The Symbolic World

460 - Dn. Seraphim Rohlin - Universal History: The Origins of the Nephilim

In this conversation with Deacon Seraphim Rohlin, we continue our exploration of Genesis through the Syrian tradition, looking especially at Seth (Adam and Eve’s son after Cain and Abel), the Nephilim, and the fall of the sons of God. What begins as a discussion of the descendants of Seth becomes a way of understanding the descent from the holy mountain, the corruption of Cain’s line, and the strange traditions around giants, demons, music, desire, and the second fall before the flood.YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/3D2bRWrbKUUEpisode 1 of this series: https://youtu.be/f--wBUEAxjY?si=cJE6aczhbDx13AoIFr. Stephen De Young talking about Nephilim with Tucker Carlson: https://youtu.be/5x9vR5sKHFI?si=nBh9exyV3jkGYtWs📕 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 Books (outside of the Bible) mentioned:The Cave of TreasuresThe Book of the BeeBook of EnochBook of AdamKebra NagastJubilees🔓 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  Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

459 - The Future Belongs to Humans (Ottawa talk)

This is a talk I presented at Chesterton Academy of Ottawa earlier this year. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/ETaRAauDxS0Buy 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 - Coming up00:51 - Intro music01:05 - Chesterton Academy introduction03:28 - Jonathan begins: art, AI, education, and the Pope’s encyclical05:53 - Why AI is not human intelligence08:18 - AI lacks embodied understanding10:47 - Money, efficiency, power, and the values behind AI13:07 - The Moloch trap and the AI arms race15:32 - AI’s impact on work and education17:01 - The anti-human vision of technocracy18:40 - What education is really for21:05 - Why learn art in the age of AI?23:50 - Little Red Riding Hood promotion24:46 - Remember, celebrate, and create25:57 - Remembering our stories and traditions29:36 - Celebrate what is good33:16 - Create in service of remembrance and celebration37:11 - Sincerity after irony and cynicism39:32 - Fairy tales, icons, and Christian visual language42:58 - Graphic novels, saints, and medieval storytelling44:28 - The challenge and opportunity of our time46:27 - Q: Is pessimism about AI justified?48:32 - Q: How can remembrance, celebration, and creation be transmitted practically in schools and families?53:23 - Q: Should schools return to oral exams and oral presentations because of AI?55:52 - Q: How much can we participate in or use AI without falling into the trap?58:31 - Q: What does cave art reveal about the relationship between man and art? Is art the signature of man?01:03:02 - Q: What is the difference between inventing something new and creating?01:07:20 - Q: Do strict rules in art stifle creativity? Why do people say beauty is subjective?01:10:04 - Q: How can we recover a true remembrance of the Middle Ages rather than seeing them as dark or backward?01:14:55 - Q: What is the difference between reading traditional stories and watching movies for entertainment?01:19:02 - Q: Why was beauty dismissed from art, and why is our built environment so ugly?01:21:07 - Q: What is your favorite piece of art in your home?01:23:28 - Q: Can AI be used as a Socratic interlocutor in education?01:26:36 - Q: What is the value of teaching classical languages like Latin and ancient Greek?01:27:45 - Q: How should young artists balance pursuing art with the need to make money?01:30:50 - Q: What is the importance of boredom, rest, silence, and imagination?01:33:15 - Q: Is re-enchantment, post-irony, and sincerity possible in an intentional way?01:37:08 - Q: How can different traditions unite against AI without losing their distinctiveness?01:41:39 - Q: How do we discern beauty in imperfect work, especially in a performative society focused on excellence?01:44:02 - Q: Where do you think AI is going, especially in education and culture?🔓 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/

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

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/6prGX3wZKI8Buy 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/id1386867488Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

457 - Backrooms (2026): A Strange Return to Normal

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/ZK6NaFsBGaMBuy 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/id1386867488Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

456 - Gavin Ortlund - Who Can Be Saved?

I had a discussion with Gavin Ortlund about the Orthodox Church's position on salvation outside the church.YouTube version: https://youtu.be/RtC8ENpbOW4Buy 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 Timestamps00:00 Introduction and background to the discussion03:08 Steelmanning each other’s positions04:12 Gavin summarizes the Orthodox view of salvation05:37 Jonathan explains salvation as healing and theosis06:36 Normative and non-normative ways of salvation08:13 Jonathan summarizes Gavin’s historical argument10:53 Gavin clarifies his thesis about Orthodoxy, Catholics, and Protestants16:40 Is the modern Orthodox view a return to earlier tradition?18:32 Gavin explains why the 9th–19th century period matters20:20 Disagreement over whether individuals can be declared damned22:57 Jonathan responds on Orthodox theological boundaries24:54 Debate over the 9th century and the Photian schism31:32 The question: Is Gavin a Christian brother?38:37 The Synod of Jerusalem and Protestant theology41:36 Jonathan reads from the Synod of Jerusalem43:56 Gavin responds to Jonathan’s use of an old blog post46:42 Gavin outlines the Synod’s language about Protestants49:12 Jonathan argues synods define norms, not individual destinies52:28 Gavin challenges the “normative” reading of the Synod55:20 Normative texts, dogmatic authority, and qualifications58:13 Theophan the Recluse and hope for the non-Orthodox01:04:16 St. Philaret of Moscow and leaving souls to God’s mercy01:09:35 Protestant missions in Orthodox lands01:11:23 Gavin defends Protestant missionary theology01:13:30 Jonathan critiques Protestant evangelism and denominationalism01:16:21 The Eucharist, communion, and institutional exclusivism01:18:16 Gavin explains why he is not Orthodox01:20:44 Jonathan on Christ’s presence and God’s desire to save all01:21:59 Are Protestants categorized like Buddhists or Muslims?01:25:36 Salvation as transformation into the image of Christ01:28:55 Theophan’s advice: focus on your own salvation01:30:06 Personal holiness and evangelism01:32:18 Calvinism, evangelism, and divine decree01:36:52 Predestination, foreknowledge, and the River of Fire01:39:59 Closing the theological discussion01:40:33 Gavin’s apology and reflections on online discourse01:42:59 A call for patient Protestant-Orthodox dialogue01:44:12 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/