Episode 318 - Orthodox Questions with Father John Strickland. Part 1

Episode 318 - Orthodox Questions with Father John Strickland. Part 1

Author: thehistoryofbyzantium@gmail.com February 12, 2025 Duration: 57:10

This episode is brought to you by Telepaideia, a collection of live online courses in Latin, Ancient Greek, and the classical humanities offered by The Paideia Institute. Visit www.paideiainstitute.org/telepaideia to browse the course catalogue and register! 

 

It’s my pleasure today to welcome back Father John Strickland to the podcast. Four episodes ago we talked in detail about the Divine Liturgy and its place at the heart of Byzantine life. I put out the call for listeners to ask questions. Particularly those of us not familiar with Orthodoxy or ecclesiastical issues in general. And Father Strickland has kindly returned to answer them.


The questions are wide ranging and so demand thorough answers which Father John provides. So we decided to split them over two episodes. Today we tackle the Orthodox view on salvation and purgatory. As well as the role of the Ecumenical Patriarch and thoughts on the Byzantine understanding of how the divine played a role in daily life. Then we finish with the Orthodox view of Catholicism, Church Union and evangelisation.

John is the pastor of an Orthodox Church in Poulsbo in Washington State. He wrote a four-volume series about the history of Christian civilization called Paradise and Utopia. He’s also recorded a podcast of the same name as an accompaniment to the books which you can find wherever you get your podcasts or at www.ancientfaith.com.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Podcast Episodes
Episode 304 - Questions XIV [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:49
We look at listener questions about this period of narrative. Were the Varangian Guard still employed at Nicaea? Had Greek Fire been lost? How many Emperors are actually Saints? Why did Nicaea win? Should they have moved…
Episode 303 - Pinch Me [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:27
We talk about the challenges which Michael Palaiologos and the Nicaens faced as they prepared to move back to Constantinople. Period: 1204-61 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 302 - Colonial Occupation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:29
We talk about the Latin occupied parts of Byzantium. What was life like for the conquered and the conquerors? Was the occupation a colonial enterprise?Period: 1204-61 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor…
Episode 301 - The Fifth Crusade with Nicholas Morton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:16
Professor Nicholas Morton returns to tell us the story of the Fifth Crusade. To learn more check out his book The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac…
Episode 300 - The 10 Greatest Byzantine Emperors [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:38
For our 300th episode I decided to do something different. I chose my 10 greatest Byzantine Emperors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 299 - Baldwin II with John Giebfried [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:32
With Constantinople back in Roman hands we explore the one vantage point we've ignored: the last Latin Emperor Baldwin II. Dr John Giebfried returns to give us Baldwin's biography.Period: 1215-61 John completed his PhD i…
Episode 298 - The Providence of God [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:02
Theodore Laskaris II beds down his father's conquests in Europe. But his early death sees his family sidelined by Michael Palaiologos. The new Emperor needs some victories to legitimise his seizure of power and the fates…
Episode 297 - The Rise and Rise of Nicaea [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:35
With the Bulgarians and Turks hobbled by the Mongols the field is clear for Nicaea. John Vatatzes annexes a huge swathe of European territory and is widely recognised as the true Roman Emperor. Hosted on Acast. See acast…
Episode 296 - The Mongol Storm with Nicholas Morton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:39
We talk to Dr Nicholas Morton about the arrival of the Mongols into the Byzantine world. Their confrontation with the Seljuks of Anatolia will have serious consequences.Dr Morton is Associate Professor in Middle Eastern…
Episode 295 - The Forgotten Siege [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:26
While Epirus was rising and falling, Nicaea was consolidating. John Vatatzes, the new Emperor, was competent at home and abroad. After years of consolidation he decided to besiege Constantinople. But he didn't act alone…