The History of the Christian Church - 2000 Years of Christian Thought.

Jeremy
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A History Podcast of the Christian Church told through the lives and thoughts of it's greatest thinkers.Season 1 – A.D. 1 – A.D. 500   Plato and Greek philosophy. Apostolic fathers Justin Martyr Irenaeus  Clement of Alexandria Origin Cyprian Eusebius of Caesarea. Council of Nicaea Athanasies. Ephraim the Syrian. The Cappadocian fathers. The Council of Constantinople Ambrose John Chrysostom. Jerome. Augustine Cyril of Alexandria. The Council of Ephesus Theodor of Cyrus Leo the great. The Council of Chelsea and. The Apostles Creed.  

  1. A History of The Christian Church (Part 36) Peter Abelard - When Reason Takes the Stage.

    MAY 1

    A History of The Christian Church (Part 36) Peter Abelard - When Reason Takes the Stage.

    Send us Fan Mail This episode goes live on all podcast platforms on the 1st May 2026 What happens when the human mind refuses to stay quiet? Today as we move further into the medieval world, that careful balance begins to shift. Because in the next generation, a new voice emerges. Brilliant, bold, and uncompromising. A man who would not simply reflect on the faith but would challenge it…. His name was Peter Abelard. For further reading and a complete list of all references & sources for this episode, please visit my Patreon page. NEW PODCAST: American Evangelicals - A History PodcastA thoughtful, deep dive into one of the most talked-about movements in American history.Support the show

    33 min
  2. A History of The Christian Church (Part 35) Anselm, Part Two - Faith Seeking Understanding.

    APR 11

    A History of The Christian Church (Part 35) Anselm, Part Two - Faith Seeking Understanding.

    Send us Fan Mail A History Podcast of the Christian Church told through the lives and thoughts of its greatest thinkers. Anselm of Canterbury Part Two. References and Sources for This Episode: Below are reliable academic and historical sources supporting the material used in this episode on Anselm of Canterbury. Primary Sources (Anselm’s Writings) Cur Deus Homo Proslogion Monologion Compilation: Anselm of Canterbury, The Major Works, Oxford World’s Classics. Church History & Theology Justo L. González — The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1 Bruce L. Shelley — Church History in Plain Language Nick Needham — 2,000 Years of Christ’s Power, Vol. 2: The Middle Ages Alister McGrath — Historical Theology Tony Lane — A Concise History of Christian Thought. (My original Course Textbook from 1995) Scholarly Works on Anselm R. W. Southern — Saint Anselm: A Portrait in a Landscape Brian Davies & G. R. Evans — Anselm of Canterbury: The Major Works David F. Wells — God in the Wasteland (for evangelical discussion of atonement history) For understanding Anselm’s satisfaction theory and later Protestant development: John Stott — The Cross of Christ Leon Morris — The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross Gustav Aulén — Christus Victor (classic historical study of atonement theories) Medieval Intellectual Context Peter Abelard — Sic et Non Bernard of Clairvaux — selected writings Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologiae. NEW PODCAST: American Evangelicals - A History PodcastA thoughtful, deep dive into one of the most talked-about movements in American history.Support the show

    24 min
  3. A History of The Christian Church (Part 34) Anselm, Part One - Faith Seeking Understanding.

    APR 4

    A History of The Christian Church (Part 34) Anselm, Part One - Faith Seeking Understanding.

    Send us Fan Mail A History Podcast of the Christian Church told through the lives and thoughts of its greatest thinkers. Anselm of Canterbury Part One. There are moments in church history when the Christian faith is forced to answer difficult questions. Not questions of persecution or survival, but questions of understanding. Questions that arise when thoughtful believers begin to ask what it means to believe, and whether faith can be explained? Questions like, can the truths of the gospel even be understood by the human mind, and if God has revealed Himself, how can we seek to understand that revelation more deeply with our limited human understanding? In the centuries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, much of Europe struggled through what historians often call the Dark Ages. Learning had declined. Political order had fractured, and much of the intellectual life that had once shaped the ancient world seemed to be fading into the shadows. But faith remained. In our last episode, we encountered John Scotus Erigena, a remarkable thinker who attempted to bring together philosophy and theology boldly and imaginatively. John Erigena reminded us that Christianity has never been afraid of deep thinking — but his speculative approach also revealed the dangers of letting philosophy wander too far from the clear anchor of biblical revelation. But now, as we move further into the medieval world, we encounter a very different kind of thinker. Not a court philosopher or a speculative mystic this time, but a monk. A man who believed that theology must begin not with an intellectual argument, but with prayer. This man was Anselm of Canterbury.... NEW PODCAST: American Evangelicals - A History PodcastA thoughtful, deep dive into one of the most talked-about movements in American history.Support the show

    27 min
  4. A History of The Christian Church (Part 33) John Scotus Erigena – The Theologian of the Dark Ages.

    MAR 1

    A History of The Christian Church (Part 33) John Scotus Erigena – The Theologian of the Dark Ages.

    Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to The History of the Christian Church — where we journey through the shadows and the light of Christian history to discover how faith has been shaped, tested, preserved, and proclaimed across the centuries. Today, we step into one of the most misunderstood periods of Western history — the so-called Dark Ages. A time often portrayed as intellectually barren, culturally collapsed, and spiritually stagnant. A time when empires had fallen, learning had fragmented, and civilization itself seemed to flicker like a dying candle in the wind. But history is never as simple as its labels. Because even in the darkness, there were minds that burned bright. And one of the brightest — and strangest — of them all was John Scotus Erigena. He stands almost alone in his age — a towering mind in a fragmented world. Today, we explore the life, thought, influence, and legacy of the man I call: “The Theologian of the Dark Ages.” This is the story of John Scotus Erigena — In whose life we see theology meet philosophy, where faith meets reason, and where light shines in the darkest of centuries…. NEW PODCAST: American Evangelicals - A History PodcastA thoughtful, deep dive into one of the most talked-about movements in American history.Support the show

    40 min
  5. A History of The Christian Church. Season 3 Episode 4 (Part 32) Gregory the Great -Shepherd of a Collapsing World.

    FEB 1

    A History of The Christian Church. Season 3 Episode 4 (Part 32) Gregory the Great -Shepherd of a Collapsing World.

    Send us Fan Mail When Gregory the Great became bishop of Rome at the end of the sixth century, the Western world was pretty much in ruins and standing on the edge of an era that would become known as the Dark Ages. The Roman Empire in the West had collapsed. Cities were crumbling. Plagues swept through the population. Invasions came not in isolation, but in waves. Civil authority was weak, unreliable, and sometimes absent altogether. and into that chaos stepped Gregory. He never sought power. In fact, he tried to flee it. Gregory preferred the quiet life of a monk to the burden of public leadership. Yet history would remember him as one of the most influential figures of the early medieval Church—the man who more than any other bridged the ancient world and the medieval West. In this episode, we’ll explore Gregory’s life, his writings, and his lasting influence on Western Christianity. We’ll see how he helped shape what would later become medieval spirituality, missions, church leadership, and even the way pastors understand their calling, a way in which we still understand it today.  So, today we’ll ask the question: What can Gregory still teach the modern Church about humility, authority, and faithfulness in uncertain times? Because Gregory the Great reminds us that sometimes the most important theologians are not those who build systematic theologies—but those who quietly keep the flame of faith burning when the night grows long and all around them things are going cold… NEW PODCAST: American Evangelicals - A History PodcastA thoughtful, deep dive into one of the most talked-about movements in American history.Support the show

    30 min
  6. The History of The Christian Church. Season 3 Episode 3 (Part 31) The Council of Orange (529) The Triumph of Grace.

    JAN 1

    The History of The Christian Church. Season 3 Episode 3 (Part 31) The Council of Orange (529) The Triumph of Grace.

    Send us Fan Mail In the year 529, long after the fall of Rome and amid the turmoil of a fractured Europe, a small gathering of bishops met in the southern town of Orange. Their purpose? To settle one of the most important theological questions in Christian history: Is salvation the work of God alone, or do we play a part in earning it? In this episode, I explore the dramatic story of The Council of Orange — how it stood between the extremes of fatalism and self-salvation, and how it reaffirmed the gospel of grace first proclaimed by Augustine and Paul. We’ll discover how this quiet council helped to shape the Western church’s understanding of original sin, free will, and divine grace — truths that would later echo through the Reformation and remain vital for us today. Key themes: Grace as the first and final cause of salvation The ongoing influence of Augustine’s theology The rejection of Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism Why the Council of Orange still matters for the modern church Takeaway: Even in the Dark Ages, God was at work. The Council of Orange reminds us that grace is not a doctrine to be debated — it’s the heartbeat of the Christian life. NEW PODCAST: American Evangelicals - A History PodcastA thoughtful, deep dive into one of the most talked-about movements in American history.Support the show

    24 min
  7. The History of the Christian Church. Season 3 Episode 2 (Part 30) Boethius – Christianity in Conversation with Philosophy.

    12/01/2025

    The History of the Christian Church. Season 3 Episode 2 (Part 30) Boethius – Christianity in Conversation with Philosophy.

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode we meet Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius — a Roman scholar, philosopher, and Christian who lived at the twilight of the ancient world. From his prison cell, awaiting execution under Theodoric the Ostrogoth, Boethius wrote The Consolation of Philosophy, one of the most influential works in Western history. This episode explores the life, context, and thought of Boethius — a man standing between two worlds: the fading classical order of Rome and the rising Christian civilization of medieval Europe. Through the figure of Lady Philosophy, Boethius sought comfort in reason, providence, and virtue. But as we’ll see, the book also reveals the limits of reason and the longing for the fuller revelation found only in Christ. Join us as we consider: ·         How Boethius bridged the gap between Plato and the early Church Fathers ·         Why The Consolation of Philosophy shaped medieval theology for centuries ·         The tension between philosophical reason and Christian revelation ·         What Boethius’s search for peace teaches us about faith in times of suffering ·         The story of Boethius reminds us that philosophy may point the way to truth — but only grace can open the gate. NEW PODCAST: American Evangelicals - A History PodcastA thoughtful, deep dive into one of the most talked-about movements in American history.Support the show

    26 min
  8. The History of the Christian Church (Season 3, Episode 1 - Part 29) The Medieval West. 500-1500 A.D.

    11/01/2025

    The History of the Christian Church (Season 3, Episode 1 - Part 29) The Medieval West. 500-1500 A.D.

    Send us Fan Mail Episode Notes:  The History of the Christian Church – Season 3, Episode 1 (Part 29) Title: The Medieval West: 500–1500 A.D. When you think of the Middle Ages, what comes to mind? Knights in shining armour? Castles and crusades? Or perhaps plagues and superstition? In this opening episode of Season 3, we step into the thousand-year story of the Western Church during the so-called "Dark Ages."  We’ll trace how the collapse of the Roman Empire gave way to chaos and invasion, but also how the monasteries preserved learning and kept faith alive. We’ll meet thinkers like Anselm, Abelard, and Aquinas who wrestled with the relationship between faith and reason. And we’ll see why this long, often-neglected period still speaks powerfully to our questions today. Season 3 begins here: The Medieval West, 500–1500 A.D. 🔑 Key Takeaways Why the "Dark Ages" weren’t completely dark.How monasteries became oases of faith and learning.The rise of scholastic theology and the new role of reason.The clash—and attempted harmony—between philosophy and revelation.Why the medieval wrestle with faith and reason still matters for us today.NEW PODCAST: American Evangelicals - A History PodcastA thoughtful, deep dive into one of the most talked-about movements in American history.Support the show

    24 min
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A History Podcast of the Christian Church told through the lives and thoughts of it's greatest thinkers.Season 1 – A.D. 1 – A.D. 500   Plato and Greek philosophy. Apostolic fathers Justin Martyr Irenaeus  Clement of Alexandria Origin Cyprian Eusebius of Caesarea. Council of Nicaea Athanasies. Ephraim the Syrian. The Cappadocian fathers. The Council of Constantinople Ambrose John Chrysostom. Jerome. Augustine Cyril of Alexandria. The Council of Ephesus Theodor of Cyrus Leo the great. The Council of Chelsea and. The Apostles Creed.  

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