The Nathan Jacobs Podcast

Nathan Jacobs

A philosophy podcast exploring the issues of today.

  1. JAN 1

    Free Will & Moral Responsibility | A Conversation with Dr. James Joiner

    Enroll in Dr. Joiner’s class: https://myprofer.com/courses Contribute to the East West Lecture Series fundraiser: theeastwestseries.com  Dr. James Joiner discusses libertarian free will, contrasting it with compatibilist and determinist positions through the lens of patristic theology and developmental psychology. The conversation examines Gregory of Nyssa's theological anthropology, the concept of synergistic cooperation in theosis, and cross-cultural evidence for the universality of free choice. Dr. Joiner argues that both ancient Christian thought and contemporary research support the view that human beings possess genuine self-determination, exploring implications for moral responsibility, bioethics, and the differences between Eastern and Western theological frameworks. All the links:  Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/ X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobs Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs Other words for the algorithm…  free will, libertarian free will, compatibilism, determinism, Gregory of Nyssa, Cappadocian Fathers, patristic theology, Eastern Orthodox theology, church fathers, theological anthropology, theosis, deification, synergy, moral responsibility, praise and blame, developmental psychology, moral agency, self-determination, Christian anthropology, Christian East, Christian West, philosophy of religion, free will debate, moral psychology, bioethics, applied philosophy, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, patristics, Orthodox Christianity, Byzantine theology, ancient philosophy, Christian philosophy, systematic theology, philosophical theology, Aristotelian ethics, virtue ethics, moral philosophy, conscience, moral intuition, Augustine, Pelagianism, divine sovereignty, human freedom, image of God, imago Dei, salvation, soteriology, grace, divine grace, sanctification, spiritual formation, Desert Fathers, Maximus the Confessor, Origen, Irenaeus, moral development, character formation, passions, will and intellect, Thomas Aquinas, Thomism, Kant, autonomy, phenomenology, David Bentley Hart, Kallistos Ware, Vladimir Lossky, ecumenical councils, Nicene Creed, liturgical theology, mystical theology, apophatic theology, hesychasm, spiritual senses, nous, William James, neuroscience and free will, agent causation, Peter van Inwagen, Alvin Plantinga, natural law theory, Neoplatonism, Plato, metaphysics, causation

    1h 34m
  2. 12/18/2025

    How the Devil Tried to Steal Christmas | The True Story of the Nativity

    Contribute to the East West Lecture Series fundraiser: theeastwestseries.com  Join Jacobs Premium: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/membership The book club (use code LEWIS): https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/offers/aLohje7p/checkout 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. All the links:  Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/ X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobs Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs

    1h 58m
  3. 12/04/2025

    Entertaining Angels | Tales of Christian Hospitality

    Contribute to the East West Lecture Series fundraiser: theeastwestseries.com  Join Jacobs Premium: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/membership The book club (use code LEWIS): https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/offers/aLohje7p/checkout 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.  All the links:  Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/ X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobs Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs 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

    1h 10m
  4. 11/25/2025

    The Realism of Symbology | A Conversation with Jonathan Pageau

    Back the East West Lecture Series: theeastwestseries.com  Join Jacobs Premium: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/membership The book club (use code LEWIS): https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/offers/aLohje7p/checkout 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. All the links:  Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/ X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobs Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs 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

    1h 42m
  5. 11/20/2025

    The Lived Philosophy of Early Christianity | The Last Five Ecumenical Councils

    Join Jacobs Premium: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/membership The book club (use code LEWIS): https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/offers/aLohje7p/checkout 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. All the links:  Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/ X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobs Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs 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

    1h 25m
4.9
out of 5
61 Ratings

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A philosophy podcast exploring the issues of today.

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