The Podcast

Episode 196: One Empire, Many Names: Reading “Byzantium” with Anthony Kaldellis

Members only: Michæl Griffin on the Higher Virtues in Late Platonism

Episode 195: Contested Esotericisms at the End of Antiquity: Simplicius, Philoponus, and Olympiodorus

Episode 194: The Last Platonists? Philosophic Teaching, Christianity, and Polytheism in Late-Antique Alexandria

Members only: Storytime: Reading Damascius’ Philosophic History, Part III: The Breaking of the Golden Chain

Members only: Storytime: Reading Damascius’ Philosophic History, Part II: Theurgy and Philosophy at Late-Antique Athens and Alexandria

Members only: Storytime: Reading Damascius’ Philosophic History, Part I: Text, Context, and Themes

Episode 193: All from Nothing: Sara Rappe on Damascius

Episode 192: Hagia Sophia and the Problem of ‘Esoteric Architecture’

Episode 191: Kevin van Bladel on the Ṣābians of Ḥarrān and the Fate of the Athenian Academy

Episode 190: Edward Watts on the Age of Justinian and the Closing of the Athenian Academy

Members only: Robbert van den Berg on Proclus’ Hymns

Episode 189: Danielle Layne on Proclus’ Religious Life and Thought

Episode 188: Graeme Miles on Proclus the Commentator

Episode 187: The Esoteric Proclus, Part II: Esoteric Exegesis and the Occult Ontology of Language

Members only: Stephen Rego on the Nous in Proclus, Part II: Metaphysics and Myth

Members only: Stephen Rego on the Nous in Proclus, Part I: Exegesis

Members only: Edward Butler on Proclus, Part II: On (the Metaphysics of) Polytheism and Monotheism

Members only: Edward Butler on Proclus, Part I: ‘Henadology’

Episode 186: The Esoteric Proclus, Part I: The Life and Thought of an Esoteric Sage

Members only: Dylan Burns with the Noetic Fire: On Proclus and Christianity

Episode 185: Dylan Burns on Proclus the Successor

Members only: Storytime: Reading Hierocles on the Golden Verses, Part II

Members only: Storytime: Reading Hierocles on the Golden Verses, Part I

Episode 184: Hierocles of Alexandria and the Pythagorean Golden Verses

Episode 183: The Great God Pan Lives: Introducing the Athenian Academy

Members only: Ↄ. Martiana Rises to the Occasion

Episode 182: Ↄ. Martiana on Martianus Capella and the Marriage of Philology and Mercury

Members only: Storytime: Reading Macrobius’ Commentary on the Dream of Scipio, Part II

Members only: Storytime: Reading Macrobius’ Commentary on the Dream of Scipio, Part I

Episode 181: Macrobius and the Commentary on Scipio’s Dream

Members only: Mateusz Stróżyński on Spiritual Practices in Augustine

Members only: Mateusz Stróżyński on Augustine and Platonism

Episode 180: Augustine of Hippo: Saint of the Exoteric

Episode 179: The Manichæan Catholic: Augustine of Hippo

Members only: Stephen Cooper on Marius Victorinus, Philosophy, Panpsychism, and a Modern Religious Platonism

Episode 178: Stephen A. Cooper on Marius Victorinus and Latinate Christian Platonism

Episode 177: Gretchen Reydams-Schils on Calcidius and the Timæus

Episode 176: Plato Latinus

Members only: David Hernández de la Fuente on Nonnus of Panopolis

Members only: Storytime: Reading Synesius On Dreams

Episode 175: Jay Bregman on Synesius of Cyrene

Episode 174: Noble Lies and Philosophic Silence: Hypatia, Synesius, and the New Esotericism in the Fourth Century

Episode 173: Hypatia of Alexandria: The Life and Death of a Philosopher and her City

Episode 172: ‘And When Rome Falls, Falls the World’: The Fall of Rome and Western Esotericism

Members only: Storytime: Reading Eunapius, Part III: The Diviners’ Purge and the End of the Theurgic Revolution

Members only: Storytime: Reading Eunapius Part II, The Emperor and the Thaumaturge

Episode 171: ‘Visibly a Goddess’: Heidi Marx on Sosipatra of Pergamum

Episode 170: Frederico Fidler on Sallustius’ On the Gods and the World

Episode 169: Strategies of the Esoteric in the Hellenism of the Emperor Julian: Exclusion and Pluralism in a Late-Antique Polytheism

Episode 168: Jeremy Swist on Julian, Part II: The Emperor’s Religio-Philosophic Project

Episode 167: Jeremy Swist on the Emperor Julian, Part I: the Political Background and Political Project of the Emperor

Episode 166: Joel Kalvesmaki on Evagrius’ Kephalaia Gnōstika: Philosophy, Scripture, and Apophatic Mysticism

Episode 165: Joel Kalvesmaki on Evagrius of Pontus, the ‘Gnostic Trilogy’, and the Origenist Controversy

Members only: Into the Darkness with Michæl Motia

Episode 164: Theology, Politics, and Radiant Darkness: Michæl Motia on Gregory of Nyssa

Episode 163: Father Sergey Trostyanskiy on the Cappadocian Fathers, Part II

Episode 162: Father Sergey Trostyanskiy on the Cappadocian Fathers, Part I

Episode 161: Claire Hall on Firmicus Maternus

Episode 160: Kocku von Stuckrad on Monotheist Astrologies in (Late) Antiquity

Members only: Storytime: Reading ‘The Visions of Zosimus’

Members only: Storytime: Reading Zosimus of Panopolis’ The Final Accounting

Members only: Storytime: Reading Zosimus of Panopolis On the Letter Omega

Episode 159: Metals, Temples, and Living Statues: Shannon Grimes on Zosimus’ Egyptian Context

Members only: Bink Hallum on Zosimus Arabicus: The Final Quittance

Episode 158: Bink Hallum on the Extended Zosimus

Members only: Matteo Martelli Perfects the Tincture

Episode 157: Matteo Martelli Introduces Zosimus of Panopolis

Episode 156: Recognising the Real in the Forgery: The Pseudo-Clementine Literature

Members only: Into the Light-Worlds with Charles Häberl

Episode 155: Charles Häberl on the Mandæans

Members only: Into Syriac Spirituality in Theory and Practice with Paul Pasquesi

Episode 154: Paul Pasquesi on Christian Asceticism in the Late-Antique Syriac World

Members only: Joseph Sanzo on Magic and Confessional Boundaries in Late Antiquity

Members only: Into Coptic Magic with Korshi Dosoo

Episode 153: Korshi Dosoo on Early Christian Magic

Episode 152: Prolegomena to Christian Magic

Episode 151: The Testament of Solomon and the Solomonic Tradition, Part II

Episode 150: The Testament of Solomon and the Solomonic Tradition, Part I

Episode 149: Exploring the Sefer ha-Razim

Members only: Beyond Curse-Tablets with Sarah Veale

Episode 148: Curses! Sarah Veale on Roman ‘Curse-Tablets’

Members only: Daniel Waller Bowls On

Episode 147: Daniel James Waller on the Jewish Incantation-Bowls

Episode 146: Gideon Bohak on Late-Antique Jewish Magic

Episode 145: Thinking through Monotheism, Henotheism, Polytheism, and Dualism in Late Antiquity

Episode 144: Politics and Religion in Late Antiquity, Part II: The Rise of Christianity and the Invention and Eclipse of ‘Paganism’

Episode 143: Politics and Religion in Late Antiquity, Part I: Geopolitics, Empire, and Rabbinic Judaism

Episode 142: Run the Numbers: The Theology of Arithmetic

Members only: Brian Alt on Iamblichus, Late-Antique Egypt, and Ritual

Episode 141: Brian Alt on Sacred Materials, Divine Names, and Subtle Physiology in Iamblichean Theurgy

Members only: Danielle Layne on Synthemata, Late-Platonist Ritual Praxis, and Weird Platonism

Members only: Gregory Shaw (Briefly) Divinises the Soul

Episode 140: Gregory Shaw on the Phenomenology of Iamblichean Theurgy

Members only: John Finamore Ascends to the Noetic Triad (While Still in the Body)

Episode 139: John Finamore on Iamblichean Theurgy in Theory and Practice

Episode 138: The Great Theurgy Debate: Porphyry’s Letter to Anebo, Iamblichus’ Response, and the Question(s) of Ritual

Members only: Storytime: Reading Eunapius of Sardis’ Lives of Philosophers and Sophists

Episode 137: The Esoteric Iamblichus

Episode 136: The ‘Greater Kinds’, Souls, and Kosmos: Iamblichus’ Philosophy, Part II

Episode 135: Esoteric Hermeneutics, Divine Hierarchy, and the Ineffable: The Philosophy of Iamblichus, Part I

Episode 134: Introducing Iamblichus of Chalcis

Episode 133: A Word to Conjure With: On ‘Theurgy’ in Late Antiquity and Beyond

Members only: The Theory of the Soul-Vehicle in Late-Antique Platonism and Islamicate Medical Sciences

Episode 132: Astral Accretions, Fate, and the Resurrection-Body: Other Subtle Bodies of Antiquity

Episode 131: Soul-Flight, Noetic Bodies, and Pneumatic Vehicles: Toward a History of the Platonist Subtle Body

Episode 130: Methodologies for Studying the Subtle Body

Episode 129: Nilüfer Akçay on Porphyry’s On the Cave of the Nymphs

Members only: Storytime: A cavern pleasant, though involv’d in night. Reading Porphyry’s On the Cave of the Nymphs, Part II

Members only: Storytime: A cavern pleasant, though involv’d in night. Reading Porphyry’s On the Cave of the Nymphs, Part I

Episode 128: Porphyry and the Barbarians: Ethnicity, Religious Practice, and Esoteric Interpretation

Episode 127: Dorian Greenbaum on Porphyry and Astrology

Members only: The Anonymous Commentary on the Parmenides, Porphyry, and the Sethian Gnostics

Members only: Noetic Triads and Lost Palimpsests: Introducing the Anonymous Commentary on the Parmenides

Episode 126: Porphyry’s Gods: The Metaphysics and Physics of Divinity

Episode 125: ‘Poet, Philosopher, Hierophant’: Introducing Porphyry of Tyre

Members only: Ivan Miroshnikov on the Gospel of Thomas, Part II

Members only: Ivan Miroshnikov on the Gospel of Thomas, Part I

Members only: Charles M. Stang Doubles Down

Episode 124: Charles M. Stang on the Divine Double in Late Antiquity

Members only: Jason BeDuhn Separates the Light from the Darkness

Episode 123: Jason BeDuhn on Mani and Manichæism

Members only: Into the Otherworld with Radcliffe G. Edmonds III

Episode 122: Radcliffe G. Edmonds III on the ‘Mithrasliturgie’

Episode 121: Mithras and the Stars: Astral Elements in the Cult of Mithras

Episode 120: Mysteries of the Rock-Born God: The Roman Cult of Mithras

Episode 119: Jean-Marc Narbonne on Plotinus in Dialogue with the Gnostics

Members only: Dylan Burns Ascends to the Plēroma

Episode 118: Dylan Burns on Sethian Gnosticism

Members only: The Secret (Life) of the One

Episode 117: The Esoteric Plotinus, Part II: Unsaying the Real

Members only: Marilynn Lawrence Casts the Chart

Episode 116: Plotinus on Astrology with Marilynn Lawrence

Episode 115: The Esoteric Plotinus, Part I: Philosophic Silence and Esoteric Reading

Episode 114: Plotinus the Magician? Ritual Practice and Power in Platonism

Members only: Ascending Further with Mateusz Stróżyński

Episode 113: Mateusz Stróżyński on Spiritual Practices in Plotinus

Members only: The Secret Life of the Undescended Self

Episode 112: We are the One: Plotinus’ Participatory Metaphysics

Members only: Ammonius, Origen, and Plotinus: Exploring an Enigma

Members only: Was Plotinus a Platonist? Lineage, Identity, and Scholarship

Episode 111: ‘The Philosopher of our Time’: Introducing Plotinus

Episode 110: Matthew Neujahr on the Sibylline Oracles

Episode 109: Christian Bull on the Way of Hermes in Antiquity

Members only: Anna van den Kerchove Hermeticises Further

Episode 108: Anna van den Kerchove on the Hermetic Way in Antiquity

Members only: Litwa Expands on the Hermetic Reception

Episode 107: M. David Litwa on Deification in the Hermetica

Episode 106: Silent Encounters: The Esoteric in the Ancient Hermetica

Members only: Storytime: Reading the Corpus Hermeticum, Part III

Members only: Storytime: Reading the Corpus Hermeticum, Part II

Members only: Storytime: Reading the Corpus Hermeticum, Part I

Episode 105: Other Hermetic Worlds: The Asclepius and Korê Kosmou

Episode 104: Wouter Hanegraaff on the Poimandres

Episode 103: Corpus Hermeticum I, the Poimandres

Episode 102: Professor Christian Wildberg on Emending the Corpus Hermeticum

Members only: Philhellenism and the Egyptian Other: Wouter Hanegraaff on Reading the Hermetica

Episode 101: Brian Copenhaver on the Hermetica

Episode 100: Thrice-Greatest Hermes

Episode 99: Total War: Polemical Esotericism in the Contra Celsum

Episode 98: The True Account: Celsus, Origen, and Ideological Esotericism in Late Antiquity

Members only: Claire Hall on Prophecy in Origen

Members only: Aron Reppmann on Origen: Castration, Rejection, and Redemption

Episode 97: Aron Reppmann Introduces Origen of Alexandria

Members only: Speaking the Silence: On Reading Apophatic Language

Episode 96: From Word to Silence: The Rise of the Apophatic in Late Antiquity

Episode 95: The Third Century and (the Long) Late Antiquity

Members only: An Antidote to Esotericism: Karen ní Mheallaigh on Lucian of Samosata

Episode 94: Becoming Gods: Divinisation and Angelomorphic Transformation in Clement

Episode 93: Henny Fiskå Hägg on Clement’s Apophatic Writing

Members only: Storytime: Exploring Book V of the Stromateis, Part II

Members only: Storytime: Exploring Book V of the Stromateis, Part I

Episode 92: Lifting the Veil: Esoteric Reading in Clement’s Stromateis

Episode 91: Mystagogic Patchwork: Esoteric Writing in Clement’s Stromateis

Members only: The Writings of Clement of Alexandria

Episode 90: The Orthodox Gnostic: Introducing Clement of Alexandria

Episode 89: The Astrology of Vettius Valens

Episode 88: Claudius Ptolemy and the Tetrabiblos

Episode 87: Numerical Mysteries: Nichomachus of Gerasa, Arithmology, and Second-Century Neopythagoreanism

Episode 86: Matteo Martelli on the Pseudo-Democritus

Episode 85: Introducing Alchemy with Lawrence Principe

Episode 84: Other Gospels and Alien Gods: Marcion of Sinope

Members only: Geoffrey Smith Valentinicates Further

Episode 83: Geoffrey Smith on Valentinus and Valentinianism

Episode 82: I Got Soul, And I’m Super Bad: Basilides of Alexandria

Members only: Approaches to the Question of Early Christian Esotericism

Members only: The Ascension of Isaiah and the Second-Century Christian Esoteric

Episode 81: Warfaring Strangers: Prolegomena to Second-Century Christianity

Members only: Michael Williams on Early Christian Heterodoxies

Episode 80: Michael Williams on the Trouble with ‘Gnosticism’

Episode 79: Alone with the Alone: Numenius’ Metaphysics

Episode 78: Inter philosophos occultorum curiosior: Numenius of Apamea

Members only: Korshi Dosoo Papyrologises Magically

Episode 77: Korshi Dosoo on the Papyri Græcæ Magicæ and Western Esotericism

Members only: Sarah Iles Johnston on Hekatē

Episode 76: The Chaldæan Oracles and Theurgy

Episode 75: The Chaldæan Oracles

Episode 74: I’m Not Sorry: The Apology of Apuleius

Members only: Storytime: The Tale of Cupid and Psyche

Episode 73: Ineffable Initiations and Golden Asses: Apuleius of Madauros and the Metamorphoses

Episode 72: Hypochondria and Epiphany: The Strange Case of Ælius Aristides

Members only: Daniel Harris-McCoy Lives the Dream

Episode 71: Daniel Harris-McCoy on the Oneirocritica of Artemidorus

Episode 70: Gil Renberg on Incubation

Episode 69: Plutarch’s Myths of Cosmic Ascent

Episode 68: Plutarch’s On Isis and Osiris

Episode 67: An Erudite Esotericist: Introducing Plutarch of Chæronea

Episode 66: Astrology, Politics, and Platonism in the Early Empire: The Case of Thrasyllus

Members only: Græme Miles Apollonicates Further

Episode 65: Graeme Miles on Apollonius of Tyana

Members only: Jesus the Magician? Interrogating Ancient and Modern Discourses of Ritual Power in the Gospels

Members only: The Esoteric New Testament, Part III: John and Apocalypse

Members only: The Esoteric New Testament, Part II: Paul and the ‘Mysteries’

Members only: The Esoteric New Testament, Part I: The Gospel of Mark

Episode 64: The Enigma of Early Christianity

Members only: Beyond the ‘Underworld’ with Dylan Burns

Episode 63: Dylan Burns on the ‘Underworld of Platonism’

Members only: John Dillon Platonizes Further

Episode 62: John Dillon on Middle Platonism

Members only: Storytime: Reading Cicero’s Dream of Scipio

Episode 61: The Esoteric and the State in Ancient Rome, Part 2: The State and the Stars

Episode 60: The Esoteric and the State in Ancient Rome, Part 1: Late Republican Esotericism

Episode 59: Introducing Rome

Episode 58: Justin Rogers on Philo in Early Christianity

Episode 57: The Esoteric Philo

Episode 56: The First Western Esotericist: Philo of Alexandria

Episode 55: Naomi Janowitz on Jewish Magic and ‘The Jewish Magi’ in Antiquity

Members only: Frances Flannery Dreams On

Episode 54: Frances Flannery on Jewish Dreams in Antiquity

Episode 53: Palaces of Heavenly Wisdom: The Hekhalot and Merkavah Traditions

Members only: Matthew Neujahr on Near-Eastern Roots of Apocalyptic

Episode 52: Enoch, Apocalyptic, and Abrahamic Faith

Episode 51: Enoch and the Book of Watchers

Episode 50: John J. Collins on Apocalyptic

Episode 49: The Long Secret History of the Jews Part II: Second-Temple Judaism

Episode 48: Pythagoras Revived: An Anatomy of Neopythagoreanism

Members only: Joel Kalvesmaki Expands Arithmetically

Episode 47: The Numbers Don’t Lie: Joel Kalvesmaki on ‘Pythagorean’ Number

Episode 46: After Pythagoras

Members only: Poseidonius of Rhodes, Weird Stoicism, and ‘Cosmic Religion’

Episode 45: Stoic Physics and Esoteric Metaphysics

Episode 44: Esoteric Hermeneutics in Stoicism

Members only: Christopher Gill Gets Stoical

Episode 43: Christopher Gill on Stoicism

Members only: Chris Brennan Gets Fatal(istic)

Episode 42: Chris Brennan on Hellenistic Astrology

Episode 41: Fate and Foreknowledge: Toward Hellenistic Astrology

Episode 40: Wheels Within Wheels: Toward Western Esoteric Cosmology

Episode 39: The Esoteric Aristotle, Part 2

Episode 38: The Esoteric Aristotle, Part I

Members only: Peter Adamson On Plato and Beyond

Episode 37: Peter Adamson on Plato

Members only: Plato’s Cratylus: Esoteric Etymology and the Language of the Gods

Episode 36: Plato’s Parmenides and Metaphysics

Episode 35: Mystery and Immortality: Plato’s Phædo

Episode 34: Mystery and Initiation in Plato

Episode 33: Nowhere to Go But Up: Philosophic Ascent in Plato

Episode 32: Maya Alapin on Mathematical Structures in Plato’s Republic

Members only: Adam Tetlow on Mathematics Useful for Understanding Plato

Episode 31: Sun, Line, Cave: Plato’s Inner Republic

Episode 30: Introducing Plato’s Republic

Episode 29: Otherworlds, Inner Worlds, and Utopias

Members only: Further Travels in Atlantis with Christopher Gill

Episode 28: Christopher Gill on Plato’s Atlantis

Episode 27: Plato’s Timæus

Episode 26: The Birth of the Symbol: Peter Struck on Ancient Greek Esoteric Hermeneutics

Episode 25: The Esoteric Plato

Episode 24: Introducing the Father of Western Esotericism: Plato

Members only: The Greek Iatromanteis: Katabasis, Metempsychosis, Soul-Flight, and the Question of ‘Shamanism’

Episode 23: Miguel Herrero de Jauregui on Ancient ‘Orphism’

Episode 22: Severed Heads and Cosmic Eggs: Orpheus and Esotericism

Episode 21: Elementary: Empedocles and the Secret History of the Elements

Episode 20: All for One, and One for All: Parmenides of Elea

Episode 19: Riddle Me This: Heraclitus of Ephesus

Episode 18: Don’t Spill the Beans: Pythagorean Silence

Episode 17: The Enigma of Pythagoreanism

Episode 16: The Enigma of Pythagoras

Episode 15: For the Love of Wisdom: The Birth of Philosophy

Episode 14: Methodologies for the Study of Mysticism

Episode 13: From Mystery to ‘Mysticism’

Episode 12: Richard Seaford on the Mysteries

Episode 11: The Long Secret History of Judaism, Part I

Episode 10: Prayer to the Gods of Night: The Near-Eastern Roots of Astrology

Episode 9: Esoteric Orientalism Part II: The Greeks are Always Children?

Episode 8: Esoteric Orientalism Part I: Ancient Barbarian Sages

Episode 7: We’re Together In Dreams: Dreaming and Western Esotericism

Members only: Daniel Ogden on Three Ancient Mages

Episode 6: Magicians, Ghosts, Amulets, and Spells: Daniel Ogden on Græco-Roman Magic

Episode 5: Methodologies for the Study of Magic

Members only: Robert Bolton on the (Immaterial, Immortal) Soul

Members only: Seaford on Soul, Ritual, and Money

Episode 4: Richard Seaford on the Origins of the Soul

Members only: Kocku von Stuckrad on Western Esotericism

Members only: Matthew Melvin-Koushki on ‘The West’

Members only: Wouter Hanegraaff on Western Esotericism

Episode 3: Wouter Hanegraaff on Western Esotericism

Episode 2: A Secret History of Secret History, Part II

Episode 1: A Secret History of Secret History, Part I

So What is Western Esotericism, Anyway?