The Road to Nicea

There's no better time than now to review one of Gregory's most celebrated ideas: the notion of epektasis, or "constant progress." Tune in to learn all about it!

The legacy of the Cappadocians remains with us today! Listen in to hear how Gregory of Nyssa continues to inspire modern theological reflection and innovation. And also, to learn how bad Ben is at accents.

Time passes, centuries roll on, but some things never change. One of those things is that people always want to talk about Origen! Listen to Professor Haecker walk us through how Origen's Trinitarian theology intersects with his contemporary research in theology and logic. It turns out that logic has a theological foundation, and that theological foundation is essentially Trinitarian!

Get ready for your crash course in Trinitarian math! It's time to hear Gregory's full answer to the old question: just how can three persons be one God?

We've seen Gregory and Eunomius spar over whether God can suffer, and how. Now we turn to one of today's leading scholars of the period to explain this controversy! Professor Paul Gavrilyuk is also organizing a conference on the Council of Nicea to be held in June of 2025 in Rome. Paper submissions are open until March 1, 2024. Learn more here: https://iota-web.org/rome2025/

The heretical refutations continue! Can Gregory carry on his brother's legacy? Find out in this week's episode!

As if two brilliant brothers weren't enough, it's time to meet a THIRD exemplary member of the family: Macrina the Younger. She was a beloved sister, a learned teacher, and the inspiration for several of Gregory's most celebrated works. Learn all about her in this week's episode!

It's time for our second Cappadocian to enter the scene! Get ready to meet Gregory of Nyssa: theologian par excellence, married bishop(!), and little brother extraordinaire.

In which we take a peek at Basil's *other* contribution to church history: the liturgy that bears his name!

In which the neglected Third Person of the Trinity finally gets some time in the spotlight! Come hear about Basil's mature thought on the Holy Spirit.

In which we learn how Basil thought a monk should live, think, eat - and get woken up in the middle of the night!

It's Basil against the final boss of the heteroousians. But who will come out on top in the rhetorical fracas? Listen to find out!

Lions, tigers, and bears...and a Church Father messing up a sermon?

Ever wanted to hear an ancient sermon? Now's your chance! Join Ben for this exploration of one of Basil's most celebrated sermons, titled "To the Rich."

In which the first of the Cappadocian Fathers makes his debut on the world stage. What will he do to break the impasse of our long-running debate?

In which we examine all the different roles a fourth century monk could play: saint, wonder worker, spiritual director, superhero, and...skincare guru?

In which a new generation takes its place on world history...and Ben's enthusiasm for certain sci-fi fandoms prompts our first-ever double sponsorship!

It wouldn't be the Road to Nicea without a few U-turns. It's time to meet one of the biggest. Tune in to learn about Julian the Apostate: emperor, philosopher, idealist, nerd.

It's time for a little diversion as we meet the man who was there for all of Nicea's history - and we mean ALL of it.

In which the anti-Nicene forces seem to have the upper hand...and the Hawley-Smoot Tariff of ancient history is revealed.

For legal purposes, this episode is a joke.

As the empire changes, the theologies of the Church change too. Just what were mid-fourth-century theologians making of Nicea's odd "homoousios" language?

In which we take a look at another member of the Constantinian court: Lactantius, tutor to Crispus and writer of treatises. What does he have to tell us about the Great Persecution and its aftermath?

Persecutor, lucky son, mild-mannered emperor, forgotten bureaucrat. He has so many descriptors. But who really is Constantius II?

Well yes, we've had one creed, but what about a second creed? And a third, and a fourth, and...