State use of the Church extends far beyond the modern world: Many Byzantine Emperors attempted to use the Church, many kings attempted to co-opt the church, as well as using religions in general, which is a form of religious soft power. The ancient world saw the state proclaiming itself god, and often the state's official religion mandated worship of the state or ruler. In today's show I will cover new information I have uncovered on this topic, as well as revisiting a few classic materials on the subject in the part 2 for subscribers that ties all this together (part 2 will also contain unique information).

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