00:00 Introduction
01:14 The History of the Collapse of Western Christianity
29:11 The West doesn’t have to become The East to be saved
34:14 You Need a Genuine Hospital & to be a Good Patient
38:00 There’s No Gap Between Second Temple Judaism, Apostolic Christianity & The Church
43:46 The Councils Were About Avoiding Schism & Heresy, Not Punishment
46:31 Modern media Combined with Ignorance of Orthodox Ecclesiology Breeds Confusion
49:21 Apostolic Succession Is Supported & Validated by The Historic Choir of Saints
52:58 To Prove You Can Heal, You Need Verifiable Patients Who Aren’t Sick Anymore
55:25 How We Strive for Unity Amidst Conflict IS our Salvation
60:44 The Enlightenment Dream Is Only Possible Through The Church, Not Reason
63:09 Our Culture Is Redefining Intrinsically Christian Terms In Pursuit of Utopia
65:52 Closing
~~~
How to Understand The Collapse of The West
Apostolic Succession
S8E6
~~~
In this episode, Fr. Symeon Kees & James John Marks discuss the history of what we call The West from the birth of Christianity in The Acts of The Apostles up through the Great Schism, the rise of the papacy, & how the collapse of Western Christianity shaped modern civilization from an Orthodox Christian perspective.
~~~
Reference materials for this episode:


Against Heresies by St Ireneaus
- Book III, chapter 3, section 4 - succession of St Polycarp
- https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103303.htm


Scripture citations for this episode:

Acts 2:46
Acts 3:1
Acts 5:42
- The continuation of Torah worship
~~~
Subscribe for more conversations on Orthodoxy, theology, Church history, the lives of the Saints, and practical Christian living.
~~~
#orthodoxchristianity #OrthodoxChurch #ApostolicSuccession #ChurchHistory #ChurchFathers #GreatSchism, #RomanCatholicism #EarlyChurch #Pope
~~~
The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion

Our hosts are Father Symeon Kees of Iowa City & James John Marks of Chicago

Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555

https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast
https://x.com/podcast_saints
https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast
https://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcast
https://bsky.app/profile/xtiansaintspodcast.bsky.social

Iconographic images used by kind permission of Nicholas Papas, who controls distribution rights of these images. Prints of all of Nick’s work can be found at
Saint Demetrius Press - http://www.saintdemetriuspress.com

All music in these episodes is a production of Generative Sounds
https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com

Distribution rights of this episode & all music contained in it are controlled by Generative Sounds
Copyright 2021 - 2026

The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion. Our hosts are Father Symeon Kees of Iowa City & James John Marks of Chicago.

Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555

https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast
https://x.com/podcast_saints
https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast
https://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcast
https://bsky.app/profile/xtiansaintspodcast.bsky.social

Iconographic images used by kind permission of Nicholas Papas, who controls distribution rights of these images

Prints of all of Nick’s work can be found at Saint Demetrius Press - http://www.saintdemetriuspress.com

All music in these episodes is a production of Generative Sounds
https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com
Distribution rights of this episode & all music contained in it are controlled by Generative Sounds
Copyright 2021 - 2026

00:00 Introduction
02:25 St Ireneaus, Against Heresies
08:58 Apostolic Succession is about preservation of revelation
11:35 Apostolic Succession is NOT merely genealogy
17:58 Preservation of revelation is about rightly dividing the word of truth
20:39 Bishops reject heresy, not compromise for the appearance of unity
25:26 The Founding Fathers, The 30 Years War & the rise of civil religion
31:34 The Bad Reasons to Enter (or Avoid) Orthodoxy
39:24 Do Not Despise The Tradition Which Raised You
46:12 If You Entered Orthodoxy for Bad Reasons, Stay & Grow & Be Corrected!
51:25 Religion Is Not a Part of Life, It Is a Way of Life
53:49 The French Revolution Was About Displacing Christianity in Society
57:06 To Understand What The Church Is, You Have to Go All the Way Back
~~~
What the Apostolic Fathers Believe About the Church
Apostolic Succession
S8E5
~~~
In this episode, Fr. Symeon Kees & James John Marks discuss the writings of St. Irenaeus of Lyon, the historical claim of the Orthodox Church, and how the theological foundations of the West inform how we think about religion as a whole.
~~~
Reference materials for this episode:


Against Heresies by St Ireneaus
- Book III, chapter 3, section 4 - succession of St Polycarp
- https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103303.htm

The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom (in English)
- The priest’s prayer for the bishop during The Anaphora
~~~
Subscribe for more conversations on Orthodoxy, theology, Church history, the lives of the Saints, and practical Christian living.
~~~
#orthodoxchristianity #OrthodoxChurch #ApostolicSuccession #ChurchHistory #ChurchFathers #theology

The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion. Our hosts are Father Symeon Kees of Iowa City & James John Marks of Chicago.

Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555

https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast
https://x.com/podcast_saints
https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast
https://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcast
https://bsky.app/profile/xtiansaintspodcast.bsky.social

Iconographic images used by kind permission of Nicholas Papas, who controls distribution rights of these images

Prints of all of Nick’s work can be found at Saint Demetrius Press - http://www.saintdemetriuspress.com

All music in these episodes is a production of Generative Sounds
https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com
Distribution rights of this episode & all music contained in it are controlled by Generative Sounds
Copyright 2021 - 2026

00:00 Introduction
01:09 If you want a good marriage, focus on your own healing
05:07 The Orthodox Church is THE Church, make the world The Church
11:24 There is no gap between the apostles & the bishops
23:50 The Epistle of St Ignatius to The Church in Smyrna
26:42 The relationship of the bishops to The Catholic Church
30:50 The Epistle of St Ignatius to The Church in Ephesus
34:06 The Church is not a democracy, yet there is no power except God’s
39:59 Humble obedience is not about toxic shame nor naivety
43:59 We don’t need to understand in order to be obdient
47:09 The correct functioning of The Church has nothing to do with our will
51:52 We don’t have to argue with everything with which we disagree
54:55 Closing
~~~
The Original Christian Church Still Exists
Apostolic Succession
S8E4
~~~
In this episode, Fr. Symeon Kees & James John Marks discuss how the earliest Christians understood apostolic succession, the role of bishops, and the historical continuity of the Orthodox Church. Drawing from the writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch and other early witnesses, they explore the foundations of The Church.
~~~
Reference materials for this episode:

Church History of Eusebius
- Bk II, Chapter XIV
- Bk II, Chapter XXIV
- Bk III, Chapter IV
- Bk III, Chapter XI
- Bk III, Chapter XXII
- https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm

The Epistle of St Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans
- Chp 8 & 9
- https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0109.htm

The Epistle of St Ignatius to the Ephesians
- Chp 4-6
- https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0104.htm

The Epistle of St Ignatius to the Trallians
- Chp 1-3
- https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0106.htm



Scripture citations for this episode:

Acts 15
- The Council of Jerusalem

1 Corinthians 1:10-17
- We cannot have factions because our wisdom cannot help us

Numbers 21
- The bronze serpent on the pole as saving image

John 17
- Jesus prays for the oneness of His believers

Ephesians 4:7-14
- “Pastor” really should be bishop in English here
~~~
Subscribe for more conversations on Orthodoxy, theology, Church history, the lives of the Saints, and practical Christian living.
~~~
#orthodoxchristianity #OrthodoxChurch #Orthodoxy #Christianity #Church #ApostolicSuccession #ChurchHistory #ChurchFathers

The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion. Our hosts are Father Symeon Kees of Iowa City & James John Marks of Chicago.

Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555

https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast
https://x.com/podcast_saints
https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast
https://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcast
https://bsky.app/profile/xtiansaintspodcast.bsky.social

Iconographic images used by kind permission of Nicholas Papas, who controls distribution rights of these images

Prints of all of Nick’s work can be found at Saint Demetrius Press - http://www.saintdemetriuspress.com

All music in these episodes is a production of Generative Sounds
https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com
Distribution rights of this episode & all music contained in it are controlled by Generative Sounds
Copyright 2021 - 2026