Christian Saints Podcast

James John Marks
Christian Saints Podcast

The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Paradosis Pavilion & Generative Sounds which explores the calendar of The ChurchEpisodes are hosted by James John Marks of Chicago, with oversight by Fr Symeon Kees, a priest of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America, through which he is currently serving St Raphael Orthodox Church in Iowa City. If this podcast is edifying for you, please consider the entire Paradosis Pavilion catalog as well as the music of Generative Soundshttps://www.youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast https://twitter.com/podcast_saints https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast 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 Please forgive us our shortcomings, and pray for us

  1. The Fourth Death of Reason

    3 DAYS AGO

    The Fourth Death of Reason

    Part two of our discussion about AI, the collapse of Western knowledge structures, the final (fourth) nail in the coffin of The Enlightenment & why Eastern Orthodox Christianity shouldn't be all too worried about it. This will lead directly into episodes 5 & 6, a discussion about the right use of books, the crisis of authority in The West & the path of martyrdom as we saw it exhibited by an entire community in Damascus on Sunday June 22, 2025 Reference materials for this episode:   - The future of AI    - https://www.wired.com/story/ai-risk-party-san-francisco/  - AI is making us less smart    - https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/ Scripture citations for this episode:  - Genesis 3    - Tree of Knowledge   - Proverbs 1:1-7    - Instruction produces wisdom The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion with oversight from Fr Symeon Kees Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555 https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast https://twitter.com/podcast_saints https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast https://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcast 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 - 2023

    1h 11m
  2. 13 JUN

    How to Be a Winner

    Following on our last episode in which we ended with the celebration of the righteous triumph of the gospel, we felt it was important to point out the boundary which must be kept on how we understand this triumph.  With the rise of nationalism in the USA, much of it Christian nationalism, as well as reflecting on such relatively recent tragedies as The Balkan war of the 1990's, it is crucial we understand winning as genuine participation in what God is doing rather than us going out into the world, weapons (rhetorical or military) in hand, to do the winning for Him. (we didn't get to all this material, but it is relevant) Reference materials for this episode:   - love of place is tied to attachment to possessions      - Shepherd of Hermas: parable 1     - https://www.strengholt.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Book-5-hermas-for-website.pdf  - our desires must be for virtue & we must not fear death     - 2nd Epistle of St Clement: chapter 5     - https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1011.htm  Scripture citations for this episode:  - dwellers in God’s tent (to the Gentiles)     - Ephesians 2: 11-21  - no lasting city (to the Jews)     - Hebrews 13:5-17 The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion with oversight from Fr Symeon Kees Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555 https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast https://twitter.com/podcast_saints https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast https://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcast 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 - 2023

    1h 29m
  3. 30 MAY

    Go to a Church You Can’t Understand!

    We start season seven off with by urging you to attend a [Orthodox] church you can't understand. Co-host Jim has realized he wasted 15 years of spiritual progress waiting for a local parish to be served in English. He traveled The Balkans enjoying all kinds of church services he couldn't understand a word of during early May & this dovetails with Fr Symeon's recent efforts to fulfill the wishes of Metropolitan Saba to teach Americans in the Antiochian tradition how to fully embrace & actualize this tradition without "becoming Middle Eastern". Reference materials for this episode:   - The burning of the relics of St Sava     - https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2023/04/27/100127-the-burning-of-saint-savas-relics  - Episode we did on “change” on a different channel     - https://youtu.be/-Z_6hXs_wMc?si=sTsUeGqcGKMLPGY1  - Nikolai of Zica episode     - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1443073/episodes/14740645 Scripture citations for this episode:  - Swords into ploughshares     - Isaiah 2:1-4  - Let your enemies be scattered     - Psalm 68 The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion with oversight from Fr Symeon Kees Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555 https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast https://twitter.com/podcast_saints https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast https://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcast 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 - 2023

    1h 36m
  4. 3 APR

    What Then Shall We Do?

    The fifth Sunday of Lent, the veneration of St Mary of Egypt, is the subject of this season finale episode. Saint Mary did not leave us with insightful writings. Saint Mary left us with an exemplary life we can strive to emulate. Yet, we have almost no details about how she lived her day to day life & we couldn't emulate it anyway because we don't live alone in a desert. But she clearly spent her life cultivating a deep sense of her sinfulness, a deep repentance of her sins, a profound awareness of God's love & a profound joy at God's forgiveness & these are what we can strive, with God's help, to emulate. This is the answer to the question asked of the apostles in the second chapter of Acts after the first preaching of the evangelion of Jesus, The Christ: "what then shall we do?" Reference materials for this episode:  Previous episodes  - Saint Mary of Egypt: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1443073/episodes/8220564  - Sacred Space part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1443073/episodes/16010821 Complete account of St Mary’s life  - https://stmaryofegypt.org/files/library/life.htm Scripture citations for this episode: Readings for The Fifth Sunday of Lent  - Hebrews 9:11-14  - Mark 10:32-45 Luke 9:46-48 - parallel to Mark 10 above Luke 9:51-56 - shall we call down lightning & thunder? 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - Run the race to complete it & win The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion with oversight from Fr Symeon Kees Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555 https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast https://twitter.com/podcast_saints https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast https://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcast 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 - 2023

    26 min
  5. 28 MAR

    Why Are We Here?

    The Fourth Sunday of Lent, The Veneration of St John Cassian, is the subject of this week's episode.  Jim reflects on the core beliefs which come even before details about The Trinity, The Incarnation, The Virgin Birth, The Death, Resurrection & Ascension of this incarnate God, the singularity of the church which His apostles established, or the succession of bishops who have preserved the divine revelation which was given to those apostles by the incarnate God. There is someone we have to acknowledge we are, a reality we have to admit is the one in which we live, before we can even begin the lifelong journey of becoming a Christian. Reference materials for this episode:  Episodes on St John  - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1443073/episodes/10364782  - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1443073/episodes/14611115 Scripture citations for this episode: Matthew 5:17-20 - Torah will not pass away Matthew 11:25-30 - easy burden, light yoke John 10:7-18 - the good shepherd brings abundant life Romans 7 - our confusion about our own behavior Philippians 3:6 - blameless under Torah The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion with oversight from Fr Symeon Kees Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555 https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast https://twitter.com/podcast_saints https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast https://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcast 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 - 2023

    29 min
  6. 14 MAR

    Who Can See God & Live?

    The Second Sunday of Lent, St Gregory Palamas, is the subject of this week's episode.  Considered a second triumph of orthodoxy, because just as the veneration of icons is necessary for Christian worship as we remembered last week, the prayer of a single thought, hesychasm, ceaseless prayer, through which we see the uncreated light of God within ourselves, is also necessary. St Gregory defended this tradition against scholastic innovations from the Latin West which rejected the capacity of the human person to have the direct experience of God. Reference materials for this episode:  Previous episode about St Gregory  - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1443073/episodes/13986560 The Trinity & The Life of The Soul  - https://enlargingtheheart.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/gregory-palamas-the-trinity-and-the-life-of-the-soul/ Homily on The Second Coming of Christ by St Gregory  - http://www.eschatologia.com/2018/02/homily-on-christs-second-coming-st.html#more The Ladder of Divine Ascent, St John Climacus - Step 25 Translation & publication by Holy Transfiguration Monastery revised edition 2012 Scripture citations for this episode: Hebrews 1:10-2:3 Mark 2:1-12 The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion with oversight from Fr Symeon Kees Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555 https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast https://twitter.com/podcast_saints https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast https://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcast 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 - 2023

    25 min

About

The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Paradosis Pavilion & Generative Sounds which explores the calendar of The ChurchEpisodes are hosted by James John Marks of Chicago, with oversight by Fr Symeon Kees, a priest of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America, through which he is currently serving St Raphael Orthodox Church in Iowa City. If this podcast is edifying for you, please consider the entire Paradosis Pavilion catalog as well as the music of Generative Soundshttps://www.youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast https://twitter.com/podcast_saints https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast 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 Please forgive us our shortcomings, and pray for us

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