Light Through the Past

In this episode, Dr. Jenkins looks at the sad and unedifying episode of St. John Chrysostom's interaction with St. Epiphanius, a confrontation that occurred almost as a prelude to the Synod of the Oak, and left both our fathers in God embittered.

This week we dive further into the life of St. John Chrysostom and Dr. Jenkins at last gets to the events that precipitated St. John's banishment from Constantinople. This episode we look at the controversy surrounding the "tall" brothers.

This week we continue looking at St. John as Bishop of Constantinople. In this episode Dr. Jenkins looks at St. John's relationship with the wandering Bishop and orator, Severian of Gabala and its implications for the disaster of the Synod of the Oak. Dr. Jenkins also begins discussing the background of the coming storm involving Theophilus of Antioch.

This week Dr. Jenkins continues his study of St. John Chrysostom looking at the tumultuous years of 399-400 and the terror to the imperial throne that was the Goth general Genais, and how it seemed on St. John was able to deal with him.

In this episode Dr. Jenkins discusses Constantinople and its environment, and St. John and his uneasy relationship with the imperial city.

This episode Dr. Jenkins takes a break from St. John Chrysostom to reflect upon one of his Graduate Advisors, the Byzantine historian, Prof. Papadakis. Prof. Papadakis as a humble but brilliant teacher set Dr. Jenkins feet firmly on the path to Orthodoxy and his pursuit of the Church.

A riot in Antioch at the beginning of Lent, 387, set the whole city in a panic over the impending imperial judgment. At this time St. John Chrysostom preached a series of sermons that would place him to the fore in the mind of key imperial officials, and set the stage for his eventual elevation as the bishop of Constantinople.

This week Dr. Jenkins continues his look at our father among the saint, John Chrysostom. Dr. Jenkins specifically looks at St. John's first year as priest, and the themes of his sermons, which was the main duty that fell to him as the priest of the Golden Church in Antioch.

This episode Dr. Jenkins reviews some of the key texts from St. John's years as a deacon. Though different in subject matter and purpose, these texts still carry some common themes and give us information about St. John's life as a deacon, and introduce us to themes that shall be part of his life as priest and bishop.

This episode Dr. Jenkins covers the harrowing years of St. John's life when he left Antioch for the life of a monastic upon the expulsion of his bishop, Meletios, from Antioch. He would return upon the restoration of Meletios in 378. St. John's ordination to the diaconate in 381 was followed by the repose of his beloved bishop about a month later.