Christian Heresy I: Marcionism, Monophysitism, Arianism

Variant beliefs of primitive Christianity: Marcionites, Monophysites, Arians--orthodox response, NIcene Creed

[@wagnervana2000]

I can't tell you how pleased I am to find this channel. Thank you, Doctor.

[@wagnervana2000]

Two quick notes... you mentioned the serpent on the pole symbolizing healing/medicine, etc. In Numbers 21, there's the story of Moses making the bronze serpent on the pole, which people could look at (if bitten) and were healed of the serpent bite. Interesting story. Also, regarding "anathema", I've always marveled over the Apostle Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 16:22: "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha." Awfully strong condemnation for people who don't love (phileo) Jesus... any idea why he would use such strong language?

[@dustinellerbe4125]

I really enjoyed this. Thanks for the work you put into it. I wish I could've found this sooner.

[@enochlion922]

We need more!! Great presentations, clear and easy to digests. Not a student but great to listen to at the gym.

[@georgebrooks7775]

...at the gym? Really? Better than "Eye of the Tiger"???--I am immensely flattered, thank you.

[@marissabesseling6963]

yes, amazing, new videos of you!!! Thank you so much. It helps me study myself. Your an amazing great teacher. Because of you, philosophy is so understandable! Please keep posting :)) Greets from the Netherlands

[@georgebrooks7775]

Well thank you. It is especially pleasant getting such a nice comment from The Netherlands as I love and am fascinated by your country. I wrote my dissertation on medieval technology and devoted a section to the medieval Dutch who employed windmills to drain the swampy regions and make them more hospitable--the people who "harnessed the wind to fight the sea." I have been to around 20 dutch towns in my travels and just marvel at the tidy and efficient infrastructure of towns like Gouda and Leiden and the old parts of Utrecht. Brick roads, bridges and buildings all forming a seamless structure with windmills keeping the water drained from the ground and directed out through the canals. I argued that these were the first truly "modern' urban centers. One of my favorite places on Earth is the Hoge Veluwe nature preserve and Kroller-Muller museum...I have managed to spend three birthdays there! Cheers!

[@rallypojken]

You make it look so elegant and easy. It's not😅! A true masterpiece! Thanks from Sweden!

[@CliffCardi]

You forgot to mention the part where St. Nicholas (yes, Santa Claus) punched out Arius. "Ho Ho Homoousios!"

[@georgebrooks7775]

I had to look this up as I had never heard this story! Thanks for adding a cool tidbit to future lectures!

[@jamesking8241]

Yeah Santa decking the halls of a heretic! St. Nick was jailed for slapping Aruis,because He got tired of hearing his nonsense ramblings, so he walked up to him & slapped him & was jailed for it.. yup! Santa was on the naughty list 😂

[@colecarter2829]

Great video. I'm a philosophy student at UT Austin and love your videos.

[@georgebrooks7775]

@Protestant You have no idea what I have read. And if you cannot formulate a concrete complaint but only a vague dismissal, then there isn't much basis for discussion, and your immature pique is easily ignored.

[@georgebrooks7775]

@Protestant "encouraging Christians to worship"??? Wow, you have completely missed the point--I am not encouraging any of my students to do anything but learn critical thinking skills and the ability to read and interpret historical evidence. I suppose from just watching one video, it might come of that way--but if you watched a video of me teaching Buddhism you would probably assume I am a Buddhist, or when I teach mythology you would think I am a pagan. You, like every one of my students, has no idea what I believe because it is an unwritten rule of being a professor that you don't give your personal opinions on subjects that you teach. I am not a preacher--I went to graduate school and studied the HISTORY of Christianity because I am a medieval historian--this isn't even my area of specialization--I merely give general lectures on the subject matter derived from my study of scholars who are specialists. Put away your assumptions, and your bile--these videos are for the convenience of my students--you can watch them if you want, but if you don't like them, or can't understand the larger context of them, you should just go away.

[@phyllisking4166]

I cannot thank you enough for making sense of contradictions that lead many well-meaning Christians(and seekers) astray. Tracing the historical backdrop, with deep honesty and rigorous scholarship has refreshed for me the faith. Much, much gratitude for this channel.

[@theintegrator]

Great lecture. You stitched up a lot of loose ends (in my understanding of these guys) in your thread. Nice embroidery. Thanks.

[@pauljoseph8691]

Actually they were more advanced than is thought. Much done today was already done in the early years. It is so interesting. Many religions have spread out from their start.

[@AthanGreen337495]

Weren't the Apostolic Father's (those Bishops & leaders ordained by the Apostles) in charge in the late 1st, early 2nd cent? I mean, they were charged with keeping & handing down the faith given to them by the Apostles. I'm not so sure that the doctrine of the "primitive" Church was as willy-nilly as this is presented as. Unless I'm mistaken

[@georgebrooks7775]

No. That's the whole point: nobody was "in charge" of Christianity once the original apostles were all martyred. The churches they and Paul founded then had a couple of centuries of accepting new members and developing a variety of ideas--this lecture only touches on a few of them. Once one faction of the early church achieved dominance, they spelled out their view of things at the Council of Nicea, declared the opposing camps "heretics" and proclaimed that they had the true "catholic and apostolic" interpretation. But not everyone agreed. In the end, the triumphant faction won out and the other camps mostly disappeared into history (mostly, we still have several churches today that descend from opposing views, like the Coptic Church of Egypt mentioned in the lecture). Whatever you believe, this history is still fascinating for what it says about the variety of thought amongst the earliest converts to the message of Jesus. As for what the actual "true" belief should be... that is for each person to decide for themselves.

[@phithegamer5787]

You were completely wrong in calling the Coptic church "monophysite" they are miaphysite and uphold Jesus to be both 100% divine and 100% human. The entire Oriental Orthodox communion of 60 million uphold that.

[@zardarz]

What is the “reading” you referenced for the students in this class? Good introductory lesson on Marcion. Thanks.

[@georgebrooks7775]

Passages from my course reader--I originally made these videos for my students and to save class time explaining things I've done a hundred times. KZbin was the easiest way to link them to my courses...I didn't expect that other people would watch them. The readings mentioned at the end for next class are excerpts from the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas...the writings of yet another early variety of Christianity. You can find them online, and I've got that lecture recorded and posted somewhere on my channel.

[@nuggetoftruth-ericking7489]

Thank you for this talk. Well done.

[@reformedheart]

There are many different versions of the pronunciations of the terms and names.

[@michaelmaxfield3744]

Enemies have to realize, if they think I'm the bad guy, I'd have to be the worst. Or, if the good guy, I'd have to be the very best. Because they do what they do TO ONE GUY.

[@herrobp]

Very informative, but Jews do not consider Jesus to be a prophet and are not all in agreement that he was a good guy.

[@georgebrooks7775]

The Jews I know do...but it is true that Judaism is not a monolithic belief system so there are a variety of opinions. Most would at least address him as "Rabbi"...but you may know some with a different opinion.

[@chrisnewbury3793]

Things you need to read that I doubt you have. The books of Conor MacDari and "The Oera Linda" would be a start.

[@joolsweller2001]

Any lecture on king Solomon coming?

[@georgebrooks7775]

I do a lecture on Ecclesiastes in mythology class, as a comparison of wisdom literature to the "Search for Everlasting Life" chapter in the Epic of Gilgamesh--you'll find the advice Siduri gives Gilgamesh to be identical to the ideas in Ecclesiastes 9. Of course, Ecclesiastes is not really written by the historical King Solomon, but rather in the tradition of his wisdom by some later priests.

[@joolsweller2001]

@@georgebrooks7775 do you have a recording? Would love to hear !

[@georgebrooks7775]

@@joolsweller2001 I'll schedule to record that one this Fall.

[@joolsweller2001]

@@georgebrooks7775 look forward to it!

[@marshallmay2528]

If I wasn't an Atheist before your lectures, I surely would be after. Such interesting material, aren't we humans funny.

[@booombasa]

This channel is underrated as fuck.

[@bringleberries]

Thanks! I didn’t get to take enough philosophy classes or world religion classes in college. This is just as good.

[@Cmkrs34]

Im a former Catholic and knew it meant universal

[@nickybooart]

I thought the Holy Spirit was originally female and is more of a the spirit of God.

[@nosuchthing8]

That would make sense

[@mariorizkallah5383]

The Holy Spirit is referred as “He”

[@WARLORDDOM]

What the f

[@Cmkrs34]

Very bad sound quality. Echo echo

[@johnnyhicks3835]

Turned dumb at the end .

[@joyce-in-Outreach]

fun philosophy class

[@timonalexandr151]

Bit on Constantine and "his" (yours, really) reasoning (the bit about Christian soldiers in his army) is nothing but poorly formed conjecture. Stopped listening at that point.

[@georgebrooks7775]

All history is conjecture, based on evidence. The idea that there were already many Christians in his army is a standard historical understanding--I didn't make that up. If there were not already a lot of Christians in his army and throughout the empire it would make little sense for Constantine to reverse imperial policy and legalize the religion. An army full of worshipers of Jupiter and Mithra would not have taken easily to this change a decade after Diocletian had been persecuting Christians. And the story about the sign over the sun that triggered his conversion...THAT is the highly suspicious part--a story that was written three decades after his death, and sounds very similar to an earlier "dream vision" of Constantine from his youth. Perhaps you shouldn't just stop listening when you hear something you don't like--persist, and you may learn something.

[@iart2838]

This was hilarious and so well presented, I finally understand the whole trinity circus and its origins in Greek mythology. How can people believe this comical concoction 1700 years later? Clearly we need brain enhancing chip in our brains...Elon Musk hurry! Love your lectures. Please post more of them. Thank you for the clarity and humor.

[@chrisnewbury3793]

You haven't read enough. Read the books of Conor MacDari and "The Oera Linda" for a start.

[@TaxEvasi0n]

The trinity has corrupted the entire mainstream church. Unitarians get bullied and mocked by trinitarians. It's very sad and tragic, because they come preaching a different Jesus.