The Lord of Spirits

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.

They trace the cross back through ancient Near Eastern and Roman practices and laws. They explore biblical curse and burial rules that frame crucifixion. They survey atonement imagery like ransom, debt cancellation, sin offering, and participation in Christ. They connect baptism, Eucharist, and holy struggle to how people share in redemption and resurrection.

A lively dive into the Apocalypse of Abraham, its Slavonic survival, and why it likely stems from Jewish Second Temple circles. They trace Azazel’s raven and dragon imagery and a cosmic atonement ritual echoing Yom Kippur. Conversation ranges from heavenly priest-figures and Abraham’s visionary tour to debates about penal substitution, resurrection’s importance, and pastoral implications for discerning dangerous books.

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.

A deep dive into spirits, demons, hauntings, and how they appear in history and human life. They trace daemon from pagan origins to Christian teaching and explain categories like fallen angels, spirits of the dead, and the Nephilim. Practical discussion covers hauntings, exorcism, prayer as defense, and how personal habits open the noetic mind to harmful influences.

Exploring ritual impurity, the hosts dive into its significance in Christianity and whether Old Testament traditions still apply. They distinguish between moral and ceremonial uncleanness, discussing how everyday life can render individuals ritually unclean. Topics include the necessity of purification rituals after events like childbirth and their underlying spiritual meanings. The conversation also covers the impact of these practices today, highlighting baptism's unique role in washing away moral uncleanness and the necessary preparation for approaching the sacred.

The hosts dive into the concept of progress, asking if history has a defined endpoint or if it's an ongoing series. They explore how Christian thought can misalign with secular narratives of progress. Challenging the idea of linear time, they argue God's actions, not human achievements, shape events. They critique modern interpretations of scripture and emphasize that true Christian transformation occurs through theosis, not social engineering. The discussion concludes with a call for prayerful change over coercive actions.