Was The Virgin Mary Sinless? The Answer May Surprise Protestants

Are Icons Idolatry?

Are the icons actually idols that violate the biblical prohibition on images? In this episode, Jacobs explores the historical debate surrounding this practice, highlighting how John of Damascus defended the use of images based on the Incarnation, along with his distinction between venerating holy objects and worshiping them. Finally, we look at whether these iconic practices were later deviations or deeply rooted within early Christianity. ====================================== Do you like this content? Join Jacobs Premium to get exclusive access to essays, lecture series, monthly Q&A Zoom calls, and our book club. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/ Support the East West Series: http://theeastwestseries.com/ ====================================== Relevant Links:Essence-Energies Episode: https://youtu.be/lO1rAzvK3lQ Ressurection Episode: https://youtu.be/Pwgm-7d2O2k Articles on John of Damascus: https://www.academia.edu/41586795/John_of_Damascus https://www.academia.edu/41586562/John_of_Damascus_and_His_Defense_of_Icons Letter on Early Christianity and Icons: https://theologicalletters.com/p/were-the-earliest-christians-iconoclasts?utm_source=publication-search All links: The Theological Letters (Substack): https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobs Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs Listen and please review the podcast elsewhere: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast

From LSD to Orthodoxy: From Artist to Scholar to Filmmaker | ft. Nathan Jacobs & Chris Firestone

What happens when a profound, perspective-shifting experience forces a young artist to completely re-evaluate everything? In this deep-dive, long-form interview, Dr. Nathan Jacobs sits down with his long-time friend and mentor-turned-colleague, Dr. Chris Firestone, to unpack his journey from artist to philosopher, and ultimately to the world of filmmaking and mainstream Hollywood. ====================================== Do you like this content? Join Jacobs Premium to get exclusive access to essays, lecture series, monthly Q&A Zoom calls, and our book club. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/ Support the East West Series: http://theeastwestseries.com/ ====================================== Dr. Nathan Jacobs & The Nathan Jacobs Podcast: The Theological Letters (Substack): https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/ Instagram: / thenathanjacobspodcast X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod Facebook: / nathanandrewjacobs Academia: https://cabasilasinstitute.academia.edu/NathanJacobs Dr. Chris Firestone & The Firestone Files: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirestoneFiles [https://www.youtube.com/@FirestoneFiles] Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-firestone-files/id1837011306 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-firestone-files/id1837011306] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheFirestoneFiles [https://www.instagram.com/TheFirestoneFiles] X (Twitter): https://x.com/FirestoneFiles [https://x.com/FirestoneFiles] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefirestonefiles [https://www.tiktok.com/@thefirestonefiles] Listen and please review the podcast elsewhere: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS [https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS] Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast]

The Essential Doctrine the West Lost: On Divine Energies

There is an essential doctrine at the heart of historic Christianity that was famously preserved by the Eastern Church Fathers but completely lost to the Western tradition: the Essence-Energies distinction. This video traces the history of this concept, moving from its philosophical origins in Aristotle through its development in Alexandrian Judaism and into the New Testament, culminating in the Church Fathers of the Christian East. The distinction proves to be the indispensable key to how the East understands the gospel, the Trinity, and the Incarnation, while also shaping less obvious doctrines, including the sacraments, veneration, divine revelation, and the nature of the Church itself.======================================Do you like this content? Join Jacobs Premium to get exclusive access to essays, lecture series, monthly Q&A Zoom calls, and our book club. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/Support the East West Series: http://theeastwestseries.com/======================================Relevant Links:Episode on Resurrection: https://youtu.be/Pwgm-7d2O2kJacobs article on revelation: https://www.academia.edu/34403154/The_Revelation_of_God_East_and_West_Contrasting_Special_Revelation_in_Western_Modernity_with_the_Ancient_Christian_EastAll links:The Theological Letters (Substack): https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastX: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobsListen and please review the podcast elsewhere:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast

Can the Non-Orthodox Be Saved? A Dialogue | ft. Drs. Nathan Jacobs & Chris Firestone

Our apologies to listeners for the late upload on this Tuesday episode! Is there salvation outside the boundaries of the Eastern Orthodox Church? As the internet remains ablaze with the recent theological clash between Gavin Ortlund and Jonathan Pageau over historic Orthodox exclusivity, the answer remains heavily contested. In this deep-dive dialogue, Drs. Nathan Jacobs and Chris Firestone cut through the online noise to unpack the exact theological and historical nuances underlying this question. From the Protestant desire to be grafted back into the historic tree to the cognitive dissonance Orthodox converts face regarding the salvation of non-Orthodox loved ones, this conversation tackles the tension head-on. Recorded before the recent social media debate exploded, this episode provides a refreshing, uncompromised, and deeply scholarly look at what Eastern Orthodoxy actually teaches about the church, its boundaries, and who can be saved. Welcome to a special crossover episode of the Nathan Jacobs Podcast and the Firestone Files! NOTE: This interview is identified as the third in a three-part series of interviews, which it is. But given its relevance to the recent Ortland-Pageau debate, we have chosen to drop it early. Be watching for part 2 in the series next Tuesday. ======================================Do you like this content? Join Jacobs Premium to get exclusive access to essays, lecture series, monthly Q&A Zoom calls, and our book club. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/Support the East West Series: http://theeastwestseries.com/======================================Dr. Nathan Jacobs & The Nathan Jacobs Podcast:The Theological Letters (Substack): https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastX: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobsDr. Chris Firestone & The Firestone Files:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirestoneFilesApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-firestone-files/id1837011306Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheFirestoneFilesX (Twitter): https://x.com/FirestoneFilesTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefirestonefilesListen and please review the podcast elsewhere:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast

Resurrection Makes NO SENSE without Deification

What if everything you’ve been taught about life after death is completely wrong? The shocking truth is that without an ancient, forgotten concept known as "deification," the New Testament's entire promise of resurrection becomes totally incoherent. This episode exposes why true resurrection is not just about coming back to life, but a radical, qualitative metamorphosis achieved only by partaking in the divine nature. ====================================== Do you like this content? Join Jacobs Premium to get exclusive access to essays, lecture series, monthly Q&A Zoom calls, and our book club. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/ [https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/] Support the East West Series: http://theeastwestseries.com/ [http://theeastwestseries.com/]====================================== All links: The Theological Letters (Substack): https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/ [https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast [https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast]X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod [https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobs [https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobs] Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs [https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs] Listen and please review the podcast elsewhere:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS [https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS] Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast] Read on Substack, "Why Resurrection is Incoherent without Deification": https://theologicalletters.com/p/why-resurrection-is-incoherent-without?utm_source=publication-search [https://theologicalletters.com/p/why-resurrection-is-incoherent-without?utm_source=publication-search]