Podcasts about Simon Magus

Dive into the mysterious life of Simon Magus—a man who dared to rival the apostles and tried to fly over Rome!

Why were these books removed from the Bible? Dr. Nathanael Andrade, Greek and Roman historian, joins us once again to talk about some interesting religious topics. Did Jesus have a twin? Why were the Acts of Thomas & Acts of Peter removed from the Bible? WELCOME TO CAMP!

Today we turn to Acts 8 in our study of the Key Chapters of the Bible. This passage records the expansion of the Gospel into Samaria and how Simon Magus had false faith. It's a helpful passage for many questions of theology and we hope you join us! Check out our Bible Study Guide on the Key Chapters of Genesis! Available on Amazon! To see our dedicated podcast website with access to all our episodes and other resources, visit us at: www.keychapters.org. Find us on all major platforms, or use these direct links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6OqbnDRrfuyHRmkpUSyoHv Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/366-key-chapters-in-the-bible/id1493571819 YouTube: Key Chapters of the Bible on YouTube. As always, we are grateful to be included in the "Top 100 Bible Podcasts to Follow" from Feedspot.com. Also for regularly being awarded "Podcast of the Day" from PlayerFM. Special thanks to Joseph McDade for providing our theme music.   

In this episode of "Way of the Hermit," David and Gene dive down the rabbit hole, into the world of Gnosticism and its connection to Freemasonry. They explore how Gnostic teachings, once considered heretical, were driven underground and lay buried for centuries until their rediscovery in the 20th century. They discuss the core principles of Gnosticism, emphasizing its focus on direct inner knowledge of the divine (gnosis) rather than adherence to dogma or external rules.The episode traces the historical suppression of Gnostic ideas by early Christian literalists and examines key figures in Gnostic thought, including Simon Magus, Philo of Alexandria, and G.R.S. Mead. David and Gene highlight the significance of the Nag Hammadi texts discovered in 1945, which provided unprecedented insights into Gnostic Christianity. They also explore the symbolic interpretations of religious and Masonic stories, arguing that these allegories contain deeper truths about human consciousness and spiritual awakening.The discussion draws intriguing parallels between Gnostic concepts and Masonic symbolism, suggesting that Freemasonry is perhaps a form of Gnosticism. They propose that the three degrees of the Masonic Blue Lodge, as well as the Masonic quest for the “Lost Word”, the three names of God and three temples in the Scottish Rite, correspond to the three stages of Gnostic awakening.Deep Dive:Nag Hammadi's Gnostic RevelationsChapters:01:15 Introduction01:36 Gnosticism04:02 Masonry is Gnosticism06:33 The Key to the Mysteries09:56 Church of the Antichrist13:19 Simon Magus15:49 Philo of Alexandria18:05 G.R.S. Mead21:21 Nag Hammadi24:45 ConclusionsResources:The Gnostics: The First Christian Heretics by Sean MartinJesus and the Lost Goddess: The Secret Teachings of the Original Christians by Tim Freke & Peter GandyNovo Clavis Esoterika by Timothy HoganGnostic Religion in Antiquity by Roelof van den BroekPistis Sophia: The Gnostic Tradition of Mary Magdalene, Jesus, and His Disciples by G.R.S. MeadFragments Of A Faith Forgotten by G.R.S. MeadCorpus Hermeticum by G.R.S. MeadSimon Magus: The Gnostic Magician by G.R.S. MeadGnostic John the Baptizer by G.R.S. MeadGnosticism: New Light on the Ancient Tradition of Inner Knowing by Stephan A. HoellerThe American Religion: The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation by Harold BloomThe Gnostic Gospels by Elaine PagelsGod is a Verb by David Cooper

Today's episode takes a look into the character and life of the Apostle Peter. Much is made of his ministry that has no home in either Scripture or authentic history, but we will dive into what can be known regarding him and his ministry God gave him. While he is clearly NOT the bishop of Rome or the first pope, what we learn of him is even more impressive: a humble man who has learned through his own fallibility to depend on the Lord all the more. Title: The Real Peter - the Apostle to the Jews Date: AD 30-65 Place: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Asia minor, and Rome Key Figures and Events: Peter, Simon Magus, Justin Martyr Documents of Significance: Acts, Galatians, 1st and 2nd Peter, Justin Martyr's 1st Apology Contact: churchhistoryandtheology@proton.me Want to Support the Show? If you'd like to help cover hosting costs, development, and general support of the show, you can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/churchhistory License: Church History and Theology is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. For full license details, please visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Under this license, you are free to download, copy, share, remix, and translate episodes. You must credit Church History and Theology, link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. These materials may not be used for commercial purposes.

Today's episode takes a look into the character and life of the Apostle Peter. Much is made of his ministry that has no home in either Scripture or authentic history, but we will dive into what can be known regarding him and his ministry God gave him. While he is clearly NOT the bishop of Rome or the first pope, what we learn of him is even more impressive: a humble man who has learned through his own fallibility to depend on the Lord all the more. Title: The Real Peter - the Apostle to the Jews Date: AD 30-65 Place: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Asia minor, and Rome Key Figures and Events: Peter, Simon Magus, Justin Martyr Documents of Significance: Acts, Galatians, 1st and 2nd Peter, Justin Martyr's 1st Apology Contact: churchhistoryandtheology@proton.me Want to Support the Show? If you'd like to help cover hosting costs, development, and general support of the show, you can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/churchhistory License: Church History and Theology is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. For full license details, please visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Under this license, you are free to download, copy, share, remix, and translate episodes. You must credit Church History and Theology, link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. These materials may not be used for commercial purposes.

Honored to have researcher and Gnostic priestess Billie Steigerwald at the Virtual Alexandria. We'll go deep into the Orphic underworld to procure the treasure guarded by the dragon-headed snake. This quest will entail understanding the Gnostic idea of evil, the cosmologies of luminaries like Simon Magus, and the influence of the Orphic/Elusynean mysteries on Gnosticism. And how Gnostic thought might be the originator of modern erotic and romantic love (despite or because of their alleged world-hating).Get Astro Gnosis 3 tickets: https://thegodabovegod.com/astro-gnosis-3/The Gnostic Tarot: https://www.makeplayingcards.com/sell/synkrasisHomepage: https://thegodabovegod.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aeonbyteAB Prime: https://thegodabovegod.com/members/subscription-levels/ Virtual Alexandria Academy: https://thegodabovegod.com/virtual-alexandria-academy/Voice Over services: https://thegodabovegod.com/voice-talent/ Astro Gnosis (Meet the Archons): https://thegodabovegod.com/meet-archon-replay/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/aeon-byte-gnostic-radio/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Me and⁠ Ben Kellog⁠ speak with writer/director Ben Hopkins (Inside (2023) w/ Willem Dafoe, Simon Magus, Lost in Karastan) on dialogue-free scripts, armageddon, and more For full episodes, resources, and more support the project on ⁠Patreon⁠

Join me for a reading and discussion of the second century text, The Acts of Peter

It is great to have Darren Lorente-Bull at the Virtual Alexandria to discuss his new work, Searching For The Divine Spark: A Brief History Of Gnosticism. Get ready for a rewarding primer on the Gnostics that brings the latest academic research and expertly explains the relevance of Gnosticism in modern times. From the Nag Hammadi library to Braudillard, from Simon Magus to Neo in the Matrix, you'll be nearer to understanding your Divine Spark in this tired, glitchy simulation.  Get the book: https://amzn.to/4cSweqEGet Astro Gnosis 3 tickets: https://thegodabovegod.com/astro-gnosis-3/The Gnostic Tarot: https://www.makeplayingcards.com/sell/synkrasisHomepage: https://thegodabovegod.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aeonbyteAB Prime: https://thegodabovegod.com/members/subscription-levels/ Virtual Alexandria Academy: https://thegodabovegod.com/virtual-alexandria-academy/Voice Over services: https://thegodabovegod.com/voice-talent/ Astro Gnosis (Meet the Archons): https://thegodabovegod.com/meet-archon-replay/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/aeon-byte-gnostic-radio/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Acts Timeline https://www.2belikechrist.com/articles/timeline-of-the-book-of-acts  Philip's unmarried daughters Acts 21:8-9 Philip the Deacon reflection w/Same As Apostle Arguments http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/264.html  Hermione, Eutychis, Irais, and Chariline https://www.markcarlson-ghost.com/index.php/2016/09/17/philips-daughters-prophets-names/  Hermione https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2022/09/04/102492-martyr-hermione-daughter-of-saint-philip-the-deacon Welcome to Popeular History, a library of Catholic knowledge and insights. As promised, this episode is going to be a bit of a roundup of extra stories and tidbits we have on some of our recent characters from outside the Bible. Let's start with our main man of late, a guy I really didn't think I'd be talking about this much but we are deacon oriented so I'm rolling with it, Philip the Deacon. The best extrabiblical tie-in point for Philip is actually in the canonical bible, where in an aside, Paul says the following, quote: "We reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied." (Acts 21:9) End quote. And that's it. Here we have four women with holy powers and no additional info apart from they're the unmarried daughters of one of the first deacons. You aren't going to find many prompts more ripe for fan fiction than that, and the early Christian community ran with it, naming the daughters Hermione, Eutychis, Irais, and Chariline, or some other set of names, it's inconsistent, but definitely they got names outside the bible and went off on adventures. They may have went on to be a source for a source for Eusebius, who can be described as the dominant early Church historian so we'll definitely be revisiting him in time. Philip himself is cited as the Protodeacon among the seven original deacons, the proto- part meaning first, kind of like how his colleague Stephen is referred to as the Protomartyr, though I suppose that application is more in terms of chronology than dignity. The title of Protodeacon does have a specific application in the College of Cardinals today, namely it's the Cardinal who has held the title of Cardinal-Deacon the longest. The protodeacon is normally the one who gives the announcement- Habemus Papam- "we have a Pope" when a new Pontiff is elected. I didn't come across any death tradition for Philip the Deacon, but I did find a site making an unexpectedly compelling case for identifying him with Philip the Apostle. Sure, the Apostles set up the deacons to allow themselves to get on with their apostling, but what if he was, like, an embedded supervisor? It would be fairly recognizable organizational move today and would match with the extra emphasis he receives, not to mention his extrabiblical protodeacon status. The lack of any apparent tradition regarding the deacon's death is to me the most compelling argument, usually there's *something* floating around about that. The biggest wrinkle is what we talked about yesterday, with the apostles kind of being needed to sign off on the baptisms of the Samaritans, you know, that discussion of confirmation. Anyways, when a saint dies–and pretty much everyone who believes in saints accepts Philip the Deacon as a saint–well, when a saint dies it's typical for the day of their death to go down as their feast day. I'm going to be talking a LOT about all sorts of things over the course of this podcast, but I won't be going into feast days much. They're easy to look up and can be tricky to explain accurately considering they can vary across traditions, or even within traditions as practices vary over time, and they can get bumped in certain years by other more significant dates, and I'd want to call out of they're based on something other than their date of death, all of which would be interesting if you were interested in feast days but extremely dry if you weren't. Really, there's plenty of material in feast days for their own podcast, and if anyone wants to take that on or has one to recommend I'll be happy to edit this to include a plug for that show, but in the meantime, no, I will not be focusing on feast days. Too easily findable elsewhere, and too derailing for our already very fragilly railed narrative. I'll simply be doing darn near everything else. Now, we've talked a lot about two out of the seven deacons; can extrabiblical tradition tell us more about the others? Yes, of course! But I'm not going to go into every detail various traditions have about everyone. Believe it or not, I didn't even do that for Philip. The high level takeaways are that four out of five of the remaining deacons were martyred, and the fifth, Nicolas, well he was actually suspected of being a heretic by two early big names in the Church, Saints Iranaeus and Hippolytus, both of whom we'll get to in time. You see, in Revelations 2, God, or uh, well, probably god? Revelations is a trip. Anyways, in Revelations 2 God makes it clear he really doesn't like the "Nicolateans", whoever that is. It does seem that they were a heretical Christian sect early enough to make it into the actual Bible, but that and the apparent name of their founder is basically all we have on them from the Bible. Outside the Bible, like I mentioned, Nicholas the Deacon is very much a suspect, and it probably doesn't help his case that his name not only matches the perp, but he was named last among the Seven, the same place of dubious honor Judas Iscariot once held among the Twelve. That's all for today. We're going to talk more about two characters we've discussed recently multiple times in due course, and we'll save them for those times. After all, Simeon Bachos the Eunuch traditionally founded a national church whose impact on Christian history is as extensive as it is unique, and Saint Paul is, well, Saint Paul. Similarly, I'll find other appropriate occasions to discuss the later lives and deaths of the Apostles we haven't already covered, in addition to letting Pontifacts take the lead on that, they have a series coming up, it will be exiting in a few months. And Cornelius, for his part, actually has surprisingly little to review, he traditionally wound up as a bishop, and that's about it. Which I make sound like nothing,  but it would have been a sign of his new life in Christ, just as it was for everyone else who wound up in leadership in the new Christian church. It certainly isn't nothing. Anyways, I believe that basically leaves us with Simon Magus, which is perfect. In our next narrative episode, we'll follow him to Rome, and as you might have guessed Rome is going to be our home base for the next two thousand or so years of narrative. Thank you for listening, God bless you all!

Acts Timeline https://www.2belikechrist.com/articles/timeline-of-the-book-of-acts  Acts 8:9-25 Good evening everyone, Just a quick update, the next couple episodes will be the next few promised installments in the big timeline project, episodes of which are now marked with a latin cross at the beginning of the episode name to make them easily identifiable, now including all such episodes released so far. For those episodes, remember they were originally put together for the daily format, so words like “yesterday” and “tomorrow” should be taken with a grain of salt, as the last such episode was in early October, and the next after these will be in 2025 at the earliest. Next month, which I guess is technically this month, I'm officially recording in March now, uh anyways later in March we've got some birthday interviews, and I'm going to let those carry the show until April, when the next worldbuilding Episode on the Gospel of Mark should be ready, followed by Luke in May and John in June. If I fall behind on that plan, don't be alarmed, that's life and there's a lot of life right now. No matter what, I'll have another update for you on June 29th, everyone's favorite feast day, and don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Cardinal Numbers. Anyways, for today, here's past me, going into a little more detail about the adventures of Saint Philip, the Evangelist! Welcome to Popeular History! My name is Gregg, and yeah, there are show notes these days. They have transcripts, and links! Lovely stuff. Anyways… Last episode we concluded our discussion of who can claim the status of the First Gentile Convert. If the Samaritans Philip had converted shortly after Stephen's stoning count- and to be clear as I previously argued I don't think they actually should, since Samaritans aren't normally considered gentiles, but if they do manage to count, then Simon Magus has a decent claim to be the first Gentile convert, as he was among those first recorded Samaritan baptisms.   Let's dive in, quote   "for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw." End quote   Now that's basically the part we covered last episode, but with the addition of Simon as a sorcerer. But wait, there's more! Quote:   When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit."   End quote   This is one of the key texts for the practice of the Sacrament of Confirmation, as it shows a separate reception of the Holy Spirit after baptism. It's also interesting to observe how the baptism was carried out by Deacon Philip, but the confirmation part seems to have required the presence of the apostles, the predecessors of the bishops. This matches current practice, where deacons- or really anyone in a pinch- can baptize, but confirmation is generally reserved to the bishop. In modern practice it might also be delegated to the priests, so maybe some of those priests who joined the Jerusalem Jesus club after Peter's Pentecost homily could have done in a pinch.   I also want to note that I saw some commentary suggesting Philip the Deacon was the same as Philip the Apostle, sort of an embedded agent among the deacons, but I think the way that all played out just now is an effective counterargument to that theory. There's a million Johns, why not multiple Philips?   Anyways, the next section is what Simon is most famous for and is where the practice of Simony- the selling of Church offices, blessings, and or pardons gets its name.   Quote   "When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”   Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”   Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”   End quote   Alright, so Peter condemns, and Simon Magus repents, and therefore the practice of Simony is ended for all time. Just kidding. Simony is one of the most popular pieces of corruption in the Church, and while being pretty consistently condemned it just keeps popping up. We'll even get to the point where the Papacy is effectively sold, and yeah, that's considered a low point, not to mention the way the apparent selling of forgiveness in the form of indulgences helped spark the Protestant Reformation. There was some fancy mental and theological footwork being done to argue that the whole indulgences thing wasn't *really* Simony, but the whole situation reeked of corruption and Europe exploded. Now look, it wasn't the only cause and I'm being needlessly dramatic here, but let me have this one because that was fun to say.   Speaking of things we can have fun with but should probably feel academically guilty about, I want to turn to some less generally reliable sources tomorrow. You know, the 3s, 4s, and 5s on our credibility scale. They've got more info on Deacon Philip, more info on Simeon Bachos- remember that's the Ethiopian Eunuch, a lot more info on Simon Magus, and heck, more info on Peter too, while we're at it. Of course I think the word "info" might be a stretch. Words. These sources have more words on those folks.   I'm sure tomorrow will be a banger as we dive onto the New Testament Apocrypha- and as we make our way to Rome!

Prophet Mohammed (pbuhaf) once said, that after Jesus, christianity broke into 3 sects, out of which only one was saved. On today's Episode of the School of Divine Mysteries, Aba Al-Sadiq (fhip) is joined with his special guest Tiffany, as they delve into this fascinating topic. Our journey begins in the dawn of Christendom, following the crucifixion and ascension of Jesus Christ, and the days that followed. 3 prominent figures appear in these early days of the Church, competing over the leadership of the congregation, namely Simon Peter, Saul of Tarsus and Simon Magus, each coming forward with their own claims. This episode will uncover, once again, how to find true guidance in every day and age, by holding on to the law of divine appointment, and ignoring all other claims.

“In the beginning God created…” Creation was covered in the last inversion with creation “out of nothing,” but there is more to be said about the verb “create” and how God creates. At this point, I will venture beyond the first verse of Genesis 1 (finally!). Here are the first three verses of Genesis, which are worth committing to memory:In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.The first thing to notice about this beginning, this creation, is that there is no battle or struggle. The maker here has no writer's block, no hand-cramping. He's not in a rush to complete the project. The painter doesn't run out of paint. He isn't interrupted by deliveries or doorbells or drop-ins. Neither is there any negotiation nor argument. No supply chain issues disrupt the critical path of keeping this building project on schedule. The flow of creation is gentle, as God simply states, “Let there be light.” No laser show or fireworks are needed. No soundtrack. No music video.God creates in peace. Most of all, we should notice that God is not attacked or killed or overthrown in any way. Why is that important? This inversion of a creation story flips the Greek, Sumerian, and other creation stories, which contain a battle, a struggle, or a war in which the victorious god “wins.” There is no struggle in Genesis. There is not even a competition of any kind. This is unlike the Sumerian, Norse, Greek, Minyong, Cherokee, and just about every other creation story. In other words, Genesis is about simple beauty, not struggle. Creation is an unfolding, not a mash-up. Consider the difference between humans constructing a building with metal, wood, cranes, and hard hats, versus a seed in soil receiving rain and growing into a flower. Jesus spoke of this when he compared Solomon's man-made opulence against a simple flower: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.” All that we can make pales to one of God's wild lilies. In the gentle act of creation, God merely speaks. “Let there be light” makes all other creation stories violent and slightly ridiculous. The false gods seem to be trying too hard. Against the beauty of “Let there be light,” the Sumerian story of Marduk's conquering of the primordial god reads like a cheesy TV drama, like Game of Thrones, or like the aptly named HBO series Succession. This is the inversion: a “succession myth” is built into nearly every pagan creation story, where the primordial god or gods fight, and the first gods are overthrown. These other creation myths tell of a victory that never happened. Genesis declares that there was no fight whatsoever. There wasn't even an argument or a dirty look. That's because there is only one God, the God Most High, the Author, the Creator, the Artist. Once again, Genesis calmly calls all other mythologies absurd - because they are. They may entertain us, but so does a gladiator fight, which doesn't make it right. James Joyce, who rejected the very God who gave him his great talent to write, knew much about the creation of literary works. In The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce wrote about a version of God that seems quite right and quite wrong at the same time:“The artist, like the God of the creation, remains within or behind or beyond or above his handiwork, invisible, refined out of existence, indifferent, paring his fingernails.” There is something wonderful about this quote and something false. The God who creates in Genesis does indeed remain within/behind/beyond/above his creation. Unlike human artists, he does not struggle in the act of creation, as it is a labor of love. When he completes the creation, he rests, like Joyce's image of the creator. I like the image of God seated in heaven “paring his fingernails,” even though he would not need to do so. Joyce is correct about God's presence and about his resting, but he makes an error in the middle where he says that God is “refined out of existence” and “indifferent.” In other words, Joyce's character is like Thomas Jefferson's view of God. He envisions God in the Deist view, like a clockmaker, who creates the heavens and earth and then moves on, not caring at all what happens to it. The God who creates in Genesis is not like that. He is not like the pagan gods who lust for power, nor is he like the Joyce version who creates and then drifts off distantly. This is indeed a central inversion to understanding the God of the Bible, in that when he speaks to create, he brings all things into being, and actively sustains the creation. While he could be “paring his fingernails” at rest, he is never indifferent or distant. He is an all-powerful creator who is also a loving Father, without being an overbearing one. Free will is granted to all, and free will often feels like a cross but is most assuredly a gift for those who read the Gospels to the end. In addition, the constraints of time and space, which seem a burden, are the teaching tools God uses to tame us after the Fall. The succession myths and science theories that throw out God only hurt us. God is fine whether we love him or ignore him. But when we do not conform our will to God's will, it is we who struggle, not God. In the Sumerian and Greek myths, the gods are paranoid about who will take their power. Even Zeus is sneaking around so Hera doesn't catch him. But the God of Genesis has no threats, no challengers, no contenders, no scolds, because God is like Joyce's all-powerful creator who is within/above/behind/beyond his creation. But he is not like Joyce's “meh” version of God who could care less about his work. This is the difference between human works of art versus human life - as in children. This is an important lesson for all those who dislike children but see their own lives as a work of art. The ultimate work of art is the generation of new life, and dying to self in favor of living to serve that life. To write a story is to create, but it is not new life. When I was young, I was obsessed with writing and publishing a novel. I succeeded. It sold about 4,000 copies. That was nice. But that creation now sits on a shelf and only comes to life if I open it, and I rarely do. Then I had children and realized that writing a novel is a dead letter compared to the work of a family. In other words, to see God as merely the writer of a story is to misunderstand the living and the dead. And James Joyce, who wrote a famous short story about “The Dead” was himself flatlined because he thought “to create” meant only writing, painting, and art alone. The greatest act of creation is life, and not just static art, but life that respirates and moves and sings and suffers. In other words, the greatest work of art respirates - it breathes - and creation comes through relationships we have with the living God and with one another. In particular, the total gift of self means handing over your whole life to God. In marriage that means being open to creating new life and serving others instead of the self. The Church is said to be the Bride of Christ, and he emptied himself to bring new life to all its members. God does the same through all creation, as life springs from his word. God calls us to life by speaking, not struggling. Jesus brought life to all the world starting with a small group of friends. They changed from ways of this world into saints by giving away their time and space to others, forgetting the struggle. With Jesus at the center, this shedding of struggle became possible. The only struggle in Jesus' earthly ministry happened when competition against God's will tried to insert itself: the Pharisees wanted control through rules, the Romans used brutal violence, James and John lobbied for top status in the kingdom, Peter was rebuked harshly when he tried to stop the path to the cross. Whenever anyone wants to make a name for himself, a struggle begins. This is a spiritual law, it seems, from the Tower of Babel to Pontius Pilate and Simon Magus. The opposite of serving is gaining a name for oneself, and those who gain fame by doing God's will tend to get new names, not from themselves but from God. Abram becomes Abraham, Jacob becomes Israel, and Simon becomes Peter. With their new name comes a mission of servitude, and status only comes with their dying to self. When Jesus says, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force,” he is talking about the status-seekers and the power-hungry who rule this world. To serve is to take the lowest seat, not the highest, and we should consider this whenever we admire celebrities, the wealthy, or the proud. When the guards strike Jesus, he opens not his mouth. Not once does Jesus attempt to make a name for himself. He repeatedly tells others not to announce what he has done. Healing in private he seeks no fame. This is exactly how God creates: in peace, in quiet. “Let there be light” makes no sound, it just happens. Thus, when the proud loudly mock God or take his name in vain, God allows them, for he has already won, and he just hopes his persecutors eventually stop trying to make a name for themselves and come to rest in his infinite peace. Surely when he watches us struggle, it must look foolish, since he wants us to partake in his divine nature, which does not struggle. The creation of life that God gives to the universe and each human body and soul composite is an act of love. Mothers and fathers can know this to a depth that can never be understood by the childless. Dog owners often think they understand what parenthood means, but they do not, and they sound silly when they attempt to conflate dog ownership with actual parenthood. Artists will often talk of their work as like that of a mother's love for a child. But they are ignorant of the depth of the Father's love for his children, or a mother's love for her child. The images of the Holy Family endure because that is the greatest work of art - a living family. We have a living family both earthly and spiritual. For we not only have an imperfect earthly father, we have the perfect heavenly Father who created our earthly father. Better still, we have our imperfect earthly mother, and our spiritual Mother of God, Mary, who Jesus stated from the cross for all people, “There is your Mother.” The God who created all is not an absentee deadbeat dad, he is near. Nor is he angry and controlling, he is simply calling us to listen and be listened to. In other words, there is no struggle in this relationship except for what we introduce to it. We bring the struggle. Because we chafe against our containment in time and space, we want to escape it and control it. Struggle ensues exactly when we deny God's will and try to make our own will the authority and power. This is a fool's game, but since the expulsion from the Garden we never tire of playing it until the invasion of grace enters our lives. When Jesus steps into our boat, as he did with Peter and Andrew, the struggle can end, if we let it. The creator of a work of art struggles and can love his book, painting, song, or statue that they “bring to life.” But it can never be alive like a child. A book or painting cannot bind you in flesh and bone like another person that was generated by yourself and another person. And here is where the Trinity can first be discussed (but not too much yet), because when God the Father creates, the Spirit hovers over the waters. To create is the act of love, and that which is created and living will be loved by the creator. I can be indifferent to a story that I wrote, or to a woodworking project that I complete, even if I am pleased with the result. But I cannot be indifferent to a child that is alive who came from husband and wife. This is why many parents seem somewhat insane: they love so deeply. They love so deeply that they err in strange ways. This is why the saying, “You're only as happy as your most unhappy child” hits the nail on the head for many mothers and fathers. The living creation that is generated by parents, from their shared bodies, can never be separated in a child. Genesis and Jesus both repeat: “…and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh.” In the same way, God loves us. The Trinity is a loving family of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the peak of love, at a greater depth, with rightly ordered balance. God does not try to control us, but allows us to err, with the hope that we will recognize the way back home. And since we are all children of God, can't we imagine how he feels when we ignore him? (We can't fully, but we can get an idea.) This is why the other creation stories feel like entertainment rather than truth. They are accounts of struggle, whereas the true God never struggles. To read the “struggle stories” of creation in the ancient world is to see what they valued, which was power. We do the same today. In poker, the big bank takes the little bank. In geopolitics, big armies and big navies control the shipping lanes. In the office, the loudest voice drives the agenda. The proud and violent “win” here, and for it, we all lose. Disorder comes from struggle and squabbling over scraps from a zero-sum game that doesn't need to be played. None of the power games we play come from God, but rather from our disordered will. What we consider creation is often destruction. Fortunately, Jesus shows us God: he is a humble servant, a loving creator, a living act of love who takes the last seat at the table. Real power is to be at rest amid the storm, like when Jesus slept in the boat that was about to capsize. The seas and the wind obey him. So should we. In America, “wealth creation” is worshipped, and the creation of wealth is an endless struggle. Yet if Jesus returned tomorrow, he would not come forth saying, “We must get the economy back on track.” The only economy of concern to God is the economy of salvation for our souls. That is the plan, and to carry out that plan we must stop struggling. But we celebrate struggle. Everything seems to be built around it today. We seek it out. Activists calling for permanent revolution crave a struggle. Sports is an endless invented struggle of those rising and falling. Cities and nations clamor for influence. We think we love struggle, but we loathe it because it is a trap. It is a container that we crawl inside, pull the lid down over ourselves, and suffocate under. We hate this competition and we want to rest, but for most of us, the draw of struggle pulls us into our own bad creation stories. Glory days and power plays are what gets remembered, not the quiet servant, the mother who made all the meals. What we should do is notice who is not struggling. God is not struggling. He is seated. After creation he is seated, not struggling, but also he is not indifferent. When people come to know the living God, who created all things, a sense of active participation in that peace comes to them, which is why St. Augustine's memorable line rings forever true throughout the centuries: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”In case you ever wonder why people like to kneel and pray in adoration chapels, or in the pews, it is because they are talking to the one that gives life, meaning, and rest. Once you come to see that the only place without struggle is at the center, at the source, from whom all things are generated, then the attraction of the struggle in this world makes little sense. Aside from needing our daily bread, the struggles of our world have come from sin. To sin is to struggle. Once again, Jesus said, “Consider the lilies of the field who neither toil nor spin.” We have rational souls, yet we should look to the lily, or the ant, for models of living in our bodies, and for our spiritual example we must look to God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - for how not to struggle but to find peace. How is it that God does not struggle? He is without pride or fear. Only we who have fallen know pride, vanity, and sensuality, and that is the source of all struggle. Sin is the absence of God. When we sin we reject God in favor of our pride, vanity, or sensuality. In choosing to sin, we choose disorder and struggle. But we do not harm God when we turn away. There is nothing that can harm God or overtake him. He does not force us to love him, but he invites us to do so. God is not “containable.” The great error is thinking that he can be contained, tricked, or boxed in. God is uncontained. His creation is an unending relationship and conversation. He creates with a living, breathing, moving, open heart toward us all. He is uncontained because he's not in competition with anything, including us. When I was in high school, I was putting dishes away one day in cupboards and drawers, and it dawned on me that everything had a container. Forks go into a drawer, but within the drawer, there is an organizer. Within the drawer container, was another container for holding the forks. I began to look around and saw that everything I did was moving things from one container to another. The world seemed to one big Containment Management System, as I would wake up in the house container, go to the shower container (containing the water) and eat breakfast moving many containers to and fro, and then get in the car container to go to school, then go into the school container, in the classroom container, and with my backpack container, I would open up my books which contained words. In this theory of containment, I realized that if I go very close with a microscope, there are smaller and smaller containers, from cells to molecules to atoms to protons. And all of these contain smaller things. Likewise, if I back up from my containers and look up, there are more containers, like the earth, the solar system, the galaxy, and the universe. So as far as my finite mind could understand, the largest container was the universe, and beyond that wall, our material selves could not go. But then there were containers for immaterial things as well, like ideas, as we categorize things as Platonic forms or mathematical constants or schools of thought. There were numbers that had rules of containment from Euclid to Einstein. There were stories that had beginnings and endings, like virtual bookends. Even our imagination is contained by time and space. This fed into a period when I discounted all spiritual things, where anything immaterial was not real, like feelings or opinions. Only scientific evidence made for knowledge. Right around that time, I became very depressed as well, as I had rejected God's existence. But I did have one realization at that time when I was looking at forks and drawers and atoms and planets. A question came to me:What would it mean to be uncontained? I felt as if this was like Zen koan, a question like “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” To be uncontained was to be free, completely elevated outside of time and space. And who could be like that? Who could always be in that place of no struggle? I know who it is. Whenever I thought of what that must feel like to be truly uncontained, without the aid of mood-altering things, I recalled a day when I was working on a farm one summer, leaning on a gate at the end of the day after making silage, watching the cattle toss the fresh, green food up in the air and onto their backs, almost joyfully, as the sun set in the big orange horizon beyond the silo silhouette. It was one of those moments where the body was tired but fulfilled and I knew that dinner would be good because I'd worked for my daily bread, and the music of the spheres, and the harmony of nature, all seemed to be flowing in concert, and I've never seen anything so true, good, and beautiful in my whole life. That day I felt uncontained basking in the beauty of creation. I had other moments like this, such as when my children were born, where the impossible occurred. There have been quite a few times like when I would be out on a long bike ride at dusk and stop for a drink of water near a cornfield, or when I would look at the stars on the hood of my car in high school with my friends, or when I hold my wife's hand, or when I listen to certain songs, or when I look at certain Caravaggio paintings like “The Conversion of St. Paul.” To be uncontained is impossible for me. I can not stay there. But I can be there from time to time. Like Mary Magdalene at the tomb, I can witness the glory, but cannot hold fast to it while I'm in this world. In these moments, I realized something that seemed profound (at the time):God is that which is uncontained. God is the only thing that is uncontainable. This is why God does not struggle. This is why he rests. Can we ever be uncontained? The answer is yes. We can partake of the divine nature. What the Eucharist means in the life of a Catholic is just this. For those who believe, receiving Communion is just what it means: we commune with God. We partake in the divine nature. In other words, we partake in the uncontained wonder and awe of the creator of the universe. Critical to the understanding of the Eucharist is that we are not God, but we are made in the image of God, and our life is entirely about moving back into his uncontainability. The key is to remember that I am not God - I am contained, but by partaking in his nature, I can be more like him, and in heaven I will be fully with him again, for we came from the uncontained and can return there - and someday we will return if we remain in his grace, for “by your endurance, you will gain your soul.” But like every original thought I've had, I found out later that my idea of uncontainment was not original at all. In St. Augustine's Confessions, Book 1, Chapter 3, the heading is: “Everywhere God wholly fills all things, but neither heaven nor earth contains Him.”Those who understand what the Catholic Church teaches have known about this notion of uncontainment for millennia. Sometimes I see Church Fathers use the term uncircumscribed, which is like saying uncontained. But most importantly for this inversion, this is why the God of the Bible is different from all the other gods. All of the gods of myth are within time and space. Even if they are in the heavens, they struggle. God does not struggle, he creates, even though he did not have to create. He chose to do so out of love, and it is only we, the fallen, who choose struggle. Because our pride, vanity, and sensuality fool us we believe that struggling against each other will gain us a higher place, but when we struggle we dig our graves. In making a name for ourselves, we will be forgotten by God on the last day. In struggling, we lose our peace and rest, because it takes our focus off of what is most good, what is the highest good, which is God, the uncontained creator who does not struggle, ever. Like the loving father in the parable of the Prodigal Son who runs out to meet his wayward son upon his return, he calls to us, he runs out to meet us, and when we return he fills us with a wealth beyond human understanding. And that is why we are here in this world as we are: we are not kicked out of the Garden as a punishment, we are kicked out for our own good, so that we may come to know God and return to him of our own free will. He invites us but never forces our hand. He calls, never coerces. He is beyond all things and sustains all things, which is why we cannot run from God. All that we create that is not living becomes rusted, corroded, and overtaken by time and nature. Every ancient temple and city dedicated to the false gods has turned to dust, just as every skyscraper, stadium, and data center today will turn to dust. Every mascot and corporate logo will be as powerless and meaningless as the eagle of Rome or the oracle at Delphi. We are passing by on our way to an eternity in one of two places. Like a bird flying by a window, our time is brief, our stay here is short, and all that we create will fade, no matter how we struggle to maintain a sense of security. The pages in books we write will turn yellow, the machines will fall into disrepair and sit like rocks. But the life we create can create more life, as the generations continue. This is why a child who plays a video game is disengaged, while a child who catches a fish is full of wonder. One is playing in the world that God created, and the other is playing in an artificial world that a programmer created. Likewise, this is why a reader of Joyce may experience something like transcendence, but a reader of the Bible (and especially the Gospels) experiences something alive. Joyce could write a book, but his book cannot generate life. But those who approach the Bible as the written word of the uncontained God who created all things and does not struggle will find life. Yes, it is a strange book that can bring a robotic modern person back to life. Interestingly, Joyce's most famous short story was called “The Dead” which referred to Jesus' saying, “Let the dead bury the dead.” This was a reference to spiritual death. When Jesus said that he is the vine, the bread of life, and the living water, he was telling us to plug into God. He was notifying us that struggling and floundering only happen when you desire something more than God. You will forever be searching and struggling until you come to realize that there is only one path to the end of struggle, and that is the path back home to God. Jesus reminds us: “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” He has created the world, overcome it, and rests, waiting for us to recognize his ever-present voice. When we find him, in those moments, we will want to stay there and never leave. In the Eucharist at Holy Mass we can partake in the uncontained. Jesus is there - truly present under the appearance of the bread and the wine. Again, Mary Magdalene at the tomb wants to stay with the risen Lord forever, but she cannot. She has to move forward, and moving forward she is full of life, she is changed. Her sadness is swept away upon seeing the risen Jesus. How can that be? Because she is no longer struggling, and her sorrow turns to joy. She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:11-18)And then, once we meet him, after he surprises us, we know beyond our worldly containers what is true, good, and beautiful. He invites us into that peaceful present. Then our pain and sorrow become strangely redemptive. Coming to know how he does not struggle, we can do likewise. We can go to the chapel in the heart even when a church is nowhere near. As St. Paul said, we can pray constantly, and thus be with the one that is forever uncontained by time and space while we work and live here - for the kingdom of God is among us - in relationships, not in art or status or stuff. Once we recognize our relationship to God, we know the Father, and we know our mother Mary, and we become connected to the angels and saints - including Mary Magdalene, who will pray with you if you but ask for her intercession. Then like God, we do not have to struggle. For God alone is uncontained. And God alone satisfies. Further reading:* The Bible's Conflict-Free Creation Story* How God Redeems Pagan Imagination* St. Augustine and Cosmology* Creation in Genesis 1:1-2:3 and the Ancient Near East: Order out of Disorder after Chaoskampf - “The background of the Genesis creation story has nothing to do with the so-called Chaoskampf'myth of the Mesopotamian type, as preserved in the Babylonian "creation" myth Enuma Elish. In Gen 1, there is no hint of struggle or battle between God and this tehom—water.”* Chaoskampf - Good overview of myth systems that assume a struggle, but the article misses the inversion of Genesis entirely. God does not struggle. He just creates. He orders. There is no rival. Even Leviathan is God's plaything or pet (Psalm 104). The ancient dragon, the devil, is cast down to earth like a swatted fly falling to the floor (Revelation 12:9). He was never a threat to God, never a contender, rather just a rebel and nuisance to the good of creation, as he still is for us today. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whydidpetersink.substack.com

An interview with Dr. David Litwa The strange story of Simon in the Bible illustrates the uncomfortable truth that Christianity seems to reinvent itself when it defines itself in opposition to its perceived enemies. In this biblical account, Simon (later called Simon Magus) appears to have been repenting properly from his mistake of offering to pay for the spiritual instructions, when Peter lashed out at him harshly. Litwa thinks the Acts of the Apostles was written many decades after the struggle between Simon of Samaria and Peter, and the author of Acts appears to have used a document known as “Simon and the Great Declaration,” for a source. This earlier Simonian document, written by Simon's followers, refers to him as Simon Christ, concurring with Simon's own declaration of his equality with Christ. Such a move would have put him in direct competition with Peter and in opposition to the objectives of the author of Acts to position Peter as the head of the Christian movement.

Scripture Reading: Acts 8:1-25 And Saul agreed completely with killing him.Now on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2 Some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was trying to destroy the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.4 Now those who had been forced to scatter went around proclaiming the good news of the word. 5 Philip went down to the main city of Samaria and began proclaiming the Christ to them. 6 The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, as they heard and saw the miraculous signs he was performing. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, were coming out of many who were possessed, and many paralyzed and lame people were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.9 Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. 10 All the people, from the least to the greatest, paid close attention to him, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called ‘Great.'” 11 And they paid close attention to him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they began to be baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed.14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 These two went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit. 16 (For the Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans, and they received the Holy Spirit.18 Now Simon, when he saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power too, so that everyone I place my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you because you thought you could acquire God's gift with money! 21 You have no share or part in this matter because your heart is not right before God! 22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that he may perhaps forgive you for the intent of your heart. 23 For I see that you are bitterly envious and in bondage to sin.” 24 But Simon replied, “You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.”25 So after Peter and John had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many Samaritan villages as they went.Main ThemesSaul—An IntroductionLuke introduces Saul at the end of chapter 7. Spoiler alert: Saul is the man that becomes the Apostle Paul—one of the central figures of the New Testament. So, we should spend a few minutes thinking about him.Luke introduces Saul like he does Barnabas, initially as a minor character to acclimate the reader. Nevertheless, we should ask, why would Saul be present during Stephen's trial before the Sanhedrin?Although we cannot know for sure, the most likely explanation is that Saul of Tarsus was a member of the radical wing of the Hellenist synagogue mentioned in Acts 6:9. Perhaps Paul was even one of those Jews who unsuccessfully challenged Stephen (see Acts 6:10).We are also told that the witnesses who testified against Stephen “laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.” This probably symbolizes recognition of Saul as a leader. This is surprising because Saul is described as young. We will discuss this more in a minute. First, let's see what more we can learn about Saul from Paul's letters.Paul claims to be a Pharisee (Philippians 3: 5). Pharisees existed exclusively or almost exclusively in Israel, especially in Jerusalem. At the same time, his letters reveal comfort with Greek and thorough familiarity with the Septuagint. For one who spent enough time in Israel to be a Pharisee, this Greek aptitude also suggests an educated and hence economically stable family in urban Jerusalem. He could either be from a Diaspora Jewish family that settled in Jerusalem, be an aristocratic Pharisee like Gamaliel (whose family taught Greek), or both.The portrait of Saul as zealous for the law to the point of persecuting the church perfectly fits Paul's frequent summary of his preconversion past. Paul also tells us he “was advancing in Judaism beyond many of [his] contemporaries” (Galatians 1:14). Partly, this was probably because he studied under the esteemed teacher Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Nevertheless, the Acts narrative makes clear that Saul's strategy regarding competing sects is quite different to his teacher's. (This was not unusual in the ancient world. Wealthy families would send their children to study with renown teachers without expecting that the children would adopt all the teacher's beliefs.)As I mentioned above, Saul is “young.” What does this mean? Scholars differ on the precise sense of the term, and for good reason: various ancient sources employ it differently. Some sources define it as anyone from 24 to 40 years of age, others, ages twenty-one to twenty-eight; yet the term could also be applied to someone under twenty. Some Jewish pietists felt twenty was the age when a youth could discern morality on his own. For the rabbis and presumably most Jews, personal moral accountability began especially around age thirteen.Given Saul's role here, he is probably not a young adolescent merely beginning studies with Gamaliel or some other teacher. Instead, he has probably finished his studies. I think we can safely speculate Saul was somewhere in his mid-twenties to very early thirties.Achieving leadership at his age would be difficult, since those who were young might have trouble gaining respect (in Israel and elsewhere). Young men were expected to have some limitations, for example, Classical Athens considered those below thirty to be young and hence easily misled and ineligible to sit in the city council. Nevertheless, exceptions were sometimes appropriate, and some young men were allowed to lead. This could result in self-assurance on the part of the youth and envy and animosity on the part of other members of the community.That the most violent zeal would be associated with a young man would not surprise ancient hearers (or today's readers). This zeal could be used by the older leaders. Some elders might have allowed the younger hotheads to take care of details, while the elders maintained their own dignity.Chapter 8—IntroductionChapters 6 and 7 focus on Stephen, one of the seven so-called deacons. Chapter 8 focuses on another one of these leaders: Philip. Stephen lays the groundwork by teaching that God is not bound to the sacred land or the temple. Philip implements the vision by evangelizing Samaritans and the first fully Gentile convert, an African official.Recall the words of Jesus at the very beginning of Acts, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Philip reaches both Samaritans and a representative from the “ends of the earth.” (Geographically, Philip advances the gospel north to Samaria and south to Africans.)Persecution and ScatteringSaul persecutes the church harshly. The effect of the persecution, however, is the dispersing of the church, fulfilling Acts 1:8 more fully but in a manner undoubtedly not expected by the apostles. This outcome testifies to God's sovereign activity even through opposition. Let's consider these points further.Saul's persecution of the church is undoubtedly historical. Paul himself admits participation in violent persecution of Christians, mentioning it regularly in his letters (1 Cor 15:9; Gal 1:13; Phil 3:6).The persecution has the effect of scattering “all” except the apostles. A major interpretive crux in this passage is what Luke means by “all.” Few scholars take “all” literally, and most assume that the object of the persecution was the Hellenists. This proposal is also unlikely. If only the Hellenists were scattered, saying “all the church” is an unusual way to specify this. Moreover, this view is based on an incorrect (and now outdated) assumption that Hebrews and Hellenists had large theological differences regarding the temple.So what does “all” mean? “All the church” is surely hyperbole, which is a typical use of the word “all” by Luke (e.g., Luke 1:6; 2:1; 5:17; Acts 1:1). Nevertheless, it clearly conveys the idea that a large number of Christians left Jerusalem. There is no indication that any particular group of Christians was more prone to flee. (We could speculate that more Hellenist Christians left Israel than other Christians. The story focuses on Hellenists moving to the Diaspora. Moreover, Hellenists may have had more connections outside Israel, making the move easier.)We should also ask, why are the apostles explicitly excepted from the scattering? Maybe Saul avoids persecuting the apostles because of his teacher Gamaliel's words in their favor (recall Acts 5). Maybe Saul respected them as miracle-working men. Both of these proposals seem unlikely because in the ancient world ringleaders would be persecuted first. The more likely explanation is the apostles remained and went “underground.” (Notice the text does not say the apostles escaped persecution. It only says the apostles remained in Jerusalem.)Sometimes we forget the sacrifice made even by the Christians who fled. Some of them would have abandoned property, probably permanently as it could have been deemed legally abandoned or been confiscated. Confiscation was often concomitant with other criminal sentences.Saul persecuted believers from house to house. Homes were viewed as private. Persecuting someone at home was more grievous than public arrest. Persecuting someone at home intruded upon the domestic sphere, associated with women. In the ancient world, women were less often punished than men, but exceptions were made, including times they were killed for their husbands' rebellion.The term used to describe Saul's persecuting activity was a strong term that could apply to torture, military devastation, or outrages.Mourning and Burying StephenWith all this in mind, we should notice the courage of those who bury Stephen. Helping a prisoner or otherwise identifying with a condemned person could be dangerous. The fact that Stephen's burial was allowed is not surprising. For Jew and Gentile alike, to be left unburied was a horrific fate that was rarely imposed upon anyone. Jews did not believe in withholding burial for any circumstances. It contradicted their law (Deuteronomy 21: 23). However, the fact that Stephen's death was allowed to be mourned is surprising. Jewish tradition, at least as we know it from later evidence, did not permit open mourning for those executed by approval of a Jewish court. If that later evidence is representative of Stephen's time, then the open mourning is evidence that the Sanhedrin did not intend to execute Stephen immediately. It was an unofficial lynching that ended his life.God's Use of PersecutionSaul's persecution of the church lead to Philip's ministry and that of untold scattered believers. Saul was a vessel of God before he was ever Paul, though an unwitting agent who merited destruction. (In the Old Testament, God used Assyria and Babylon as his “clubs” to punish the wicked, although Assyria and Babylon were also wicked and were eventually judged.)Scattering from Jerusalem as a result of Stephen's persecution proved a major factor in spreading the Jesus movement. Nevertheless, this was probably unexpected for the apostles and early church. As we have discussed throughout Acts, the Old Testament prophesied that through Israel all the nations would be blessed. But early Jewish Christians probably guessed that Gentile nations would be drawn to Israel's exalted glory after it accepted its Messiah. Instead, as we can see in retrospect, God's plan was accomplished through Israel's rejection of its Messiah.A Samaritan TownPhilips goes to a Samaritan town or, as our translation puts it, “the main city of Samaria.” As the NET translators acknowledge, the word “main” is not in the text—they provide it for clarity. Moreover, the authenticity of the definite article “the” is debated. So, the text either reads “the city of Samaria” or “a city of Samaria.” The NET translators think the city described is Sebaste.The main city of Samaria most likely refers to the principal city of Samaria, rebuilt by Herod the Great as Sebaste in honor of Augustus . . . . This is the best option if the article before “city” is taken as original. If the reading without the article is taken as autographic, then another city may be in view: Gitta, the hometown of Simon Magus according to Justin Martyr . . . .Most scholars reject the Sebaste proposition. Luke always uses “Samaria” for the region of the Samaritan people and Sebaste was a Gentile city.SamaritansThe significance of Philip's activity in Samaria this will be lost on us if we do not discuss who were the Samaritans. As one website explains:After King Solomon ruled over the Israelites—God's people—the unwise actions of his son Rehoboam in the tenth century BC led to a schism in which the kingdom was split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, each with its own king.Both kingdoms devolved into corruption and sin, despite repeated warnings from prophets sent by God. Thus, God warned, they would be overtaken by conquerors. The northern kingdom fared worse than the southern kingdom, with a long line of wicked rulers. It didn't help that the temple, where God's people were to worship, was located in the southern kingdom. In 721 B.C., the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians. Many of the people of Israel were led off to Assyria as captives, but some remained in the land and intermarried with foreigners planted there by the Assyrians. These half-Jewish, half-Gentile people became known as the Samaritans.Because of their shared heritage, Samaritans worshipped the same God as Jews and shared roughly the same Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament). Also because of this shared heritage, Samaritans were not Jews but were not Gentiles either. For example, Josephus once refers to them as Jewish apostates. A major point of contention between Samaritans and Jews concerned their respective holy sites. Samaritans regarded Gerizim as the holiest of mountains, not Jerusalem. The Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim was destroyed in 128 B.C.It is this proximity yet distinctiveness between the two groups that fueled competition and animosity. Jewish people did not think highly of Samaritans and did not trust them. Jewish tradition indicates that hostilities had begun immediately after some Jews returned from the Babylonian exile. A story goes that Samaritans convinced Romans to prevent Jews from rebuilding the temple in Hadrian's reign. The hostilities reached a boiling point when, according to a Jewish report, some Samaritans in the early first century defiled the Jerusalem temple one night with human bones. This provided the reason for Jews prohibiting Samaritans' attendance at the Jerusalem Passover.Samaritans' very insistence to be descendants of Israel rendered their temple all the more suspect to Jews. Some Jews extended more leeway to Gentiles, but if Samaritans were truly Jews, then they should worship nowhere else but the temple.Keep this in mind when you read that Philip proclaimed Christ to them. You mean, without serious catechism first? Without teaching them and requiring them to acknowledge the true temple? The true Judaism? The true people of God? To embrace Samaritans “as they were” was to agree not to make the temple or Jerusalem—the cornerstones of the Jewish faith—matters of division.To add further shock and scandal, Samaritans were baptized! Why is this surprising? Recall from our prior discussions of baptism, that despite the many water purification rituals practiced by Jews, full-immersion baptism was reserved for proselyte Gentiles. The early church, following the footsteps of John the Baptist, seems to have repurposed this ritual to signify full conversion and acceptance into the Christian faith—even when coming from Judaism. Because Samaritans were already circumcised (remember, they were not Gentiles), Jewish baptism would have been inappropriate for them. So, this is Christian baptism that is in view. What we have here is Philip welcoming Samaritans to the true faith by baptism without requiring Samaritans' confession of loyalty to the Jerusalem temple versus their heretical allegiance to Mount Gerizim. Philip successfully evangelized Samaritans with the good news of the kingdom and Jesus Christ.Samaritans Expected a MessiahWould the idea of a Christ-figure make sense to Samaritans?Samaritans may have heard Philip's preaching in terms of their own traditions of the Taheb—the Samaritan concept most equivalent to the Jewish Messiah. Yet, these two concepts were not the same. Samaritans did not speak of a Davidic Messiah or of an anointed, messianic agent but of the Taheb, the “Restorer.” He would be like Moses. He would rule. He would restore the era of divine favor that had ended after Moses.The text does not indicate that Philip corrected the Samaritan tradition. Perhaps the text is simply omitting those discussions for the sake of brevity. But, considering the vehement differences between Jews and Samaritans, one might conclude that Philip did not attempt to convince the Samaritans about the Jewish concept of Messiah. Instead, Philip may have repurposed their expectation of a Restorer to explain Christ. If so, this has missiological implications.Miracles and ExorcismsAs we have read in Acts about other bold proclaimers of the gospel, Philip performed miracles. We are told he healed many paralyzed and lame people. Philip probably healed other conditions too, but cases of paralysis were the most dramatic and noteworthy examples.Philip also performed exorcisms. Ancients accepted the possibility of exorcisms, as do many people today. The “loud shouts” of the unclean spirits fit Jesus' experience.As Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man from the town met him who was possessed by demons. For a long time this man had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house, but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and shouted with a loud voice, “Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I beg you, do not torment me!” Luke 8:27-28Exorcisms feature in stories from the early church. For example, Irenaeus attests that many nonbelievers in his day became Christians after experiencing successful exorcisms. Exorcisms also feature prominently in modern day stories. For example, John Wesley (the co-founder of the Methodist movement) was reported to have cast out demons from those involuntarily possessed, yielding deliverance. Pentecostal and charismatic churches report this kind of activity constantly. Many missiologists do as well. Surely some of these exorcism reports are false, but almost as certainly some are true. The Bible undeniably speaks of spiritual realities.The Holy Spirit In a rather strange turn of events, the Samaritans “accept the word” (Acts 8:14) and are baptized (Acts 8:12), yet they do not receive the Holy Spirit. Particularly in the letters of Paul (but, truly, in all other New Testament author's letters), conversion and receiving the Spirit are simultaneous if not synonymous. Was the Samaritans' conversion defective? If so, the text does not even hint as much. At the same time, we must grapple with the fact that Peter and John travel together to Samaria to convey the Holy Spirit. Before we get deep into pneumatology, let's acknowledge what seems evident in the text.The apostles and church in Jerusalem seem compelled to certify that the propagation of the Jesus movement to Samaritans is genuine. This may have been for the benefit of Samaritans but also (and perhaps particularly) for the Jerusalem church. Is God acting outside of Israel? Only one way to find out.I think we can also say with confidence that the text makes clear that the Holy Spirit is of paramount importance to “complete the mission.” God's ratification of his kingdom and promises is the Holy Spirit.Now to the controversy. For whatever the reason, the Spirit is apparently received subsequent to conversion in the Samaritan story. This has occasioned considerable discussion. Historically, various groups have advocated a second experience of the Spirit, often citing this passage, including Anglo-Catholics and Catholics with their views of confirmation; Puritan and Reformed Sealers; Wesleyan and Holiness groups; and classical Pentecostals. Yet, most Christians would agree that the Holy Spirit is received, at least in some sense, at conversion or baptism.In Acts, we see both a reception of the Spirit at conversion and a later, empowering reception of the Spirit.I will not attempt to settle the debate. Instead, I will point out a few things that I think are worthy of consideration. Suggesting that the Samaritan conversion was incomplete until they were visited by apostles is a hard position to hold. One must claim that a person can embrace God's message joyfully, believe, and be baptized yet require the imposition of apostolic hands to produce genuine conversion. (I cannot think of a single Christian denomination that believes in laying of hands for conversion.) Moreover, the apostles accept the Samaritans' conversion instead of rebaptizing them. There is no hint in the text that the conversion is defective or incomplete. (Some argue that initially when Samaritans “believe,” it only means intellectual assent. But Luke does not normally use the word believe in that sense.) Finally, we should not assume that all spiritual realities must behave according to unbendable norms. For example, people who lie to the church today do not drop dead like Ananias and Sapphira. Modern preachers do not walk the streets healing the lame and paralyzed. Perhaps the granting of the Spirit to Samaritans was delayed for a specific an unusual purpose. The fact that Luke mentions that Samaritans did not receive the Spirit at baptism suggests that was the normal expectation. The most common and plausible explanation is that God waited for apostolic ratification to maintain the unity of the Jerusalem and Samaritan churches.As a side note, notice the exciting challenge presented by telling true stories. Other New Testament writers address the Spirit theologically, always connecting the Spirit to conversion. Luke recounts not simply the theological ideal but the experience of early Christians. He is the only New Testament writer to do so. Therefore we should weigh his narrative seriously. (I am not suggesting Luke's superiority to other New Testament writers or that there is contradiction between them. What I am saying is that when we address a topic in abstract terms, we might unintentionally convey a sense of simplicity and uniformity that is not consistent with experience.)As a closing note, modern theological discussion about timing can distract us from hearing Luke's own theological emphasis. Few expected the Spirit to be conferred widely in this age, still fewer through these human agents, and—worst of all—Jewish people had no expectation that this would happen among Samaritans!Simon the SorcererIn chapter 8, we read of a man named Simon. “Simon, who had been practicing magic and amazing the people of Samaria, claim[ed] to be someone great” (Acts 8:9). The narrative presents Simon as similar to Philip in many ways. Here is a chart provided in Craig Keener's commentary on Acts: Simon and Philip are similar yet very different, much like a hero and villain in a comic book. The key contrast between Simon and Philip is that Simon claims to be someone great, seeking his own status, while Philip acts only “in the name of Jesus.”Such contrast between true and false sign-workers evoke biblical portraits of Moses confronting Pharaoh's magicians and Elijah confronting the false prophets on Mount Carmel.When Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, they did so, just as the Lord had commanded them—Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a snake. Then Pharaoh also summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the magicians of Egypt by their secret arts did the same thing. Each man threw down his staff, and the staffs became snakes. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted. Exodus 7:10-13Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? If the Lord is the true God, then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word. Elijah said to them: “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. Let them bring us two bulls. Let them choose one of the bulls for themselves, cut it up into pieces, and place it on the wood. But they must not set it on fire. I will do the same to the other bull and place it on the wood. But I will not set it on fire. Then you will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the Lord. The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God.” All the people responded, “This will be a fair test.” 1 Kings 18:21-24Modern people (Christians included) may be surprised to find out that encounters like that of Philip and Simon are still very much reported today. In fact, Missiologists often cite the relevance of “power encounters” for reaching cultures that affirm superhuman powers.Magic vs MiraclesBy the way, how do we distinguish magic from miracles? I think we often read Simon's story and some similar tales in the Bible but do not stop to ask this question. The difference is not always clear, but we can point to some distinctions. Magic generally seeks to manipulate spirits or forces whereas religion and miracles do not. Magic is generally used for selfish purposes, although miracles (such as those of healing) could be accused of the same. Nevertheless, the broad distinction remains, i.e., whether people believed that the power was used for personal advantage or the common good. (This might evident as a practical matter: did the sorcerer or miracle-worker expect payment?) Ancient peoples often used another criterion: supernatural activity in alien groups was magic, while supernatural activity in their own group was not. This last subject standard to differentiate magic and miracles is not particularly useful.I think the first distinction is the most important: is the supernatural event the result of an “adept” who is able to manipulate the world, including its spiritual and divine realities. If it works like a science of the supernatural, in which specific requirements must be met to achieve a result, then it probably falls under the category of magic. The socioreligious context is helpful in determining whether a supernatural event is magic or not. Recall the miracles of Jesus. The sociocultural context was Jesus preaching about the one true God and his imminent kingdom. The context makes clear that the miracles are brought upon by God—neither nature nor God are being manipulated into bringing upon the supernatural events.We should also note that ancient peoples often recognized magicians as charlatans. Sadly, we often speaks of ancient peoples as naïve idiots who believed any superstition. This was not the case.One last point on magic: how did Jews view magic? In Acts 8:9 and 11, Luke seems to employ a pejorative word for magic, associated with Medo-Persian astrologers and diviners who were often considered quacks or viewed negatively. The word also ties to the story of Daniel 2, which portrays these magicians as fraudulent or powerless. Nevertheless, some Jews had embraced magic—even if magic was condemned in the Old Testament and by many rabbis. Jewish sources sometimes associated magic with fallen angels or Satan. Some rabbis embraced magic as the science of their era.Simon's WickednessI think a key fact to understand the interaction between Philip, the apostles, and Simon, is what exactly Simon claimed to be. Simon claimed to be someone “great” (Acts 8:9). This word by no means necessarily implies a divine title, but it is consistent with one. We gain more insight from the people calling him “the power of God that is called ‘Great'” (Acts 8:10). Potentially, this could be translated as “the Great Power of God.” So, many scholars believe that Simon was not simply claiming to be someone great in a generic sense but to be divine.One could retort: surely Samaritans were not calling Simon divine. They were monotheistic! Yes, Samaritans were monotheistic and intensely religious. However, they were also hellenized, a hallmark of which was religious syncretism. By this point in their history, Samaritans may have assimilated other deities and viewed Simon as one of them (or at least an avatar of one of them).Before we review Simon's falling from grace, figuratively speaking, let's remember his believing into grace.Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed. Acts 8:13Perhaps Simon was not converted to begin with. Nevertheless, we are told he “believed,” no different (at least in language) than the other Samaritans. How are we to make sense of this? We could consider a recurring theme in the gospels, particularly in John: faith in response to signs is only the most basic level of faith. Persevering faith is the kind of faith that really matters. We might also recall the parable of the sower.Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil. They sprang up quickly because the soil was not deep. But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered. Other seeds fell among the thorns, and they grew up and choked them. But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. The one who has ears had better listen! Matthew 13:3b-9“So listen to the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; this is the seed sown along the path. The seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. But he has no root in himself and does not endure; when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth choke the word, so it produces nothing. But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:18-23Regardless of whether Simon was a true believer or not, upon the apostles visit to Samaria, Simon somehow “saw” that people received the Spirit, and this reception was dramatic enough to provoke his desire for the gift. Simon offered them money for the gift. I think everyone, at a gut level, recoils at the thought. Should the gift of communion with the one and only good and gracious God be something to buy and sell? Absolutely not. It is inconceivable.At a worldview level, Simon and the apostles are at odds. Simon seeks a power he can manipulate and that could lead to personal advantage. Philip and the apostles act only on behalf of (in the name of) God. The apostles will tolerate no syncretism and chastise Simon severely. They tell Simon that anyone who thinks he can purchase “God's gift” fundamentally misunderstands God. Simon is urged to repent—to truly convert. Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, early church fathers, claimed to know Simon's fate. According to them, Simon did not convert.As the sin of Ananias could have marred the reputation and effectiveness of the early church if not confronted and terminated, Simon presented a similar threat. Simon responds with a request for prayer. There are similar scenes in the Old Testament in which those confronted with judgement asked a godly man to pray for them, the hope being that God would hear a holy man's prayer. At least once the prayer was effective:When the king heard the prophet's message that he had cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam took his hand from the altar and pointed it saying, “Seize him!” Then the hand that he had pointed at him stiffened up, and he could not pull it back. Meanwhile the altar split open, and the ashes poured from the altar in fulfillment of the sign the prophet had given with the Lord's message. The king responded to the prophet, “Seek the favor of the Lord your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored.” So the prophet sought the Lord's favor and the king's hand was restored as it was at first. 1 Kings 13:4-6We do not have Peter's response to Simon's request for prayer. However, Simon's issue does not seem like the type of problem that someone else's prayer could “fix.”In Acts 8:25, concluding Luke's section on the Samaritan mission, the apostles follow Philip's example. This makes clear that salvation has truly gone out to Samaria.

Walter Veith is available at ⁠Amazing Discoveries⁠ This is from Walter's ⁠Total Onslaught⁠ Series. Published Sep 29, 2011 This is episode 2 of 35. ~~~ Follow Christ's footsteps through ancient Israel and get an insight into the life of Jesus in this remarkable remake of Christ's journey. This episode takes a visual journey through ancient Palestine retracing the steps of the Master and highlighting His great teachings such as the Sermon on the Mount. The life and ministry of Christ, His birth, and death on the cross are portrayed in multimedia format in a thought-provoking study. You will enjoy this look into the life of Christ. ~~~ Intro [00:00] Church of Nativity [5:30] Milk Grotto [13:00] Mary & Joseph Journey to Egypt [15:26] The Dump City [19:49] Jerusalem [26:20] Temptations of Jesus [31:15] Peter or Simon Magus? [38:43] Where Jesus Preached [42:50] Seven Trails of Jesus [1:03:07] Pilate's stone [1:09:45] The Suffering of Jesus [1:10:21] Via Dolorosa (Golgotha) Catholic vs Jewish [1:11:53] Inside Catholic Golgotha [1:13:18] Why it can't be the real Golgotha? [1:15:36] Golgotha [1:16:12] God is love [1:17:30] Garden Tomb [1:17:45] Mount of Olives [1:21:00] Golden Gate [1:21:25] Pictures of Historical Places [1:23:09] ~~~ Watch more: https://adtv.watch/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Official... Visit our website: https://new.amazingdiscoveries.org/ ~~~~~~~ From ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Be Good Broadcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ I just rebroadcast publicly available content of those spreading The Word Propagate it. Share it. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Me My ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Please Rate or Review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/begoodbroadcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/begoodbroadcast/support

Gnosticism has manifested in American culture in disturbing and amazing ways. And it's more predominant than you can imagine. Get ready to savor some gringo Gnosis, whether in the literature of Herman Melville, Cormac McCarthy, Philip K. Dick, and other literary giants; or in socio-political movements, alternative Christian factions, and the Western/Noir genres. From the founding of the USA to The Matrix, Simon Magus and Helen secretly rule North America.Astral Guest – Dr. Arthur Versluis, author of American Gnosis: Political Religion and Transcendence and Professor and Department Chair of Religious Studies in the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University.Homepage: https://thegodabovegod.com/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aeonbyteAB Prime: https://thegodabovegod.com/members/subscription-levels/Virtual Alexandria Academy: https://thegodabovegod.com/virtual-alexandria-academy/Voice Over services: https://thegodabovegod.com/voice-talent/Astro Gnosis (Meet the Archons): https://thegodabovegod.com/meet-archon-replay/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/aeon-byte-gnostic-radio/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Conversion of Ethiopian Eunuch: Acts 8:12 Samaritan Newsletter Online http://www.thesamaritanupdate.com/  Samaritan Museum https://samaritanmuseum.com/  Some Ethopian Eunuch commentary https://www.americamagazine.org/content/good-word/acts-apostles-online-commentary-25  Welcome to Popeular History, a library of Catholic knowledge and insights brought to you daily. My name is Gregg, yes there are more transcripts in the show notes again, that's going to be an ongoing thing, and last episode we concluded our discussion of Philip's baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch, making the case that it should almost certainly not be considered the first baptism of a gentile, though it very likely did represent the baptism of someone very much on the fringe of the Jewish world. Today we look at a group on that fringe that Philip had actually baptized earlier: the Samaritans. If being on the fringe counts, they should get credit over Simeon Bachos, the Ethiopian Eunuch. What, did you think the guy had no name? Of course he had a name, it just wasn't recorded in Acts, more on that later. But enough about him, he got two whole episodes and now this aside to boot. Let's get on to the Samaritans Philip baptized in Acts 8:12.   Samaritans have always had a complicated relationship with Jews. You see, the Samaritans claim to be the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, returned to the land after they were exiled by the Assyrians. The fact that they're best known as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel and not the Ten Found Tribes of Israel gives some hint as to what the Jews thought of such claims.   In the First Century, there were a pretty good number of Samaritans around, and like our friend the Eunuch they appeared to operate on the edge of Jewish society. Even today that's still the case, and yes it turns out there are still Samaritans around today- 874 of them as of 2022 be precise. That number is actually up from around 100 as of 1700. Anyways, while both these Samaritan converts and the Ethiopian Eunuch are decent enough candidates for secret third and Fourth thing options, I am actually going to argue neither of them makes the cut for being the first Gentiles brought into the Church. After all, the Rabbis of modern Israel consider the Samaritans Jews, though with some caveats, and I already made my arguments about the Ethiopian Eunuch.   So what's our secret fifth thing that's the real, real, *real* answer then? Well, keep in mind there definitely seemed to be a lot of gentiles kicking around when the Holy Spirit got everyone in the splash zone speaking in Tongues at Pentecost, but I'd say that's a bit of an exception itself since no baptism was involved and it's hard to argue someone is suddenly a Christian when they really have no idea what's going on and are likely very confused. Not exactly a recipe for a vibrant spiritual life in the absence of further faith formation, in any event. If we look back even further, before there technically was a Church at all, it seems highly likely that John the Baptist would have baptized a few gentiles, or at least some liminal characters like eunuchs and Samaritans. But when we've reached John we've really gone too far back. Fundamentally the question is who was the first gentile to be baptized in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit, which I expect was not the exact recipe John was using though who knows, maybe it was. Either way John was just too early, I'm definitely keeping the start date for Church History as Pentecost.   So who was the first gentile baptized?   Look, in the end, it was probably someone completely lost to history. Jesus told the Apostles to Baptize all the nations, and then the Apostles ran off to the four corners of the Earth to fulfill the Great Commission. They weren't as worried about keeping good records as they were about winning souls for Christ before the world ended, and Christ had already told them the present generation would not pass away before that time came, so the clock, as they understood it, was ticking. There have now been tens of billions of Christians throughout history, most of them gentiles, and those gentile Christians had to come from somewhere. Somewhere along the way the first gentile was baptized, and I'm willing to pick the year 100 as a guess for when gentile Christians started to outnumber Jewish Christians. Once the ball got rolling, despite various tensions, it wasn't going to stop. We'll revisit both Jewish Christians and Judaism in future episodes, but I promise this is the last time you'll hear me give my thoughts and theories on the first gentile convert. Let's put that milestone in Church history behind us. We're gonna take a break for the weekend, with our Saturday modern cardinal and our encyclopedia Sunday, but then, tune in on Monday as we turn to look at Simon Magus. Thank you for listening; God bless you all!

Today we turn to Acts 8 in our study of the Key Chapters of the Bible. This passage records the expansion of the Gospel into Samaria and how Simon Magus had false faith. It's a helpful passage for many questions of theology and we hope you join us! Check out our Bible Study Guide on the Key Chapters of Genesis! Available on Amazon! To see our dedicated podcast website with access to all our episodes and other resources, visit us at: www.keychapters.org. Find us on all major platforms, or use these direct links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6OqbnDRrfuyHRmkpUSyoHv Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/366-key-chapters-in-the-bible/id1493571819 YouTube: Key Chapters of the Bible on YouTube. As always, we are grateful to be included in the "Top 100 Bible Podcasts to Follow" from Feedspot.com. Also for regularly being awarded "Podcast of the Day" from PlayerFM. Special thanks to Joseph McDade for providing our theme music.   

Pastor Nick considers what John and Peter's interaction with Simon Magus teaches us about the gospel. 

Simon Magus - in Acts 8-1-24 was an unsaved man, the Scriptures say he was in the gall of bitterness, and his heart was not right with God and he was in the bonds of iniquity, and showing no sign of repentance towards God. Such are the lost men of this world but the Lord saves His people and sets them free.

In a triumphant finale to season 1 of Vayse, Hine and Buckley talk to one of their favourite mega-brains of the paraweirdpodosphere, Sequoyah Kennedy of the Nonsense Bazaar podcast. The conversation wanders into some favourite topics of the Nonsense Bazaar including Saint Germaine, To the Stars and the Lavenda agenda and then deep into more personal matters such as Sequoyah's self-guided magical practice, his encounters with supernatural beings and his love of freaky modular synths... (recorded 19 July 2023) Thanks to Keith for the show notes which have, again, gone above and beyond the call of duty! VYS0025 | Truth with a Capital "T" - Vayse to Face with Sequoyah Kennedy Sequoyah Kennedy/Nonsense Bazaar/Willow Truman links Sequoyah Kennedy's Twitter (https://twitter.com/sequoyahkennedy) The Nonsense Bazaar website (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/) The Nonsense Bazaar Twitter (https://twitter.com/nonsensebazaar) The Nonsense Bazaar Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thenonsensebazaar/) Willow Truman's Twitter (https://twitter.com/WillowTrueman) Willow Truman's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/willowtrueman/) Atlas Aruba Bandcamp page (Willow's music) (https://atlasaruba.bandcamp.com/) Biosphere 2 links Wikipedia Article on Biosphere 2 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2) Biosphere 2, website (https://biosphere2.org/) The Nonsense Bazaar, Episode 03: Biosphere 2 Part I - A Johnny Dolphin Production (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/ep-03-biosphere-two-part-i-a-johnny-dolphin-production/) The Nonsense Bazaar, Episode 04: Biosphere 2 Part II - Ecological Thing (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/ep-04-biosphere-two-part-ii-ecological-thing/) Eight go mad in Arizona: how a lockdown experiment went horribly wrong, Guardian article (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jul/13/spaceship-earth-arizona-biosphere-2-lockdown) Spaceship Earth, Biosphere 2 official trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGvYFB6GHRY) Biosphere 2: Our World, footage shot during the two-year mission (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4DX994NonE) Jack Parsons links Wikipedia Article on Jack Parsons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Parsons) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 42: Jack Parsons Part I - The Suicide Squad (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/uncategorized/42-jack-parsons-part-i-the-suicide-squad/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 43: Jack Parsons Part II - Io Pan! (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/uncategorized/43-jack-parsons-part-ii-io-pan/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 44: Jack Parsons Part III - Babalon (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/uncategorized/44-jack-parsons-part-iii-babalon/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 45: Jack Parsons Part IV - Ad Astra, Per Aspera (To the Stars, Through Hardship) (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/uncategorized/45-jack-parsons-part-iv-ad-astra-per-aspera-to-the-stars-through-hardship/) Oneida Community links Wikipedia Article on Oneida Community (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oneida_Community) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 47: The Oneida Community Part I - Free Love and Bible Communism (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/uncategorized/47-the-oneida-community-part-i-free-love-and-bible-communism/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 48: The Oneida Community Part II - Like Sand Through the Hourglass (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/uncategorized/48-the-oneida-community-part-ii-like-sand-through-the-hourglass/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 49: The Oneida Community Part III - Whoops, We're a Sex Cult (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/uncategorized/49-the-oneida-community-part-iii-whoops-were-a-sex-cult/) Harry Horse/Drowned God links Wikipedia Article on Harry Horse (Richard Horne) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Horse) Wikipedia Article on Drowned God (video game) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drowned_God) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 10: Harry Horse and Drowned God Part I - The Life and Death of a Prankster (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/10-harry-horse-and-drowned-god-part-i-the-life-and-death-of-a-prankster/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 11: Harry Horse and Drowned God Part II - The Drowned God (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/11-harry-horse-and-drowned-god-part-2-the-drowned-god/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 40: Harry Horse and Drowned God Part III - A Conversation With a Man in a Gray Suit (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/uncategorized/40-harry-horse-and-drowned-god-part-iii-a-conversation-with-a-man-in-a-gray-suit/) “I AM” Activity Movement and related links Wikipedia Article on “I AM” Activity (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22I_AM%22_Activity) Wikipedia Article on Guy Ballard (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Ballard) Wikipedia Article on the Ascended Masters (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascended_master) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 22: The Ascended Masters, An Inquisition Part 0 - Prelude (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/22-the-ascended-masters-an-inquisition-part-0-prelude/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 23: The I AM Activity Part I - Saint Germain's Cup of Cream (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/23-the-i-am-activity-part-1-saint-germains-cup-of-cream/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 24: The I AM Activity Part II - Death Blasts Over the White House (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/24-the-i-am-activity-part-ii-death-blasts-over-the-white-house/) Other Selected Nonsense Bazaar Episodes links The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 94: The Tin Man (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/94-the-tin-man/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 65: Fae Encounters in the Modern World (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/65-fae-encounters-in-the-modern-world/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 100: The Bomb (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/100-the-bomb/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 75: NLP: Scumbag Magic That Works! (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/75-nlp-scumbag-magic-that-works/) Twin Peaks links Wikipedia Article on Twin Peaks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Peaks) Twin Peaks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lswSE-W1sC8) Other book links Time Loops: Precognition, Retrocausation, and the Unconscious (https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/time-loops-precognition-retrocausation-and-the-unconscious-eric-wargo/1974052?ean=9781938398926) by Erik Wargo Six Ways: Approaches & Entries for Practical Magic (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9780999356609/Ways-Wachter-Aidan-0999356607/plp) by Aiden Wachter Taoism (Daoism) links Wikipedia Article on Taoism (Daoism) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism) Wikipedia Article on the Tao Te Ching (Dàodé Jīng) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching) The Tao Te Ching (https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/tao-te-ching-stephen-mitchell/2400764?ean=9780711212787) - Translated by Stephen Mitchell Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching: A Book about the Way and the Power of the Way (https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/lao-tzu-tao-te-ching-a-book-about-the-way-and-the-power-of-the-way-ursula-k-le-guin/4364056?ean=9781611807240) by Ursula K. Le Guin OCD link Wikipedia Article on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive%E2%80%93compulsive_disorder) MKUltra/Stargate Project/Psychic Spies links Wikipedia Article on MKUltra (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MKUltra) List of 149 MKULTRA Subprojects, Illuminati Rex website (https://www.illuminatirex.com/list-of-mkultra-subprojects/) Operation Midnight Climax: The Sub-Project of MKUltra You Didn't Know About, Grunge article (https://www.grunge.com/622346/operation-midnight-climax-the-sub-project-of-mkultra-you-didnt-know-about/) Wikipedia Article on the Stargate Project (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargate_Project) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 57: America's Psychic Spies Part I: CIA Man (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/57-americas-psychic-spies-part-i-c-i-a-man/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 58: America's Psychic Spies Part II: Galactic Barbecue (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/58-americas-psychic-spies-part-ii-galactic-barbeque/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 59: America's Psychic Spies Part III: Goblin Mode (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/59-americas-psychic-spies-part-iii-goblin-mode/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 75: NLP: Scumbag Magic That Works! (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/75-nlp-scumbag-magic-that-works/) The Mojito Tapes Vol 1 (life requires a hiatus, but we shall return) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqMRu7kAhes) Human Potential Movement links Wikipedia Article on the Human Potential Movement (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Potential_Movement) Wikipedia Article on The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Institutes_for_the_Achievement_of_Human_Potential) Robert Anton Wilson/Cosmic Trigger/Reality tunnels/Guerrilla ontology links Wikipedia Article on Robert Anton Wilson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Anton_Wilson) Cosmic Trigger I: The Final Secret of the Illuminati (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/cosmic-trigger/author/robert-wilson/) by Robert Anton Wilson Wikipedia Article on Cosmic Trigger: The Final Secret of the Illuminati by Robert Anton Wilson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_Trigger_I%3A_The_Final_Secret_of_the_Illuminati) Wikipedia Article on Reality tunnel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_tunnel) Introduction to Reality Tunnels: A Tool for Understanding the Post-modern World, Medium article (https://medium.com/reality-tunnels/introduction-to-reality-tunnels-a-tool-for-understanding-the-postmodern-world-72cdd98af9d0) Wikipedia Article on Guerrilla ontology (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_ontology) Robert Anton Wilson & Guerrilla Ontology, New Dawn Magazine article (https://www.newdawnmagazine.com/articles/robert-anton-wilson-guerrilla-ontology) Vayse VYS0023: Mercurial, Mutable, Mysterious Something - Vayse to Face with Paul Weston (includes discussion of Cosmic Trigger) (https://www.vayse.co.uk/vys0023) Magic / Psychology / Schizophrenia / Psychosis and related links Wikipedia Article on Psychological theories of magic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_theories_of_magic) Magical thinking in individuals with high polygenic risk for schizophrenia but no non-affective psychoses—a general population study, Nature article (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01581-z) The Meaning of Magic: The psychology and philosophy of magic, Psychology Today article (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/202008/the-meaning-magic) The thin line between magick and psychosis?, Reddit thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/chaosmagick/comments/c6ob7o/the_thin_line_between_magick_and_psychosis/) Wikipedia Article on Set and Setting (psychedelic drug experience) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_and_setting) Initiation in Shamanism and Western Mystery Traditions links Ancient Shamanism: Looking at Illness as Initiation, Wellcord article (https://wellcord.org/2021/10/01/ancient-shamanism-looking-at-illness-as-initiation/) Shamanic Initiation and the Legacy of Suffering, Huffington Post article (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/shaman-initiation_b_916400) Towards a Definition of Initiation: Emic and Etic Views of Initiation in the Western Mystery Tradition by Jeffrey S. Kupperman, Michigan State University paper (http://esoteric.msu.edu/VolumeVI/Initiation.htm) Penny Royal/Oakwood NHIs link Penny Royal Season One, Episode Seven: The Game (includes Dan Dutton relating his possible encounter with non-human intelligences at Oakwood Hospital, Kentucky, in the 1970s) (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1424386/6002143-season-one-episode-seven-the-game) Israel Regardie/Therapy and Magick links Wikipedia Article on Israel Regardie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Regardie) If you've never been to therapy, you're probably not ready for Magick, Reddit thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/chaosmagick/comments/m0j485/if_youve_never_been_to_therapy_youre_probably_not/) Hat Man/Dark Man/Shadow People/Sleep Paralysis links The Hatman Project website (https://thehatmanproject.com/) Shadow people, Psychonaut Wiki page (https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Shadow_people) Wikipedia Article on Sleep paralysis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis) VYS0021 | Song of the Dark Man - Vayse to Face with Darragh Mason (https://www.vayse.co.uk/vys0021) Lost objects and pendulum dowsing link Find lost objects with pendulum dowsing, Friendly Specter article (https://www.friendlyspecter.com/find-lost-objects-with-pendulum-dowsing-the-ultimate-guide/?expand_article=1) To The Stars Academy/Tom DeLonge/Hal Puthoff/Jim Semivan links Wikipedia Article on To The Stars (company) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_the_Stars_(company)) Wikipedia Article on Tom DeLonge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_DeLonge) Wikipedia Article on Harold ‘Hal' Puthoff (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_E._Puthoff) Ex-CIA Officer's (Jim Semivan's) Alien Encounter: ‘There Is Non-Human Intelligence Living With Us On Earth', How and Whys article (https://www.howandwhys.com/ex-cia-officer-jim-semivan-there-is-non-human-intelligence-living-with-us-on-earth/) Peter Levenda and related links Wikipedia Article on Peter Levenda (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Levenda) Peter Levenda - To The Stars*, Sekret Machines, The Occult, Non-human Intelligence, video interview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONsita8Hk4c) Wikipedia Article on Sekret Machines: Gods, Man, and War (book) by Tom DeLonge and Peter Levenda (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sekret_Machines%3A_Gods) Sekret Machines: Gods, Man, and War (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31019581455&searchurl=ds%3D20%26kn%3DSekret%2BMachines%26sortby%3D17&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-title1) by Tom DeLonge and Peter Levenda Wikipedia Article on Simon Necronomincon (grimoire) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Necronomicon) Dead Names: The Dark History of the Necronomicon (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/dead-names-dark-history/author/simon/) by Simon The Gates of the Necronomicon (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/gates-necronomicon/author/simon/) by Simon Sinister Forces Book One: The Nine (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/isbn/9780984185818/) by Peter Levenda Sinister Forces Book Two: A Warm Gun (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/isbn/9780984185825/) by Peter Levenda Wikipedia Article on Si-Te-Cah (Tribe of red-haired giants) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si-Te-Cah) The Secret Temple: Masons, Mysteries, and the Founding of America (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?isbn=9780892541881&n=100121501&cm_sp=mbc-_-ISBN-_-new) by Peter Levenda The Angel and the Sorcerer: The Remarkable Story of the Occult Origins of Mormonism and the Rise of Mormons in American Politics (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30668135356&cm_sp=det-_-bsk-_-bdp) by Peter Levenda Stairway to Heaven: Chinese Alchemists, Jewish Kabbalists, and the Art of Spiritual Transformation by Peter Levenda (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?isbn=9780826428509&n=100121501&cm_sp=mbc-_-ISBN-_-new) Wikipedia Article on Simon Magus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Magus) Wikipedia Article on Saint Peter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter) Wikipedia Article on the Acts of Peter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Peter#:~:text=The%20Acts%20of%20Peter%20is,of%20Peter%20with%20Simon%22).) Wikipedia Article on Gnosticism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism) Unholy Alliance: A History of Nazi Involvement with the Occult (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/isbn/9780892541904/) by Peter Levenda Hellier/Allen Greenfield links Wikipedia Article on Hellier (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellier_(TV_series)) Hellier website (https://www.hellier.tv/) Hellier Season 2: Episode 7 - The Trickster (feat. Allen Greenfield) (https://www.hellier.tv/the-trickster) Allen Greenfield's Twitter (https://twitter.com/allengreenfield) Vayse VYS0010: Amazing Stories - Vayse to Face with Dr Allen Greenfield Pt 1 (https://www.vayse.co.uk/vys0010) Vayse VYS0011: Weird Tales - Vayse to Face with Dr Allen Greenfield Pt 2 (https://www.vayse.co.uk/vys0011) UFO/UAP / Disclosure / Project Blue Beam and related links Wikipedia Article on The X-Files (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X-Files) The X-Files (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufg0N-Q_R9o) Wikipedia Article on Extraterrestrial UFO Hypothesis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterrestrial_UFO_hypothesis) Wikipedia Article on Jacques Vallée (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Vall%C3%A9e) Wikipedia Article on Close encounter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_encounter) Wikipedia Article on UFO conspiracy theories: Disclosure (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_conspiracy_theories#Disclosure) ‘We're done with the cover-up': UFO claims to get their day in Congress, Guardian article (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/21/ufos-congress-alien-house-committee-whistleblower?ref=upstract.com) ‘Non-human intelligence': Schumer proposes stunning new UFO legislation, The Hill article (https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/4101345-non-human-intelligence-schumer-proposes-stunning-new-ufo-legislation/) Wikipedia Article on Serge Monast (Project Blue Beam) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serge_Monast) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 12: Project Blue Beam (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/12-project-blue-beam/) ‘That person is not real' plane rant / Exo-Biospheric-Organisms Reddit thread links "That Person Is Not Real"; Plane Woman, Know Your Meme summary (https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/that-person-is-not-real-plane-woman#) ‘I worked as a molecular biologist for a national security contractor in a program to study Exo-Biospheric-Organisms (EBO)', Reddit thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/14rp7w9/from_the_late_2000s_to_the_mid2010s_i_worked_as_a/?utm_name=web3xcss) Truth, belief and related links The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 104: Lies in the Sky! The Balloon Hoaxes of 1844 and 2009 (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/104-lies-in-the-sky-the-balloon-hoaxes-of-1844-and-2009/) UAPMax website (https://uapmax.com/) Wikipedia Article on Post-truth politics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-truth_politics) Cult Thinking and How to Avoid It, CrimeReads article (https://crimereads.com/cult-thinking-and-how-to-avoid-it/) The Corkboard Bizarre, Nonsense Bazaar Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/posts/corkboard-1-70300957) The Difference between Objective and Subjective Truth & the Illusion We All Believe, Learning Mind article (https://www.learning-mind.com/objective-subjective-truth-difference/) Spirit Box S2 #14 / Joshua Cutchin on Ecology of Souls (https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/spirit-box/s2-14-joshua-cutchin-on-CF1BuhExPa7/) H.P. Lovecraft/Rhode Island links Wikipedia Article on H.P. Lovecraft (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft) Wikipedia Article on Providence, Rhode Island (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Providence,_Rhode_Island) Son of Providence: The weird legacy of H. P. Lovecraft (https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/providence-h-p-lovecraft/index.html) Wikipedia Article on The Colour Out of Space (short story) by H.P. Lovecraft (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Colour_Out_of_Space) The Complete Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft (https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-complete-fiction-of-h-p-lovecraft-h-p-lovecraft/3855341?ean=9780785834205) by H. P. Lovecraft Vayse VYS007 link Vayse VYS0007 - Too Much to Dream Last Night (in which Hine relates his weird experience in the woods on the Solstice) (https://www.vayse.co.uk/vys0007) Lyra 8 synthesizer link Lyra 8 description, Soma Laboratory website (https://somasynths.com/lyra-organismic-synthesizer/) Tarot and related links Wikipedia Article on Tarot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot) Tarot and Qabalah: A Guide, article by Rachel Anne Williams (https://orderoftarot.com/tarot-and-qabalah-complete-guide/) Wikipedia Article on Thoth Tarot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoth_Tarot) Wikipedia Article on Aleister Crowley (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley) Wikipedia Article on Thelema (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelema) Wikiepdia Article on Music theory, Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_theory) Wikiepdia Article on 777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/777_and_Other_Qabalistic_Writings_of_Aleister_Crowley) Wikipedia Article on Sigils (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigil) Count of St Germain and related links Wikipedia Article on Count of St Germain (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_of_St._Germain#Theosophy) Wikipedia Article on Nyarlathotep, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyarlathotep) Wikipedia Article on The Doctor (Doctor Who) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doctor_(Doctor_Who)) Wikipedia Article on St Germain (musician) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Germain_(musician)) St Germain (Toaru Majutsu no Index character) (https://toarumajutsunoindex.fandom.com/wiki/St._Germain) Wikipedia Article on Bugs Bunny, Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugs_Bunny) AP Strange, blog (https://www.apstrange.com/) Wikipedia Article on Saint Germain Foundation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Germain_Foundation) Saint Germain Foundation, website (https://www.saintgermainfoundation.org/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 20: The Count of St Germain (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/20-the-count-of-st-germain/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 31: Nesara: Saint Germain's Infinite Monkey Cheat Code (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/31-nesara-saint-germains-infinite-money-cheat-code/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 52: The Saint Germain Foundation (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/uncategorized/52-the-saint-germain-foundation/) The Nonsense Bazaar Episode 76: The Saint Germain Foundation Part II (https://thenonsensebazaar.com/listen/76-the-saint-germain-foundation-ii/) Bring Me the Head of the Comte de Saint-Germain (role-playing game) (https://atlas-games.com/product_tables/AG6046) American Psyop podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/american-psyop/id1652143101) Wes Clark Jr Twitter (https://twitter.com/WesClarkjr) and blog (https://wesclarkjr.com/) Wikipedia Article on Enoch (Patriarch) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoch) Rabbits podcast (https://www.rabbitspodcast.com/) The Council of Nine, article by Wes Penre, originally from Fortean Times 126 (https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/esp_sociopol_council9_01.htm) Wikipedia Article on Charles Webster Leadbeater (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Webster_Leadbeater) Wikipedia Article on Sovereign Military Order of Malta (Knights of Malta) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_Military_Order_of_Malta) Wikipedia Article on Theosophy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosophy) Hyperstition: An Introduction, Nick Land interview (https://www.orphandriftarchive.com/articles/hyperstition-an-introduction/) Orbs/OBOLs/Pukwudgie and related links Orbs, Paranormal Encyclopedia article (https://www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com/o/orbs/) Phil Legard's Twitter (https://twitter.com/larkfall) Phil Legard's blog (https://larkfall.wordpress.com/) Wikipedia Article on Will-o-the-wisp (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp) Wikipedia Article on Pukwudgie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pukwudgie) Sequoyah's recommendations links Wikipedia Article on Dune (novel) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel)) Wikipedia Article on Dune Messiah (novel) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_Messiah) Wikipedia Article on Children of Dune (novel) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_Dune) Wikipedia Article on God Emperor of Dune (novel) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Emperor_of_Dune) The Great Dune Trilogy: The stunning collector's edition of Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune (https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-dune-trilogy-the-stunning-collector-s-edition-of-dune-dune-messiah-and-children-of-dune-frank-herbert/2133988?ean=9780575070707) by Frank Herbert God Emperor Of Dune (https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/god-emperor-of-dune-the-inspiration-for-the-blockbuster-film-frank-herbert/2383376?ean=9781473233805) by Frank Herbert Wikipedia Article on Tabletop role playing game (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabletop_role-playing_game) Best tabletop RPGs 2023, Games Radar article (https://www.gamesradar.com/best-tabletop-rpgs/) Kelly Bear's Youtube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/@lilpinkbear) Special Guest: Sequoyah Kennedy.

Welcome Garry Stevens of the History in the Bible Podcast (https://www.historyinthebible.com/) to talk about the folks whose solemnity we observe today, Peter and Paul! Plus, the early days of the See of Rome, through Clement! In other news, popeularhistory.com is now live, and from now until I am called before the Just Judge, you can expect daily content on this feed! More on all that tomorrow! Also, patreon is now live! Patreon.com/popeular LIBER PONTIFICALIS SECTION MENTIONED: http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/liberpontificalis1.html From the Liber Pontificalis on Peter: "Here he ordained two bishops, Linus and Cletus, who were to present all the priestly service in the city of Rome to the people or to those who came; and blessed Peter was busy in prayer and preaching, instructing the people. 4 He had many discussions with Simon Magus, both before Nero the emperor and before the people; as those whom the blessed Peter gathered to the faith of Christ, he separated them by means of magic and deception. And when they quarreled longer, Simon was slain by a divine nod. 5 He consecrated the blessed Clement as bishop, and entrusted him with the arrangement of the chair or the whole church, saying: "Just as the power of binding and loosing was entrusted to me by my Lord Jesus Christ to govern, so I also entrust to you as the orderer of the various causes by which the ecclesiastical act is carried out." and you are by no means found devoted to the cares of the world; but try to devote yourself only to prayer and preaching to the people."  

Bad ideas are like the many-headed hydra. When one head is cut off, two more spring up. Just when Arianism is getting cured, Nestorianism boils over, and when that pimple is taken care of, Monophysitism appears on the body of Christ, and when the ointment for that is applied, a side effect called Monothelitism develops. And even after resolving these things, they come back, but at least the Church has a cure on the shelf for each of these conditions. They come back in odd and interesting ways, and some heresies like Arianism or sola scriptura take many centuries to fade out. Sorry, did I say fade out? They never fully disappear. Arianism was addressed in 325 at the Council of Nicaea, and a modern version of it is visible in humanism. Sola scriptura was addressed in the Council of Trent in the 1500s, yet the circular logic of that idea keeps every dog chasing its tail. Today, a person could spend every waking minute refuting heresies because it's all over in the language of believers and non-believers. Arguing over these errors make little impact, since those who openly reject official Church teaching have adopted their own authority, either in scriptural interpretations, or in their own mind. The old errors are so commonly held and pronounced, that I can't listen to modern music for an hour without recognizing at least one heresy. I think Luke Bryan is the Pelagius of Country Music, but he is just one of many. A good series would be doing a close-reading of errors in Luke Bryan's greatest hits, because you can find so many heresies passed off as wisdom or truth in his lyrics. It's not just him, so I don't mean to single him out. But we live in an age of various common errors, most commonly, Protestantism, Gnosticism and Pelagianism, which are big words, but with basic problems when we examine them as practiced in the real world. This is why the word “Christian” is so smashed up, misused, and abused that it now looks like the car in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles at the end of the movie. If you think this is false, check out /r/Christianity on reddit.com. It is chaos. That subreddit should be changed to /r/tohu-wa-bohu, which is the Hebrew word for chaos before God created order in the universe. Pope Pius X famously called modernism “the synthesis of all heresies,” and the Protestants posting on social media does us the favor of proving it beyond the shadow of a doubt. You could play Heresy Bingo and have a winner before finishing the first post's comment section. Reddit's generic /r/Christianity feed is like a slop bucket. It's remarkable to read comments there from self-professed Christians, because few seem aware of the first fifteen centuries after Christ's death, and it's not clear they realize that there was a Church operating before the year 2020. So there are many bizarre versions of Christianity floating around, and I used to think that nothing could outdo the “snakes and orgies” crowd that 60 Minutes did a show on many years ago, but I've been proved wrong repeatedly in recent years, as the heresies have erupted in denominations that once seemed to have a reasonable grip on doctrine. But churches like the ELCA and Methodists and even the “cool” Catholic churches have been caught up in the spirit of the times, and thus they will die like dandelions when the autumn of this culture comes, which is always sooner than we think. You cannot get to liturgies featuring drag queens or celebrating the worst sin of Pride without first abandoning Christ and the faith of the apostles. However, the long labor of creating and carrying the church through the gauntlet of time has happened, and for the Church that sticks to those teachings, it will outlast this current chaotic summer, and in the autumn and into winter, the redwood will outlast them all once again and arrive in spring stronger still. So while this makes a lot of people feel worried and lost, or scared that the Catholic Church will fall into error, it should actually give much hope. Because the only Church that will last is the one which remains in full orthodoxy with Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. The only Church that is interesting or compelling is the one that keeps the Deposit of Faith and rejects all doctrinal errors from 33 A.D. until today, because it is the only Church led by the Holy Spirit. When the breathless apostles first came to Jesus and reported error being used in Jesus' name, he said, “It's ok.” Well, he actually said:John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. (Mark 9:38-41)To break that down a bit, Jesus was telling the apostles that the others may cast out demons in Jesus' name. That's wonderful. He didn't say, “Go out and club them until they stop.” The Church has occasionally errored in that. But Jesus also didn't say, “Terrific, bring in these outsiders as the new teachers.” They did not become apostles. Jesus didn't adapt his teaching to the outsiders. The thing about Jesus is that you don't get to tell him what to do (unless you are Mary), you come to him on his terms and surrender to him. Pride need not apply. Jesus didn't declare one of these other healers to be “the rock” on which he founded his church. He didn't make these others the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. He allowed other interpretations, but he didn't say they were correct. All directions and corrections are provided to the apostles, which is why they were the chosen ones and the leaders. Even when I was fallen away and considered myself atheist, I knew that if I ever returned it would only be to the Catholic Church (with Greek Orthodoxy as a dark horse in that race), because the only Church that made sense historically, logically, physically, or spiritually was the one that Jesus founded on the rock of Peter, because it was the only one that had fought and outlasted the intellectual, physical, and spiritual march of empires and ideas, and it was clearly different from all other Johnny-come-lately denominations. The non-Catholic denominations may heal people and cast out demons, and that is truly wonderful, but they are wildly prone to poor theology, teaching, and lack the all-important taproot of Tradition to the person of Jesus himself. The original, the real deal, actually still exists if you look for it. I was quite surprised to find holy people still striving for holiness. It may have been the biggest shock of my life when I returned. The first time I saw a grown man kneel for communion and receive it like his life depended on it, I knew I'd been missing the point. When I started meeting with people that studied and strived for holiness, I realized that the lukewarm representations that I had held as standard was a very low standard indeed. Like General Motors, modern Christianity built a lot of models that didn't last. We had spinoffs of spinoffs so that most of those claiming the label “Christian” today would confuse the heck out of Peter, Paul and the apostles. Dostoyevsky famously wrote in the Grand Inquisitor that if Jesus came back to life, the Catholic Church would kill him again to retain its power. But as the Church lacks the power today that Dostoyevsky imagined, the story has not aged well, despite being a terrific read. It's more likely that if Jesus returned as Dostoyevsky imagined (which didn't match anything that Jesus actually said), Jesus would see that most of Christianity outside of the Catholic Church has turned into Imagination Land from Disney's movie Inside Out, starring Bing Bong, the pink elephant, as the high priest. Fortunately, the original model is still in storage and is ready to roll. It has some dents in it, for sure, but it runs fine and those scratches can be repaired. The apostolic Church, the body of Christ, that has had plenty of fallen leaders and brokenness over the years, but the heart is alive. The deposit of faith remains, and as long as the head is Christ, it cannot bless sin, because he did not bless sin. He said to “Go and sin no more.” The faithful cannot elevate the self or feelings in replacement of God. The denial of sin is a no-go in the driver's manual on how to go to heaven. Embracing orthodox belief is how we answer the question, “What is truth?” It is also how communities and individuals get restored to health. From the Body of Christ, life springs forth, age after age. We will not find salvation in heresy any more than we will in our youth sports teams or in a Tinder tryst or in an online mob or in our endless entertainment options. Restoration and the path to salvation will come back from where it began, through the Real Presence in the Eucharist, in gatherings of prayer, in speakers witnessing their conversion stories, in Bible studies, in adoration chapels, in Mass, in retreats, in recovery meetings, and anything that forges community away from the false gods propped up by modernism. To be awakened, we need a massive Ezra moment of deprogramming and teaching, where someone breaks open the scrolls to remind the lost people of a past they know nothing about. In Nehemiah, the people hear the word and understand, and know their sins, and know how they fell into the state of sin, little by little, by departing from orthodoxy. Ezra opened the scroll so that all the people might see it, for he was standing higher than any of the people. When he opened it, all the people stood. Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people, their hands raised high, answered, “Amen, amen!” Then they knelt down and bowed before the LORD, their faces to the ground. (Neh 8:5-6)When the people bow their faces to the ground, they have surrendered. But we have not done so yet. We are still in full competition, both with one another, and even more so with God. And this is what every heresy in history does: it competes with God. Most heresies, from Simon Magus to Nestorius to Henry VIII, had a person with a large ego, often a king, who wanted to hammer the Church into his image and likeness, instead of making the Body of Christ in the image and likeness of God. How are we going to solve this competition problem? How can a culture built on competition, capitalism, winning, and getting whatever we want possibly break that addiction? How can we possibly turn away from serving our desires? That's the easy part. You win that game by not playing. You win in the same way Jesus won it the first time. You win by living in the culture while still being set apart from it. You win by being “called out” of the culture. You go to the desert. You pray, fast, and help the poor, like Jesus. You leave the place of idolatry, like Abraham. You exit the corruption, like St. Anthony to the desert. Like St. Benedict, you reset, apart from the world in the wilderness. Like St. Cyprian, like St. Augustine, like St. Ignatius, like St. Francis, like St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross - you swim against the current, because the current is taking you the wrong way. You reset and then re-enter the fray, washed anew in the blood of Christ.You win by accepting this sinful world as it is, and while still living in that world, but not being a player in its game. You win by entering into the suffering of others, with love, not affirming their sin, but by witnessing another way. Stop honoring and envying what other people hold as worthwhile. Money, houses, luxuries, sex, entertainment, food, alcohol, cars, boats, drugs, vacations. Stop wanting what the world wants. The entire problem is that you want the wrong things, and this is what leads to every error. How do you step out of this culture? How do you stop wanting garbage in favor of the Bread of Life? We follow the advice of the Truth himself. Jesus said, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off…And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.” (Mk 9:42-47) The good news for us about this brutal metaphor is that we have something we can rid ourselves of without actual amputation. What causes our sin in most cases today is what sits between our hands and our eyes. The phone. Our culture is the phone, and envy, lust, pride, sloth, greed, and wrath all reach out to your throat through that device. We can cut off the source of at least half of our most common ways of straying with not a single drop of blood spilled. But few of us will choose this, because hugging our sin is the easier path. Narcissus dies by staring into the mirror, forever, in love with himself. The easier path is always the one that doesn't pay off with interest. The easy path is that chosen by Lot, it is the path chosen by those Israelites wanting to return to Egypt in the desert, it is the path chosen by Peter when he denies Jesus, the path chosen by Judas in betraying him, it is the path today of affirming sin rather than fighting it. It is the path chosen by Marcion and Arius and Nestorius and Luther and Calvin and Henry VIII and Joel Osteen. The easier path is always the road to ruin. And who wants to be part of a religion that demands nothing of us, that demands too little, when Jesus has given all to his bride, the Church? We must surrender to win. You certainly do not win by joining the side that appears to winning, or that you think will win, because even if you win, you are still stuck in the game. In fact, if you win, you may be more stuck in the game than before, like how the proverbial quicksand pulls you deeper the more you struggle. How many aspiring employees who climb to Vice President suddenly find that their wealth and prestige now “require” a bigger house and a finer car and better schools for their kids? How many French and Germans and Russians traded in the humble truths of Jesus Christ for the toxic truths of a political party? How many Democrats and Republicans are doing the same in America right now exactly as they were in Dante's Florence so many centuries ago, or in Rome during the glory days of Caesar, or in the last days when the collapse of the Bronze Age? All of these past peoples have turned to dust, but the living God remains, and the Holy Spirit carried the Church along in this final Messianic Age. You do not win by surrendering to the bulldozer of earthly power, on either side. You win by surrendering to the power of Jesus. He is the real ruler over all things. Your way of life will need to change. Your life itself may need to be given up in professing the Truth. But the only way to win at this most important thing is to surrender everything. Ego, pride, self-elevation. Let it go. Otherwise, if your game is here on this earth, whatever you win today, you will need to defend tomorrow, and someday in the future after long years of fighting, you will turn around and see that you have been defending a pile of rubble. When you reach that moment, know that the one Truth is waiting for you to turn your face all the way to look at his sacrifice on the Cross. Rather than dishearten you, this should ignite you. You have been wanting the wrong things. Desires that you had, items that you wanted to own, experiences that you sought to remember - these were the distractions from the real answer to the one test question. How strange I thought it was for Jesus to say, “Rejoice, for the kingdom is among you.” But it is here. It's here, but it's the opposite of the competitive nonsense and little trophies we have been seeking all our lives. This is an incredibly exciting time to be alive, because once again, the world has regressed into the same shape as in the first century, when the apostles lit the fuse for the dynamite of the Gospel. The fuse is once again just waiting to be lit with the fire of the Holy Spirit. The kingdom is here among us, and it is the Catholic Church, with all its flaws. The Church: founded on a rock called Peter, the sinner and the saint, the fallen one transformed into a bold healer. The same answer to “Why did Peter sink?” for an individual is the same answer for the Church founded on the rock called Peter: taking the focus off of Christ and the fullness of him is to sink. To look at him constantly in trust is to experience the unending miracle of walking with God. The kingdom is here, the Church - in the world but not of the world - defending the faith from errors until he comes again. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.whydidpetersink.com

Today's message is about Simon Magus. Have you been like this man? Listen closely dear one...

Today's message is about Simon Magus. Have you been like this man? Listen closely dear one... Source

Elliott Saxton returned to the Virtual Alexandria with a heretical blast. He presented on the Father of Gnosticism and All Heresies: Simon Magus. Beyond little-known but critical facts about the magician, we explored his symbiotic relationship with Simon Peter, the Rock. We discovered an elegant theology of fire magic and cosmic liberation. But you know that happens when we cover one of the show's patron saints. And yes – that's a rendition of the Starman in the promo graphic.Join the Virtual Alexandria AcademyThis is a partial show. For the interview's second half, please become a member or patron at Patreon.Get the simple, effective, and affordable Red Circle Private RSS Feed for all full showsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/aeon-byte-gnostic-radio/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Do you think there are any passages in the "Pauline" epistles that look like they might be written by Simon Magus? What do you make of Valentinus's claim that he was in the apostolic line of “Paul” and had secret teachings through Paul's disciple Theudas? If this is true, and Paul is Simon, can any Valentinian-like doctrine be found in any passages in Paul that might, therefore, be likely candidates for an original scrap of Simon's writing? Isn't it suspicious that a Savioe should actually be named "Savior" (Yehoshua)? Wasn't Jesus really, by "holy spirit," intending a dynamic and fresh experience of life in the present moment? I suffer from OCD (scrupulosity) and have an intense fear of going to hell for losing my belief which is totally irrational I know, but certain sensational claims by exorcists have made me wonder if it's all real after all. How can claims like this be rationalized? It seems it is impossible to hold in mind all facades of the jewel that is Jesus, when contemplating him, or having a personal relationship with him in one's mind. In their contemplation of him, are Christians really relating to one character or a cast of characters? Matthew 28:9-10 seem superfluous. Why does the risen Jesus simply repeat what the angel said only a moment before? Could it be that some of the supposed “appearances” can be explained by Jesus' early followers noticing people that reminded them of Jesus and they managed to convince themselves it really was Jesus? Because as odd as that sounds it seems to be what the two men in Lk. 24 did. I doubt that the Flavians invented Christianity. They were so pragmatic and hard-nosed that their strategy would have been simply to crush their enemies.

Let's take a journey with Sophia, including the rich mythology of her fall and redemption, to find revelations for both inner and global wholeness. This mission revisits and innovates many of Gnosticism's foundations, such as the Gnostic Jesus, Simon Magus, the Bridal Chamber, and the wrath of Yaldabaoth. We'll also cover several historical Gnostic expressions, from the Pistis Sophia to Knights Templar lore, all to pave the way to finding your Divine Spark.Astral Guest – Dan Morse, author of The Divine Spark Within: Excavating the Mysteries of Sophia and the Deep Christ.This is a partial show. For the second half of the interview, please become an AB Prime member: http://thegodabovegod.com/members/subscription-levels/  or patron at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aeonbyteGet the simple, effective, and affordable Red Circle Private RSS Feed for all full shows: https://app.redcircle.com/shows/2afbb075-465d-42d2-833b-12fa3bca1c7d/exclusive-contentMore information on Dan:  https://www.sophiaproject.net/Get the book: https://amzn.to/3WA6maTBecome a patron and keep this Red Pill Cafeteria growing: https://www.patreon.com/aeonbyteSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/aeon-byte-gnostic-radio/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today we turn to Acts 8 in our study of the Key Chapters of the Bible. This passage records the expansion of the Gospel into Samaria and how Simon Magus had false faith. It's a helpful passage for many questions of theology and we hope you join us! The Key Chapters Bible Podcast is a daily, 15ish minute podcast that goes over the key chapters of the Bible, one per day, explaining how it fits into the overall message of God and how it relates to our lives now. Jump in today or start back in Genesis 1! To see our dedicated podcast website with access to all our episodes and other resources, visit us at: www.keychapters.org. Available on all major podcast platforms, and now on The YouVersion Bible App Find us on all major platforms, or use these direct links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6OqbnDRrfuyHRmkpUSyoHv Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/366-key-chapters-in-the-bible/id1493571819 YouTube: Key Chapters of the Bible on YouTube. As always, we are grateful to be included in the "Top 100 Bible Podcasts to Follow" from Feedspot.com. Also for regularly being awarded "Podcast of the Day" from PlayerFM. Special thanks to Joseph McDade for providing our theme music.   

Pastor Austin Hetsler, September 18, 2022Part of the Exposition of the Book of Acts series, preached at a Sunday Morning service "Jesus doesn't need any celebrity endorsements." Acts 8:4-24 Watch the Sermon on YouTube: https://youtu.be/r1LruZHe4GY

"Jesus doesn't need any celebrity endorsements." Acts 8:4-24

The Samaritans proved to be a receptive audience, but there was one problem. And that problem was a person. This guy is known outside the Bible as Simon Magus, or Simon the Sorcerer. He must have astounded the people with tricks that looked like miracles. But when he witnessed the Holy Spirit being given through the hands of the Apostles, he knew he was seeing a real miracle. And even though he'd been baptized, he was still seeing through his old, sorcerer's eyes. We're in Acts, chapter 8 with Jim. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS08082022_0.mp3Scripture References: Acts 8

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY explores the mystery of the strange portrayal of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles. Host Chris Palmero carefully examines the stories about Paul in Acts, and explains the author's motive for depicting him as a loyal, submissive, even-tempered company man: the polar opposite of the moody, outspoken mystic who speaks from Paul's letters.Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about the possible sources of Acts of the Apostles and the author's true motive for writing it, about that author's obsession with telling us that Paul was hardly ever alone, about whether and why Peter's career mirrors Paul's, about the author's reluctance to call Paul an "apostle," about how Acts was written in a universe that lacked the dimension of time, about Simon Magus and Stephen and Philip, about the "Hellenists" and who they really were, about Paul's supposed dual names, about the suppressed story of his conversion, about how Acts distorts two major events from his career, and whether he was bald.Opening reading: Paul's malicious blinding of a Jewish magician is exposed as a Christian rewrite of a sectarian fable in which the Christians themselves were the original antagonists.Patreon: www.patreon.com/borninthesecondcenturyWebsite: facebook.com/BornInTheSecondCenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud00:47 - Reading: ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, Paul Blinds the Magician "Bar-Jesus."18:00 - OPENING Remarks.23:57 - EXCURSUS: What Did PAUL Look Like?31:42 - The Theologians RELY on Acts of the Apostles.34:15 - The Theologians PSYCHO-ANALYZE Paul and CANNIBALIZE Acts.41:30 - Intro to the Paul of Acts. He is Never ALONE.53:47 - The Lost Acts of Paul and the Genesis of ACTS.1:05:16 - EXCURSUS: Paul's AGE.1:12:44 - PETER in Acts; His Relation to PAUL.1:23:00 - Whether Acts Considers Paul an APOSTLE.1:29:15 - The Dimension of TIME in Acts.1:36:09 - The Mysterious "HELLENISTS."1:43:57 - On the Story of STEPHEN.1:47:54 - Paul's Two NAMES.1:52:23 - Encounters with SIMON MAGUS and the Ethiopian EUNUCH.1:59:30 - How Acts Distorts Paul's CONVERSION.2:13:07 - How Acts Distorts the COLLECTION for the Saints.2:25:23 - Paul's Extraordinarily Lame PREACHING in Acts.2:36:23 - How Acts Distorts the Famous MEETING in Jerusalem.2:48:09 - Mysteries of Acts to Explore in Future EPISODES.2:50:27 - CLOSING Remarks.Support the show

One of the earliest and most aspired after Gnostic teachers was Simon Magus. In today's daily episode, we dive into who he was and what he stood for. My website: https://ungraduated.com/ Ungraduated Book: https://www.amazon.com/Ungraduated-Finding-dropping-outdated-systems-ebook/dp/B09SXCBY6R/ref=sr_1_1?crid=28QTYUU7T5BN4&keywords=ungraduated+book&qid=1655499090&sprefix=ungraduate%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-1 Join the Ungraduated Living Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/454790476338234

If there is one figure that was the Thanos or Bond Villain to the early and medieval church, it was Simon Magus. What exactly was so threatening about the “Father of all Heresy” – or what is because he was the alleged font of Gnosticism? I examine the Simonian theology, legend, history, and impact that lasts even today in popular culture. This involves understanding his counterpart, Helen of Tyre, a mercurial but vital Gnostic leader and manifestation of Sophia herself. More than a presentation, this short but thorough course includes lauded experts. ,This is a partial show. For the interview's second half, please become a member or patron at Patreon.Get the simple, effective, and affordable Red Circle Private RSS Feed for all full showsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/aeon-byte-gnostic-radio/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Miguel Conner, Author and Host of Aeon Byte Gnostic Radio returns to our podcast for a conversation about his journey from addiction to having a new lease on life through Gnosticism. Miguel was kind enough to walk us through some Gnosticism 101, we discussed trickster archetypes, archons, the difference between perennial philosophy and Gnosticism, Simon Magus as Paul, and John The Baptist. Miguel shared his thoughts on a personal favorite movie of mine and we discussed his thoughts on transhumanism and AI from a Gnostic perspective. Miguel Conner has an excellent podcast titled Aeon Byte Gnostic Radio subscribe here https://thegodabovegod.com/Share This Episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/56849bc9 Help fund the show, I cannot do this without your support.CashApp: $MarkSteevesJrVenmo: @MysticMarkPaypal: @mysticmarkPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/MFTIC?fan_landing=trueRokfin: https://www.rokfin.com/myfamilythinksimcrazyKo-fi: https://ko-fi.com/myfamilythinksimcrazyBuy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MFTICWithout you this Podcast would not exist, bless all who support.Join us on TelegramLeave me a message On Telegram!For Exclusive My Family Thinks I'm Crazy Content: Only 3$ get 50+ Bonus Episodes, Sign up on our Patreon For Exclusive Episodes. Check out the S.E.E.E.N.or on Rokfin@MFTICPodcast on Twitter@myfamilythinksimcrazy on Instagram, Follow, Subscribe, Rate, and Review we appreciate you!https://www.myfamilythinksimcrazy.comhttps://altmediaunited.com/my-family-thinks-im-crazy/Listen to Every AMU Podcast with this link. https://lnns.co/pI5xHeyFdfgGET A NEW PODCASTING APP! https://podcastindex.org/appsMUSICAL CREDITSIntro Song by Destiny LabIntro:Music: Things ChangeBy HoliznaOutro:Music: Strange Fruit In A Strange WorldBy Koi-discoveryMusic: Dusty AtticBy Luke HoliznaMusic: My Family Thinks I'm CrazyBy Luke HoliznaReleased under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License Thanks To Soundstripe★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Due to a question from one of our listeners, we return this week to look again at Simon Magus and the place he has in history as the prototypical heretic and suppliant of demons. Shownotes at luxchristi.wordpress.com

Due to a question from one of our listeners, we return this week to look again at Simon Magus and the place he has in history as the prototypical heretic and suppliant of demons. Shownotes at luxchristi.wordpress.com

Wednesday

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.IntroductionReminder: purity is a broad concept. Narrowing the definition to a single sin lets us off the hook!How are you doing this year (so far) with purity of thought, speech, and lifestyle? How's your focus?Just as in OT so in NT...Scriptural studyJames 1:27The pollution of the world makes us apathetic and self-absorbedSodom (Ezek 16:48) is a lamentable example of a people polluted by the worldTheir hallmark sin of sodomy is not even mentioned in this passage (though it is alluded to)Not to care about those in emotional or psychological agony renders our religion impure -- even worthless (Jas 1:26).James 3:17This verse appears in the conclusion of a chapter on the tongue.In speech, attitude, fellowship, outreach, interactions at home, response to criticism, etc., we are to stay pure.1 Pet 1:22It's hard to love and give to others with a troubled conscience.Notice also that our hearts are purified by obedience.This is probably also an allusion to rebirth (water, spirit) -- obeying their gospel (Acts 5:32; 2 Thess 1:8; etc).1 Pet 3:2Context: winning over a spouse -- but it has wide application.Winning over anyone who isn't ready for reason and studying the scripture...Rev 19:8The imagery of clean garments is opposite that of Isa 64:4-7.In fact, this verse refutes the common Protestant (esp. Calvinist) interpretation. Purity entails obedience and is within reach.Rev 19:14 -- from the beginning of the Bible to the end, purity is a crucial concept and essential for our lives as followers of God.Case study:Simon the SorcererWhat happens when we are careless, heedless as to the condition of our hearts?Failure to keep our hearts pure (Prov 4:23) can lead us to a bad, bad place.Simon Magus is a colorful and clear example of where we can end up if we neglect to fail to keep a pure heart.Acts 8:5-6, 9-10, 12-13, 18-24.Did Simon turn the corner and become pure in his devotion? No – later went to Rome and caused a lot of trouble for Peter…..Let's keep our hearts pure today!!!

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:1. 0:34 {Why Did Jesus’ Body Still Have Marks?} Why did Jesus' resurrected body still bear the scars and injuries which brought about His death? It is my understanding that our own resurrected bodies will be perfect in every way, not merely those we had just prior to death. I, for one, want all my absent teeth and hair back! Why wasn't Jesus' body also perfect, as ours will be?2. 10:28 {Typology in Noah’s Story?} Do you think Noah could be a “type” of Christ? Why or why not?3. 13:18 {Learning to Desire our Study Time} How do I develop a craving for solid biblical teaching? I really enjoy your content, but I become bored easily. It’s easy for me to get distracted in my free time.4. 16:25 {Is Evolution Contrary to Belief in God?} I've noticed many people don't believe in God because of evolution. Is evolution contrary to God? Could God really have created the earth in 6 literal days? Can God “speed up” the creation process?5. 25:26 {Was Adam the First Man?} It seems in Genesis 1, that God creates humanity and blesses them, but then later in Genesis 2, God creates Adam as a representative in Eden. Doesn’t Scripture teach Adam was the first man?6. 31:09 {Are Angels Made in the Image of God?} In a previous episode, you stated that angels are not made in the image of God. Is that really something that we can state definitively?7. 34:32 {God/Satan in our Dreams?} Does God and/or Satan visit us in dreams?8. 39:12 {Was Simon Magus Repentant?} In Acts 8:9, Do you think Simon Magus was aware that he wasn’t right with God before Peter rebuked him? Some commentaries assume that he was never truly repentant, but some say he was genuine.9. 43:56 {Can We “Over-Study” the Bible?} Is it possible to over-study Scripture & theology? I feel like I constantly burn myself out on God's Word, but I also feel terrible if I go too long (like a day or two) without studying it.10. 46:33 {Where Did Satan’s Rebellion Come From?} Since God is not the author of evil and didn't create a kingdom with temptation or evil beings, how did Lucifer's pride and rebellion come about?11. 50:27 {How Intimate Before Marriage is Appropriate?} I think sexual intimacy prior to marriage (i.e., clothed sexual touching/rubbing) is sinful, but my fiancée disagrees. What do I do, as a soon to be husband, when we disagree on what is sinful?12. 58:15 {Resolving a “Contradiction”} About generational sin: Exodus 34:7 vs Ezekiel 18:20…can you please explain how we should understand this apparent contradiction?13. 1:03:51 {Is a Continuous Drunkard Saved?} Are you still saved if you can't stop drinking?14. 1:07:48 {Does God Control our Free Will?} In Proverbs 21:1 it says, "The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord. Like the rivers of water He turns it wherever He wishes." Does that mean God controls the king's free will?15. 1:09:53 {How was Solomon Wise since he Turned Away?} How was Solomon considered to be the wisest man on Earth and yet he, too, turns away from God in his old age? He also doesn't seem to recognize his sinful ways. He doesn't even ask God to relent.16. 1:12:01 {Witnessing Opportunity vs. Spiritual Trap!} I met some Muslims who were evangelizing, and I went up to them to challenge their beliefs. They invited me to a Ramadan dinner at a mosque. Should I go, or would that be a spiritual trap?17. 1:13:28 {Are Court Weddings Recognized by God?} I watched the whole marriage series and didn’t find anything about this: my wife and I have been married for 8 years (through the court) and she claims God doesn’t acknowledge it. Thoughts?18. 1:16:13 {About Jesus’ 40 Days in the Desert} I saw a video where you said “3 days and nights” was a Jewish idiom. Is 40 days in the desert the same

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:1. 0:34 {Why Did Jesus’ Body Still Have Marks?} Why did Jesus' resurrected body still bear the scars and injuries which brought about His death? It is my understanding that our own resurrected bodies will be perfect in every way, not merely those we had just prior to death. I, for one, want all my absent teeth and hair back! Why wasn't Jesus' body also perfect, as ours will be?2. 10:28 {Typology in Noah’s Story?} Do you think Noah could be a “type” of Christ? Why or why not?3. 13:18 {Learning to Desire our Study Time} How do I develop a craving for solid biblical teaching? I really enjoy your content, but I become bored easily. It’s easy for me to get distracted in my free time.4. 16:25 {Is Evolution Contrary to Belief in God?} I've noticed many people don't believe in God because of evolution. Is evolution contrary to God? Could God really have created the earth in 6 literal days? Can God “speed up” the creation process?5. 25:26 {Was Adam the First Man?} It seems in Genesis 1, that God creates humanity and blesses them, but then later in Genesis 2, God creates Adam as a representative in Eden. Doesn’t Scripture teach Adam was the first man?6. 31:09 {Are Angels Made in the Image of God?} In a previous episode, you stated that angels are not made in the image of God. Is that really something that we can state definitively?7. 34:32 {God/Satan in our Dreams?} Does God and/or Satan visit us in dreams?8. 39:12 {Was Simon Magus Repentant?} In Acts 8:9, Do you think Simon Magus was aware that he wasn’t right with God before Peter rebuked him? Some commentaries assume that he was never truly repentant, but some say he was genuine.9. 43:56 {Can We “Over-Study” the Bible?} Is it possible to over-study Scripture & theology? I feel like I constantly burn myself out on God's Word, but I also feel terrible if I go too long (like a day or two) without studying it.10. 46:33 {Where Did Satan’s Rebellion Come From?} Since God is not the author of evil and didn't create a kingdom with temptation or evil beings, how did Lucifer's pride and rebellion come about?11. 50:27 {How Intimate Before Marriage is Appropriate?} I think sexual intimacy prior to marriage (i.e., clothed sexual touching/rubbing) is sinful, but my fiancée disagrees. What do I do, as a soon to be husband, when we disagree on what is sinful?12. 58:15 {Resolving a “Contradiction”} About generational sin: Exodus 34:7 vs Ezekiel 18:20…can you please explain how we should understand this apparent contradiction?13. 1:03:51 {Is a Continuous Drunkard Saved?} Are you still saved if you can't stop drinking?14. 1:07:48 {Does God Control our Free Will?} In Proverbs 21:1 it says, "The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord. Like the rivers of water He turns it wherever He wishes." Does that mean God controls the king's free will?15. 1:09:53 {How was Solomon Wise since he Turned Away?} How was Solomon considered to be the wisest man on Earth and yet he, too, turns away from God in his old age? He also doesn't seem to recognize his sinful ways. He doesn't even ask God to relent.16. 1:12:01 {Witnessing Opportunity vs. Spiritual Trap!} I met some Muslims who were evangelizing, and I went up to them to challenge their beliefs. They invited me to a Ramadan dinner at a mosque. Should I go, or would that be a spiritual trap?17. 1:13:28 {Are Court Weddings Recognized by God?} I watched the whole marriage series and didn’t find anything about this: my wife and I have been married for 8 years (through the court) and she claims God doesn’t acknowledge it. Thoughts?18. 1:16:13 {About Jesus’ 40 Days in the Desert} I saw a video where you said “3 days and nights” was a Jewish idiom. Is 40 days in the desert the same