Can You Perceive God? | How We Encounter the Divine Daily
Thursday, October 1, 2026 • Duration 33:59
Is God imperceptible, accessible only through a blind leap of faith or complex logical inferences?In this episode, Dr. Nathan Jacobs challenges the modern presumption that God is beyond human perception, demonstrating how we encounter the divine moment by moment. Drawing from Eastern Orthodox metaphysics and the teachings of the Eastern Church Fathers, Nathan outlines five distinct ways that humans perceive uncreated divine energies in daily life—from mathematics and morality to the experience of beauty and the holy.======================================Timestamps00:00 Is God Imperceptible?00:50 East-West Lecture Series Announcement02:07 The "What is Math?" Lesson04:20 The Case for Perceiving God Daily05:35 Architecture of Reality: Created vs. Uncreated06:13 Divine Ideas: From Philo to Augustine07:36 Matter and Form Explained09:06 Images, Archetypes, and Plato12:04 Essence vs. Energies of God16:10 Way 1: Mathematical and Logical Truths20:05 Way 2: Mind, Perception, and Transcendent Measures22:52 Way 3: Natural Law and Moral Perception25:00 Way 4: The Transcendental (Goodness, Beauty, Truth)28:53 Way 5: The Idea of the Numinous and Holy32:24 Conclusion: Why You've Been Seeing God All Along======================================Do you like this content? Join Jacobs Premium to get exclusive access to written essays, exclusive lecture series, monthly Q&A Zoom calls, and our book club. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/Support the East West Series: http://theeastwestseries.com/======================================Relevant Links:The Essential Doctrine the West Lost: On the Divine Energiers: https://youtu.be/lO1rAzvK3lQ?si=TG--NK1ax2zWeenZAll the links:The Theological Letters Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastX: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobsListen and please review the podcast elsewhere:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast
Why Is Mary Called "Mother of God"? | An Orthodox Explanation
Thursday, September 24, 2026 • Duration 32:35
Why does the Eastern Orthodox Church give the Virgin Mary titles like Theotokos, Ever-Virgin, and Panagia?While these titles can often sound surprising—or even troubling—to Protestant and Western ears, they carry profound theological weight. In this episode, Dr. Nathan Jacobs breaks down how the Eastern Church Fathers understood Mariology not as an afterthought, but as a direct mirror of Christology. From Nestorius’s original controversy at the Council of Ephesus to Ezekiel’s prophecy of the closed eastern gate, Nathan demonstrates how every major Orthodox title for Mary points squarely back to the person, nature, and victory of Jesus Christ.Rather than viewing Mary through the judicial lens of Western theology, this episode explores a therapeutic vision of salvation—one where Christ enters human death to heal our nature and raise us back to life.======================================Timestamps00:00 Introduction00:00:48 Announcement: The East-West Series Pre-Sale00:01:49 What Does Theotokos Mean?00:02:32 Why Mariology Is Christology00:03:33 The Nestorian Controversy and the Council of Ephesus00:04:18 Nestorius’s Metaphysics: Two Natures, Two Persons?00:06:21 Cyril of Alexandria’s Biblical Defense00:08:35 What Is the Ever-Virgin Doctrine?00:09:54 Addressing Objections: "Until" and Jesus’s "Brothers"00:12:43 Who Was James, the Brother of Jesus?00:13:09 The Early Christian Tradition of St. Joseph00:16:38 Polycarp, the Apostle John, and Sacred Tradition00:17:26 Ezekiel 44 and the Closed Eastern Gate00:19:10 Panagia: Is Mary Sinless?00:19:53 Eastern Orthodoxy vs. the Roman Catholic Immaculate Conception00:22:15 Blameless Passions, Death, and the Fall00:25:31 Did Mary Need a Savior?00:27:26 Judicial vs. Therapeutic Views of Salvation00:29:53 The Dormition: Mary as the Archetype of Resurrection======================================Do you like this content? Join Jacobs Premium to get exclusive access to essays, lecture series, monthly Q&A Zoom calls, and ourbook club. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/Support the East West Series: http://theeastwestseries.com/======================================Relevant Links:Was Mary Sinless? https://youtu.be/pB2zmkgXanE Resurrection Makes No Sense without Deification: https://youtu.be/Pwgm-7d2O2kAll links:The Theological Letters (Substack): https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastX: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobsListen and please review the podcast elsewhere:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast
Why Realism Contradicts Evolution | Creationism & The Eastern Church Fathers (Part 2) | ft. Nathan Jacobs & Chris Firestone
Thursday, August 20, 2026 • Duration 01:31:40
Are the theories of modern science and Christian theology fundamentally incompatible, or are both sides missing the bigger picture? In part two of his conversation with Dr. Chris Firestone, Nathan Jacobs tackles the complex debate surrounding creation, evolution, the age of the Earth, and patristic theology.
Nathan breaks down why the traditional "death before the fall" objection misses the mark, how the Eastern Church Fathers understood time and eternity, and why his own philosophical commitment to realism leads him to reject macroevolution while remaining open to an ancient cosmos. They also discuss the philosophical assumptions built into early empirical science, the limits of scientific naturalism, and how an embryonic view of creation offers a compelling alternative model.======================================Timestamps00:00 Announcements & East-West Series Pre-Sale Deadline
03:39 Trailer: The East-West Series04:47 Time, Eternity, and the Eastern Church Fathers
09:05 God’s Essence vs. Divine Energies
11:27 Hermeneutics: Is the Genesis Text Deceptive?
15:04 The Philosophical Assumptions Behind Early Science
19:48 Reinterpreting Scientific Data Through Realism
22:23 The God of the Gaps and Confirmation Bias in Science
24:34 Finding a Middle Ground Between Scientism and Fundamentalism
31:15 Re-examining Death, Corruption, and Plants in Genesis
42:30 Privation vs. Negation: Are Animals Naturally Immortal?
52:03 Can Animals Attain Immortality Through Humanity?
55:12 The Fall of Angels as a Cause of Pre-Human Corruption
01:03:05 The Eschaton Transcends the Beginning: Eden vs. The Resurrection
How Could the Angels Fall? | Why Satan Turned Against God
Thursday, August 13, 2026 • Duration 28:53
If the angels existed in the presence of God and beheld His divine glory, how could Satan—or any angel—possibly choose to turn away from Him?We explore what the Eastern Church Fathers teach about the nature of angels, their free will, the angelic hierarchy, and the fall of Satan. Nathan examines five factors that help explain how beings created in communion with God could nevertheless rebel against Him, including pride, envy, intellectual passions, and the possibility of God's pedagogical withdrawal.Along the way, Nathan discusses the nine orders of angels, competing patristic explanations for Satan's rebellion, why some Fathers connect his fall to the creation of humanity, and what angelic freedom can teach us about our own relationship with God.======================================Timestamps00:00 How Could an Angel Fall?00:47 What Is an Angel?02:09 Angels as Created Beings03:21 Free Will and Self-Determination04:23 Angels as Ministering Spirits05:10 How Angels Mediate God's Energies07:18 How Creatures Participate in God08:39 The Hierarchy of Angels09:06 The Nine Orders of Angels10:23 What Does the Fall of Angels Mean?13:13 How Could Angels Reject God?15:50 Five Factors Behind the Fall16:38 Not All Angels Experience God Equally17:32 The Intellectual Passions18:33 Pride, Envy, and Satan's Rebellion19:38 Did Satan Fall Because of Humanity?21:15 How Satan Led Other Angels into Rebellion22:39 Divine Hiddenness and Free Will24:56 Do Angels Leave God's Presence?25:17 Why God May Withdraw His Presence26:58 How the Angels May Have Been Tested27:26 Final Thoughts======================================Do you like this content? Join Jacobs Premium to get exclusive access to essays, lecture series, monthly Q&A Zoom calls, and ourbook club. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/Support the East West Series: http://theeastwestseries.com/======================================Relevant Links:Can the Devil be Saved? https://youtu.be/1nIJhti5hqw Is Rational Unbelief in God Possible? https://youtu.be/J7uP9uFNThYIs Non-Resistant Unebelief in God Possible? https://youtu.be/9B1G44hywd0Is God Truly Hidden: https://youtu.be/R4Y0JBZtrRMAll links:The Theological Letters (Substack): https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastX: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobsListen and please review the podcast elsewhere:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast
Does Science Contradict Genesis? | ft. Drs. Nathan Jacobs & Chris Firestone (Part 1)
Tuesday, August 11, 2026 • Duration 01:40:59
Must a Christian reject modern science to hold a faithful view of Genesis? In Part 1 of this two-part collaborative episode, Dr. Chris Firestone (The Firestone Files) sits down with Dr. Nathan Jacobs (The Nathan Jacobs Podcast) in Nashville to tackle the contentious, heavily polemical debate surrounding creation, Young Earth Creationism, and evolution.Moving past the rigid false dichotomies often found online, Firestone and Jacobs draw from their shared philosophical training and the rich history of the early Church—including the Eastern Church Fathers like St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Irenaeus. They explore how theology categorizes dogma versus theologoumena (theological opinion), how the Alexandrian school of allegorical reading functioned, and whether ancient authors like St. Paul accepted the science of their era without making it a test of orthodoxy.Timestamps00:00 Introduction & Framing the Debate 03:08 Evolution, Creation, and the Modern Online Polemics 05:18 Personal Backgrounds: Hugh Ross, Genesis, and Modern Science 10:25 The High Demand: Does Faith Require Rejecting All Science? 14:15 Moving Beyond the False Dichotomy (Young Earth vs. Evolution) 18:00 The Dogmatism of Secular Science vs. Unyielding Fundamentalism 21:50 Dogma, Heresy, and Theologoumenon (Theological Opinion) 27:18 Protestant Fundamentalist Assumptions in Modern Creationism34:38 Philosophy of Creation: Divine Omnipotence and Divine Deception 42:33 Did Physics and Biology Function Differently Before the Fall? 48:48 Alvin Plantinga, Modal Logic, and Disarming Polemical Objections01:00:18 Substantive Consensus vs. Ancient Scientific Views in the Fathers 01:15:24 Storytelling, Inerrancy, and How the Bible Approached History 01:31:08 The Alexandrian School, Genesis Oddities, and the "Eighth Day"======================================Do you like this content? Join Jacobs Premium to get exclusive access to essays, lecture series, monthly Q&A Zoom calls, and ourbook club. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/Support the East West Series: http://theeastwestseries.com/======================================Relevant Links:Do the Church Fathers Reject Evolution: https://youtu.be/4BugOwStHqgWhy I Reject Evolution: https://youtu.be/IBwZBDlu8CAGod's Omnipotence Explained: Can God Really Do Anything? https://youtu.be/qEYzy1Wbjcg All links:The Theological Letters (Substack): https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastX: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobsListen and please review the podcast elsewhere:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast
Why Would God Create Someone He Knows Will Be Damned?
Thursday, August 6, 2026 • Duration 30:31
If God knows the future, why would He create someone who will ultimately reject Him?
This is one of the deepest questions in Christian theology, and one that was asked by a 15-year-old Orthodox Christian. In this episode, Nathan Jacobs reads one of his favorite theological letters, exploring how the Eastern Church Fathers—especially St. John of Damascus—approach God's foreknowledge, human freedom, divine goodness, and the mystery of damnation.
Rather than offering a simplistic answer, this discussion challenges many common assumptions about God's knowledge of the future and reveals a profoundly hopeful vision of God's unwavering love for every person He creates.
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Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
01:48 A Letter to Agatha
02:39 The Common Assumption About Damnation
04:20 The Eastern Church Fathers' Answer
05:10 Why We Exist
07:03 God's Knowledge and Creation
08:51 Why God Doesn't "Choose the Saved"
09:27 Why Not Simply Avoid Creating the Damned?
11:04 God Always Chooses the Good
12:08 Outcomes vs. Goodness
14:44 King Saul and Divine Justice
16:26 The "Future Hitler" Thought Experiment
18:11 Free Will and God's Omnipotence
19:27 Can God Make a Square Circle?
21:55 Abraham and Isaac
24:20 Damnation Is the Creature's Choice
Can the Devil Be Saved? | What the Church Fathers Actually Taught
Thursday, July 30, 2026 • Duration 35:13
Can the devil be saved?
While many Christians assume the answer is obvious, the Eastern Church Fathers offer a far more nuanced discussion than most people realize. In this episode, Nathan Jacobs explores the five major positions found within the Christian East on whether Satan and the fallen angels can ultimately be redeemed—and what these views reveal about God's goodness, providence, and the nature of salvation.
Rather than focusing on speculation, this conversation examines how the Fathers reasoned through the question and why their answers consistently point back to the infinite love of God.
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Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
00:00:50 Theology vs. Theological Opinion
00:01:32 Five Views on the Devil's Salvation
00:03:04 Why Most Fathers Say No
00:03:19 St. Paisios and Praying for the Devil
00:04:37 St. Ammonios on God's Will
00:06:21 St. John Chrysostom and the Unpardonable Sin
00:07:21 St. Maximus the Confessor
00:08:54 St. Symeon the New Theologian
00:10:19 Why John of Damascus Says It's Impossible
00:11:23 Death as Mercy
00:16:46 Why Angels Cannot Be "Remade"
00:19:53 Can the Devil Be Saved?
00:20:18 Pseudo-Dionysius on Corruption
00:22:55 Origen and Universal Salvation
The REAL Reason Movies Go Wrong
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 • Duration 01:46:16
Thomas Thorogood interviews Dr Nathan Jacobs about his work on the Amazon series 'House of David', the principles of writing a good story, the role of storytelling in theology and some mind-bending quick-fire questions.More from Nathan Jacobs...The Nathan Jacobs Podcast on YouTube: / @thenathanjacobspodcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUt...Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Support the East West Series: http://theeastwestseries.com/The Theological Letters (Substack): https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/MUSIC'Keep Climbing' by The SoundingsTIMESTAMPS00:00:00 Trailer00:01:29 House of David00:17:28 What Makes a Good Story?00:31:28 The Writing Process The Role of Storytelling in Theology Storytelling Approaches to the Problem of Evil Quick-Fire Questions What are Ghosts? What does Nathan Like/Dislike About Protestantism? What are UFOs? What is Remote Viewing and is it Dangerous? Keeping Up With Nathan's Work-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Copyright Disclaimer: under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, allowance is made for 'exceptions to copyright' such as...
Why I Reject Evolution | An Orthodox Christian Perspective
Thursday, July 23, 2026 • Duration 53:47
In my previous episode, I explored whether the Eastern Church Fathers actually reject the theory of evolution. In this follow-up, I answer a different question entirely: Do I reject evolution—and if so, why?
Rather than appealing to the age of the earth or death before the Fall, this discussion examines the philosophical foundations of evolution through the lens of realism, a metaphysical framework embraced by the Eastern Church Fathers. Along the way, I respond to common objections, clarify my views on Young Earth Creationism, and explain why these conversations matter for Orthodox theology.
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Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
00:00:53 Two Questions About Evolution
00:01:58 Why I Reject Evolution
00:02:40 Realism vs. Nominalism
00:05:01 Essential vs. Accidental Properties
00:06:31 The Problem with Evolutionary Change
00:12:20 Why Nominalism Undermines Science
00:16:14 The Church Fathers and Realism
00:19:11 "According to Their Kind"
00:20:55 Responding to Common Objections
00:22:18 Old Earth vs. Young Earth
00:27:06 The Consensus of the Fathers
00:31:48 What Kind of Consensus Matters?
00:36:01 Theology vs. Science
00:42:15 The Orthodox Mind and Philosophy
00:45:14 What the Fathers Actually Handed Down
00:47:20 Can You Be Orthodox and Young Earth?
Can You Trust Your Mind | Thomas Thorogood Clip
Tuesday, July 21, 2026 • Duration 27:10
Can we trust our minds to know reality?
This clip is taken from Nathan Jacobs' most recent interview with Thomas Thorogood and features a reaction to a discussion between Destiny and T.K. Coleman on The Minimalists podcast. Their exchange raises a profound philosophical question: what makes our reasoning faculties trustworthy in the first place?
Nathan explores properly functioning faculties, Descartes' skepticism, moderate foundationalism, and the crucial distinction between realism and nominalism. Along the way, he argues that every act of perception, reasoning, language, and scientific inquiry already presupposes realism, making it impossible to consistently live or argue as a nominalist.
If you've ever wondered whether we can genuinely know reality—or what our ability to reason tells us about the nature of the world—this discussion offers a compelling introduction to some of philosophy's deepest questions.
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Timestamps
00:00 — A Debate About Objective Morality
06:24 — Why Our Faculties Matter
09:21 — Properly Functioning Faculties
09:48 — Hard vs Moderate Foundationalism
10:19 — Descartes and Radical Doubt
13:09 — Why Skepticism Cannot Be Lived
14:24 — Trusting Our Faculties
16:26 — The Most Important Question in Philosophy
17:26 — Realism vs Nominalism
19:14 — Why Perception Depends on Realism
20:34 — Why Logic Depends on Realism
22:17 — Why Everyone Lives Like a Realist
Collapse
01:21:53 An Alternative Model: The Cosmos as an Unfolding Organism======================================Do you like this content? Join Jacobs Premium to get exclusive access to essays, lecture series, monthly Q&A Zoom calls, and ourbook club. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/Support the East West Series: http://theeastwestseries.com/======================================Relevant Links:Does Science Contradict Genesis? https://youtu.be/dK5wfxtlgMM?si=Fl25IA5LmoQ_wHa7All links:The Theological Letters (Substack): https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastX: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobsListen and please review the podcast elsewhere:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast
25:20 Christ's Victory Over Hades
27:18 A Prison Without Bars
29:01 Hope for Universal Salvation?
30:30 St. Sophrony's Final Reflection
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00:26:51 Gregory of Nyssa and St. Isaac the Syrian
00:28:26 The Five Positions Summarized
00:30:25 What the Fathers Agree On
00:31:09 God's Providence and Love
00:35:29 The Common Thread
00:36:13 A Final Story from St. Sophronius
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God's Omnipotence Explained: Can God Really Do Anything? https://youtu.be/qEYzy1Wbjcg
On Apokatastasis and Universal Salvation: https://open.substack.com/pub/nathanajacobs/p/on-apokatastasis-and-universal-salvation?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
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00:49:08 Responding to More Objections
00:57:12 Is Young Earth Creationism Possible?
01:00:03 The Real Danger
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24:07 — Morality, the Numinous, and Human Experience
25:52 — Every Argument Presupposes Realism
26:56 — Living Consistently With Your Worldview
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