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?

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?

Leviathan, Behemoth, and other monsters lurk in the Bible—demonic horrors and other assorted beasts. Did ancient people believe these were real creatures? Do they have some kind of global, geo-political meaning? How do they figure into the biblical narrative? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick pull out their Bibles and go monster-hunting.

Melchizedek is a figure who gets mentioned three very brief and mysterious times in the Scriptures. But who is he? Why does he have a pagan name? Why does St. Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews link him to Christ? Is he a pre-New Testament appearance of the Son of God? What is the “order of Melchizedek”? Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young unravel the mystery and weave the threads together.

The great biblical patriarch Abraham began his life in the shadow of the sacrificial ziggurat of Ur, dedicated to a pagan moon god. What does it mean that God called him out of that context, why did God direct Abraham's gaze to the stars, and why did Abraham bring his son Isaac to the top of a mountain? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick focus on this towering biblical figure, this father of all the faithful.

In the Scripture and throughout Orthodox Tradition, the holy Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John occupies a place parallel though not identical to that of the Holy Virgin Mary. Yet he is at the same time a more enigmatic and lesser-understood figure in Christianity. Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick together discuss the Voice that prepared the way for the coming of God in the flesh.

The keeping and veneration of relics of saints is one of the practices of Christianity that may disturb or even shock some. How do the bodies of saints relate to their lives? Is that body still their body even after death? Why do some relics have miracles associated with them? And how does this relate to Christian burial? Join Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young as they take a journey into the catacombs with the bones of the saints.

The word "Apocalypse" stirs up forebodings of the end of the world—natural disasters, wars, massive destruction, giant comets, etc. But is that how the Bible uses the term? What if there were apocalypse throughout the Scriptures? And even now? Join Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young for this sequel to the "Nous" episode to see what apocalypse has to do with your life as a Christian.

According to the Bible, how do we know things? What exactly is the mind? What is consciousness? What are thoughts, and how do they work? And what does knowledge do to someone? Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick as they take a mind-bending journey into the Biblical image of the Nous.

The Day of Pentecost is the end of a golden thread that begins with Eden and runs through the Tabernacle, the Temple, the Theotokos, Christ, Christians, the Church and the whole Cosmos. What is that thread? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick look to the Scriptures to show what connects all these things together.

The Ascension of Christ in glory is not merely Jesus going back where he came from when he was done on earth. Nor is it an abandonment of his disciples. But what is it? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick look at how ancient people would have understood the Ascension of Christ to his throne in the heavens.

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?

Christ appeared to his disciples and to many others after he rose from the dead, numerous times over the forty days leading up to his Ascension. What happened at those appearances? What was their purpose? And how do the Gospel writers understand what was happening? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick explore the vision of the resurrected Jesus Christ.

It's all Q&A, all the time. Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick make it an open-line night at the podcast.

With this Holy Week / Pascha special episode, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young take a close biblical look at what happens when the Lord of Spirits himself journeys into the underworld to set his people free.

With this second installment of their series on sacred geography, Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick take a journey into the shadowy and much-misunderstood realm of the dead—the Underworld, Hades, Hell, Sheol, the Grave. Do these words mean the same thing? Where is this place? And who or what exactly is there?

The Scriptures speak of what we might call spiritual places—sacred geography—the Mountain of God, Heaven, Paradise, the Underworld. Are these imaginary places? If not, how does one go there? In this first of two episodes on sacred geography, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young begin a fantastic voyage into another world.

"Atonement" is a word invented for the translation of the Bible into English, because there was no good English word for the concept it describes. So what does it mean? People have atonement theories. Is atonement purely theoretical? Does it have anything to do with suffering or punishment? And who or what is atoned for? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick finish their three-part series on sacrifice.

Ancient pagans sacrificed to their gods, and ancient Israel was no exception when it came to offering sacrifice to the One they belonged to. But what did those sacrifices look like, and what did they do? Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young continue their series on sacrifice, showing both the surprising similarities and striking differences between pagans and Israel.

What exactly is worship? What does it do? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick explore worship in the ancient world, both pagan and Israelite, showing how it all resolves into one act—sacrifice. And does that mean killing?

Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew continue their discussion on bodies. What about angel bodies? How many types of human bodies are there? Are human and animal bodies the same? And how many bodies does Christ have?

What exactly is a "body?" Do gods have bodies? How many? Does God, being immaterial, have one? If so, where exactly is it? How do we make sense of the Old Testament passages which talk about God walking, standing, fighting in battles, eating, or speaking face to face with Moses? Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young tackle one of the most difficult teachings of the Scripture.

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!

The Star of Bethlehem has long been seen as a sign of Christ’s birth, but was it just an astronomical event such as one might observe with a telescope? Why a star? And what does Jewish astrology have to do with this? Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young discuss the true nature of the great Star of the Nativity.

The Messiah is the Son of David and King of Israel, surrounded by His royal court, including His mother—just like the Davidic kings before him. Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick explore how Christ united the court of David with the Divine Council and how the role of the Theotokos was established in ancient Israel, centuries before she was born.

There are giants in the Bible. Many Christians have tried to explain them away, ignore them, or treat them as mere metaphors. But the Orthodox Church takes giants seriously. Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick as they venture into the ancient Land of Giants and discuss why the Book of Joshua is probably not what you thought it was.

Will heaven be boring? Do the saints sit around on clouds playing harps for all eternity? Or is there something that they're doing? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick continue their discussion of what it means to become part of God's divine council.

Christians argue every year about Hallowe’en: Is it participation in the occult, cavorting with demons we should be running away from, or is it harmless dressing up and candy? Some more traditionally-minded say it’s not about demons; it’s about the feast of All Saints. In this special Hallowe’en episode, Orthodox Christian priests Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young say it really is about demons, and they’re ready to run toward them.

Theosis—becoming like God—is perhaps the best-known understanding of salvation in the Orthodox tradition. But what isn't often discussed is what angels have to do with it. Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discuss how God's divine council is the intended destiny of mankind.

When did the fallen angels fall? Before the creation of the world? Did they all fall at once? How does angelic fall affect mankind? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick take another deep dive into the Holy Scriptures and other parts of Orthodox tradition to explore these major questions that frame salvation history.

Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick are back with their second episode focused on angels and demons in the Orthodox tradition, laying more critical groundwork for this program by talking about God's Divine Council, then looking at the various kinds of angels, and finishing up by talking about what demons are and why they’re still around.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young inaugurate this new live, call-in podcast focused on the union of the seen and unseen in Orthodox Christian biblical, patristic and liturgical tradition.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young introduce a new live call-in show, beginning Thursday (9/10/20) at 7pm Eastern / 4pm Pacific.

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.

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?

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?