There’s a tendency in religious history to draw hard lines — between gods and idols, orthodoxy and error, insiders and others. But in reality, belief is often fluid, and not always easy to categorise.

In the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire, particularly around Asia Minor and the Black Sea, inscriptions and writings reveal a fascinating phenomenon. People — perhaps Gentile sympathizers with Judaism, or disillusioned pagans influenced by Stoic and Platonic thought — began to worship a singular, supreme deity. They rejected idols, observed Sabbath-like customs, and honored dietary restrictions, yet never underwent circumcision or adopted Jewish law. Nor did they convert to Christianity...

Who were these worshipers of the Most High ("Hypsistos")? What did they believe — and why did their faith vanish into obscurity?

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Echoes of Heresy – a podcast about spiritual dissent, divergent beliefs and doctrinal conflict across time and tradition.

In this first episode I introduce the project as such and as a whole. I have attempted to lay out the vision behind the podcast series, its overall concept, scope, angle and a range of topics to expect in the future.

I also tried to explore briefly the phenomenon of heterodoxy, from various perspectives: philosophy, psychology, social anthropology, history.

Since the dawn of organized religion, humans have tried to define and defend the sacred. And yet, history reveals that the sacred resists confinement. Even in the most regulated societies, belief has overflowed its borders.

Why do people stray beyond the sanctioned path? Who defines orthodoxy? Why and how?

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Intro & outro theme: “Gates of the Mystery” by Festa Martyria.

Originally released for free distribution. Used with permission.