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You're to be familiar with the popularized details of the Mary and Nativity stories—the manger, the shepherds, the star. But this week, Dr. Jacobs takes you beyond the familiar Sunday school narrative to explore the robust early Christian tradition surrounding Mary's birth, her betrothal to the elderly widower Joseph, and the supernatural drama unfolding behind the scenes. This episode examines what the Church Fathers believed about the devil's frantic attempts to thwart the Incarnation, from his watchful surveillance of Israel's virgins to Herod's demonic massacre of the innocents. Dr. Jacobs traces the cosmic war between the powers of light and darkness, revealing how God orchestrated an elaborate divine ruse to veil the Messiah from Satan's gaze. Drawing from sources like the Gospel of James, Irenaeus, Gregory of Nyssa, and John Chrysostom, this deep dive recovers the fuller Christmas story that shaped Christian understanding for centuries.
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This episode explores the Eastern patristic understanding of Christmas through the doctrines of divine energies, synergy, and man as microcosm. Drawing on Aristotle, Philo of Alexandria, and Church Fathers like Athanasius, the discussion examines why all creation groans for the incarnation and how Christ's becoming creature rebuilds the bridge between God and cosmos. The incarnation is presented not merely as a legal transaction but as the initiation of cosmic healing—a "good infection" that restores humanity's mediating role and allows all creation to partake of divine nature.
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https://www.keipirestaurant.org/first-things-foundation
Dr. Jacobs delivers a talk on hospitality in the ancient world, exploring three stories: Abraham entertaining angels, John Cassian learning from Egyptian monks, and Abba Agathon's encounter with a divine visitor. The presentation examines the theological significance of hospitality in Hebrew and Christian traditions, particularly focusing on Eastern Orthodox patristic interpretations. Delivered at a Georgian Supra event hosted by the First Things Foundation in Greenville, South Carolina. Visit Keipi in Greenville for traditional Georgian cuisine.
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Other words for the algorithm…
Abraham and the angels, Hebrew Bible hospitality, ancient Near East customs, stranger ethics, John Cassian, Desert Fathers, Abba Agathon, Egyptian monasticism, asceticism, monastic hospitality, fasting and feasting, Georgian Supra, Eastern Orthodox theology, patristic theology, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, church fathers, Orthodox ethics, Christian hospitality, biblical hospitality, sheep and goats parable, love of neighbor, theological virtue, practical theology, ancient world customs, virtue ethics, Christian ethics, moral theology, spiritual formation, monasticism, anachoresis, cenobitic monasticism, apophthegmata patrum, sayings of the Desert Fathers, patristic ethics, biblical interpretation, Old Testament theology, New Testament ethics, Hebrews commentary, Lot and the angels, Road to Emmaus, Tobit, Archangel Raphael, theophany, Christophany, angel visitation, divine testing, covenant theology, Abraham covenant, Sodom and Gomorrah, Job righteousness, ancient virtue, classical virtue, agape love, caritas, philoxenia, Christian hospitality tradition, early Christianity, Byzantine theology, Greek patristics, Eastern Christianity, Western Christianity, East-West theology, theological anthropology, imago Dei, image of God, Matthew 25, eschatology, heavenly feast, messianic banquet, bridegroom theology, joy and fasting, liturgical theology, sacramental life, communion, Eucharist theology, stranger as Christ, Matthew Mathewes, practical philosophy, applied ethics, charitable works, almsgiving, poverty theology, wealth distribution, social justice, Christian socialism, monasticism economics, voluntary poverty, detachment, ascetical theology, spiritual disciplines, prayer and fasting, desert spirituality, Egyptian desert, Palestinian monasticism, Scetes, monastic rules, obedience, humility cultivation, temptation, demonic warfare, spiritual combat, guardian angels, angelology, hierarchy of angels, divine messengers, supernatural encounters, mystical theology, contemplation, theosis, deification, divine energies, Gregory Palamas, hesychasm, Philokalia, nepsis, watchfulness, prayer rope, Jesus prayer, heart prayer, stillness, silentium
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Dr. Jacobs is joined by guest Jonathan Pageau for an in-depth discussion on the nature of symbolic thinking and philosophical realism. They explore how symbols function in reality, the relationship between ancient worldviews and modern nominalism, and the distinction between genuine symbology and eisegesis. The conversation addresses the metaphysical foundations of symbolic interpretation, the role of idealism in understanding reality, and whether symbols are merely useful fictions or constitute the actual structure of the world.
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00:00:00 Intro
00:00:52 Jonathan’s Background
00:17:31 Symbology 101: What is Symbolic Thinking?
00:22:01 Philosophical Realism and Ancient Intuition
00:25:01 Are Symbols Real or Useful Fictions?
00:37:27 Idealism and the Structure of Reality
00:44:02 Christ-Shaped Reality and the Logos
01:12:20 How to Avoid Eisegesis in Symbolic Interpretation
01:23:45 The Danger of Gnostic and Esoteric Fascination
01:28:58 The Problem of Non-Realist Symbolism
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This is part three of our three-part series on the seven ecumenical councils, focusing on the philosophical commitments embedded in the final five councils from Ephesus to Nicaea II. We examine the Nestorian controversy and Cyril of Alexandria's defense of moderate realism, the doctrine of complex natures, and the distinction between common faculties and idiosyncratic use in the monothelite debate. The episode concludes with the monoenergist controversy's codification of the essence-energies distinction and the ontology of image and archetype in iconography.
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00:00:00 - Intro
00:05:36 Dogma vs. Kerygma: Basil's Distinction
00:10:26 The Council of Ephesus: Nestorius vs. Cyril
00:14:56 Moderate Realism and Complex Natures
00:23:18 Nestorius's Metaphysical Error
00:30:14 Why Mary Is Theotokos
00:45:02 The Monophysite Controversy After Ephesus
00:49:19 The Council of Chalcedon
00:57:00 Common Nature, Idiosyncratic Use
01:02:00 The Theandric Operations: John of Damascus's Analogy
01:07:56 The Essence-Energies Distinction in the Councils
01:13:34 Against Calling It "Palamite"
01:19:09 Nicaea II and the Ontology of Images
Other words for the algorithm…
ecumenical councils, Christology, Chalcedon, Council of Ephesus, Nestorius, Cyril of Alexandria, moderate realism, complex natures, theotokos, patristics, church fathers, early Christian philosophy, Byzantine theology, Eastern Orthodox, Orthodox theology, hupóstasis, essence-energies distinction, Gregory Palamas, Cappadocian fathers, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, John of Damascus, Maximus the Confessor, monothelite controversy, monoenergist controversy, monophysitism, Apollinarianism, hypostatic union, two natures one person, divine energies, theosis, deification, incarnation, Nicene Creed, Constantinople, Council of Chalcedon, hyalomorphism, Aristotle, Plato, realism, nominalism, universals, particular, form and matter, substance, accidents, common nature, Christian metaphysics, patristic theology, systematic theology, philosophical theology, philosophy of religion, Christian philosophy, Thomas Aquinas, scholasticism, medieval philosophy, ancient philosophy, Neoplatonism, divine simplicity, divine freedom, anthropology, theological anthropology, imago dei, image of God, iconography, Nicaea II, body and soul, will, free will, monothelitism, Apollinaris, Athanasius, homoousios, consubstantial, Trinity, divine nature, human nature, rational soul, theandric operations, dogma, kerygma, divine liturgy, anti-Chalcedonian, Council of Constantinople, moderate realist, extreme realism, archetypal ideas, common will, idiosyncratic use, Philippians 2, morphe, kenosis, inflamed blade analogy, David Bradshaw, essence and energies, Aristotle East and West, Gregory of Nazianzus, Chrysostom, ontology, metaphysics, formal properties, genera and species, specific difference
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This is part two of a three-part series examining the philosophical commitments embedded in the seven ecumenical councils of early Christianity. In this episode, Dr. Jacobs explores the metaphysical foundations of Nicene and Constantinopolitan theology, including hyalomorphism, moderate realism, the doctrine of the hypostasis, and the distinction between creation and eternal generation. He’ll walk through how the early church fathers developed sophisticated philosophical positions on the nature of God, creatures, causation, and the individual that were integral to Christian theology rather than later Greek additions.
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00:00:00 Intro
00:02:15 The Seven Ecumenical Councils wverview
00:04:42 No ancient divide
00:21:42 Ancient Christians saw Christianity as philosophy
00:29:39 Dispelling the progress narrative
00:38:21 The Arian disput & metaphysical commitments
00:39:16 What it means to be "created"
00:43:12 Hylomorphism: form & matter
00:52:24 Metaphysical realism and the law of contradiction
01:03:07 Are creatures material?
01:04:38 Biblical foundations for these commitments
01:09:20 From Nicaea to Constantinople
01:11:51 The doctrine of the hypostasis
01:14:00 Moderate realism: Aristotle vs Plato
01:23:10 The individual as its own reality
01:32:15 On "Not Three Gods"
01:42:32 The distinction of causes: begotten, not made
01:51:27 Efficient vs formal cause
02:00:05 Per se vs per accidens causality
02:02:39 Eternal generation & procession
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This week we’re taking a look at the seven ecumenical councils of the early Christian church, from Nicaea (325 AD) to Nicaea II (787 AD). Dr. Jacobs traces how each council addressed Christological controversies while establishing foundational theological and philosophical positions. Topics include Trinitarian theology, the nature of Christ's divinity and humanity, the concept of eternal generation, and the distinction between essence and energies. The analysis demonstrates how seemingly disparate theological disputes form a unified narrative centered on the question "Who do you say that I am?"
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00:00:00 Intro
00:00:22 Christianity’s philosophical commitments
00:03:21 What are the Ecumenical Councils?
00:11:19 Keys for understanding the councils
00:20:59 The Council of Nicaea: is Christ fully God?
00:29:20 How is the Son begotten?
00:35:18 Council of Constantinople: three persons, one nature
00:48:32 Are Christians monotheists?
00:55:50 Is Christ fully human?
01:04:50 Council of Ephesus: one person with two natures
01:12:14 Council of Chalcedon: unconfused & unmingled
01:24:31 The remaining councils
01:26:39 The icon controversy
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This episode concludes a four-part series examining slavery, polygamy, and genocide in biblical texts. The discussion addresses remaining questions about the moral gap between Mosaic law and early Christian teaching, arguing that Scripture reflects a progressive moral pedagogy rather than an immediate ideal. The framework employs natural law theory and Eastern Orthodox theology to distinguish between morally impermissible slavery and morally acceptable servitude arrangements, while contextualizing Old Testament ethics within the Ancient Near Eastern cultural baseline from which God drew his people toward eventual Christian perfection.
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00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:20 Recapping the Slavery Episode
00:08:20 Recapping the Polygamy Episode
00:10:00 Recapping the Genocide Episode
00:11:27 Why a 4th Episode?
00:15:00 Slaying of Innocence
00:19:45 Possibility #1
00:20:30 Possibility #2
00:22:15 Possibility #3
00:23:40 The Rich Man and Lazarus
00:27:30 The Most Troubling Psalm
00:36:17 Lingering Concerns with Genocide
00:42:35 Are the Innocent Damned?
00:46:35 Loose Ends with Slavery
00:53:29 The Law and Moral Progress
01:00:50 Sensitivity of Moral Faculties
01:06:15 The Ideal of the Logos
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This week Dr. Jacobs tackles the Eastern Orthodox perspectives on hell, divine providence, and human nature at Northern Arizona University. This conversation explores how Eastern patristic theology differs from Western Christianity on topics including original sin, the fall of man, Christ's descent into Hades, and the possibility of universal salvation. Jacobs traces his journey from philosophical opposition to Christianity through his discovery of the Church Fathers, addressing common objections to Christian theology based on moral intuitions and examining whether eternal damnation contradicts God's goodness. We also have a little tag on Mormonism and the Great Apostasy at the end.
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00:00:00 Intro
00:02:07 Background on Dr. Jacobs
00:14:56 The standard Western view of hell
00:18:33 The Eastern patristic perspective
00:32:19 God’s providence and goodness
00:40:06 Death & Hades in Eastern thought
00:49:19 Death as both enemy and mercy
00:53:50 Genesis & the fall
01:13:06 Universal salvation & God’s will
01:35:03 Steel-manning nominalism
01:38:53 Christ not knowing the day or hour
01:46:03 Mormonism & the Great Apostasy
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Today Dr. Jacobs takes a look at the challenge of genocide in the Old Testament, particularly the commanded extermination of the Amalekites and Canaanites. We’ll critique divine command theory from a realist metaphysical framework and explores how Eastern patristic theology understood divine providence, justice, and redemption in relation to these narratives. Dr. Jacobs will dig into cultural practices of ancient Near Eastern peoples, the distinction between race-based genocide and practice-based judgment, and how concepts like Christ's descent into Hades inform a coherent theological reading of these difficult passages.
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00:00:00 Intro
00:00:19 Series context & the question
00:05:27 Divine Command Theory is not the answer
00:38:13 A thought experiment about evil
00:41:05 Cultural examples: Game of Thrones & black death
00:47:40 Lord of the Rings & the Orcs
00:51:48 Understanding the Amalekites
00:56:20 What Genocide really means
01:05:40 A horror movie scenario
01:13:02 The story of Saul & Samuel
01:17:34 The story of Jonah
01:26:08 Christ's descent and redemption
01:31:38 Death as gift and mercy
01:35:08 The broader narrative context
01:39:03 Addressing the epistemological worry
This episode examines the moral case against polygamy from a natural law and Eastern Orthodox perspective, then addresses why polygamous practices appear in the Old Testament. Dr. Jacobs distinguishes between biological and psychological dimensions of sexual ethics, critiques Thomistic approaches for neglecting reason's role in human sexuality, and argues that ancient Near Eastern circumstances created conditions where polygamy functioned as a lesser evil tolerated but never endorsed by God. The Eastern patristic framework is presented as recognizing concessions to human weakness while maintaining monogamy as the scriptural ideal from Genesis through the early Church.
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00:00:00 Intro
00:00:25 Recap
00:08:50 Four levels of discourse
00:18:24 Natural law analysis
00:27:41 Reason & psychological reality
00:45:39 Orthodox framework
01:04:24 Providence through missteps
01:09:40 Ancient Near East context
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This episode examines the biblical problem of slavery through a natural law framework, distinguishing between immoral slavery and morally permissible servitude. Dr. Jacobs argues that what the Bible describes as "slavery" more closely resembles contractual servitude arrangements, lacking the five essential traits that make slavery immoral: abduction, coercion, brutality, squalor, and dehumanizing treatment. Using Eastern Orthodox theological anthropology and classical realism, he demonstrates how true slavery violates human nature by denying the fundamental freedom that defines rational beings. The analysis shows that both Old Testament law and early Christian teaching consistently condemned actual slavery while permitting voluntary service arrangements that preserved human dignity and self-determination.
00:00:00 Introduction00:04:35 Let's talk about slavery00:07:28 Providentialists00:11:00 Good and evil as pleasure and pain00:17:10 Level 400:24:58 Moral responsibility00:31:37 The natural law case against slavery00:36:30 The features of slavery00:41:18 Discipline for one's formation00:45:28 The great chain of being00:50:12 Slave/master relationship00:53:00 Are the 5 traits of slavery essential?00:56:47 "Slavery" scenario #201:00:31 Defining our terms01:01:36 Is servitude immoral?01:06:03 The early Christian view
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Orthodox Foundations includes:
1 - Basic Terms & Concepts
2 - The Gospel According to the Eastern Church
3 - Partaking of the Divine Nature “Theosis”
4 - Descent into Hades
5 - How to Embrace the Life That Christ Has Given Us
6 - The Saints & Christ’s Descent into Hades
7 - The 7 Ecumenical Councils Nicaea (325 a.d.)
8 - The 7 Ecumenical Councils Constantinople (381 a.d.)
9 - The 7 Ecumenical Councils Ephesus (431 a.d.)
10 - The 7 Ecumenical Councils Chalcedon (451 a.d.)
11 - The 7 Ecumenical Councils Constantinople 2 & 3 (680 & 681 a.d.)
12 - The 7 Ecumenical Councils Nicaea (786 a.d.)
13 - Predestination & Divine Decree
14 - A History of Predestination and Divine Decree in Western Theology
15 - A Contrast Between the East & West on Predestination and Divine Decree
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In this postscript to his anthropology and ethics series, Dr. Jacobs examines why people experience discomfort when confronted with moral assessments that challenge their preferred behaviors or beliefs. He draws parallels between objective aesthetics and ethics, arguing that humans possess default intuitions about justice and fairness that create psychological tension when their actions conflict with moral reality. Dr. Jacobs discusses the problems of confirmation bias and social pressure in ethical reasoning, advocating for beginning moral inquiry with foundational metaphysical questions rather than applied ethics. The episode concludes with practical considerations for personal ethical development, distinguishing between philosophical assessment, political implications, and pastoral guidance in the gradual cultivation of virtue.
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00:00:00 Intro
00:01:24 Objective aesthetics
00:05:25 The human yearn for justice
00:15:39 Resisting confirmation bias
00:23:26 Analyzing at level 4
00:26:59 The cognitive minority
00:36:52 Deciding how to live
00:40:19 Politics and morality
00:43:06 Forming in virtue
We dive once more into the differences between Eastern and Western Christianity. This time, Dr. Jacobs tackles the nature-grace divide. He’ll trace how Augustine's anti-Pelagian framework created a nature-grace divide in the Latin West, where human nature is seen as inherently incapable of pleasing God without supernatural assistance. In contrast, the Eastern tradition maintains that humans as icons of God possess a natural connection to divine grace through the image-archetype relationship. The analysis covers how these differing anthropologies lead to distinct understandings of total depravity, synergy, and the relationship between creature and Creator.
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00:00:00 Intro
00:01:22 Recap & roadmap
00:10:08 The Pelagian controversy
00:15:55 Hierarchy of loves
00:20:22 Augustine's pursuit of truth
00:28:19 Adam & Eve (original sin)
00:35:45 The root of total depravity
00:40:02 Divine volunteerism
00:51:09 Monistic views emerge
00:54:40 Medieval "faculty psychology"
01:08:22 Imago Dei (Image of God) nuances
01:11:30 Divine essence and energies
01:23:36 Insights from Plato
01:29:50 Man as icon of God
01:39:14 Grace in the Christian West
01:54:48 The faculty psychology problem
02:12:40 Doctrine of the Logoi
02:25:40 Idiosyncratic teleology
02:30:52 Wrapping up the series
Our culture often frames debates on homosexuality, transgenderism, and abortion as a simple clash between “Christians vs. progressives.” But the real story runs deeper. In this episode, Dr. Nathan Jacobs tackles three of today’s most pressing ethical and cultural issues, examining them through the great traditions of moral philosophy—Natural Law, Deontology, Divine Command Theory, and Utilitarianism.
Dr. Jacobs shows how these systems evaluate questions of morality and why Christianity brings a unique clarity to the conversation. By exploring the metaphysical roots of ethics and Christian anthropology, he demonstrates why most philosophical systems arrive at conclusions radically different from today’s cultural consensus.
Please Like and Subscribe! Follow Dr. Jacobs and his work: X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastSubstack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs
In this fourth installment of our series on Ethics & Anthropology, Dr. Nathan Jacobs traces the evolution of Realism from ancient philosophy through John Locke and even Woody Allen, asking what this tradition missed about the true nature of reality. How does Christianity reframe the conversation on Realism, and why does it matter for ethics, anthropology, and our understanding of the world?
Please Like and Subscribe! Follow Dr. Jacobs and his work: X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastSubstack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs
In this third installment of our four-part (or 5-part 😬) series on Ethics & Anthropology, Dr. Nathan Jacobs explores Moral Philosophy and the enduring debate over Providence vs. Chaos in the history of philosophy and metaphysics. Is history guided by a divine hand, or is it nothing more than accident and chance?
All the links:
X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast
Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/
Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/
Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs
What happens when morality is unmoored from its metaphysical foundations? In part two of the Anthropology series, Dr. Nathan Jacobs traces the slow unraveling of moral philosophy—from its classical roots in virtue and teleology to its modern preoccupation with utility and consequence.
All the links:
X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast
Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/
Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/
Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs
00:00:00 Intro
00:05:22 Pagan philosophy and human polarities
00:35:38 Augustine and the Nature-Grace Divide
00:55:06 Medieval faculty psychology: intellect and will
01:04:52 From Medieval Scholasticism to Modern Philosophy
01:11:56 The rise of empiricism and materialism
01:29:46 The empiricist challenge to Providence
01:41:18 Contemporary culture's nominalist foundation
01:47:53 The hedonistic definition of happiness
01:52:47 Modern anomalies in historical perspective
02:02:05 Passion over reason