The Lord of Spirits – Pantheon and Pandemonium II: Live Q&A (January 14, 2022)

Hosts: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, Fr. Stephen De Young
Podcast: The Lord of Spirits, Ancient Faith Ministries
Episode Summary:
A lively open-line Q&A episode where Fathers Andrew and Stephen field questions from listeners on a wide array of topics: from ancient Egyptian onion rituals to the nature of hell, marriage in heaven, giants, extraterrestrials, the spiritual meaning of language in scripture, cosmic order, and more. The hosts use each question as an opportunity to explore the seen and unseen aspects of Orthodox Christian tradition, often engaging deeply in scripture, linguistic nuance, cultural history, and the intersection of classical Christian thought and contemporary speculation.

Main Themes and Purpose

The episode’s core aim is to demystify complex spiritual concepts and traditions within Orthodox Christianity, especially as they intersect with questions about the unseen world—angels, demons, spiritual hierarchies, and other mystical elements. Callers’ questions spark wide-ranging discussions about scriptural interpretation, the meaning of ancient practices, cultural mythology, theological anthropology, eschatology, and the ongoing struggle between chaos and order in the cosmos.
The hosts emphasize the importance of embracing both rational inquiry and the mystery inherent in the Orthodox faith.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rituals, Onions, and Pagan Symbolism

• Onions in Ancient Egypt:
  • Ancient Egyptians did not exactly "worship" onions, but considered them sacred, using them in burial and mummification, and associating their concentric circles with eternity and eternal life.
    • “If you slice an onion in half… that was taken to be a representation of eternity.” – Fr. Stephen (03:30)
  • References from St. John Chrysostom, Juvenal, Pliny, and the usage of onions as disinfectants and primitive pregnancy tests.

2. St. Christopher and the Cynocephaly (Dog-Headed Depictions) [06:08 – 08:15]

• Werewolf Connections:
  • While St. Christopher is sometimes depicted with a dog’s head and associated with themes of "otherness" and even cannibalism, his story is more nuanced and complex.
  • Listeners are directed to Jonathan Pageau’s work "God’s Dog" for a deep dive into the iconography and mythos.

3. The Seven Heads of Leviathan and Revelation/"Seven Hills" [08:26 – 10:23]

• Ancient Monsters Symbolize Empires:
  • The seven-headed Leviathan in the Old Testament is echoed in Revelation’s imagery of the "seven hills" (Rome).
    • "St. John is very deliberately positing…the Roman empire as the embodiment of Leviathan." – Fr. Stephen (09:03)
  • Evil spiritual forces—demonic "gods"—recur across history, not limited to a single nation or era.

4. Scriptural Language: Love in John’s Gospel (Agape vs. Philia) [11:05 – 22:39]

• Misconceptions of Greek Nuances:
  • The supposed strict distinction between "agape" and "philia" is often overstated. John the Evangelist uses both interchangeably, even alternating between them to describe Jesus’ love for the Beloved Disciple.
    • "Words derive their meaning from usage… You have to look at how they use them." – Fr. Stephen (14:40)
  • Sermons and popular works (e.g., C.S. Lewis's "The Four Loves") may overinterpret these distinctions; context and author style matter more.

5. Demonic Order and Hierarchy [23:16 – 28:44]

• Are Demons Organized?
  • Demons, unlike angels, do not participate in the divine energies and therefore do not have an ordered hierarchy in the same sense.
  • Long-Game Schemes: Demons are "vast cosmic intelligences" (27:32), capable of long-ranging schemes to corrupt cultures rather than simply causing immediate chaos.
  • Order of Angels vs. Disorder of Demons:
    • "The sense in which there is order among the heavenly host…cannot apply in any way to demons, definitionally." – Fr. Stephen (27:18)

6. Marriage, One Flesh, and Life After Death [29:16 – 39:17]

• Spiritual Realities of Marriage & Heaven:
  • Oneness: Marriage's “one flesh” is both physical (procreation) and spiritual (mutual repentance and sanctification).
    • "The whole point of marriage is to reveal your sins so that you can repent of them. So it's working." – Fr. Andrew (31:41)
  • Marriage in the Age to Come: Christ’s statement that there's no marriage "in the resurrection" answers the Sadducees’ combative question about possession and exclusivity, not intimacy or love per se.
    • The love and relationship developed in marriage are not "erased" in the life to come; all good things are made eternal.

7. Relativism, Narratives, and Truth in a Fractured Age [43:10 – 61:07]

• Cultural Chaos & Competing Realities:
  • The current era’s "fracturing" of shared truth (my truth, postmodern relativism) is not unique in history; empires and cultures have always imposed their stories through force or persuasion.
    • "Christians have really been in the same position… all the way through Christian history." – Fr. Stephen (49:12)
  • The antidote is to be bearers and storytellers of the Christian narrative—rooted in Christ as THE truth, not shielding children from chaos but grounding them in the true story.

8. Giants, Christ’s Descent, and Spirits in Prison [63:01 – 70:04]

• Who Were the "Spirits in Prison"?
  • 1 Peter 3’s "spirits in prison" are best understood as the watchers (rebel angels) from Genesis 6, parallel to Enoch’s account.
  • Christ’s descent to Hades is primarily proclamation of victory—to all beings, not an "invitation" to post-mortem repentance.
    • "The Gospel is the report of Christ's victory." – Fr. Stephen (65:34)
    • "The Gospel is not good news for everyone—it’s bad news for some." – Fr. Andrew (69:01)

9. God’s Glory: Kavod, Shekinah, and the Presence [70:19 – 79:36]

• The Glory of God:
  • "Glory" in the Old Testament refers both to the physical, overwhelming manifestation (kavod: weight/mass) and to the theophanic “glory cloud” (shekinah).
    • Christ himself is the manifestation above the Ark; both glory types are aspects of the unified divine nature.
    • "There is one glory of the divine nature in both senses." – Fr. Stephen (76:15)

10. Aliens, UFOs, and Sasquatch [82:50 – 93:32]

• Orthodoxy and Extraterrestrials:
  • The Church has no official teaching on ETs; spiritual intelligences (angels/demons) are acknowledged.
  • If intelligent, communicative extraterrestrials existed, it would affirm Christianity’s understanding of a universal human nature.
    • "That would mean human consciousness…is in some way a universal." – Fr. Stephen (90:54)
• Sasquatch and Giants:
  • Debates about whether Bigfoot-like cryptids are remnant Nephilim/giants, hominids, or archetype-figures are discussed in a light-hearted, speculative vein, referencing Nebuchadnezzar’s bestial transformation in the Bible.

11. Pharaoh’s Hardened Heart [94:54 – 108:03]

• Divine Hardening and Human Free Will:
  • Exodus alternates between Pharaoh hardening his own heart and God hardening it; both are true.
    • God was not merely trying to free Israel, but to render judgment on the gods of Egypt, display true justice, and reveal his sovereignty.
    • "Justice biblically is not punishment for crimes; justice is restoring the correct order." – Fr. Stephen (100:06)

12. Foreknowledge, Free Will, and the Experience of God [108:15 – 121:14]

• Does God’s Foreknowledge Contradict Human Freedom?
  • Human experience of time is not divine; God’s knowledge is not constrained by human categories of past, present, future.
    • "For God, there is no future and past." – Fr. Stephen (121:07)
    • Our inability to resolve foreknowledge/free will is a human limitation, not a theological contradiction.

13. Sheol, Hades, and Hell [121:41 – 133:03]

• Origins and Usage of Terms:
  • Hades (Greek), Sheol (Hebrew), and Hell (Germanic) are linguistically and conceptually interchangeable as “the place of the dead.”
    • They are all underworld terms, also used as names for controlling deities.
  • Discussion of biblical, historical, and popular (often Dante-influenced) uses and misuses.
    • Difference exists between the intermediate state (prior to resurrection) and final judgment, but it's not always expressed consistently by terminology.

14. Prayer for the Dead and After-Death Encounters [133:16 – 145:53]

• Efficacy of Prayers for Departed Non-Believers:
  • We do not know the heart of the departed at the moment of death; God’s mercy can work through our prayers.
    • "God is very much capable of saving your father through your prayers...out of his love for you." – Fr. Stephen (144:49)
  • Encounters or dreams of deceased loved ones are common, and judged by the fruits they produce (peace, comfort vs. fear, confusion).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On postmodern chaos:
  • "Most of human history has been mostly out of control. And control can also be bad, right?" – Fr. Stephen (45:31)
• On storytelling as formation:
  • "We must see ourselves within a story...we're aligned with the story of humankind. The best story that we're ever going to give or ever receive..." – Caller Derek (60:49)
• On marriage revealing our sins:
  • "The whole point of marriage is to reveal your sins so that you can repent of them. So it's working." – Fr. Andrew (31:41)
• On terms for Hell/Hades/Sheol:
  • "In terms of the English words, that's kind of where those things flowed out..." – Fr. Andrew (126:59)
  • "Words derive their meaning from usage, not their etymology." – Fr. Stephen (127:09)
• On the limits of human understanding:
  • "There's no tale without a teller... We don't know what it's like to be a bat. We definitely don't know what it's like to be an angel, and we certainly, certainly do not know what it's like to be God." – Fr. Andrew (111:06)
  • "For God, there is no future and past." – Fr. Stephen (121:07)
• On hope for the departed:
  • "We don’t know exactly the fate of anybody... but we do live in hope for them." – Fr. Andrew (140:46)

Select Timestamps of Interest

• Onions in Egyptian Ritual: [01:59–04:00]
• St. Christopher as Cynocephalus: [06:08–08:15]
• Leviathan and Revelation: [08:26–10:23]
• Greek words for 'love': [11:09–22:39]
• Demonic hierarchy: [23:25–28:44]
• Marriage & eternity: [29:16–39:17]
• Cultural fragmentation & narrative: [43:10–61:07]
• Giants, 1 Peter 3, Enoch: [63:01–70:04]
• God’s glory (Kavod and Shekinah): [70:19–79:36]
• Aliens/UFOs, Sasquatch, and Nephilim: [82:50–93:32]
• Pharaoh’s heart and free will: [94:54–108:03]
• Foreknowledge vs. free will: [108:15–121:14]
• Hades/Sheol/Hell in language and theology: [121:41–133:03]
• Prayer for the dead, dreams, and after-death contact: [133:16–145:53]

Flow and Tone

The episode is a warm, playful, intellectual, and pastoral journey through the strange, contested, and sublime questions at the heart of Orthodox spiritual tradition. Both hosts field questions with learned seriousness, humor, self-deprecation, and a steady focus on the transformative core of Christian living and belief.

Those who have not listened will find it approachable, full of practical applications, memorable stories, and deep connections between ancient faith and modern confusion. The Q&A format keeps the pace lively while allowing for deep dives.

For Further Engagement

• For more: Read Jonathan Pageau’s "God's Dog" for an exploration of St. Christopher's dog-headed iconography, and Andrei Orlov’s "The Glory of the Invisible God" for the theological development of 'glory’ in Judaism and Christianity.
• For study: Listeners interested in scripture and language are encouraged by the hosts to pay more attention to authorial context and usage, not just concordances or etymology.

“We should not be at home in any nation, in any time, in any place—until Christ returns. Until then there should be this disjunction between what the world says is true and what we know is true.”
– Fr. Stephen De Young (49:51)