In this episode we learn about the ancient practice of living as a hermit, and why people did so. We then look at how innovators like St. Anthony of Egypt and St. Pachomius the Great turned this individual experience into a communal one open not just to those who can survive by themselves in the desert, but to anyone wanting a cloistered life of peace and enlightenment. 

Even though from Pachomius came the idea of a monastery, this idea needed to be spread and defended. We will learn how this was done by the foremost Christian scholar of his day, St. Jerome, who went on to establish monastic communities for men and women in Bethlehem. 100 years after St. Jerome, monastic life would be improved further by the ideas and examples of St. Benedict, the great Abbot, and his twin sister, St. Scholastica, the great Abbess. Benedict's Rule would become the code of monks the world over for more than a millennium. The Rule was not only an inspired masterpiece for monks, but it also inspired political leaders like Charlemagne, and brought the governments of Europe one step closer to embracing Democracy and Constitutional government. They also allowed monasticism to become commonplace throughout Western Europe. These monks and their monasteries would lay the foundation to other great Western institutions like the University and the Scientific Method.  

Sources for this episode are...

britannica.com

franciscanmedia.org

etymonline.org

The Life of St. Antony

In this episode, we will look at the ancient origins of Chess in 6th-century Gupta India back when it was known as Chaturanga. From there we will discover how it evolved as it spread to Sassanian Persia and the Islamic empires like the Abbasids. We will see how it developed much of its core rules and strategy. Then we will look into how it continued its spread into Europe from the Byzantines and from Mediterranean merchants, and how this two-pronged approach combined with very abstract-looking pieces led to a lot of confusion as to what Europeans were to call the pieces and how they should be made. We will then look into the rules the Europeans added to make the game start a little faster as well as some of their more bizarre ideas like giving the pawns backstories and Fairy Chess. Finally, we will examine the impact chess has had on Western Civilization and how it can improve your life.

Sources for this episode are...

http://www.chess-poster.com/english/notes_and_facts/chess_piece_names_in_other_languages.htm

https://chessamid.medium.com/how-chess-conquered-europe-4d610466e5cd

https://www.chess.com/article/view/benefits-of-chess

https://www.chess.com/article/view/history-of-chess

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaturanga

This is a follow-up to our previous episode about the Byzantines, Goths, Huns, Persians, and Turks. In this episode, we look at what was going on in the northern parts of the European continent in the early medieval period. We will shed some light on why European history went the way it did. Questions such as: Why did feudalism develop? Why does eastern Europe use the Cyrillic alphabet? Why did the French and British build so many castles? Why did Ireland produce so many medieval monks and scholars? 

The focus of our study today will be the Vikings, Rus, Celts, Britons, and Franks. Once again, in this breezy intro we will be looking at the key figures, cultural institutions, events, and military tactics of each of these civilizations. And yes, we will be using a bit of Age of Empires II nostalgia as an icebreaker to learn about each civ.

Sources for this episode are...

https://www.worldhistory.org/Vikings/

https://ageofempires.fandom.com/wiki

https://www.worldhistory.org/Kievan_Rus/

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/celts

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/medieval/

https://www.realmofhistory.com/2016/05/03/10-interesting-facts-english-longbowman/

In this episode, we use a 90s strategy video game (Age of Empires II) as a launchpad to discuss five of the civilizations that emerged from the ashes of Rome's fall. The civilizations are the Byzantines, the Goths, the Huns, the Persians, and the Turks. Some of these had a hand in killing Rome, some of these carried on the traditions of Rome, some did both, and others were something different altogether.

Sources for this episode are...

https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/

https://ageofempires.fandom.com/wiki/

https://www.ancientpages.com/2019/04/16/who-were-the-goths-and-where-did-they-come-from/

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-china/huns

https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2015/08/14/the-military-of-the-byzantines/

Iranicaonline.org

Islamic Gunpowder Empires: Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals

Guns for the Sultan: Military Power and the Weapons Industry in the Ottoman Empire

In this episode, Doug examines quite literally the last chapter (or two) of Paul's life. Starting from his difficult and terrifying sea voyage across the Mediterranean, we will then explore how Paul used his time under house arrest in Rome, and finally learn about how his meeting with murdering psychopath Emperor Nero went (not well). We conclude the episode by closing this chapter of Christianity by learning about the end of the Acts, the end of the Apostles, and the destruction of the temple. We also get into what's the deal with that number of the beast in Revelation 13 (trust me: it's relevant). We wrap up by reading a summary of Paul's life in his own words.

In this episode, Doug explores Paul's third missionary journey. We will learn about Ephesus, Paul's home for more than two years. We will examine the teachings taught and miracles wrought there, the book-burning extravaganza, and the angry mob of smiths who were mad that the Christians killed tourism. We will also learn about that time Paul killed someone by talking too long. And that time another angry mob tried to kill Paul when he was about to give some people a haircut. And of course, we will explore the powerful defense Paul offered up when prosecuted in both Jewish and Roman courts, and how Paul parlayed a simple religious dispute into an excuse to confront the evil emperor, Nero, himself.  

To learn about the relationship between Paul and James, check out this article: 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-and-paul_b_4263493

Learn about Paul's Second Missionary Journey in this second part of our three part series on St. Paul. In this episode, Paul will get in an argument with Peter, circumcise someone, break out of prison (and baptize the warden), travel to Greece and Macedonia, debate the Stoics and Epicureans of Athens, and acquire new missionary companions and co-authors such as Silas, Timothy, Luke, and Sosthenes.

In this episode, we look at the mixed Roman and Jewish milieu in which Saul of Tarsus was raised. Saul's legal status as a Roman and his education as a merchant and a Pharisee made him exceptionally qualified for his later life mission. Unfortunately, for many years he was doing the opposite of what his life mission would be. He was a fervent supporter of the Hellenized Sadducees and led efforts in persecuting and executing Christians in farcical trials. This culminated in the martyrdom of Stephen and Saul's famous journey on The Road to Damascus. On that path, Saul was visited by an unexpected visitor who turned his life around. Saul ended up becoming one of the most devout Christian disciples and one of the greatest defenders of Christians and their faith. He had a special gift for teaching Gentiles, and he became one of their most ardent supporters, standing up for them in Christian counsels in Jerusalem. One letter of his name also changed.

This episode is the first of a three-part series on Saul/Paul. Episode 1 covers his early life, the first mission, and the interim before his second mission comprising Acts 6-15.

In this episode, Doug looks into the sordid history of the Praetorian Guard. 

Originally created by Emperor Augustus, it was intended to be a few thousand simple bodyguards who would protect the emperor and his family. Little did Augustus know, "[he] created potentially the most dangerous institution the Roman world had ever seen." In less than 100 years, the Guard's role expanded to become cops, soldiers, spies, gladiators, and assassins. They were supposed to take out the emperor's enemies. But once they got the taste for killing emperors and replacing them with guys who gave them bonuses, they became the emperors' biggest enemies themselves. 

During their four-hundred-year history, they would have a hand in killing over a dozen emperors. And they abandoned many more. They would be responsible for both the Year of the Four Emperors (AD 69) and the Year of the Five Emperors (AD 193). At their lowest point, they were literally selling the emperorship to the highest bidder.

Sources used in this episode:

Cassius Dio’s Roman History

Machiavelli’s The Prince Chapter 19

Carl J. Richard, The Founders and the Classics: Greece, Rome, and the American Enlightenment, p. 103

Hayden Chakra at About History, History Of The Praetorian Guard, https://about-history.com/history-of-the-praetorian-guard/

Mark Cartwright at World History Encyclopedia, Praetorian Guard,  https://www.worldhistory.org/Praetorian_Guard/

Evan Andrews at History.com, 8 Things You May Not Know About the Praetorian Guard, https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-praetorian-guard

Peter Preskar at History of Yesterday, The Imperial German Bodyguard, https://historyofyesterday.com/the-imperial-german-bodyguard-c0abb84c0e3

Genevieve Carlton and John Kuroski at All That's Interesting, Inside The Praetorian Guard, The Fearsome Military Unit Of Ancient Rome, https://allthatsinteresting.com/praetorian-guard

This episode is the conclusion of Doug's trilogy on Slavery in Ancient Rome. In it, we discuss the Third Servile War. Particularly, its bold leader Spartacus, and his foil, the evil Crassus. Learn of the cat and mouse games these two played with armies of tens of thousands across the Italian peninsula. And how their struggle brought the Roman Republic to its knees... ushering in a new era. THE ROMAN EMPIRE!