually the evil dead? Or what about the ones who come for you while you’re asleep?

"Modernism” is anything bad and not Orthodox, right? Or maybe 20th century? It's said the Church has to confront the modern world or finally enter it, but what does that mean? Join Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew as they look at this most unhistorical of historical phenomena.

Orthodox Christianity is said to be "unchanging." The Synodikon even says it's the faith that established the universe. Yet if you look at Christian worship centuries ago, it’s not exactly the same as Orthodox worship now. And we don’t see it in Gen. 1. So what's going on?

What does evidence from the Neolithic period tell us about truly ancient religion? How does that fit into the Bible? How should Christians understand this prehistorical part of the human story?

The whole episode is dedicated to live calls! Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew want to talk to you about whatever is on your mind. Give them a ring at 855-237-2346.

In the age to come, all of humanity will be raised from the dead -- bodily. This core dogma of Christianity, the bodily resurrection, is often misunderstood or even ignored. Yet what does it mean that all will be raised? Will the human body be changed? Join us and find out.

Our understanding of time forms the basis of many theological assumptions. But how does it work in the Scriptures and throughout Christian tradition? Is it truly linear? Are "before" and "after" always real? Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew look at the hazy shades of time.

Is there magic in the Bible? What about outside the Bible? How does magic differ from miracles? Is it even real? Join the Podfathers as they look at the phenomenon of sorcery.

Christian tradition refers to “the devil” or “the evil one,” but is this one being? What about (the) Satan -- or Samael, Mastema, and Azazel? Join Fr. Andrew and Fr. Stephen as they have a look at the wickedest of the wicked. *PRE-RECORDED EPISODE*

Continuing their series on Second Temple Jewish apocrypha in this pre-recorded episode, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew read two texts about the apocalyptic visions of prophets: the Ascension of Isaiah and the Assumption of Moses.

What if you could see the unseen spiritual reality in Genesis? How did the world into which Jesus was born understand this story? Explore the ancient Book of Jubilees in this next in the Apocrypha series with Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick.

What might the 12 sons of Jacob have said before they died? Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew begin a new series on Second Temple Judaism literature, an exploration of religion in the time and place of the Apostles.

In this pre-recorded episode, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew respond to some of many voicemails, covering the falls of angels, the bones of Elisha, David Bowie, ethno-nationalist tchotchkes, Psalm 82/81, Theophany, the Book of Enoch, prayer against blacksmiths, and more.

The last several episodes have generated a lot of questions, so Fr. Andrew and Fr. Stephen are dedicating this episode fully to taking live questions. So it’s time to remember that your phone actually makes phone calls! Give them a ring at 855-237-2346.