29 episodes

For nearly two thousand years, we've been told that Christianity began around 30 AD - when the disciples of the backwoods preacher "Jesus of Nazareth" came to believe he had risen from the dead. But now, BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY exposes this tale as a myth. Host Chris Palmero - an adherent of the Catholic church - proves that Christianity began almost one hundred years after the imagined death of Jesus, through a close reading of the New Testament and books left out of the Bible.

Born in the Second Century Chris Palmero

    • Religion & Spirituality
    • 4.9 • 19 Ratings

For nearly two thousand years, we've been told that Christianity began around 30 AD - when the disciples of the backwoods preacher "Jesus of Nazareth" came to believe he had risen from the dead. But now, BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY exposes this tale as a myth. Host Chris Palmero - an adherent of the Catholic church - proves that Christianity began almost one hundred years after the imagined death of Jesus, through a close reading of the New Testament and books left out of the Bible.

    29. Testimonia.

    29. Testimonia.

    There is a treasure that lies hidden behind the earliest Christian writings: the TESTIMONIA. Host Chris Palmero describes the theory that the earliest sources about Jesus of Nazareth may have been strange list of Biblical prophecies that were passed around among early sectarian Jews. These lost books may indeed have been the primary sources even for the authors of the New Testament.

    Anyone who listens to this episode of BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY can learn about how the "proof from prophecy" was the first and best defense of the faith among the earliest Christians; about why the Church Fathers sometimes seem to forget who exactly wrote certain Biblical books; what the Testimonia were, what they may have looked like, where we can still find evidence of them, and; the paramount importance of Psalm 110 to the entire concept of Christianity.

    Opening reading: The very first lines of the Gospel of Mark provide the occasion for the host to play a historic recording of an ancient phone call placed circa 116 AD.

    Patreon: www.patreon.com/borninthesecondcentury
    Website: facebook.com/BornInTheSecondCentury
    E-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.com
    Music: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud

    0:02 - Reading: GOSPEL OF MARK. Opening Lines.
    24:40 - OPENING Remarks.
    40:13 - The PROOF FROM PROPHECY.
    49:06 - TESTIMONIA.
    1:02:13 - Testimonia in the PATRISTIC Writings.
    1:20:01 - READING: PSALM 110.
    1:26:35 - Testimonia in the Christian BIBLE.
    1:48:35 - CLOSING Remarks.
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    • 1 hr 54 min
    28. The Holy Psychic Church. Part 3 of Montanism Trilogy.

    28. The Holy Psychic Church. Part 3 of Montanism Trilogy.

    BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY brings the Montanism Trilogy to its bloody, triumphant ending. Host Chris Palmero shifts the focus to the spectacular changes that the war against the New Prophecy caused within the structure of Catholic Christianity itself, causing it to transform from just another "free radical" Jewish sect, to a truly organized religion, for better or worse. 

    Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about the bogus list of early Roman Bishops; the dawn and progression of the Catholic Sect; why "Proto-Orthodoxy" is a vague and silly concept; how Asia Minor is so central to the story of Christianity; about the changes caused by Montanism in terms of organization, the Eschaton, prophecy, and the invention of the past; why the ancient Christians wanted their Church leaders to be rich; how the ancient Roman Church became so prominent; who its first real Bishop was; what finally happened to the New Prophecy; and about a curious little tome entitled..."Churchfails."

    Opening reading: The Jesus of the Book of Revelation, impressed with the city's cheesesteaks, grants the ancient city of Philadelphia an "Open Door," through which the first Montanist missionaries will step on their way to converting one man in a lost little valley, in one of the most momentous decisions in history.

    Patreon: www.patreon.com/borninthesecondcentury
    Website: facebook.com/BornInTheSecondCentury
    E-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.com
    Music: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud

    0:47 - Reading: BOOK OF REVELATION. Philadelphia and the Open Door.
    18:27 - OPENING Remarks.
    25:21 - Top News Story: CHURCHFAILS.
    30:34 - OPENING Remarks, Cont'd.
    35:47 - Reading: IRENAEUS, Against Heresies. The List of Roman Bishops.
    47:36 - On the So-Called PROTO-ORTHODOXY.
    55:11 - The Dawn of the CATHOLIC SECT.
    59:25 - Reading: IGNATIUS, Philadelphians. He Prophesies in the Voice of God.
    1:05:31 - ASIA MINOR as the True Home of Christianity.
    1:20:35 - Changes Caused by Montanism, PRELUDE.
    1:23:52 - Changes Caused by Montanism: ORGANIZATION.
    1:27:38 - EXCURSUS: On Money.
    1:32:45 - Changes Caused by Montanism: THE ESCHATON.
    1:35:40 - Changes Caused by Montanism: THE SEALING OF PROPHECY.
    1:39:37 - Changes Caused by Montanism: THE INVENTION OF THE PAST.
    1:55:30 - EXCURSUS: Why the Church Would Canonize FORGED BOOKS.
    2:04:52 - Reading: TERTULLIAN, Prescription Against Heretics. On the Roman Church.
    2:07:56 - How the Catholic Church Colonized ROME.
    2:22:28 - The Rise of THE HOLY PSYCHIC CHURCH.
    2:26:51 - CLOSING Remarks of the Montanism Trilogy.
    2:28:39 - Epilogue: The New Prophecy's FATE.
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    • 2 hr 37 min
    27. In You and Others Like You. Part 2 of Montanism Trilogy.

    27. In You and Others Like You. Part 2 of Montanism Trilogy.

    The second installment of BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY'S Montanism Trilogy examines the Christian reactions to this mysterious movement. Host Chris Palmero presents testimonies from Irenaeus, the Shepherd of Hermas, the Didache, Epiphanius, and of course, Eusebius. He also tackles a burning question: did Tertullian really convert to the New Prophecy, or was that illustrious fool merely participating in an elaborate LARP?

    Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about why Christians blow on the faces of their converts; whether Eusebius can really be trusted; the "Heretic's Journey;" whether the Catholics were trying to assassinate Montanus, Maximilla, and Priscilla; whether Irenaeus was a secret Montanist sympathizer; whether the Didache was originally a Montanist book; what the controversy between Christianity and the New Prophecy was really about; why Tertullian got involved in this movement; and how the pagan Celsus has taught us more about this "heresy" than any Christian commentator ever could. The host also shares a special time-saving technique that anyone can use when writing about Philip's Daughters.

    Opening reading: The Canons of the Council of Constantinople, from the late fourth century, look forward to the age in which Montanism eventually fades from the earth.

    Patreon: www.patreon.com/borninthesecondcentury
    Website: facebook.com/BornInTheSecondCentury
    E-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.com
    Music: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud

    00:48 - Reading: COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE, Canon 7.
    05:24 - OPENING Remarks.
    09:33 - Reading: FIRMILIAN, Epistle 74, to Cyprian.
    15:10 - A SAFETY Briefing before Reading Eusebius.
    18:41 - Testimony of THE ANONYMOUS. His Confused Origin Story for Montanus.
    22:14 - The Anonymous: The HERETIC'S JOURNEY.
    26:43 - The Anonymous: PROPHET-KILLERS.
    30:49 - The Anonymous: A Possible MATTHEW Reference.
    34:13 - The Anonymous: AMMIA and QUADRATUS.
    42:25 - Reading: EPIPHANIUS, Panarion, On the Quintillianists.
    45:38 - Testimony of IRENAEUS.
    54:29 - Testimony of CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA.
    54:58 - Testimony of COMMANDER SHEPHERD OF HERMAS.
    59:50 - Testimony of THE DIDACHE.
    1:02:30 - Testimony of EPIPHANIUS.
    1:09:11 - On the PARACLETE.
    1:15:21 - On JESUS.
    1:16:25 - On PHILIP'S DAUGHTERS.
    1:27:47 - Reading: WILLIAM TABERNEE, Prophets and Gravestones.
    1:28:45 - Tertullian as Montanist LARPER.
    1:45:47 - Testimony of CELSUS.
    1:49:52 - CLOSING Remarks.
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    • 1 hr 52 min
    26. Let the Women Be Violent. Part 1 of Montanism Trilogy.

    26. Let the Women Be Violent. Part 1 of Montanism Trilogy.

    BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY presents the first installment of a trilogy of shows on the Great Montanist "Heresy." Host Chris Palmero examines the tremendous impact that the second century religious movement of Montanism had on Christianity actually becoming a distinct religion. At the same time, Montanism will be revealed to be a heretical Jewish movement that originally had nothing to do with Christianity.

    For the first time ever on this show, we find ourselves in "Ordinary Time," surveying a historical narrative from the late 100's AD. This is the dividing line between Christian history and pre-history, and we are at the very moment when the Church first found it necessary to create a backstory for itself.

    Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about the theologian's explanation of Montanism and the flaws inherent in that explanation; about the oracles of the three mad prophets Montanus, Maximilla, and Priscilla; about the suspicious lack of connection between Montanism and Christianity; about the possible true date of this movement's origins; about the uncanny links between the New Prophecy and Blade Runner; and about a possible alternate history in which women led Christianity throughout history, Bene Gesserit-style. A new segment is introduced in which a history of the 1980's AD is given, but as if written by Eusebius.

    Opening reading: A Montanist prophetess delivers a fiery exhortation to her fellow women, in a passage that has ironically been preserved by Schmucko Supremo Tertullian.

    Patreon: www.patreon.com/borninthesecondcentury
    Website: facebook.com/BornInTheSecondCentury
    E-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.com
    Music: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud

    00:47 - Reading: ANONYMOUS PROPHETESS, De Fuga in Persecutione.
    04:33 - The Theologians' MASTER NARRATIVE about Montanism.
    09:07 - The PROBLEMS of the Master Narrative.
    15:16 - Montanism is BLADE RUNNER.
    20:29 - Let the Women Be VIOLENT.
    32:42 - OPENING Remarks.
    49:06 - Reading: TERTULLIAN, De Anima.
    50:45 - MODERN Relevance of Montanism.
    54:41 - The Oracles of MONTANUS.
    1:06:14 - The Oracles of PRISCILLA.
    1:11:05 - The Oracles of MAXIMILLA.
    1:19:17 - Calculating the DATE of the New Prophecy.
    1:30:13 - Shit My Eusebius Says: On the 1980's.
    1:34:07 - CLOSING Remarks.
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    • 1 hr 36 min
    25. The "Paul" of the Acts.

    25. The "Paul" of the Acts.

    BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY explores the mystery of the strange portrayal of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles. Host Chris Palmero carefully examines the stories about Paul in Acts, and explains the author's motive for depicting him as a loyal, submissive, even-tempered company man: the polar opposite of the moody, outspoken mystic who speaks from Paul's letters.

    Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about the possible sources of Acts of the Apostles and the author's true motive for writing it, about that author's obsession with telling us that Paul was hardly ever alone, about whether and why Peter's career mirrors Paul's, about the author's reluctance to call Paul an "apostle," about how Acts was written in a universe that lacked the dimension of time, about Simon Magus and Stephen and Philip, about the "Hellenists" and who they really were, about Paul's supposed dual names, about the suppressed story of his conversion, about how Acts distorts two major events from his career, and whether he was bald.

    Opening reading: Paul's malicious blinding of a Jewish magician is exposed as a Christian rewrite of a sectarian fable in which the Christians themselves were the original antagonists.

    Patreon: www.patreon.com/borninthesecondcentury
    Website: facebook.com/BornInTheSecondCentury
    E-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.com
    Music: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud

    00:47 - Reading: ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, Paul Blinds the Magician "Bar-Jesus."
    18:00 - OPENING Remarks.
    23:57 - EXCURSUS: What Did PAUL Look Like?
    31:42 - The Theologians RELY on Acts of the Apostles.
    34:15 - The Theologians PSYCHO-ANALYZE Paul and CANNIBALIZE Acts.
    41:30 - Intro to the Paul of Acts. He is Never ALONE.
    53:47 - The Lost Acts of Paul and the Genesis of ACTS.
    1:05:16 - EXCURSUS: Paul's AGE.
    1:12:44 - PETER in Acts; His Relation to PAUL.
    1:23:00 - Whether Acts Considers Paul an APOSTLE.
    1:29:15 - The Dimension of TIME in Acts.
    1:36:09 - The Mysterious "HELLENISTS."
    1:43:57 - On the Story of STEPHEN.
    1:47:54 - Paul's Two NAMES.
    1:52:23 - Encounters with SIMON MAGUS and the Ethiopian EUNUCH.
    1:59:30 - How Acts Distorts Paul's CONVERSION.
    2:13:07 - How Acts Distorts the COLLECTION for the Saints.
    2:25:23 - Paul's Extraordinarily Lame PREACHING in Acts.
    2:36:23 - How Acts Distorts the Famous MEETING in Jerusalem.
    2:48:09 - Mysteries of Acts to Explore in Future EPISODES.
    2:50:27 - CLOSING Remarks.
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    • 2 hr 53 min
    24. The Shining Weapon. Or, First Corinthians Late and Spurious.

    24. The Shining Weapon. Or, First Corinthians Late and Spurious.

    A haze of mystery surrounds the figure of Paul and his confusing, contradictory letters - especially the Matryoshka Doll that is his First Letter to the Corinthians, which seems to have eight smaller letters hiding inside of it. But host Chris Palmero reveals that First Corinthians is not only the key to understanding how and when Paul's letters were actually written. It's also "the shining weapon" that just might help us cut through the haze of mystery and reveal the truth about the Historical Paul.

    BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY continues its New Testament journey with a series of episodes on the Historical Paul and his most important letter. First Corinthians will be revealed as a late and composite patchwork - the product of serial editing over a period of decades, and clashing doctrines and opinions of the Pauline clerics who wrote in the name of a semi-mythical figure.

    Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about why the historical Paul should be considered the greatest genius in the history of the universe, about the many strange problems in the initial chapters of First Corinthians, about the strange "glitch in the matrix" feeling that we sometimes get when reading Christian texts, about the source of Paul's mysterious "ailment" to which (some of) his letters allude, and about why these second century clerics chose to write in Paul's name.

    Opening reading: The great psychologist Julian Jaynes believed that ancient people had no consciousness. Might this help us understand why Paul's letters sometimes resemble angry, argumentative online comment sections, rather than actual epistles?

    Note: the host reads "ultra-literal" New Testament translations at one point. These come from www.biblicalaudio.com. 

    Patreon: www.patreon.com/borninthesecondcentury
    Website: facebook.com/BornInTheSecondCentury
    E-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.com
    Music: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud

    00:48 - Reading: JULIAN JAYNES, The Mind of Iliad.
    04:33 - The PROBLEM of First Corinthians.
    26:08 - OPENING Remarks.
    31:45 - Reading: CLEMENTINE HOMILIES.
    34:54 - The IMPROBABLE Paul.
    50:24 - Paul's Letters PSEUDEPIGRAPHAL.
    1:03:22 - First Corinthians The SHINING WEAPON.
    1:09:04 - OVERVIEW of First Corinthians, As Read.
    1:29:58 - Reading: The GNOSTIC Segment of First Corinthians.
    1:40:25 - Intro to the CRITICAL READING of First Corinthians.
    1:41:54 - The GREETING.
    1:48:34 - The FACTION Segment.
    2:05:14 - The TEMPLE Segment.
    2:11:06 - The GNOSTIC Segment Revisited.
    2:19:09 - CLOSING Remarks.
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    • 2 hr 21 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
19 Ratings

19 Ratings

o'fuel ,

Bro…

You are a beast. I am only one episode into the Barnabas series and I am thoroughly entertained. Fantastic work here.

cylonstalker ,

Challenging and Informative

Very educational. Learning much about the myth of Christianity.

AllyMariee2 ,

An in depth analysis of Christianity even a layperson can appreciate

Born catholic and raised rather loosely in the faith, my understanding of Christianity is primitive- Jesus was born, died on the cross, rose from the dead, yada, yada, yada. Chris’s easy conversational style draws me in to a compelling history of Christianity is never had interest in before, like the World Religions class you never took in college but could have really appreciated. I look forward to other series from this author.

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