Podcasts by Way of the Fathers
A podcast about the Fathers of the Church—the foundational figures in Christian history. A production of CatholicCulture.org.
Seasons 1-3 were hosted by Mike Aquilina. Season 4 is hosted by Dr. Jim Papandrea.
1: The Church Fathers
2: The Early Ecumenical Councils
3: Cities of God
4: Heresies
Further podcasts by CatholicCulture.org
Podcast on the topic Christentum
All episodes
4.2 The Heresies – Judaizers and Ebionites: Denying Christ’s Divinity from 2023-12-13T05:44:33
Is Jesus Christ God? Is he a man? Is he both? Spoiler alert: the mainstream Church answered with the both/and, but the factions on the fringes tended to choose one or the other. For our first he...
Listen4.1 The Heresies - Introduction to the Series from 2023-11-22T10:00
I am honored to be picking up the Way of the Fathers podcast where my good friend, Mike Aquilina, left off. In season 4 of The Way of the Fathers, we’ll be looking at the heresies of the early C...
ListenThe future of Way of the Fathers: Mike Aquilina and Jim Papandrea in conversation from 2023-11-08T10:00
After 99 wonderful episodes by Mike Aquilina, Way of the Fathers is getting a new host! We are sad to see Mike go, but excited about his hand-picked successor, Jim Papandrea. In this conversatio...
Listen3.13 Cities of God: Last and Lasting Lessons from 2023-10-25T15:21:23
3.12 Cities of God: Carthage, African Christian Genesis from 2023-10-11T04:31:20
3.11 Cities of God: Ravenna, Capital on the Swamp from 2023-09-27T13:02:27
3.10 Cities of God: Constantinople (Not Istanbul) from 2023-09-13T16:57:25
3.9 Cities of God: Ejmiatsin and Christian Armenia from 2023-08-30T19:16:22
3.8 Cities of God: Lugdunum, the French Connection from 2023-08-15T23:38:38
Faith came to France very early and very strong. It seems likely that traders brought the Gospel from distant Smyrna (modern Izmir in Turkey) to Lugdunum (modern Lyon). The blood of martyrs was ...
Listen3.7 Cities of God: Edessa Starts with the Abgar Score from 2023-07-31T12:36:51
In Edessa—the borderlands of the Empire—we make our first encounter with Syriac Christianity. Its origins are shrouded in mist, and within the mist we meet the indistinct figures of heretics, sa...
Listen3.6 Cities of God: Ephesus, a Church and Its Riots from 2023-07-12T15:11
Ephesus was home to one of the Wonders of the World; and it’s the setting for one of the most dramatic moments in the itineraries of the Apostles: the riot of the silversmiths. It was also the l...
Listen3.5 Cities of God: Alexandria: Library and Lighthouse of Christian Learning from 2023-06-29T13:37:06
3.4 Cities of God: Rome between Time and Eternity from 2023-06-15T00:57:23
3.3 Cities of God: Antioch, the City of Lights from 2023-05-25T14:23:12
3.3 Cities of God: Antioch, 'First Called Christian'
Antioch, in so many ways, was the place where the lights first went on. It was the first city in the ancient world to have street lamp...
Listen3.2 Cities of God: Jerusalem, the City of Origin from 2023-05-10T13:44:26
Mike Aquilina Q&A on early Christianity from 2023-05-09T17:07:44
For those who missed the YouTube livestream Q&A with Mike Aquilina on May 8th, 2023, here is the audio. It was a lively conversation where Mike fielded viewer questions about important cities of...
ListenLivestream announcement from 2023-05-04T06:14:19
We'll be doing YouTube livestreams on the next 3 Monday evenings, as part of CatholicCulture.org's May fundraising campaign. In these freewheeling conversations, you'll have the opportunity to a...
Listen3.1 Cities of God: Introduction to Series 3 from 2023-04-26T12:16:27
With this introductory episode we begin our exploration of the cities where the Fathers lived and taught. At first these were cities that raged against the Gospel and persecuted the Church. The ...
ListenPatristic Pilgrims’ Progress from 2023-04-12T11:50:57
The Mother of All Vigils from 2023-03-22T15:07:12
’Twas the night before Easter, and all through the Church every heart was stirring. The early Christians kept a Vigil that made a lasting impression. The symbols were elemental: fire, water, dar...
ListenWork of Human Hands: The Fathers and the Revaluing of Labor from 2023-03-08T18:37
Plato scorned manual labor. Aristotle believed that “no one who leads the life of a worker or laborer can practice virtue.” Plotinus, Celsus, and Herodotus agreed that work was ignoble and conte...
ListenSicily: The Fathers Long Before the Godfathers from 2023-02-21T21:30:28
To Plato it was an island paradise. To Cicero it was the beginning of the Roman Empire. To Basil it was a name synonymous with luxury. To Augustine it was a place of natural marvels: a mountain ...
ListenThe Deep Roots of Consecrated Life from 2023-02-08T15:06:49
As long as there’s been Christian faith, there have been ascetics—athletes of prayer—and these athletes, both female and male, have sought ways to live in intentional community. Experiments in c...
ListenDenis&the Menaces: 3rd-century Pandemic, War, Climate Change from 2023-01-25T21:06:27
Denis (aka Dionysius) the Great, in the years he was bishop, faced many of the terrors of the ancient world, all while the empire was persecuting Christians to the death. He saw his congregation...
ListenThe African Roots of Western Christianity from 2023-01-11T16:01:08
From Controversy to the Calendar: The Lord's Baptism from 2022-12-29T13:23:28
The calendar is a catechism. Every feast is a lesson in doctrine. The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, like Christmas, rose to prominence at a time of deep division in the Church, as some Chris...
ListenThe Scandal of the Virgin Martyrs from 2022-12-14T15:31:46
Catena — The Chain That Set Scripture Free from 2022-03-22T16:57:39
How Clericalism Happened: A Tale of Theodosius from 2022-03-09T13:53:36
The Healing Imperative: How Christians Invented the Hospital from 2022-02-23T15:03:32
Women and Children First: Reconfiguring the Roman Family from 2022-02-09T16:15:58
56—John of Damascus: Last Witness to a Lost World from 2022-01-25T21:33:18
John of Damascus, the last of the Fathers, was born into a world newly conquered. In the seventh century, many lands that were once home to Eastern Christianity, had fallen to the invading armie...
Listen55—Isidore of Seville: Last of the Red-Hot Latin Fathers from 2022-01-12T15:09:22
54—Maximus the Confessor: Where East and West Meet from 2021-12-29T14:38:41
53—Gregory and His Greatness from 2021-12-14T12:40:23
52—Benedict of Nursia: The Elusive Man Behind the Rule from 2021-11-29T20:36:18
51—St. Patrick: Paternal and Patristic from 2021-11-11T12:39:58
50—Peter Chrysologus: The Doctor of (Short) Sermons from 2021-10-27T12:29:57
49—Romanus the Melodist: Through Hymns, with Hymns, in Hymns from 2021-10-14T12:42:55
48—Leo the Great: Who Roared with the Voice of Peter from 2021-09-28T14:41:20
47—Vincent of Lerins: Believed Everywhere, Always, by All from 2021-09-15T02:36:07
46—Cyril of Alexandria: The Fifth-Century Man from Uncle from 2021-08-25T12:07:19
45—John Cassian, Monk on the Move, Solitary in the City from 2021-08-10T12:18:39
BONUS: Interview with Mike Aquilina from 2021-08-04T09:00
In this bonus episode originally from the Catholic Culture Podcast, CatholicCulture.org’s director of p...
Listen44—Prudentius, Poet Laureate of the Western Fathers from 2021-07-26T17:51:27
43—The Pastoral Poems of Paulinus of Nola from 2021-07-14T13:57:37
42—Chrysostom (Part 2): Triumph, Tragedy&Glory from 2021-06-30T19:29:18
41—Chrysostom (Part 1): Golden Mouth&Golden Mysteries from 2021-06-16T12:00:32
40—Augustine (Part 3): Last Days and the End of an Age from 2021-05-25T14:40:42
When Augustine's story is told, it too often ends with his baptism. But the drama of his later years is no less moving. He was as introspective at the end as he had been in his Confessions decad...
Listen39—Augustine (Part 2): A Mob-Made Bishop Makes His Mark from 2021-05-12T13:29:57
The drama of Augustine’s life hardly ended with his baptism. The years that followed included his ordination-by-mob, an attempt on his life, and wars of words with at least four major heresies. ...
Listen38—Augustine (Part 1): Youth and Conversion from 2021-04-28T13:13:16
Augustine of Hippo is a name that appears on any short list of the most influential intellectuals in the history of the world. He seemed to live several productive lifetimes in the course of his...
Listen37—Jerome, the Curmudgeonly Commentator from 2021-04-14T12:19:33
36—The Luminous Vision of Didymus the Blind from 2021-03-25T15:05:06
35—Epiphanius of Salamis: A Passion for Pure Doctrine from 2021-03-11T03:06:29
34—Cyril of Jerusalem: Mystery and Mayhem from 2021-02-24T13:28:59
Cyril served as bishop during ugly times. The Church was divided, and suspicion was universal. He suffered false accusation, conspiracy, and exile. Yet he was able to see supernatural beauty shi...
Listen33—Ambrose of Milan: How the Church Regards the State from 2021-02-11T13:23:56
32—Julian, the Apostate Who Aped the Church from 2021-01-27T13:56:47
31—Gregory of Nyssa: Zero to Hero from 2021-01-12T15:39:34
30—Gregory Nazianzen: Greatness in the Passive Voice from 2020-12-28T14:29:50
29—Basil and the Beginning of Christian Social Thought from 2020-12-09T23:39:23
28—Ephrem, Symbolist from 2020-11-24T14:41:49
As a theological poet, he is peerless but for Dante. Yet Ephrem’s fame rests not only on his words, but also on his heroic deeds. He lived almost his entire life in a war zone. He helped invent ...
Listen27 - Aphrahat: Parsee Sage Primary in Time from 2020-11-10T14:34:43
26 - Hilary of Poitiers: Exile and Understanding from 2020-10-28T21:37:27
Ep. 25—Eusebius: History from the Wrong Side of History from 2020-10-14T15:17:55
Ep. 24—Athanasius against the World from 2020-09-23T13:08:41
Ep. 23—Alexander’s Lagtime Stand from 2020-09-11T12:51:31
Ep. 22 - Anthony of the Desert: The Solitary Celebrity from 2020-08-26T11:34:08
Through one man’s witness, monasticism took the world by storm. Anthony of Egypt became history’s least probable celebrity. He gave up his money and possessions. He couldn’t read or write. He fl...
ListenEp. 21 - Lactantius: The Fall&Rise of the Christian Cicero from 2020-08-12T16:58:42
Ep. 20 - Origen, Part 2: Hero, Heretic - or Hybrid? from 2020-07-24T14:04:57
Ep. 19 - Origen: The Most Controversial Christian Ever? from 2020-07-08T13:06:13
Ep. 18 - The Short, Happy Life of Cyprian of Carthage from 2020-06-24T02:20:59
Ep. 17 - The Long, Strange Trip of Hippolytus of Rome from 2020-06-10T14:39:17
Ep. 16 - Clement of Alexandria: Teacher in a New Kind of School from 2020-05-27T12:36:10
Ep. 15 - Perpetua: A Rare Female Voice from Antiquity from 2020-05-13T13:50:26
Perpetua of Carthage is almost unique in the literature of her time. She is a woman and a writer. Over the course of centuries, traditional Greco-Roman culture produced very few female writers. ...
ListenCriteria: The Catholic Film Podcast Announcement from 2020-05-11T22:04:46
https://www.catholicculture.org/Criteria
ListenEp. 14 - Tertullian: Who Forged Words and Invented Freedoms from 2020-04-28T13:37:18
Ep. 13 - Tertullian and the Theology of Sarcasm from 2020-04-13T18:16:49
Facebook Discussion Group Announcement from 2020-03-27T12:50:04
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CatholicPods/
ListenEp. 12 - Minucius Felix and the Great Novel of Antiquity from 2020-03-24T21:57:36
Marcus Minucius Felix is one of the greatest writers you never heard of. His “Octavius,” written in the late second century, is a work of fictionalized memoir set in the resort town of Ostia. Th...
ListenEp. 11 - Melito and the Parting of the Ways from 2020-03-16T11:45:57
Ep. 10 - Irenaeus of Lyons: Putting the Smack Down on Heresy from 2020-02-25T17:35:55
In the late second century the Church suffered an infestation of heresies — many of them, and they kept changing their claims. Into the fray God sent the great pioneer of anti-heretical literatu...
ListenEp. 9 - Justin Martyr: Everything Good Is Ours from 2020-02-12T10:00
“Whatever things are rightly said are ours.” St. Justin looked at creation and saw Christ. He looked into the mind of Plato and found a Christian, born centuries before his time. Speaking with R...
ListenEp. 8 - Letter to Diognetus: Intro to the Apologists from 2020-01-22T06:33:20
Forget the Dale Carnegie course. Here's how to win skeptical friends and influence pagans. Read the second-century Letter to Diognetus. The author's name is lost to history, but his warm, winsom...
ListenEp. 7 - Shepherd of Hermas: Heavenly Visions&Earthly Morals from 2020-01-08T10:00
On the Apostolic Fathers: An Interview with M.J. Thomas from 2019-12-26T14:40:09
Here’s a little bit of back and forth about the Apostolic Fathers: my interview with Dr. Matthew J. Thomas, who teaches at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California...
ListenEp. 6 - What's in a Name? Anonymous Texts from the Early Church from 2019-12-20T14:38:28
The work of the early Church was largely done by Christians whose names we’ll never know. In fact, many of the most important documents from the first and second centuries have unknown or...
Ep. 5 - St. Polycarp and the Social Network from 2019-12-11T09:00
Ep. 4 - Ignatius of Antioch: To Know "Jesus Christ Our God" from 2019-11-26T02:00
St. Ignatius of Antioch is the first of the Fathers to leave us abundant writings. His seven letters are passionate — warm, yet authoritative — spontaneous, but doctrinally rich. Written in 107 ...
ListenEp. 3 - Clement of Rome: The Earliest Christian Author after the Apostles from 2019-11-13T10:00
Clement of Rome led a church in turmoil. Its people were deeply divided. The secular culture was hostile to the faith. Across the ocean from the Eternal City the laity were rising up in rebellio...
ListenEp. 2 - The How and Why of Studying the Fathers from 2019-10-30T09:00
In this episode we examine the history of the study of the Fathers since the Reformation. The field has enjoyed explosive growth since then. We live in a time when so many works by the Fathers (...
ListenEp. 1 - First Steps on the Way of the Fathers from 2019-10-17T17:23:41
With this episode author Mike Aquilina begins his twice-monthly series on the lives, times, and works of the early Church Fathers. The Way of the Fathers begins with answers to basic questions. ...
Listen