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

00:00 Introduction
03:41 The Historicity of The Church
16:25 The Unity of The Church
27:30 Finding The Church is not Church Shopping
33:42 St Paul lost his cool about schism breaking The Church
37:41 Apostolic Succession requires hierarchy (bishops)
46:45 The therapy we need has never & will never change
54:58 Marriage counseling is about recognizing the need for individual repentance
61:41 Closing

~~~
How Orthodoxy Preserves the Apostolic Faith
Apostolic Succession
S8E3
~~~
Can we know where The One Church is? In this episode, Fr. Symeon Kees & James John Marks discuss apostolic succession, Christian unity, and the historical roots of the Orthodox Church, tracing its story from the Apostles to the present day.
~~
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
~~~
Subscribe for more conversations on Orthodoxy, theology, Church history, the lives of the Saints, and practical Christian living.
~~~
#orthodoxchristianity #OrthodoxChurch #Orthodoxy #Christianity #Church #Salvation #Repentance #SpiritualHealing #ChristianPodcast #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
00:57 Being sick in the hospital is not hypocrisy
07:16 Apostolic Christianity is not religious philosophy or psychology
19:06 Creation is an invitation to spiritual experience, not the experience itself
23:44 Why this spiritual life requires The Church in the formal sense
32:01 Making worship an obligation is like making romance an obligation
37:32 God taught us what the best way for us to worship Him is
39:40 Orthodox worship is the fulfillment of all things which are Good
43:46 Theology & practicality are united in our understanding of persons
50:27 The divine persons do not change, so becoming like them does not change
53:28 This season will be a lot of defining terms to avoid ambiguity
58:51 The ecumenical councils preserve the effective therapy for spiritual healing
61:20 Closing
~~~
The Orthodox View of Spiritual Therapy & Healing
Orthodox Ecclesiology
S8E2
~~~
In this episode of the Christian Saints Podcast, Fr. Simeon Keyes & James John Marks discuss the Orthodox view of salvation, spiritual healing, the sacramental life of the Church, & more.
~~
Scripture citations for this episode:

Luke 15:11-32 - The prodigal son
John 9:1-38 - The healing of the man born blind
~~~
Subscribe for more conversations on Orthodoxy, theology, Church history, the lives of the Saints, and practical Christian living.
~~~
#orthodoxchristianity #OrthodoxChurch #Orthodoxy #Christianity #Church #Salvation #Repentance #SpiritualHealing #ChristianPodcast #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
02:10 Post-modernism in literature
03:40 What to expect from season eight
08:48 Be The Body of Christ, be The Church
12:48 Bad Ecclesiology causes parish problems & soul problems
16:17 Spirituality is deeply practical, the purpose is to be changed
20:04 Obedience is central to humility & repentance
22:20 Loving compassion is helping people cease to sin
28:28 It makes no sense to be in The Church & make our sin our Identity
31:04 We live in a culture which doesn’t believe in forgiveness (or repentance)
33:43 What we believe is real, physically, mentally & spiritually
37:58 The Church is where we encounter reality most fully
42:00 We need to accept our diagnosis & the effective therapy to heal it
44:11 A welcoming, loving church is one who expects daily repentance
49:23 Closing

~~~

Who, What & Where Is The Church & Why Is It Necessary?
Orthodox Ecclesiology
S8E1

~~~

In this episode of the Christian Saints Podcast, we explore one of the biggest questions in Christian life: What actually is the Church? Is it an organization, a community, a building—or something deeper?

We discuss why the Church is practical without being banal and spiritual without being abstract. Through a conversation on repentance, identity, spiritual healing, and modern culture, we examine how the Church understands itself as the Body of Christ—not merely as a place people attend, but as a life people enter.

If Christianity is more than ideas—if it’s meant to heal, transform, and bring us into reality—then understanding the Church changes everything.

~~~

Subscribe for more conversations on Orthodoxy, theology, and practical Christian living.

~~~

#OrthodoxChristianity #OrthodoxChurch #Repentance #Ecclesiology #ChristianPodcast #Theology

~~~

Scripture citations for this episode:

Luke 15:11-32 - The prodigal son
John 9:1-38 - The healing of the man born blind

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
02:20 The structure of the vesperal portion
09:21 Why The Bible should have more than 66 books
11:22 The structure of the Divine Liturgy of St Basil for Holy Saturday
17:31 This service describes salvation in detailed images
31:55 Closing

~~~

Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great - What is Salvation?

~~~

Reference materials for this episode:

Reference materials for this episode:

The rubrics of the services, in English translation, of The Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great


Scripture citations for this episode:

The fifteen Old Testament readings
- Genesis 1:1-13
- Isaiah 60:1-16
- Exodus 12:1-12
- The Book of Jonah
- Jesus of Navi (Joshua) 5:10 - 15
- Exodus 13:20 - 15:19
- Sophronios (Zephaniah) 3:8 - 15
- 3rd Kingdoms (1st Kings) 17:8 - 24
- Isaiah 61:10 - 62:5
- Genesis 22:1 - 18
- Isaiah 61:1 - 10
- 4th Kingdoms (2nd Kings) 4:8 - 37
- Isaiah 63:11 - 64:5
- Jeremiah 38:31 - 34 (31:31 - 34)
- Daniel 3 (including the song of the 3 youths from the Greek manuscript tradition)

Epistle reading
- Romans 6:3 - 11

Gospel reading
- Matthew 28:1 - 20

~~~

In our series of reflections on the Lenten Triodion we have reached the service of Holy Unction, which, strictly speaking, is after Lent is over, but we're going to carry all the way through Holy Week here.

The morning of Holy Saturday finds us at the very brink of the celebration of Pascha, Passover, The Resurrection of Jesus The Messiah. All vespers services mark the beginning of the new day (there was evening, there was morning, the first day) & so in this service we transition from Sabbath to The Lord's Day. However, we're still in this accelerated timeline of Holy Week & so we cannot yet fully proclaim Christ is Risen. Yet, in the middle of this service we do transition from the darkness of Holy Week into the white of purity & resurrection & we proclaim who The Messiah is & what it is He saves us from & what it is He saves us for.

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
02:55 The structures of the services
07:05 How do we face the apparent loss of trust & hope?
10:14 The three stasis of The Lamentations hymn
21:06 Closing

~~~

Winding Sheet & Lamentations - How Can We Go On?

~~~

Reference materials for this episode:

The rubrics of the services, in English translation, of
- Vespers of Holy Friday evening (known as the service of The Winding Sheet)
- Orthros of Holy Saturday morning (known as The Lamentations)

~~~

In our series of reflections on the Lenten Triodion we have reached the service of Holy Unction, which, strictly speaking, is after Lent is over, but we're going to carry all the way through Holy Week here.

On Holy Friday there are typically two services which are conducted in community parishes: the vesperal service of Friday evening which is usually celebrated at 3p, the time Jesus hung on the cross, as well as the orthros service of the morning of Holy Saturday which is celebrated Friday night. These two services are known as The Winding Sheet & The Lamentations, respectively.

In this episode Jim talks about this pivotal moment for the faithful. God Himself, the source of all Life, is in The Underworld. What do we do when our trust & hope seem to be destroyed? How we respond shapes who we are becoming. The bulk of the episode is Jim reading the more than 70 verses of the Lamentation hymns for your reflection.

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