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Paul Pasquesi on the Book of the Holy Hierotheos
We discuss one of the lesser-known, but most esoterically-important, classics of Syriac spiritual literature, the Book of the Holy Hierotheos. Hierotheos was said to have been the teacher of Dionysiu…
Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago
The Pseudo-Dionysios, the Esoteric, and (Christian) Mysticism
We turn to the questions: What is ‘mystical’ in the Corpus Dionysiacum? What is esoteric? The answers we come up with involve pretty much every aspect of the western esoteric traditions, and, after a…
Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Naming Divine Nothingness: Introducing the Pseudo-Dionysios
Into the divine darkness of a hyper-non-existent god walks the Pseudo-Dionysios. In this episode we join many esoteric currents from the antique and late-antique past into a new synthesis which will …
Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago
One Empire, Many Names: Reading “Byzantium” with Anthony Kaldellis
We are delighted to speak with Anthony Kaldellis about ‘Byzantium’, fabled empire full of Greek-speaking Romans which never fell until the fifteenth century, and which plays an outsize role in the hi…
Published on 10 months, 3 weeks ago
Contested Esotericisms at the End of Antiquity: Simplicius, Philoponus, and Olympiodorus
We discuss three of the most important thinkers from the final generations of philosophical teaching at Alexandria. One is an upstart Christian. Two are esoteric Platonists of the Golden Chain. One …
Published on 10 months, 4 weeks ago
The Last Platonists? Philosophic Teaching, Christianity, and Polytheism in Late-Antique Alexandria
We discuss how Platonist philosophical teaching played out at Alexandria before Justinian's edict of 529 and in its aftermath. Featuring cameo appearances from the fall of the western Roman empire an…
Published on 11 months, 3 weeks ago
All from Nothing: Sara Rappe on Damascius
We discuss the great Damascius, final scholarch of the Athenian Academy, with Sara Rappe. Things become very apophatic.
Published on 1 year ago
Hagia Sophia and the Problem of ‘Esoteric Architecture’
We discuss Justinian's great church, Hagia Sophia, the gem of Constantinople and of Orthodox Christianity. We then look at a number of theories out there which read Hagia Sophia as encoding esoteric …
Published on 1 year ago
Kevin van Bladel on the Ṣābians of Ḥarrān and the Fate of the Athenian Academy
We discuss the fascinating town of Ḥarrān (in present-day Türkiye), a place known from late antiquity until at least the eleventh century for its continued tradition of astral, polytheist worship. Ke…
Published on 1 year, 1 month ago
Edward Watts on the Age of Justinian and the Closing of the Athenian Academy
We discuss the life, times, and reign of Justinian, ‘probably the most consequential Roman emperor, at least since Constantine, and maybe since Augustus.’ He transformed the empire; nothing would be …
Published on 1 year, 1 month ago