Basilides – The Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast (SHWEP)

Coming Back for More, Part VII: Reincarnation in Early Christianity

We look at the evidence for reincarnationist ideas in the early Jesus-movement and into the fourth century, starting with Simon Magus (whose mistress Helen was the First Thought of god, trapped endlessly reincarnating in fleshly bodies) and finishing with Origen of Alexandria (who, if he didn't teach reincarnation, sure convinced a whole lot of people that he did). Featuring a cameo appearance from Paul of Tarsos, the world's best-known gnostic.

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Coming Back for More, Part VI: The Roots of Christian Reincarnationism

We set the stage for a detailed consideration of the evidence for early Christian reincarnationism. Featuring the Bible.

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Dylan Burns on the Birth of Free Will in Late Antiquity

Is ‘free will’ a given, a constant of the human condition? It might seem that way, but as Dylan Burns argues in this interview, the idea that humans possess a faculty of un-coerced decision-making actually arises at a specific time – late antiquity – and in a specific context – early Christian philosophy.

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Oddcast Episodes Themed "Basilides"

Coming Back for More, Part VII: Reincarnation in Early Christianity

Coming Back for More, Part VI: The Roots of Christian Reincarnationism

Dylan Burns on the Birth of Free Will in Late Antiquity