What's the Point of Christmas, Really?

Eastern Sacred Art and Spiritual Experience

In this episode, I, Father Symeon, join James John Marks (Christian Saints Podcast), and the iconographer, Nicholas Papas (St. Demetrius Press), in a conversation on Eastern Orthodox iconography and the spiritiual Path toward becoming *like* God.    The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative Sounds & Paradosis Pavilion with oversight from Fr Symeon Kees (Paradosis Pavilion). Iconographic images used by kind permission of Nicholas Papas, who controls distribution rights of these images Prints of all of Nick’s work can be found at Saint Demetrius Press - http://www.saintdemetriuspress.com [http://www.saintdemetriuspress.com/]  All music in these episodes is a production of Generative Sounds https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com [https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com/] Distribution rights of this episode & all music contained in it are controlled by Generative Sounds Copyright 2021 - 2023   Reference materials for this episode:  https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/02/06/100443-venerable-barsanuphius-the-great-and-john-the-prophet [https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/02/06/100443-venerable-barsanuphius-the-great-and-john-the-prophet] Title: Guidance Toward Spiritual Life: Answers to the Questions of Disciples Publisher: Saint Herman Press ISBN 10: 0938635840 Author: Saint Barsanuphius, the Prophet, Saint John Translation: Fr Seraphim Rose ISBN 13: 9780938635840 Date Published: 2002-06   Scripture citations for this episode: Luke 2:21-38 - The Presentation of Jesus in The Temple (Feb 2nd)

St. Ephrem the Syrian, poetry, and the spiritual life

This is an episode on the spiritual text, Hymns on Paradise, by St Ephrem the Syrian  Listen to the conversation between Fr. Symeon and James John Marks, host of the "Christian Saints Podcast." Reference materials for this episode: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/01/28/100328-venerable-ephraim-the-syrian [https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/01/28/100328-venerable-ephraim-the-syrian] https://orthodoxwiki.org/Ephrem_the_Syrian [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Ephrem_the_Syrian] St. Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on Paradise,  - trans. by Sebastian Brock - St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press - pages 111-112, 157-159, 167-68, 170 - Hymns XI.9-15, VI.7-10, XII.19-20, XIII.5 Scripture citations for this episode: Genesis 1-4 The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion with oversight from Fr Symeon Kees Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555 [https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555] https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast [https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast] https://twitter.com/podcast_saints [https://twitter.com/podcast_saints] https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast [https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast] https://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcast [https://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcast] Iconographic images used by kind permission of Nicholas Papas, who controls distribution rights of these images Prints of all of Nick’s work can be found at Saint Demetrius Press - http://www.saintdemetriuspress.com [http://www.saintdemetriuspress.com/] All music in these episodes is a production of Generative Sounds https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com [https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com/] Distribution rights of this episode & all music contained in it are controlled by Generative Sounds Copyright 2021 - 2023

What's the Point of Christmas, Really?

You probably know a lot of people who will observe Christmas this year in some way. Christmas tree. Presents. Lights. Time off work and school. Travel to see family. But, what does it mean, not just symbolically, but really? Why does it matter to real life, practically? Find out what Christmas meant to the ancient Church who first celebrated it, the same Orthodox Church that continues the Tradition of that meaning today in Bethlehem and Jerusalem (, and even Iowa City.

To the East

What is the point of this podcast? Here is an introduction to Eastward Iowa City, why the culture of the West - religious and secular - is so different than the ancient Christian spirituality of the East, and why it matters. This podcast is part of the Paradosis Pavilion collection of projects. Technical production support for this episode is provided by Generative sounds. All music in this (& every) episode of Eastward Iowa City is a production of Generative Sounds Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555 [https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555] Generative Sounds - https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com [https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com/]