Echoes of Heresy

Folk Saints of Latin America

The final episode of the first season. A glimpse into a phenomenon of Latin American Folk Saints. Folk saint veneration is far from being a uniquely Latin American thing, but in Latin America, this phenomenon feels especially vivid – more public that elsewhere, more embodied, and woven deeply into everyday life. Rooted in a long history of Catholic tradition, Indigenous cosmology, Afro-Caribbean spiritual practices, and mestizo cultural memory, the popular religiosity of the region creates fertile ground for unofficial saints. In fact, the Church often finds itself playing catch-up – cautiously acknowledging some folk cults, while condemning others as superstition or even heresy. Folk saints often emerge in spaces where institutional religion seems distant: borderlands, rural villages, prisons, inner cities. They fill gaps the Church can’t or won’t reach. Still, the line between folk devotion and Church orthodoxy is not always a battleground. In fact, more often than not, it’s a negotiation...

The Gospel of Leo Tolstoy

One of the greatest literary figures in Russian history — and, perhaps, the most recognizable Russian author in the world... Tolstoy was celebrated during his lifetime. He was a cultural monument in his own time — read not only by the Russian intelligentsia, but by factory workers, schoolteachers, revolutionaries, and monarchists alike. Unlike so many Russian thinkers and artists, he was never imprisoned, never exiled, never formally repressed by the state. His writings generally were not banned – neither by the Tsarist regime, nor by the Soviets who followed. In fact, both systems found ways to celebrate him. In the Soviet Union, he was often presented as a proto-socialist critic, a moral voice who condemned inequality and imperial hypocrisy. In the West, he was embraced as a literary genius, a prophet of nonviolence, a spiritual humanist. Across cultures and ideologies, Tolstoy has remained, in many ways, untouchable. Yet there is another side to Tolstoy. A side that is far more controversial, and far less publicized. A man who delved into theology with relentless passion. Who challenged the foundations of Orthodox dogma. Who called the Church a distortion of Christ’s teachings. Who rejected the sacraments, denied the resurrection, and saw the cross not as a symbol of salvation, but as an emblem of cruelty. What led Tolstoy, the literary saint of Russia, to this final spiritual rebellion? And why did the Church respond not with debate, but with excommunication?

Sarmad - The Naked Saint of Mughal India

A poet for whom the boundaries between creeds were illusionary. A mystic for whom non-dualism and apophatic vision weren’t just poetic metaphors — they were his lived reality. All his life represents a bridge between the Abrahamic and Dharmic worlds. Who was Sarmad Kashani? What was his formation in Iran? And what was his role in Mughal India? What is his legacy - spiritual, literary, social? For those today who are suspicious of religious certainty and drawn to spiritual experimentation, he remains a startling, beautiful, and uncompromising presence.

The Khurramites: Religion, Revolt, and Memory. Part II.

Episode number 5 continues the exploration of the story of the Khurramites, a religious movement in Medieval Iran. The movement was nativist in nature, but had features of a syncretic cult. Neither fully Zoroastrian, nor Islamic, however rooted in the long history of Iranic religious traditions. In part II, we focus on the Khurramite rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate, under the leadership of Babak Khorramdin. We delve into the history of the movement after Babak's defeat, including the intricate relations between the Khurramites and the Byzantine Empire, as well as their likely influence on various heterodox currents across the Persianate world. We then have a glimpse into how the image of Babak has been used in literature and art of modern Iran and Azerbaijan to shape divergent political and cultural narratives. We also attempt to grasp the role of Babak and the Khurramites in modern Kurdish and Talysh discourses. What makes Babak's story so compelling for modern artists and political activists?

The Khurramites: Religion, Revolt, and Memory. Part I.

The fall of the Sasanian Empire in the mid-7th century CE marked not just a political upheaval, but a profound transformation of Iranian society. The Islamic conquests introduced new religious paradigms, administrative structures, and social hierarchies. While Islam became the dominant faith, the process of Islamization was neither immediate nor uniform. Khurramism was, perhaps, one of the most notable movements in Early Islamic Iran. Neither fully Zoroastrian nor Islamic, they drew from deep wells of Persian religion, folk messianism, and anti-imperial rage. The episode no. 4 unfolds in two parts. The first part is focused on the historical context where the movement emerged, available sources about the Khurramites, their belief system and rituals, as well as the personality of their most famous leader - Babak Khorramdin.