Episode 12: The Collapse of the Bronze Age
Western Civ
In this episode, I explore the myriad reasons for the fall of the Bronze Age.
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Episode 202: Healing Christ's Body
Western Civ
Now in complete control in Geneva, John Calvin sought to forge a Protestant alliance with first Strasbourg, then Saxony, and finally with Bullinger in Zurich. While dealing with foreign issues, within Geneva itself, things were getting rough. The situation in France had deteriorated for Protestants, leading thousands to flee. Many of these refugees found their way to Geneva. But the influx of hundreds of foreigners always causes issues and, in the case of Geneva in the Sixteenth Century, the issue was thorny and struck right at the heart of Calvin's church. Check out the for more content....
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Episode 201: Back to Geneva
Western Civ
In this episode, John Calvin makes his triumphant return to Geneva where he can all his plans into action. Here he will build his Godly society and found his famous "Consistory": designed to regulate human moral conduct. As you can imagine, it was controversial. Check out the for more content. To support the show become a or check out our . Sources:
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Episode 200: The Institutes of the Christian Religion
Western Civ
John Calvin is famous for putting together the first concise and complete doctrine for Reformed Christianity. His Institutes of the Christian Religion laid out precisely what it meant to be Calvinist in a way that Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli never did - they both left that task to their successors. Check out the for more content. Become a or join us on for bonus content. Sources: Try out Audible for a and support the show!
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Episode 199: John Calvin
Western Civ
Today we meet our final early reformer: John Calvin. Calvin was significantly younger than Luther or Zwingli and does not even begin his reformation efforts in Geneva until the latter had died. But John Calvin and his Institutes of the Christian Religion are probably more important in the long run than Luther or Zwingli. Calvin, unlike either of those two, took the time to create a completely reformed doctrine. In this first episode, we meet Calvin and discuss his early life. Check out the for more content. Become a to support the show and get bonus content. Sources:
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Episode 198: Zwingli's Death and Legacy
Western Civ
Last time, Zwingli rose to prominence in Zurich, creating his model for the perfect Reformed Christian community. For him, this was nothing less than the revelation of a prophecy foretold millennia earlier. The Swiss were to be the New Israelites and the Swiss Confederation a New Israel. And then, in shocking speed, it all came crashing down. Within less than a decade of his success in 1525, Zwingli would lay dead on the battlefield, a causality of his own aggression. Today Zwingli remains a bit of a mixed bag. A national hero in Switzerland, some still regard the reformer as "the ugly side"...
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Persians: An Interview with Historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
Western Civ
Today I sit down with the author of Persians: The Age of Great Kings, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones. This masterful new work of scholarship revisits our favorite Persian dynasty, the Achaemenids, but this time from THEIR point of view. It is a wonderful book and it is about time we got Cambyses' side of the story. Buy a copy of the book . Visit our . Want to hear the whole Western Civ story again but with more detail? Ever get enough of Rome? (I know I don't.) Check out the . Support the show on .
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Episode 197: Reform in Zurich
Western Civ
Last time, we introduced Ulrich Zwingli and walked through his initial struggles with the Roman Church and his transition to Zurich. This time, we follow Zwingli as he changes the Zurich Church, creating arguably the most reformed church in Reformation Europe at the time. Check out the for more content. Consider becoming a and supporting the show. Sources:
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Episode 196: Ulrich Zwingli
Western Civ
Having finished with Martin Luther, we now shift our gaze to the Swiss Confederation, Zurich, and Ulrich Zwingli. Zwingli is another of our early reformers. His efforts in Zurich took place around the same time as Luther though the men, while both opposed to Rome, did not see eye to eye on much else. Yet, like Luther, Zwingli began his career within the Roman Catholic Church. Today we begin his story. Check out the for more content. Become a today and support the show. Try out Audible for a and support the show!
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Episode 195: Martin Luther and His Legacy
Western Civ
Today we finish with Martin Luther, the man credited with beginning the Reformation. Luther's final years are filled with increasingly angry battles with everyone from the Anabaptists to the Pope in Rome and, lastly, with Europe's Jewish population. Check out the for more content. Become a for bonus content and to support the show. Sources:
info_outlineIn this episode we follow the hapless reign of King Edward II of England. King Edward would find himself dominated by one court favorite after another starting with the infamous Piers Gaveston until finally he is simply removed from power in favor of his son, Edward III. In France, things are no better. The death of of Philip IV would led to three kings in the better part of two decades with no producing male heirs. This will lead to our first encounter with the so-called, Salic Law, which will ultimately plunge England and France into the Hundred Years War.