christianity
Christianity in Japan - Warlords at Worship
We continue our exploration of Christianity and Japan and how the faith became the subject of suspicion and persecution almost overnight.
Christianity in Japan - The Priest and the Pirate
The first installment of our series exploring the historical context of 16th and 17th century Catholicism in Japan.
Introduction to the Christian Saints
We introduce the topic of sainthood in Catholicism in an approachable way by looking at some stories of saints’ lives.
Legendary Ancestry Claims
We examine how medieval and early modern European nobility imagined their families’ ancestors, the origins of such thinking, and how early nationalist movements came to think along similar lines.
Indigenous New England and the First Thanksgiving
An exploration of the history of the indigenous nations of Southern New England, their interactions with Europeans, the Puritans, and how the Thanksgiving story which we are all familiar with was concocted.
Cyrus Teed and Koreshanity
We explore the strange contours of the life of Cyrus Teed, an eccentric 19th century prophet who founded a celibate cult centered around feminism, socialism, and the hollow earth theory.
A Global History of Dragons
From Britain to Beijing, cultures all around the world independently created the idea of dragons. In this episode, we try to find out why.
Spiritualism in the 1800s
We take a look back at a time when the ghosts of men were possessing spirit mediums all over the country to tell tales of life on the other side
Late Roman Empire
Like all bad things, the Roman Empire came to an end. But why did it take hundreds of years for that to happen?
Catholicism 101 ft. James
Our friend James returns to give Russian Sam a crash course in Catholicism and how it differs from other Christian denominations.
Quo Vadis ft. Maggie
Set against the back drop of Rome in crisis, General Marcus Vinicius returns to the city as Nero’s atrocities become more extreme until he burns Rome, laying the blame on the Christians.