The History of Byzantium

Finally in sole control of the Empire John Kantakouzenos makes plans to restore the Roman world. His plans come to nothing though as he immediately faces war, invasion and plague.Period: 1347-55

In order to gain the throne John Kantakouzenos destroys what is left of the Roman Empire. He allows the Serbs to conquer Macedonia while his Turkish allies enslave his people.Period: 1343-47

Andronikos III Palaiologos died on the 15th June 1341. Four months later his nearest and dearest were at each others throats.His right hand man John Kantakouzenos declared himself Emperor but was rejected by the people at every turn. Refusing to give up he invited foreign powers to intervene on his behalf.Period: 1341-43

Andronikos III Palaiologos takes charge of a Roman state still recovering from the loss of Anatolia and the raids of the Catalans.He takes on the challenge with enthusiasm and tangles with the Turks, Latins and Serbs. He also reunites Epiros and Thessaly with Constantinople.Period: 1328-41Check out my episodes on the First Crusade which have been turned into videos by @Empire-Builders

This is part two of my Q&A with Father John Strickland. We talk about the Protestant reformation, Autocephalous churches and connections to Byzantium amongst other topics.John is the pastor of an Orthodox Church in Poulsbo in Washington State. He wrote a four-volume series about the history of Christian civilization called Paradise and Utopia. He’s also recorded a podcast of the same name as an accompaniment to the books which you can find wherever you get your podcasts or at www.ancientfaith.com.

This episode is brought to you by Telepaideia, a collection of live online courses in Latin, Ancient Greek, and the classical humanities offered by The Paideia Institute. Visit www.paideiainstitute.org/telepaideia to browse the course catalogue and register!  It’s my pleasure today to welcome back Father John Strickland to the podcast. Four episodes ago we talked in detail about the Divine Liturgy and its place at the heart of Byzantine life. I put out the call for listeners to ask questions. Particularly those of us not familiar with Orthodoxy or ecclesiastical issues in general. And Father Strickland has kindly returned to answer them. The questions are wide ranging and so demand thorough answers which Father John provides. So we decided to split them over two episodes. Today we tackle the Orthodox view on salvation and purgatory. As well as the role of the Ecumenical Patriarch and thoughts on the Byzantine understanding of how the divine played a role in daily life. Then we finish with the Orthodox view of Catholicism, Church Union and evangelisation. John is the pastor of an Orthodox Church in Poulsbo in Washington State. He wrote a four-volume series about the history of Christian civilization called Paradise and Utopia. He’s also recorded a podcast of the same name as an accompaniment to the books which you can find wherever you get your podcasts or at www.ancientfaith.com.