Episodes

  • 458 - What's at stake with The Odyssey (2026) by Christopher Nolan

    458 - What's at stake with The Odyssey (2026) by Christopher Nolan
    Jun 20 2026
    There’s a lot of expectation and noise around Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie, The Odyssey (2026). For decades after WW2 we were unable to tell many stories about kingship and fatherhood. As we move through the turbulent end of the WW2 consensus, stories like this form part of how we process the return of the father and identity.

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/6prGX3wZKI8

    Buy Little Red Riding Hood now during the month of June and get the audiobook with for free. More than our other fairy tales, this one emphasizes the importance of the father’s role in protecting his family from the strange and subversive. https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/

    Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel

    🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
    💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
    🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
    🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
    -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
    -Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
    Show More Show Less
    20 mins
  • 457 - Backrooms (2026): A Strange Return to Normal

    457 - Backrooms (2026): A Strange Return to Normal
    Jun 20 2026
    Backrooms (2026) is a recent horror/thriller film based on a creepypasta —an internet urban legend— that emerged around the time of the Covid lockdowns. A man discovers an infinite, labyrinthine expanse of "backrooms" that becomes increasingly disturbing.

    In this video, I analyze the symbolism of the film and explore the deeper reasons why it is so popular, outshining major blockbusters with much larger budgets and marketing campaigns. Enjoy.

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/ZK6NaFsBGaM

    Buy Little Red Riding Hood now during the month of June and get the audiobook with for free: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/

    Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel

    🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
    💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
    🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
    🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
    -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
    -Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
  • 456 - Gavin Ortlund - Who Can Be Saved?

    456 - Gavin Ortlund - Who Can Be Saved?
    Jun 16 2026
    I had a discussion with Gavin Ortlund about the Orthodox Church's position on salvation outside the church.

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/RtC8ENpbOW4

    Buy Little Red Riding Hood now during the month of June and get the audiobook with for free: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/

    Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel

    Timestamps
    00:00 Introduction and background to the discussion
    03:08 Steelmanning each other’s positions
    04:12 Gavin summarizes the Orthodox view of salvation
    05:37 Jonathan explains salvation as healing and theosis
    06:36 Normative and non-normative ways of salvation
    08:13 Jonathan summarizes Gavin’s historical argument
    10:53 Gavin clarifies his thesis about Orthodoxy, Catholics, and Protestants
    16:40 Is the modern Orthodox view a return to earlier tradition?
    18:32 Gavin explains why the 9th–19th century period matters
    20:20 Disagreement over whether individuals can be declared damned
    22:57 Jonathan responds on Orthodox theological boundaries
    24:54 Debate over the 9th century and the Photian schism
    31:32 The question: Is Gavin a Christian brother?
    38:37 The Synod of Jerusalem and Protestant theology
    41:36 Jonathan reads from the Synod of Jerusalem
    43:56 Gavin responds to Jonathan’s use of an old blog post
    46:42 Gavin outlines the Synod’s language about Protestants
    49:12 Jonathan argues synods define norms, not individual destinies
    52:28 Gavin challenges the “normative” reading of the Synod
    55:20 Normative texts, dogmatic authority, and qualifications
    58:13 Theophan the Recluse and hope for the non-Orthodox
    01:04:16 St. Philaret of Moscow and leaving souls to God’s mercy
    01:09:35 Protestant missions in Orthodox lands
    01:11:23 Gavin defends Protestant missionary theology
    01:13:30 Jonathan critiques Protestant evangelism and denominationalism
    01:16:21 The Eucharist, communion, and institutional exclusivism
    01:18:16 Gavin explains why he is not Orthodox
    01:20:44 Jonathan on Christ’s presence and God’s desire to save all
    01:21:59 Are Protestants categorized like Buddhists or Muslims?
    01:25:36 Salvation as transformation into the image of Christ
    01:28:55 Theophan’s advice: focus on your own salvation
    01:30:06 Personal holiness and evangelism
    01:32:18 Calvinism, evangelism, and divine decree
    01:36:52 Predestination, foreknowledge, and the River of Fire
    01:39:59 Closing the theological discussion
    01:40:33 Gavin’s apology and reflections on online discourse
    01:42:59 A call for patient Protestant-Orthodox dialogue
    01:44:12 Jonathan’s closing thanks

    🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
    💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
    🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau

    🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
    -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
    -Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 46 mins
  • 455 - Disclosure Day: The Last Boomer Propaganda Movie

    455 - Disclosure Day: The Last Boomer Propaganda Movie
    Jun 11 2026
    I went to see Spielberg’s Disclosure Day and found myself watching a strange, late-stage piece of boomer propaganda about aliens, media, religion, and who we are supposed to trust. Here are my thoughts on the symbolism of the film.

    Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SBGPLaGfVTc

    Buy Little Red Riding Hood now during the month of June and get the audiobook with for free: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/

    Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel

    🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
    💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
    🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau

    🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
    -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
    -Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
    Show More Show Less
    22 mins
  • 454 - The Enemy Who Pretends to Be Your Friend

    454 - The Enemy Who Pretends to Be Your Friend
    Jun 9 2026
    We often think of enemies as those who attack us openly, but fairy tales also warn us about another kind of enemy: the one who comes close, pretends to be our friend, and destroys from within. I also discuss how this pattern appears in Scripture, culture, identity, and even technology, and why discernment is so important in our current moment.

    Buy Little Red Riding Hood now during the month of June and get the audiobook with for free: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/U8VXqPX1-0Q

    Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel

    🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
    💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
    🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau

    🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
    -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
    -Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
    Show More Show Less
    18 mins
  • 453 - Seraphim Hamilton - Isaiah: The Fifth Gospel

    453 - Seraphim Hamilton - Isaiah: The Fifth Gospel
    Jun 2 2026
    I’m joined again by Seraphim Hamilton to discuss his upcoming Symbolic World course on Isaiah, beginning June 15th. We talk about why Isaiah is central for understanding Christ in the Old Testament, the relationship between prophecy, exile, the suffering servant, the gentile nations, and the deep symbolic unity between Scripture, liturgy, and creation.

    Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now to get 15% off before the early bird sale ends: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/lPpBFh2-V90

    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Coming up
    00:47 - Intro music
    01:01 - Introducing Seraphim Hamilton and the Isaiah course
    01:48 - Seminary, liturgy, and returning to Scripture
    02:39 - Why Isaiah?
    03:02 - Isaiah as a Christological book
    05:27 - High Christology in the Old Testament
    06:52 - Leviathan, Revelation, and the Angel of the Lord
    07:51 - Isaiah 27 and the serpent of Genesis
    08:22 - Sennacherib, Hezekiah, and the Angel of the Lord
    10:51 - Are Old Testament prophecies taken out of context?
    11:18 - Exile, Assyria, Babylon, and biblical prophecy
    14:57 - Course promo: The Fifth Gospel
    15:47 - Isaiah 14 and the fall of Satan
    16:44 - The king of Babylon and the Daystar
    19:06 - Isaiah 14, Isaiah 53, and the suffering servant
    22:46 - Venus, Lucifer, and Christ as opposite images
    24:22 - Angels, humanity, and the transfer of authority
    25:57 - Is the suffering servant Israel or the Messiah?
    26:23 - The Messiah as the son of David
    28:50 - The servant, the seed, and the restoration of Israel
    32:13 - How the nations participate in the promise
    32:41 - The Old Testament and the redemption of the nations
    34:54 - The mountain of the Lord and divine fire
    37:34 - The heavenly Jerusalem and Isaiah 60
    38:02 - Isaiah 59, incarnation, and the redemption of Israel
    40:19 - The nations coming to honor the Jewish Messiah
    43:14 - What the Isaiah class hopes to offer
    43:56 - Seeing Christ disclosed in the Old Testament
    46:36 - Symbolism, the Fathers, and the tight weave of Scripture
    47:44 - Course details: five classes on Isaiah
    48:49 - Closing and where to sign up

    🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
    💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
    🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau

    🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
    -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
    -Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
    Show More Show Less
    49 mins
  • 452 - Hillsdale talk - Mythological Thinking: The Crossroads of Psychology and Theology

    452 - Hillsdale talk - Mythological Thinking: The Crossroads of Psychology and Theology
    May 29 2026
    This is a talk I did at Hillsdale College in March 2026. In this talk, I explore mythological thinking as a way of understanding how facts become meaningful. Facts do not present themselves to us neutrally. They are always organized by care, relevance, attention, and story. I look at examples from Genesis, Icarus, Spider-Man, the Tower of Babel, and modern science to show how myths preserve deep patterns of human experience. Rather than treating myth as fiction or primitive explanation, I argue that myth reveals the structures by which we perceive reality, understand purpose, and connect psychology with theology.

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/DEShUddn8HY

    Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now to get 15% off before the early bird sale ends: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel

    🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
    💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
    🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau

    🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
    -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
    -Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488

    Timestamps:
    00:00 Coming up
    01:38 Intro music
    02:03 Introduction at Hillsdale College
    06:59 Talk begins: hope, fragmentation, and new conversations
    09:19 “Facts don’t care about your feelings”
    12:12 Care organizes facts
    16:50 Facts are always contained in a story
    19:15 The Fifth Gospel course announcement
    20:10 Why stories survive across generations
    24:04 Mythological stories vs. scientific descriptions
    27:14 Origin stories and why we care
    30:37 Genesis as more than a scientific text
    33:34 Genesis, relevance, and human categories
    37:38 Why the mythological story should be primary
    39:36 Myths are not primitive explanations
    41:47 Babel, Icarus, Prometheus, and repeated patterns
    44:16 Applicability vs. allegory
    47:40 All remembered stories are mythological
    49:24 Psychology, theology, and human care
    51:27 The Incarnation as the myth that came true
    54:34 How story unites psychology and theology
    58:29 Returning to mythological thinking
    59:55 Q&A: Bringing mythological thinking into science education
    01:02:58 Q&A: How to recognize false myths
    01:07:37 Q&A: Speaking truth in hostile circles
    01:08:53 Q&A: Original sin as a true myth
    01:11:13 Q&A: How artists discover truth through story
    01:13:42 Q&A: Why live by Christ’s story rather than another?
    01:18:21 Q&A: The modern fall into cold, hard reality

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 21 mins
  • 451 - Universal History: What Really Happened in Eden - Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin

    451 - Universal History: What Really Happened in Eden - Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin
    May 26 2026
    A telling of the events in Genesis that you might never have heard before.
    In this episode of Universal History, Deacon Seraphim Rohlin and I return to Genesis through the Syriac tradition, especially the Cave of Treasures. This is the groundwork for understanding the universal history of Persia.

    Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now to get 15% off before the early bird sale ends: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/f--wBUEAxjY

    Universal History playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVX4HUUPrIY_M2uZP3yW6EEiod3fGD6FD

    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Coming up
    00:38 - Intro music
    01:03 - Why return to Genesis before Persia
    05:54 - Syriac sources and the Cave of Treasures
    08:21 - Tradition, Scripture, and how ancient stories are received
    12:55 - Melchizedek, Moriah, and hidden biblical patterns
    17:41 - The first day: creation, waters, and the leaven of life
    24:37 - The second day: the firmament and the waters above
    28:45 - The third day: earth, seeds, and creation’s hidden potential
    34:22 - Sterility, power, and modern artificial systems
    38:21 - The fourth day: sun, moon, stars, heat, and life
    43:45 - The sixth day: the formation of Adam
    45:23 - Adam’s glory and the angels’ fear
    52:17 - Satan refuses to venerate Adam
    56:56 - The chariot of fire and ascent into paradise
    59:19 - Eve, Adam’s side, and ancient wedding symbolism
    01:02:09 - Paradise as the Church
    01:06:47 - Jerusalem, the cross, and universal history
    01:10:55 - The fall, the serpent, and the mirror of temptation
    01:17:42 - Garments of skin and the body after the fall
    01:22:13 - Adam and Eve expelled from paradise
    01:27:00 - The Cave of Treasures and the first temple
    01:29:21 - Cain, Abel, and the first sacrifice
    01:31:42 - Cain’s jealousy and the first murder
    01:35:40 - Abel as the first martyr and first relic
    01:37:50 - Genesis as the pattern of the whole world

    🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
    💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
    🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau

    🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
    -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
    -Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 42 mins