Theology Unpacked

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores how the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, theological controversies, and new migrant kingdoms elevated the bishop of Rome into an increasingly significant political and spiritual leader. He concludes with Gregory the Great and his mission to the Saxons through Augustine of Canterbury, showing how it helped establish Christianity...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ examines how two Christians tell their version of history from the early centuries through Luke’s Acts of the Apostles and Eusebius’ History of the Church , presenting historical events as part of God’s unfolding plan for humanity. 📚 ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore the wide range of reading materials⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  in the Heythrop Library 🤓  ⁠⁠⁠...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ takes us on a race through the first 400 years of Christianity, tracing its journey in the Roman Empire from a persecuted minority to an imperial faith. He explores how bishops and church councils began to define orthodoxy, establishing shared beliefs and practices across diverse Christian communities. Councils such as First Council of Nicaea...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ reflect on how a faith tradition writes its ‘salvation history’ and the different ways of ‘reading a tradition’ for those who come after. 📚 ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore the wide range of reading materials⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  in the Heythrop Library 🤓  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join online or in-person courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  at the London Jesuit Centre If y...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ revisits Christian claims about resurrection in the modern era, exploring how the modern Catechism presents resurrection life with humility about the “how” and “when” of the transformed creation, while still affirming the promise of eternal life. 📚 ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore the wide range of reading materials⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  in the Heythrop...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ offers a first introduction to the roots of the distinctive Christian language of “sacraments,” tracing its development from the Greek mysteria and its connection to the sacred, liberating dramas of the ancient mystery religions. He then explores how baptism, the Eucharist, and other Christian rites came to be understood as participation in C...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores how Christians have understood the claim that Christ “died for us,” beginning with the rich variety of New Testament and liturgical images and tracing how these were developed in the tradition. He then examines several twentieth-century attempts to make sense of this mystery in ways meaningful to the modern world, including the renew...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ compares how Athanasius of Alexandria and Anselm of Canterbury connect the Incarnation with the atonement as they answer the question of why God became human. 📚 ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore the wide range of reading materials⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  in the Heythrop Library 🤓  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join online or in-person courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  at the Lond...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ returns to the New Testament matrices for interpreting the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross, revisiting themes from earlier episodes through the lens of atoning sacrifice in the Letter to the Hebrews. 🤓  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join online or in-person courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  at the London Jesuit Centre 📚 ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore the wide rang...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ contrasts the more selective Augustinian tradition of Aquinas, which allows for grace-enabled human cooperation, with Luther’s reading of Paul and Augustine, which sees the will as enslaved by sin and salvation as entirely the work of grace. He traces the consequences of Luther’s theology for Christian practice before glancing at the Catholic...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores the controversy over how Paul’s teaching on grace was interpreted in the centuries following the rise of the Christian Empire, tracing its development from a relational experience of divine favour to a complex theological debate about freedom and justice. With a sideways glance at the life of St Anthony and the ascetical tradition, i...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ continuing from the previous episode, explores how Paul articulates enduring themes of Christian theology, especially the relationship between Torah, grace, and freedom. Moving from the sharp contrasts of Galatians to a more balanced vision in Romans. 📚 ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore the wide range of reading materials⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  in the Heyt...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores Paul’s message of rescue from final judgment, showing how early Christian teaching drew on Jewish ideas of light, darkness, and divine election while centring salvation on a relationship with Jesus Christ. 📧  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on Substack 📚 ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore the wide range of reading materials⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  in the...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores Paul’s message of rescue from final judgment, showing how early Christian teaching drew on Jewish ideas of light, darkness, and divine election while centring salvation on a relationship with Jesus Christ. 📧  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on Substack 📚 ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore the wide range of reading materials⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  in the...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores Paul’s message of rescue from final judgment, showing how early Christian teaching drew on Jewish ideas of light, darkness, and divine election while centring salvation on a relationship with Jesus Christ. 📧  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on Substack 📚 ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore the wide range of reading materials⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  in the...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores how Christian theology emerges from transformative encounters with the divine, focusing on Paul the Apostle and his attempt to explain how the death of one man, Christ, can bring about the rescue of all humankind from sin and death. Drawing especially on his letter to the Romans, Paul develops the parallel between Adam and Christ as...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ begins a series exploring different “models” of salvation, returning to the early Christian theme of resurrection and rescue as the vindication of the just one. He situates this within the formation and selection of the four canonical Gospels, alongside alternative ancient gospels and interpretations, while highlighting a Jewish-Christian per...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores the elaborated, personal encounters presented by John: Mary in the garden, the disciples in the sealed room, and Thomas moving from doubt to confession—inviting the reader-disciple into faith in the risen Christ. The garden setting evokes the theme of new creation, culminating in recognition when Jesus calls Mary by name and in the g...

In this episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores Luke’s account of the resurrection as a carefully sequenced series of encounters unfolding within a single day: the women at the tomb, the road to Emmaus, Jesus’ appearance to the gathered disciples, and his ascension from Bethany. 📧  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on Substack 📚 ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore the wide range of reading materials⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  i...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ shows how the Gospels shape resurrection differently, especially in Mark and Matthew. The earliest version of Mark famously ends without any resurrection appearance of Jesus, leaving the reader-disciple standing before the empty tomb and invited to respond in Faith. By contrast, Matthew expands the empty-tomb narrative that affirm Jesus’ divi...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores the earliest account of the resurrection, found not in the Gospels but in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, and explores how Paul presents this tradition to a new, largely Gentile Christian community. It explains why Paul emphasises the reliability and diversity of witnesses, including himself, rather than the vivid details of...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores how John portrays Jesus’ death as a deliberate fulfilment of Scripture, culminating in his final words, “It is accomplished,” as he surrenders his spirit. Reprising John’s language of Jesus being “lifted up” throughout the Gospel, the Crucifixion is shown as a parodied enthronement that becomes a paradox: what looks like shameful hum...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ shows how St. John prepares readers for the Passion by tracing the Gospel’s recurring sacrificial imagery, above all Jesus as the Passover lamb, so that the crucifixion can be read as God’s saving work and true liberation. John then elaborates the crucifixion through a series of highly visual, localised scenes, presenting Jesus as in full con...

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ contrasts Matthew’s Passion narrative, which closely follows Mark, with Luke’s more expansive account that elaborates the crucifixion scene to foreground reconciliation with the Father, the forgiveness of sins, and the presence of Jesus’ faithful disciples among the witnesses. Luke also foreshadows the coming destruction of Jerusalem, as Jesu...

In this episode, Dr John compares Mark and Matthew’s accounts of Jesus’ Crucifixion and burial, showing how the evangelists grapple with the apparent failure and scandal of the Cross. By weaving in Isaiah’s suffering servant, the distress psalms, especially Psalm 22, the evangelists present Jesus’ death as the decisive moment of God’s saving work and the dawn of a new creation. Listen to the full...