Youtube comments of ReligionForBreakfast (@ReligionForBreakfast).

  1. sees video length Guess I'll cancel my evening plans.
    10000
  2. A week or so ago, after I filmed this episode, archaeologists announced the discovery of a whole pig skeleton in Jerusalem dating to the Iron Age. A few thoughts: 1) Evolving Cultural Element: This discovery lends credence to Max Price's central argument that the pig taboo was an evolving cultural element. Even while the pig taboo was being formulated by Jerusalem religious elites, someone was raising pigs in the heart of the Kingdom of Judah! 2) North vs. South: This discovery, though super interesting, doesn't change the fact that pig husbandry apparently was more popular in Northern urban centers like Megiddo and Beth Shean compared to urban centers in the South (Lachish and Jerusalem). 3) There's Always an Exception: But! It is still interesting to see that, even while the taboo was being formulated, people in Judah were still raising and eating pigs [in small numbers]. I see this in similar light to the fact that Asherah figurines (a Canaanite goddess) were discovered in Jerusalem too, even though the Northern Kingdom gets blamed more often for idolatry.
    2100
  3. This is very well done. Kudos!
    1500
  4. Great video as usual! Looking forward to future collabs.
    1400
  5. Great stuff. "The Bible Unearthed" is one of my favorite intros to the archaeology of the Bible.
    1200
  6. What an honor to appear alongside so many great YouTubers! Thanks for the invite!
    1200
  7. Scholarly and nonsectarian is what RFB is all about! More definitely to come.
    1000
  8. Excellent idea
    1000
  9. The complete and utter randomness of archaeological evidence.
    877
  10. Great video! I agree that “#1: Books Removed” could have been more nuanced, but you definitely get the gist correct! There were tons of other books floating around that Jews and Christians considered authoritative but later fell out of favor (e.g. Tobit and Enoch in particular). The Qumran sectarians apparently valued the Book of Enoch for example since a few copies were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. As for Christians, the Shepherd of Hermas is a better example than the Nag Hammadi books in my opinion. The Shepherd of Hermas was super popular and even appears alongside other New Testament compilations. Even the Codex Sinaiticus contains a copy of the Shepherd of Hermas!
    766
  11. a great analogy
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  12. That’s the long term goal of the channel! The Crashcourse or Khan Academy of religious studies.
    712
  13. Woot, religious studies helping us understand 21st century fandoms! Love it.
    677
  14. Yeah I considered that too and prob should have addressed it. Much of the secularizing shift in the US is among Gen Z. I believe there is only 1 Gen Z member of congress.
    673
  15. Glad to hear it. That’s kind of the point of the whole channel: to demonstrate that anyone can study religion as an academic discipline regardless of personal feelings about God/the supernatural/etc.
    633
  16. Crowdsourced Holy Library
    621
  17. There's an episode about that in American Gods...a bunch of different personalized Jesuses.
    587
  18. What do you think? Is "atheist church" inherently contradictory? Can we call this a form of religiosity or not?
    587
  19. Key takeaway: Jedi are thaumaturges. Also, subscribe to ESOTERICA: https://youtu.be/DEwDxn-qqUI
    586
  20. H.A.D.DOUKEN
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  21. Great video! Thanks for the opportunity to collab!
    541
  22. They should make a 3rd Enoch…
    527
  23. Celebrating 777,000 subscribers! Support us on Patreon here!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    503
  24. Raelians too.
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  25. In retrospect, I should have. Future video to come, but briefly, both are Medieval 10th c. CE or later: Easter eggs start cropping up in Medieval sources. Seems to be linked to Lenten prohibition. I.e. people ate a ton of eggs after Lent ended. 1682: First mention of the Easter Rabbit in a German source Georg Franck von Franckenau
    496
  26. Or even better: why is Horus?
    493
  27. Finally made the sequel! "The 2nd Book of Enoch Explained:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXNIdwbEJY0
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  28. Yeah I was struck by how many of my sources were from confessional Baptist websites. But Baptist scholars are apparently the most likely to address this topic.
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  29. Founder creator here. It's no exaggeration that my channel would not exist without Patreon and the patrons who supported me there. For the first year or so of my channel's existence, I had 7 patrons giving me a total of $50 a month. Enough to buy equipment and editing software. It still is a huge part of my revenue, and the site's enshittification scares the shit out of me. A lot of creators will go out of business if they collapse.
    468
  30. Thanks Alex! That means a lot. Depending on what platform you prefer, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter or Insta to chat. Definitely want to do a Theravada video.
    459
  31. Axial tilt is the reason for the season: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    453
  32. Don’t worry, I still have my beard. And because of this pandemic, I have “uncut hair” too. Simran and I would like to produce more Sikhi videos; help fund the effort over at Patreon!: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    447
  33. For NordVPN’s birthday, every purchase of a 2-year plan will get you 1 additional month free AND a surprise gift. Go to https://nordvpn.com/rfb and use code rfb!
    447
  34. Breakfast for Breakfast
    447
  35. Kabbalah video is coming in March. Script is 60% done.
    433
  36. YouTube constantly demonetizes my videos. Religion apparently is not "advertiser friendly content." If you would like to support this channel, consider becoming a patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast) or donate at PayPal! https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast
    422
  37. YUP
    420
  38. I’d say definitely not.
    399
  39. Yeah, bee eggs is another theory. Though it didn’t appear to have much support in the scholarship I read for this video
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  40. As an ancient historian, this is EXACTLY how I feel walking through an ancient site or holding an ancient artifact. Seeing a thumbprint on an Akkadian clay tablet, and realizing that person is thousands of years dead but still connected to us here in the 21st century.
    390
  41. This is actually pretty accurate
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  42. At first glance, I get why someone might think that, but ritual purity in Judaism is more nuanced than that. People can enter a state of ritual impurity just by going about one's normal business. Doesn't necessarily imply "disdain" or "sin."
    373
  43. A few notes I should have included: Western churches celebrate Christmas Dec 25. Some Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Jan 7 while Jan 6 is the celebration of Epiphany. The difference in the days is due to the shift from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar (the latter wasn’t introduced until hundreds of years later). Dec 25 on the Julian calendar correlates with Jan 7 on the Gregorian calendar. Celebrating Christmas on January 6, as the Armenians do, predates the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. In fact, to this day, when celebrating in Jerusalem, the Armenian Patriarchate shifts Christmas ahead to January 18.
    370
  44. Great video on an important topic. Essentializing is so common, but it is difficult to address succinctly in the moment.
    368
  45.  @Morfeusm  I make 100% of my thumbnails personally. So...yes.
    366
  46. And ironically, Buddhist meditation was practiced mostly by monastics and was frequently stressful (e.g. meditating on one's mortality).
    358
  47. happy to use fan fiction too. Spin-off seemed to work well for Enoch though imo.
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  48. Awesome. Glad to hear it. I always say religious studies is for anyone...atheist, theist, and everyone in between.
    345
  49. Awesome. This channel is for atheists and theists alike! Whoever is interested in studying religion as an academic discipline.
    341
  50. Dr. Crawford's Poetic Edda: https://www.amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast
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  51. YouTube constantly demonetizes my videos. Religion apparently is not "advertiser friendly content." If you would like to support this channel, consider becoming a patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast) or donate at PayPal! https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast
    328
  52. Watch Dr. Angela Puca's companion video here!: https://youtu.be/rfEjXacA5Ko
    325
  53. Final boss with multiple stages.
    321
  54. Welcome Holy Koolaid!
    321
  55. Animism is also common in pop culture. Watch my analysis of religion in the Mario series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhXHl2iMnOs&feature=youtu.be
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  56. Yeah those types of YouTube channels annoy the heck out of me. The archaeology is interesting enough already without putting a political or crazy spin on it.
    305
  57. Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/magN30siJK7
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  58. Yup!
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  59. Oh right, I forgot about that. That must have been a popular story to circulate around that much.
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  60. What about their jamocha shake?
    286
  61. Register for my class "Early Christian Exorcism" here!: https://religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/
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  62. I very much am the intended audience of this analogy.
    280
  63. I hope I did it justice. The scholar whom I relied on the most in this video is Dr. David Carrasco. He's a Mexican-American scholar and an inspiration of mine.
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  64. Coincidentally, episode 5 is on anime and Shinto
    268
  65. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch The Logistics of the Hajj here!: https://nebula.tv/videos/wendover-the-logistics-of-hajj?ref=religionforbreakfast
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  66. UPDATE: Turkish President Erdogan declared on July 10, 2020 that the Hagia Sophia will become a mosque again, annulling a decision in 1934 that made the building into a museum. This video was published 10 months before this decision. Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53366307
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  67. Since there appears to be confusion about this topic in the comments. The miraculous food in Exodus, "manna," has nothing to do with the history of "mana" in modern pop culture. Larry Niven, in a Skype interview on June 5, 2013, reported that he learned about the concept by reading a book on Melanesian religion (The Trumpet Shall Sound) while as an undergrad at Washburn University. The similarity with the Torah's "manna" is coincidental. Source: Matt Tomlinson (a scholar of religion in Oceania), "New Mana: Transformations of a Classic Concept in Pacific Languages and Cultures,” page 321.
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  68. Currently working on a video about Valentinians.
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  69. Yeah, I read the article from the investigative journalist that blew the case open. I made this video a year ago though. Maybe I should do a follow up.
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  70. The lack of non-Abrahamic religions on my channel is true and my fault. I've been trying to remedy that with the 5-episode Shinto series, and I've hired two different scholars to produce a 5-episode Confucianism series and a 5-episode Buddhism series respectively.
    245
  71. I thought this would be an easy video to write. Easy answer: "Yeshua." Then I dug too deep into the scholarship on pharyngeal consonants O_o
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  72. I am aware of this, but have never watched it. I'm inspired now.
    235
  73. That was my journey when making this video. I went from believer to "huh...maybe this doesn't make sense."
    235
  74. Join our Patreon community!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    228
  75. And...this video was just demonetized. Honestly confused with this one. Shout out to our Patreon community for keeping this channel afloat while the YouTube bots punish us: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    228
  76. Waned in prominence in the Roman period. Cicero laments its disuse. Hadrian briefly tried to revive it. Ended during the Christianization of the Empire.
    220
  77. whoa you're right. Sort of a pantheism maybe.
    218
  78. Register for our online class "Messianic Impulses: A Psychedelic Model of Revolutionary Consciousness" https://religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/
    218
  79. Join my Gospel of Thomas class here!: https://religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/ Edit: If you missed this class, subscribe here to be notified about new classes!: https://classes.religionforbreakfast.com
    217
  80. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Working Titles, exclusive in Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/working-titles-39-majoras-mask-lowspecgamer?ref=religionforbreakfast
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  81. Eostre video currently in the works. Stay tuned for April 2023.
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  82. Next watch "Mandaeism: The Last Gnostic Religion?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMx_JKJbvJI&feature=youtu.be
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  83. Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/8J1C30spaZa
    211
  84. One of my resolutions for 2021 is to beef up the “takeaway” sections of my videos so they are not simple distributions of rote fact. Hence the extended methodological discussion at the end of my recent Aztec video.
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  85. Glad to hear it, thank you! The history of religion is indeed fascinating.
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  86. So wild to think I’m one of the “old” YouTubers now. Ten years
    203
  87. Thanks! I’m trying real hard to branch out of the usual subjects on this channel.
    199
  88. Awesome! I'm currently obsessed with linguistics and religious studies, so expect more vids in this vein.
    193
  89. Signup for your FREE trial to The Great Courses Plus here: http://ow.ly/2h9b30rzWhn
    189
  90. That would have been a good example to include...can't believe I missed that.
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  91. Yeah partisanship annoys me SO much.
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  92. This is why the RFB audience is so great. The type of people that research Buddhist texts in their spare time.
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  93. I feel like a broken record, but there is a high chance someone is watching the channel for the first time and hasn’t heard my explanation before!
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  94. What indigenous religions would you like to see covered on this channel?
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  95. Indeed, every time I encounter a scholar attempting to define magic, I enter their definition into a big spreadsheet. Rest assured...each and every definition is different!
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  96. Huge diversity. That one study identified three categories of atheism, but I'm sure there are more.
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  97. She is AMAZING. I had so much fun working with her. I learned a lot.
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  98. Welp, this video has already been demonetized and confirmed by manual review. As it turns out, mass suicide is not an advertiser friendly topic. If you're willing and able, feel free to donate over at Patreon to protect this channel from the advertiser algorithm!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
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  99. Get the exclusive NordVPN deal here: https://nordvpn.com/rfb. It’s risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!
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  100.  @mikecsiy  Yes, from my understanding, it seems that fermented drinks were valued b/c of their antimicrobial properties. Now, of course they didn't know about microbes, but they must have noticed that unfermented drinks got you sick more often.
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  101. Signup for your free trial to The Great Courses Plus here: http://ow.ly/Rl3d30rb5Tb. | I personally recommend Dr. Brakke's Gnosticism course and Dr. Bart Ehrman's "Lost Christianities."
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  102. Definitely worth hours of my time. #QuarantineLife
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  103. Agreed. I hope I don't get any accusations of blasphemy for this vid O_o
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  104. This is the best analogy I’ve heard yet.
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  105. My production cycle takes 13 bak'tuns between videos.
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  106. Wow that’s very interesting. It reminds me of people putting ironic answers like “Jedi,” which skews the data.
    156
  107. Compare news coverage from diverse sources around the world on a transparent platform driven by data. Try Ground News today and get 40% off your subscription: https://ground.news/religionforbreakfast.
    156
  108. Late afternoon for me here in Cairo!
    156
  109. That's my hunch too....with the added possibility that the bishop didn't care.
    154
  110. I'm pretty sure that movie drew some inspiration from Gnostic and Enochic literature. I hated how the Watchers were portrayed though.
    153
  111. Watch the series here!: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRnXSS4SzUG66tF70EKGgzIV2B5-qnXmJ
    152
  112. Register for our online class "Fact and Fiction about Laozi and his Daodejing:" https://religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/
    151
  113. @John Verne Simran, my co-host in this episode, assured me it is pronounced like the English word "sick."
    151
  114. Get a free copy of the 80,000 Hours in-depth career guide: https://80000hours.org/rfb
    148
  115. Join my online class about guardian angel magic!: https://religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/
    148
  116. Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/XCq330smyx2
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  117. Kaleidoscopes actually.
    144
  118. Watch UsefulCharts here!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6PrrnhAKFQ
    144
  119. Thank you to Wondrium for sponsoring today’s video! Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/PbSZ50NvlKr
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  120. Next watch "Mandaeism: The Last Gnostic Religion?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMx_JKJbvJI&feature=youtu.be
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  121. YouTube has permanently demonetized this video. Religion apparently is not "advertiser friendly content." If you would like to support this channel, consider becoming a patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast) or donate at PayPal! https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast
    140
  122. Gnosticism seminar: https://www.speakeasy.com/speaker/andrew-henry Patreon: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    140
  123. I defended the PhD in August! It was on Christian liturgical phrases being used on magical amulets.
    139
  124. Bruh, I just got the same truck. Congrats! Any tips on protecting my groceries from rain?
    139
  125. McClellan’a video gets into it, but yeah I’d like to make a sequel on Dagon.
    139
  126. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Archaeology Quest here!: https://nebula.tv/videos/realscience-pottery?ref=religionforbreakfast
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  127. How about a whole channel? Oops...I've said too much...
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  128. This can be a vitriolic topic in today's partisan climate, so let's try to practice civil dialogue in the comments. Also, here is the full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTK_a-VaHHs&feature=youtu.be
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  129. Go to https://nordvpn.com/rfb or use code rfb to get a 2-year plan plus a bonus gift with a huge discount.
    137
  130. That's a good idea
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  131. Huh, that's really interesting! I wish English translations retained this (though some do say "Magi")
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  132. Yeah I’ve been trying to get YouTube to fix it. No responses.
    133
  133. Register for our online Koine Greek class here!: https://religiondepartment.com/
    132
  134. Sign up for Dr. Ehrman's and Dr. Licona's Easter Debate here: https://bartehrman.com/easterdebate
    131
  135. Yes, I've considered making a "How to get a PhD in religious studies" video. It'd include advice like you mentioned.
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  136. Yeah I agree it wouldn't dismantle religion. Who knows, maybe the aliens have their own religions and would try to convert us?
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  137. 20 hours of work on this video, and I can't monetize it because it's about war. If you've ever considered donating to RFB, this would be a great opportunity! Here's the Patreon link and the PayPal link: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast | https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast
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  138. YouTube has permanently demonetized this video. Religion apparently is not "advertiser friendly content." If you would like to support this channel, consider becoming a patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast) or donate at PayPal! https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast
    129
  139. Next watch "Mandaeism: The Last Gnostic Religion?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMx_JKJbvJI&feature=youtu.be
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  140. Def should do a vid on Jubilees
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  141. My first foray into serialized content! Currently planning 5 episodes, but it may be extended. Support the ongoing series on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
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  142. +Ex Nihilo my thoughts exactly. I personally think some aliens would convert to human religions.
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  143. Only 13 patrons away from 700! Join our Patreon community here: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
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  144. FINALLY made the sequel! Watch "Maya Religion Explained" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcBA9e5osxU
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  145. Yeah, it makes a lot of sense to me.
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  146. Same. I've played too much Breath of the Wild in recent months.
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  147. Awesome, glad to hear it. I kind of fell into this field myself. After majoring in History for undergrad, I made the switch to Religious Studies in grad school.
    121
  148. Get the exclusive NordVPN deal here: https://nordvpn.com/rfb. It’s risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!
    119
  149. In many respects the manifesting vid is a deep dive into a single practice that is part of the constellation of New Age Spirituality.
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  150. Thank you for the gracious critical feedback. I'll keep this in mind for future videos on Judaism.
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  151. Maximon is very interesting. Hope to do an episode on him too.
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  152. Use code RFBINCOGNI at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: https://incogni.com/rfbincogni.
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  153. That's a really good idea
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  154. The first 100 people to use code religionforbreakfast at the link below will get 20% off of Incogni: https://incogni.com/religionforbreakfast
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  155. Such a vast subject to cover in only one video.
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  156. I hope we get the same moral lessons in the new Star Trek Discovery, but I'm not sure if we will.
    115
  157. Register for our class "Who are the Hungry Ghosts?:" https://religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/ Edit: If you missed this class, subscribe here to be notified about new classes!: https://classes.religionforbreakfast.com
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  158. This made me laugh.
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  159.  @GlowofaGhost  The distinction would be academic perspective rather than a devotional perspective, yes.
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  160. Next watch: The Reason Why They Gave Jesus a Beard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DUekrCnye8&feature=youtu.be
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  161. Definitely agree. Lots of Protestant influence on how people in the US and Europe in particular think about religion.
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  162. Use code RFBINCOGNI at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: https://incogni.com/rfbincogni.
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  163. Fair critique. It comes down to an insider’s self identification and the outsider’s attempt at categorizing. An example that comes to mind is Mormonism. Mormons (to my knowledge) self identify as Christians. But even some scholars debate whether we should categorize their tradition as a whole new world religion. So yes, this can be nuanced further.
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  164. Go to https://nordvpn.com/rfb or use code rfb to get a 2-year plan plus 4 additional months with a huge discount.
    108
  165. What do you think? Is a secular ritual comparable to a religious ritual? Is it fair to equate national symbols like flags to religious symbols?
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  166. Ironic
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  167. Watch my analysis of religion in the Zelda series here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdRG0443jYE&feature=youtu.be
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  168. Watch Dr. Angela Puca's video here!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIv8px318gw&ab_channel=Angela%27sSymposium Support us on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
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  169. YUP
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  170. To learn about another Middle Eastern ethnoreligious group, next watch "Who are the Druze?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JYnvauAzSQ&t=5s
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  171. Back in January, I committed to doubling down on the channel. Always working on the next video!
    101
  172. Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/EFz430rNni0
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  173. End-Time Apathy Hypothesis. It is empirically confirmed by some research, but depends on the political leaning of the Evangelical. Dr. Veldman cited in this video is the main scholar to read up on this subject.
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  174. Daniel N. Gullotta Good point. I have been meaning to do a follow up but have been lazy. And you're right...there are so many more "scandalous" authentic texts that no one talks about.
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  175. This is Episode 1 of a new series I've created in collaboration with the website Patheos: a glimpse into the world of the ancient Near East rooted in anthropological and archaeological methods. Watch Episode 2 "Who were the Canaanites?" at Patheos' YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4KN4NIVAqE&feature=youtu.be
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  176. Sign up for Buddhist Studies Online courses here!: https://www.buddhiststudiesonline.com/a/2147490400/veXuWE2W
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  177. For long-form interviews, subscribe to my second channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdzOIBdYbXc
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  178. What is the earliest depiction of Jesus? Watch here to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DUekrCnye8&feature=youtu.be
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  179. Go to https://nordvpn.com/rfb or use code rfb to get a 2-year plan plus a bonus gift with a huge discount.
    98
  180. Oof, thanks for the details. Seems like I needed a lawyer to review this before publishing.
    98
  181. True, but why do the earliest depictions show him beardless? Apparently the ancient artists didn't make this connection.
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  182. Whoa, cool! Best of luck with the PhD. It is crazy that late antiquity programs don't focus on this group more.
    97
  183. Join our Patreon community!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    97
  184. Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/J95b30rNQ66
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  185. Compare news coverage from diverse sources around the world on a transparent platform driven by data. Try Ground News today and get 40% off your subscription: https://ground.news/religionforbreakfast
    95
  186. Send cash directly to families in need, no strings attached: https://www.givedirectly.org/religion
    93
  187. Support Religion for Breakfast on Patreon and join our mission of promoting religious literacy online!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    93
  188. Yeah, we debated having an entire video on Shinto New Religious Movements, but I decided each movement would need its own episode.
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  189. Spring Forward Sale! Get 70% off NordPass at http://nordpass.com/religionforbreakfast or use code religionforbreakfast. Plus, you get an additional month for free!
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  190. Sounds like I need to start writing a sequel!
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  191. I do have a video on Jediism. But that census data in and of itself is interesting for studying so called parodic religion. When is a parody a parody, and when is it serious? Pastafarianism being an example too.
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  192. Next watch "Mandaeism: The Last Gnostic Religion?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMx_JKJbvJI&feature=youtu.be
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  193. Signup up for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/avYl30skwQr
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  195. Thank you, you're right I should have added the phrase "occasionally March." Near the end I say "the month it most often fell," but could have applied that qualifier to every instance.
    89
  196. Join me in Turkey for our first RFB tour! Itinerary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inlxDgsWLmE&ab_channel=AndrewMarkHenry Register here: https://religionforbreakfast.com/
    89
  197. He teamed up with Dogfish Head brewery to make an ancient beer too. “Midas Touch.”
    89
  198. I’m so curious to visit.
    89
  199. What is the earliest depiction of Jesus? Watch here to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DUekrCnye8&feature=youtu.be
    89
  200. Register for our online class "What Does It Mean To Be a Witch?" https://religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/
    88
  201. Compare news coverage from diverse sources around the world on a transparent platform driven by data. Try Ground News today and get 40% off your subscription: https://ground.news/religionforbreakfast.
    86
  202. Sign up for New Insights into the New Testament here!: https://religionforbreakfast--ehrman.thrivecart.com/nint2023/
    86
  203. Awesome. I wasn't able to squeeze Summer Harvest into this video.
    86
  204. My later videos don't have background music. Early mistakes.
    85
  205. YouTube has permanently demonetized this video. Religion apparently is not "advertiser friendly content." If you would like to support this channel, consider becoming a patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast) or donate at PayPal! https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast
    85
  206. Awesome, thanks for the insight! I wasn't sure while driving past.
    85
  207. What is the earliest depiction of Jesus? Watch here to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DUekrCnye8&feature=youtu.be
    85
  208. I cover that in the final act. An interesting 'rebrand' of the figure!
    85
  209. Cool tomb if you have an academic interest in Iron Age burial practices or modern Evangelical culture.
    85
  210. Thanks man, I really appreciate the encouragement. You're right that the comment sections are a new terrible hellscape of hate every morning. But I get plenty of gems like your comment. I won't be stopping any time soon! Good luck with the master's thesis.
    84
  211. Compare news coverage from diverse sources around the world on a transparent platform driven by data. Try Ground News today: https://ground.news/religionforbreakfast
    84
  212. I see what you did there.
    83
  213. My department and advisor in particular are very interdisciplinary. I'm part historian, part archaeologist, part sociologist.
    82
  214. Some of them hold up. Generally I cringe at the production quality.
    82
  215. Late afternoon for me here in Cairo
    82
  216. To learn about another Middle Eastern ethnoreligious group, next watch "Who are the Druze?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JYnvauAzSQ&t=5s
    82
  217. Yeah. I just kept telling myself it was mud and not toxic industrial chemicals or worse...
    82
  218. Super interesting! Thanks for sharing.
    81
  219. Yeah, I watched some Ancient Aliens for inspiration.
    81
  220. that's a great idea
    81
  221. +Cyrus cotton I think Sunday schools should teach it!
    81
  222. You're right. I think by "big" i was more going for "well-known," but I didnt choose my words carefully.
    80
  223. The best Zelda game.
    80
  224. Yeah, seeing the response to this video, I think we definitely need a video examining the two theories. Two-Source still has the slight edge in academia (it was what I was taught in grad school), but Farrer is making up ground among the new generation of Synoptics scholars.
    80
  225. Thank you Amir, I'm glad to hear that. Gmar Hatima Tova.
    80
  226. Very good point. Also makes me think of people that would rather put “no religion” rather than “atheist.”
    80
  227. Ironically enough, one of my next videos is titled: "You don't need to be religious to study religion." Fascinating stuff to learn indeed.
    79
  228. Some Jews consider that derogatory. “Kotel” or Western Wall are the preferred terms.
    79
  229. Yeah that really annoys me too. Basically people are just trying to be trolls when they say that.
    79
  230. Next watch "Mandaeism: The Last Gnostic Religion?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMx_JKJbvJI&feature=youtu.be
    79
  231. I suspect you're right. Mark probably had documents in front of him too that are long since lost.
    79
  232. Compare news coverage. Spot media bias. Avoid algorithms. Try Ground News today and get 40% off your subscription by going to https://ground.news/religionforbreakfast
    79
  233. Eid Mubarak!
    78
  234. I should do a tour one of these days. Screen-right (over my left shoulder) is mostly religious studies theory and method. Screen-left is mostly primary sources pertaining to my sub-field of study (early Christianity; late Roman religion). Middle (behind my head) is mostly textbooks and intro books for various subjects (Hinduism, Buddhism, atheism, etc.).
    78
  235. Hence the video...the thought experiment is just too much fun to ignore.
    77
  236. imaginary high five Thanks Jon.
    77
  237. Not yet, but I’m working on one currently.
    77
  238. There's a 3 episode series on Taoism in the works. Episode 1 will cover this topic. Buddhism series will launch first in October - November. You can expect Taoism early 2022.
    77
  239. Yeah, at least in the first series, the Avatar is closer to a tulku in Tibetan Buddhism. But the Legend of Korra brought it closer to the Hindu concept imo with the whole god fusing with the first Avatar thing.
    76
  240. Signup for your FREE trial to The Great Courses Plus here: http://ow.ly/ISdB30rsk4m
    76
  241. It was fated
    76
  242. Dude, that would solve so many mysteries. Not sure if it would solve all today's political problems though...
    75
  243. Awesome. Cognitive science is huge in religious studies right now. Some of my favorite research in this field.
    75
  244. Sign up for your FREE trial to The Great Courses Plus here: http://ow.ly/HfXH30rFSpo
    74
  245. Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/w5ka30scecC
    74
  246. Haha I actually love Durkheim’s theories, but yeah, the book is a slog.
    73
  247. You’re the second person to mention that. I should really check out Bioshock.
    73
  248. Thank you to Wondrium for sponsoring today's video! Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/pNJv50KwXxF
    73
  249. I'll be live-streaming with our Patreon community this weekend. Join here for access!: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    73
  250. Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/v6kW30sfmau
    73
  251. Great analysis. I do suspect that religiosity in the US is tied to how religion manifests itself in politics. If you're interested, I'm a PhD candidate in religion at Boston University and a fellow YouTuber if you'd like to chat more about this topic.
    72
  252. Maybe Smirnoff Ice. That weird blue drink.
    72
  253. Thank you to Wondrium for sponsoring today’s video! Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/BBou50N4T0f
    71
  254. Thank you RFB patrons! Join the Patreon community here: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    71
  255. Watch the full Shinto series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHsXddZFR9AO-GbFRwqoBUQnFabXy6YBr
    70
  256. Join our Patreon community!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    70
  257. This is such an encouraging message. Thank you so much!
    70
  258. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Becoming Human, exclusive in Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/realscience-how-humans-started-speaking?ref=religionforbreakfast
    69
  259. That means a lot to me, thank you! This is outside my expertise, but I try to rely on academic sources when I cover a topic like this.
    69
  260. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast
    69
  261. Register for my class "Crucifixion and Burial in the Roman Empire!:" https://religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/
    68
  262. This is so awesome and encouraging. Thank you for sharing!
    68
  263. We’re living through a pandemic. Drunkenly skimming through YouTube is par for the course these days.
    68
  264. That is the goal for 2021. Diversifying the topics. Confucianism series launching in April (-ish).
    68
  265. Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/ywMs30s6YK2
    68
  266. +ThaNinjaChipmunk I do take requests, but I have a backlog of topics! I'll eventually cover as many religious traditions as I can...both modern and ancient. Stay tuned!
    67
  267. I'd agree with that assessment, yes. Confidence + respect + knowledge about religion + realizing religion plays a big role in culture and individuals lives = Colbert's ability to talk about religion.
    67
  268. +Eva Schwarz haha, my brother was the camera man for the curse tablet episode. I figured I'd be polite and ask his permission. And I've heard that interpretation too. The Greek word, I think, is simply "unseeable," so I suppose that means either literally invisible or simply "not noticed."
    67
  269. Especially if you weren't expecting it and the sun just...went out.
    67
  270. Join my online seminar, "Magic in the Ancient World!" Tickets here: https://www.speakeasy.com/event/magic-ancient-3
    67
  271. Awesome. Solid name.
    67
  272. Register for the debate here: bartehrman.com/easterdebate
    66
  273. Compare news coverage from diverse sources around the world. Take advantage of their Holiday Sale sale to get 40% off unlimited access by going to: https://ground.news/religionforbreakfast. Sale ends December 31.
    66
  274. Thank you to Wondrium for sponsoring today’s video! Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/eOWx50MESly.
    65
  275. I haven’t yet, and I definitely should. Love the angelology/demonology in that text.
    65
  276. Keep exploring at https://brilliant.org/ReligionForBreakfast. Get started for free, and hurry—the first 200 people get 20% off an annual premium subscription.
    64
  277. +EdwardianNerdfighter Haha I think I added a “don’t try this at home warning...”
    64
  278. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it! I should have double-checked the pronunciations.
    63
  279. Watch Episode 2 here!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP9Vo6qJh8A&feature=youtu.be
    63
  280. Thanks for the feedback! You're right. I can try to address these in a future episode...and definitely once I launch a series on Buddhism itself.
    63
  281. No problem! It’s a deeply entrenched fiction!
    63
  282. Thanks for covering this important topic David. Would love to chat more about this with you if you ever have the time...fellow Bostonian here (religious studies PhD candidate at Boston University). I've thought a lot about the "secularization" of the US, and I think we're in for a weird and fragmented 21st century as more and more people leave organized religion for smaller niche "spiritual" communities.
    63
  283. I'll try to do a video on Zoroastrianism next year. It'll come up a little bit in a video I'm planning for late January on the Cult of Mithras. Great idea though!
    62
  284. Indeed, hence the suspicion of Josephus' accuracy.
    62
  285. Yeah, the infancy gospel of Thomas. It’d be a crazy movie...
    62
  286. I'd love to see a massive translation effort.
    62
  287. +KungKras Hah, I love this theory! Better trademark that name “Holy Beer Brewery.”
    62
  288. Haha, I get that a lot. The secular study of religion is so rare on YT, that people are surprised when they stumble upon videos from that perspective.
    62
  289. Heretical for Christians. This is a nonsectarian YouTube channel...we are interested in the history and cultural context of the Gospel of Thomas. Not whether its theology is "right" or "wrong."
    60
  290. Get the exclusive NordVPN deal here: https://nordvpn.com/rfb. It’s risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!
    60
  291. Yeah it’s generally a grad level course, for no good reason imo
    60
  292. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Patrick Willems’ holiday special here!: https://nebula.tv/videos/patrickhwillems-star-wars-holiday-special?ref=religionforbreakfast
    60
  293. Watch Shinto: Episode 1 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlKeVY_FsVg&feature=youtu.be
    60
  294. And it's only the beginning! 2 more episodes are in the works, and I have ideas for 3 more beyond that.
    59
  295. Compare news coverage from diverse sources around the world on a transparent platform driven by data. Try Ground News today and get 40% off your subscription: https://ground.news/religionforbreakfast.
    59
  296. Yeah, the original script included a short discussion of them, but I figured they deserve their own video.
    59
  297. Thanks for the kind words! I'm planning a mini-series that will include Jefferson, Franklin, and a few others.
    59
  298. Glad you found the channel too! Welcome! I do wish people felt more comfortable to discuss these things in public...but I understand it can be difficult.
    58
  299. Next watch "What is Sikhism?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWsClPXLApA
    58
  300. More ancient Egypt vids are definitely in the works.
    58
  301. Awesome. Perfect timing indeed!
    58
  302. Join our Patreon community!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    58
  303. Watch more videos about Islam on my playlist here!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtz4NGzpOco&list=PLHsXddZFR9ANs9hKH2fpanjTQOQYjAUZf&
    58
  304. What is the earliest depiction of Jesus? Watch here to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DUekrCnye8&feature=youtu.be
    58
  305. +Marmat Actually the Jews were a legal religion under the Roman empire. Although they were occasionally persecuted too because of local prejudices, the Romans generally respected them because their faith was so ancient. Christianity, on the other hand, was new...and the Romans saw that as suspicious.
    57
  306. ευχαριστώ! Huge fan of your channel!
    57
  307. Watch my Nebula video on the Temple of Ramesses III here!: https://nebula.tv/videos/religionforbreakfast-sacred-spaces-inside-the-temple-of-ramesses-iii?ref=religionforbreakfast Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast
    57
  308. Super interesting. Elagabal deserves a standalone video.
    57
  309. I'm teaching two online seminars this month on religion in the ancient world. Join here: https://www.speakeasy.com/speaker/andrew-henry
    57
  310. Be civil in the comments please. Religion for Breakfast advocates for the non-partisan and non-sectarian study of religion. Civil dialogue is key to this endeavor. Thank you!
    56
  311. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Joe Scott's video on Manifesting https://nebula.tv/manifesting-is-bs-but-it-works?ref=religionforbreakfast
    56
  312. Use code RFBINCOGNI at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: https://incogni.com/rfbincogni.
    56
  313.  @rd6203  Millennials are also secularizing. But from my understanding, Gen Z is the least religious generation currently (in the U.S. context, can't speak for other areas around the globe).
    56
  314. Starting with 4 minutes of caveats is my kind of video.
    55
  315. We did one on Loki!
    55
  316. Can't cover it all in one short video...but I think you're right. Liberation theology would be an interesting example of the social change religion can engender.
    54
  317. Thank you to Wondrium for sponsoring today’s video! Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/HCzg50O5nF4
    54
  318. I like that. Might be the basis for a cognitive theology of some sort. Seminary dissertation topic?
    54
  319. Get the exclusive NordVPN deal here: https://nordvpn.com/rfb. It’s risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!
    54
  320. Definitely. The recent Black Panther movie had a lot of shamanism in it too.
    54
  321. Head over to Step Back History to learn more about Buddhism! https://youtu.be/s8m8ur_tE1o
    54
  322. I know right? The Guardian posted some pseudo-historical article about Easter just a few days ago too.
    53
  323. What other topics would you like to see on RFB? Join our Patreon community here: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    53
  324. Tidy is a good word to describe it. The argument hangs on too many assumptions.
    52
  325. Too many fire emblem characters T_T
    52
  326. I'm planning a Baha'i video. I visited the Baha'i gardens in Haifa two months ago and got lots of video footage.
    52
  327. Next watch "What is Sikhism?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWsClPXLApA
    51
  328. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Archaeology Quest here!: https://nebula.tv/videos/realscience-pottery?ref=religionforbreakfast
    51
  329. I’d definitely say this lens can be applied to other countries. North Korea in particular comes to mind.
    50
  330. Yes. I don’t recommend it.
    50
  331. Register for our lecture Quantum Mysticism: When Quantum Physics Meets Spirituality: https://religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/
    50
  332. Some are more deserving of the label than others. Jefferson being one of them.
    50
  333. Exactly. Though technically, also Revelationally-Accurate too, since the Book of Revelation draws heavily on Ezekiel's visions.
    49
  334. +Robert Cantarero Right. That is a later tradition. I have another video on that topic.
    49
  335. Watch the first two episodes of the RFB Shinto Series here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlKeVY_FsVg&list=PLHsXddZFR9AO-GbFRwqoBUQnFabXy6YBr&index=2&t=1s
    49
  336. There are two points. First walking up the tourist entrance, the Israeli guards ask you. Then again the Waqf guards at the door asked us again. Other than outward signs like a hijab or kippah, though, I suppose they can’t prove it.
    49
  337.  @Dave_Sisson  I 2nd Dave's comment. I've seen the Pantheon, the Parthenon, and the Hagia Sophia. And I gotta say, the first two are nothing compared to the Hagia Sophia in sheer awe and that intangible "something" of historical weight bearing down on you.
    49
  338. Doesn’t have the same ring to it...but yeah I guess that would be the acronym!
    49
  339. Ah yeah misspoke
    49
  340. Well, there is a Buddha and Jesus manga / anime.
    49
  341. I heard that a lot growing up too. It is part of a discourse among Evangelicals that attempts to cast "religion" as an undesirable thing...a word that means "empty ritual" or "devoid of true belief."
    48
  342. In my mind, arguing that she was his wife is hanging a theory upon a theory. I consider that bad scholarship. I like Schrader's argument because it hangs a provocative thesis only one step removed from the evidence. In other words, it is a Step 1 and a Step 2 analysis. Step 1: Here is the irrefutable evidence: A textual aberration shows Mary may have had a bigger role in John 11. Step 2: Here is a plausible theory coming out of that evidence: Mary was suppressed by editors. That is where I am comfortable stopping with my analysis, and where I stopped in the video with a caveat: "But maybe we can't discern editors' intentions." To proceed by then arguing: Step 3: "Therefore she must have been his wife" is leaving the evidence and basing your argument upon a plausible (but still refutable) theory and treading deeper into speculation.
    48
  343. So glad to hear you like the channel! Welcome!
    48
  344. hahaha love it.
    48
  345. Your time has arrived.
    47
  346. Thanks Morning Brew for my daily news briefing - sign up for free here https://bit.ly/mbreligionforbreakfast
    47
  347. Yeah the word for the Romans was either neutral or even somewhat positive. Weird how it changed so much over time.
    47
  348. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. Fascinating to hear about your great grandfather's perspective.
    47
  349. Glad you like it. Religion is a weird and fascinating topic to study.
    46
  350. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast
    46
  351. Check out my video on the Dome of the Rock too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCXjQHFQF14
    46
  352. Yeah that's a good idea. Seems to be a global ritual phenomenon. The Mazu pilgrimage/procession in Taiwan that I mentioned in the Mazu video comes to mind too.
    46
  353. +nathan mckenzie My thoughts exactly!
    46
  354. Interesting!
    46
  355. Maybe for the second criticism. It’d be tough to pack in a bunch of history/cultural context. But as for the first criticism, they could have avoided Joseph Campbell and his crew from the start.
    45
  356. its all those eyebrow workouts I do.
    45
  357. +Melnorme Chaannel Very sad indeed. I'm not sure the full extent of the damage, but at least a lot of the paintings from the synagogue and church there were removed decades ago by archaeologists.
    44
  358. Yeah, the Roman Empire literally deified their leaders. Good examples.
    44
  359. Sign up for Nebula!: 40% off Annual Subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast
    44
  360. He was one of my main sources for this vid!
    44
  361. Register for Dr. Ehrman's course here! "The BIble and the Quran:" https://religionforbreakfast--ehrman.thrivecart.com/bibleandquran/
    44
  362. Signup for your FREE trial of Perlego here: https://perlego.pxf.io/c/2993080/1142629/14034?discount=religionforbreakfast10
    44
  363. Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/h4or30rNLd2
    44
  364. You can check out my video on Haitian Vodou for a quick intro. More broadly: there are social-psychologists and anthropologists that theorize that "spirit possession" rituals are common among marginalized people groups as practitioners (the ones being possessed) take on a new, powerful identity outside the usual social norms. Being possessed or "mounted" by spirits called lwa is a central ritual of Haitian Vodou.
    44
  365. I purposely try to maintain a neutral stance.
    43
  366. Join the RFB Patreon community!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    43
  367. Next watch: The Reason Why They Gave Jesus a Beard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DUekrCnye8&feature=youtu.be
    43
  368. Thanks so much! I’ll reach out. There are several more videos in this field I’d like to publish, and I’d definitely value a scholarly consultant.
    43
  369. Definitely. Sea Peoples video is currently in the works. I'm planning a Hittite video too.
    43
  370. Register for my class on the Book of Revelation!: https://religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/ Mailing list for future class announcements!: https://classes.religionforbreakfast.com/
    43
  371. I totally agree that our tidy modern categories are flawed since religions are incredibly syncretistic. Moreover, these statistics aren't totally helpful since they rely on self identification. As you say, people can identify themselves as "Christian" or "Muslim," but they actually practice local/indigenous rituals that aren't necessarily (or stereotypically) "Christian" or "Muslim." The main thrust of my argument is to destabilize the "secularization theory" that religion is going to disappear. Even working with our less-than-perfect categories and statistics, I think the secularization theory can be easily disproved.
    42
  372. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch The Getaway here!: https://nebula.tv/videos/getaway-the-snitch-or-snitch?ref=religionforbreakfast
    42
  373. Shakespeare wept.
    42
  374. Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/jefJ30s9buI
    42
  375. Working on it! We passed 1000 three weeks ago. Religious Studies is a rather niche topic though...
    41
  376. Some of the sayings are probably authentic words of Jesus. Some are almost certainly not. The point is that the text is a composite text that was compiled and edited over the course of a few hundred years.
    41
  377. Glad to hear it. I had a lot of fun researching and writing this episode. Always striving for honest dialogue.
    41
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    41
  379. Yeah that’s an important observation. How you ask the question also probably influences the answers you’d get.
    41
  380. Your goat did not die in vain. I have a video on the sanctuary of Delphi in the works. Contemporary hellenistic paganism has long been on my "to do" list too.
    41
  381. Thanks! It means a lot to hear that. Glad you're liking the channel.
    40
  382. Great additions, thanks. I should read Boyer's book. Sounds good.
    40
  383. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Get Lifetime memberships!: https://go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=religionforbreakfast Watch Dracula's Ex-Girlfriend here!: https://nebula.tv/videos/dex-film?ref=religionforbreakfast
    40
  384. What other topics would you like to see within the field of Chinese religions? I have videos on the Jade Emperor, Queen Mother of the West, and Chinese Popular Religion all on deck. But am looking for more ideas beyond those.
    40
  385. The short answer is...ancient historians are a lot more likely to use the term cult. The Latin word "cultus" simply means to "honor/cherish/worship," so the phrase "Cult of Mithras" simply means "The Organized Worship of Mithras." In modern English, the term is way more pejorative. Thanks for bringing this up, I'll definitely do a video on this ASAP.
    39
  386. Definitely. Religion is embedded in politics and all areas of public life. As for the timeliness, this was the fastest editing I’ve ever done for this channel. Video was already filmed, but as soon as I saw the news yesterday, I decided to publish it within 24 hours. Long night.
    39
  387. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch War Room here!: https://nebula.tv/warroom?ref=religionforbreakfast
    39
  388. Compare news coverage from diverse sources around the world on a transparent platform driven by data. Try Ground News today: https://ground.news/religionforbreakfast
    39
  389. Compare news coverage from diverse sources around the world on a transparent platform driven by data. Try Ground News today: https://ground.news/religionforbreakfast
    39
  390. Indeed, 2 Corinthians for example is a hodgepodge. I first of all default to the position of the majority of New Testament text critics...not the position of the Church. Here is one of those cases where the Church and text critics align [somewhat]. Text critics are pretty confident that 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus are late forgeries...maybe even from the 2nd century. But they overwhelmingly place the authentic Pauline Epistles in the 1st century, pre-dating Marcion by a century. Basically, we need to work with the evidence that we have. We have nothing but polemical citations about Marcion, and that is flimsy historical evidence to try to argue that the few early manuscripts of Paul's Epistles that we have are Marcionite originals that were corrupted by proto-orthodox Christian groups. There has been a recent push to argue the version of Acts that we have was written in response to Marcion's version of Luke-Acts, but this is a minority position.
    38
  391. Indeed. People are often surprised to hear that atheists and agnostics score best on religious literacy quizzes.
    38
  392. Thank you for the encouragement. I firmly believe that there are countless YouTubers doing real damage (conspiracy theorists, partisan pundits, etc.), and I hope my channel does a little modicum of good to counter that.
    38
  393. Been a busy week in the Religion For Breakfast household. Another video coming next week too.
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  394. My thoughts exactly
    38
  395. YouTube has permanently demonetized this video. Religion apparently is not "advertiser friendly content." If you would like to support this channel, consider becoming a patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast) or donate at PayPal! https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast
    38
  396. Yeah I was on a research grant for the spring/summer 2018 semester. I have tons of footage from a dozen different sites, so videos like these will slowly trickle out this year as I get to them.
    38
  397. Yes, from my reading, it seems that the problem stems from the fact the extant Zoroastrian manuscripts are quite late, but the texts themselves probably date back much earlier. Achaemenid religion is thus murkier than we would like. But the cultural exchange seems to be extensive at least on a linguistic level as Achaemenid Persian loan words end up in Jewish texts (esp the DSS).
    38
  398. Always glad to meet a fellow religious studies educator here. I'd love to hear your feedback if you watch my other videos too. If these videos aren't useful to educators and their classes, then I'm not doing my job right. I definitely understand that it is difficult to parse between religious studies and theology at religious schools. Many people don't know the difference, and sometimes religious studies may come across as "threatening" or "critical" to religion. I try my best to be empathetic and respectful when approaching these topics.
    37
  399. I know her personally. The text was found to be a forgery by other scholars, and she eventually agreed. Not the "church" paying anyone off. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Show me the evidence that the "church" paid her off.
    37
  400. Go to https://brilliant.org/ReligionforBreakfast/ to get a 30-day free trial + the first 200 people will get 20% off their annual subscription.
    37
  401. +Solace Excellent point. And we have seen this explored in science fiction too. Commander Data in Star Trek is an android. But he is a "person."
    37
  402. Hi Fernando, happy birthday and thank you so much for your message! Yes, I misspoke saying "Central America." I spent weeks buried in books reading the word "Mesoamerica" (Middle America) over and over again, that my brain elided the two when I was writing the script. Mexico is definitely part of North America, and I meant no offense by that.
    37
  403. Yeah...i decided to make a video on toilet demonology rather than Easter. oops...
    37
  404. Go to https://nordvpn.com/rfb to get a 2-year plan plus 4 additional months with a HUGE discount. It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee!
    37
  405. Glad you found it! And yes, this channel is dedicated to the academic study of religion. Definitely not apologetics.
    37
  406. +Z. Taylor I know right? The Saturnalia and Sol Invictus lines of evidence get so much press time, that no one really questions it.
    36
  407. +Step Back History Dang it! You're right. I gotta get up on my religion jokes.
    36
  408. Get a free copy of the 80,000 Hours in-depth career guide: 80000hours.org/rfb
    36
  409. "Ease, tact, and compassion"....that basically sums up what I think of Colbert's approach to religion. Compare that with how Bill Maher talks about religion. I like Bill Maher's political commentary...he is awesomely satirical...but whenever he talks about religion, it is just nasty.
    35
  410. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Archaeology Quest here!: https://nebula.tv/videos/realscience-pottery?ref=religionforbreakfast
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  411. And some anthropologists are annoyed I don't use BP. And some Muslims are annoyed I don't use AH and BH. Judge a source on its evidence, not its calendrical system.
    35
  412. Lots of options for “scientist” on my stock footage website, but that one made me laugh.
    35
  413. Very interesting, thanks for sharing. Seems like there is a huge diversity of observance and personal experience, partially based on location.
    35
  414. Glad to hear it. I try my best to be unbiased in my research. The Book of Enoch is definitely on my priority list.
    34
  415. Longest RFB video ever (not including livestreams). I think I'll be returning to sub-30-minute videos 😅
    34
  416. +Notorax1 Yeah, it is an unfortunate side effect of studying religion.
    34
  417. Based on my research, that seems to be a misconception.
    34
  418. +Studley Muffin I think that is related to the “terror management” theory of religion. That religion is a response to a fear of death and suffering. So yes, you can probably find scholars that would agree with you. Though any definition won’t be perfect.
    34
  419. What religion series do you want to see first? I'm thinking Shinto or Buddhism. Join the campaign here: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    34
  420. +Z. Taylor Marcion is a lot of fun. Somewhat bizarre theology, but makes some sense from his perspective.
    33
  421. Agreed. I think people need to broaden their definition of "religion." A lot of these so-called "spiritual but not religious" movements still fall under my definition of religion.
    33
  422. +Peter Davis Well I'm addressing Marx's theories of religion, not Stalinist regimes and their crimes.
    33
  423. Honestly its the only "definition" that makes sense to me. Religion is just too diverse to capture in a single definition.
    33
  424. Yes! I have tons of footage from half a dozen other temples. Expect a video on Sobek soon.
    33
  425. Follow Dr. Darius Arya's channel for more on-the-ground educational vids about Rome: https://www.youtube.com/dariusarya
    33
  426. Initial draft of the script was much more irritated. The start required a rewrite.
    33
  427. I first discovered the topic when I wrote a major paper during my last year in college. I wrote the paper on late antique bishops condemning the use of amulets. I’ve continued my interest in the topic because I’m drawn by the sheer existentialism of magic: the fact that humans will try anything to try to augment their ability to deal with sickness or death...even resorting to rituals that we moderns consider “weird” or “pointless.”
    33
  428. Yep pretty much. The Coptic language is influenced by Middle Egyptian language too.
    33
  429. Good question. A tub full of killer seals being electrocuted isn’t much less fantastic than a hoard of bears descending upon some youths making fun of Elisha for being bald.
    33
  430. Thanks for the suggestion and your support!!
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  431. Glad you like it!
    32
  432. I'm working on a video on Marian apparitions in general. The tilma comes up as one of the examples. Prob will be released in a few weeks.
    32
  433. Go to https://brilliant.org/ReligionForBreakfast to get a 30-day free trial + the first 200 people will get 20% off their annual subscription.
    32
  434. Greetings! I'm not sure about in Pakistan, but here in the USA, I found it on Amazon and Ebay.
    31
  435. Glad you found me! YouTube algorithms don't always favor small channels.
    31
  436. Hi Roy, thanks for the offer! Do you have Instagram or Twitter? You can DM me there, and we can figure something out.
    31
  437.  @insertnamehere3106  Haha, I was trying to be silly, and it was meant to look vain. But yeah, the name "Religion for Breakfast" itself is meant to contrast with the serious content on the entire channel.
    31
  438. Watch "War Makes Us More Religious" video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVKRAMupaUA
    31
  439. The interviews get less views and viewer retention, and then YouTube responds by depressing views to the rest of the channel.
    31
  440. No relation as far as I can tell. I almost included a section distinguishing the two, but decided against it.
    31
  441. I tried to cloak an "Intro to Demonology" vid in Zelda lore.
    31
  442. Or maybe instead of disregarded immediately...double-checked with other sources? (especially the primary source document itself). Nat Geo certainly sensationalized this story, but it sparked a lot of great research from scholars of Gnostic Christianity.
    31
  443. I'd like to do more, yeah. I did a video on religion in the Legend of Zelda and Mario's religion, but I haven't published a pop-culture-religion topic in a long while...
    30
  444. Subscribe to Sacred & Profane's newsletter here!: http://eepurl.com/gjbzuX
    30
  445. Yes, that is what M.L. West argues (the Indo-Europeanist that I cite). Though the question then remains...in Old English, did "Eostre" imply "dawn/sunrise" or simply the direction east (and thus, is a local, Kentish deity)?
    30
  446. Yes, a video on Zen is in the works.
    30
  447. Did Christianity steal the Egyptian ankh? Find out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AIgOqnHCHc&list=PLHsXddZFR9APk3yKAyFbgNxAw82TZgCKs&
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  448. Hm, that's unfortunate. I would expect a college professor in religious studies to have already learned how to bracket their own religious beliefs in their teaching and research. But yeah...we are all biased, but we can learn to recognize when our biases are influencing our research or learn to recognize when those beliefs are subjective/not universal.
    30
  449. Hatian Vodou currently in the works. Might expand that.
    30
  450. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Cogito here: https://nebula.tv/videos/cogito-yt-what-is-hinduism?ref=religionforbreakfast
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  451. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch my next video early!: https://nebula.tv/videos/religionforbreakfast-jess-malverde-cartel-narcosaint-or-not?ref=religionforbreakfast Watch China, Actually: https://nebula.tv/chinaactually?ref=religionforbreakfast
    30
  452. Thanks! Its a tough market for mid-sized channels. Slow growth.
    30
  453. That means a lot to me. Thank you! Some of my topics aren’t necessarily “sexy,” but I like researching episodes that I personally find interesting.
    30
  454. It is out of habit. BCE and CE have become the norm in my academic field (ancient history/early Christianity) over the past few decades. I personally think it is dumb too, but I prefer it slightly to BC/AD.
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  455. Actually he has a Masters in Theological Studies from one of the best religion schools out there, Harvard Divinity School (in addition to the creative writing degree) and his dissertation falls under what we in the field call "the sociology of religion." What matters in academia is what his dissertation is about...not the discipline on the degree (in Aslan's case, 'sociology' instead of 'religious studies'). He definitely has the right credentials...which makes this poorly done TV show all the more baffling. He should have known better.
    29
  456. This is some top-notch religious studies research! Loved it.
    29
  457. +Marmat Thanks! We're averaging 80 new subscribers every month. So we're picking up steam!
    29
  458. Yes, both examples depict the zodiac. Absolutely fascinating sites.
    29
  459. Watch next week's video on Nebula!: https://nebula.tv/videos/religionforbreakfast-reconstructing-the-lost-gospel-of-marcion?ref=religionforbreakfast Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast
    29
  460. Watch the full interview here!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRdi0hNqVSw
    29
  461. Dr. Stewart's distinction between "atheists" and "atheistic people" was very eye opening!
    29
  462. I will! Found myself already planning a Quaker video while making this one.
    29
  463. Thanks! I try to be as balanced as possible.
    29
  464. Glad to hear some of the vids will be helpful in class. I do have classrooms in mind when I write these episodes.
    28
  465. Awesome. Curiosity for the win.
    28
  466. Nope. As far as I know, non-Muslims are not allowed into Mecca. I had a special connection for the Dome of the Rock.
    28
  467. Hi Arielle, I'm just now seeing this. So cool to hear that the channel inspired you! Best of luck with your studies.
    28
  468. Subscribe to Sacred & Profane's newsletter here!: http://eepurl.com/gjbzuX Check out their latest episodes here: https://religionlab.virginia.edu/season/season-4/
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  469. Yeah, I'd say most scholars say that is a literary invention. Josephus really didn't like Herod, so if it really did happen, it'd be super odd that Josephus would leave that out.
    28
  470. Big chunks of it survive, but it is fragmentary. And yeah, I totally should do a video on it.
    28
  471. Yup, definitely.
    28
  472. I'm considering something along those lines...but Sabbatianism will come first. That video is about half done.
    28
  473. A Daoism series is in the works too!
    28
  474. Just as long as I don't violate the Humane Slaughter act of 1958...
    27
  475. I'm sorry to hear that. Religious bullying needs to stop.
    27
  476. Why not use the Islamic calendar AH (Anno Hegirae)? Or the Jewish calendar AM (Anno Mundi)? AD is one of many options, and I prefer the neutral option.
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  477. The research article is by Fanny Urien-Lefranc, published in 2020 in the journal Religions: "From Religious to Cultural and Back Again: Tourism Development, Heritage Revitalization, and Religious Transnationalizations among the Samaritans"
    27
  478. protect your retinas folks.
    27
  479. Patreonism...let us pray to our Lord, Savior, and CEO Jack Conte.
    27
  480. Next watch "What is Sikhism?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWsClPXLApA
    27
  481. I would love that too. The field of archaeology is a vast world of theory and methods that rarely gets any attention outside of universities.
    27
  482. Thank you to Wondrium for sponsoring today's video! Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/tRaf50LVqFM
    27
  483. Awesome idea indeed. I'll see if I can add it to the "upcoming video" list.
    26
  484. I own a radpower bike, and it is one of the best purchases of my life.
    26
  485. Thank you so much. I really appreciate the encouragement!
    26
  486. Good idea doing a video about Yazidis. I've also considered writing an "Endangered Religions" video, which would fit this theme. I'd consider it important to preserve religions in the same way it is important to preserve endangered languages.
    26
  487. Episode 2 will arrive in August
    26
  488. Watch full interview with the researcher and writer of this episode: Dr. Connor Wood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktsOzZRaI94&feature=youtu.be Some of the ideas in this episode are original to Connor's research. You can find out more by checking out his papers below: "Musical Bonds Are Orthogonal to Symbolic Language and Norms" : https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioral-and-brain-sciences/article/abs/musical-bonds-are-orthogonal-to-symbolic-language-and-norms/4DEB19B642A5A673C19A39DF615717A3 "Antistructure and the Roots of Religious Experience:" https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/zygo.12578?af=R "Religion, Evolution, and the Basis of Institutions: The Institutional Cognition Model of Religion:" https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.26613/esic.2.2.89/html Check out his blog Science on Religion at: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/
    26
  489. They date to Constantine's reign, so the connection to him is plausible but speculative.
    26
  490. Support RFB on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    26
  491. Yeah i noticed that. Though Laufey in the Marvel universe is the father.
    26
  492. Was camping in Wadi Rum, Jordan! Eid Mubarak to you too!
    26
  493. Whoa, unexpected crossover! I'd like to see more discussions like this. Very refreshing.
    26
  494. That is super interesting. I would love to learn more about that.
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  495. Thank you for your input. That’s interesting to hear. From my understanding, Xygalatas only has done fieldwork in Mauritius, so that’s why I focused on that island.
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  496. That’s coming up soon!
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  497. Thank you so much!
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  498. Would you rather see Jesus Malverde or Maximón? I'd be excited to make a video on either of them.
    26
  499. The term Demiurge goes all the way back to Plato. He uses the term on several occasions. Gnostics take a lot of their cues from middle Platonism (I believe they use the term 'Demiurge' too...though Ialdabaoth/Saklas seems more prevalent in these Sethian texts I mention).
    25
  500. +Aisling Chepi Yeah, the concept shows up in other social situations...not just religion.
    25
  501. You're right. The Greek term didn't have the pejorative sense that it later gained from early Christian elites. I think it is even used in the NT without that pejorative sense.
    25
  502. Better that than Christian Mingle. I don't want to get type-casted here.
    25
  503. I’m low-key trickling out a sacred languages series
    25
  504. Yeah that's an interesting point. I don't know what "government" would look like in 11,000 BCE...but there obviously was a level of organization here to build such a massive complex.
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  505. It is indeed!
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  506. Yes, in some respects. Though I would still categorize "spirituality" as religion...just not organized religion.
    24
  507. It’s a great book. I think he puts too much trust in self-reported surveys in the early chapters, but the later history of science chapters are pure gold.
    24
  508. Yeah I'd really like to. I've always been fascinated by the Didache, and it'd be a nice follow-up to the Shepherd of Hermas video.
    24
  509. Theodoret, Eusebius, and Athanasius ( a guy who actually attended the council), is not "lack of evidence."
    24
  510. I probably have 20 minutes worth of footage. I could upload a longer informal commentary of the site if that interests anyone...?
    24
  511. Good luck with the semester!
    24
  512. Join our Patreon community to vote on the next episode in this series!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    24
  513. Yeah, and they are good videos. I'd just like to see a series devoted specifically to religion.
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  514. Thanks for the feedback. I do think most people make fun of this text instead of trying to figure out what it is trying to say.
    23
  515. Yeah it was an issue that came up several times in the study, so it was definitely on their mind.
    23
  516. Yes, this. Textual evidence vs. material evidence. Though of course there is overlap with inscriptions, papyrus, etc.
    23
  517. The whole text is pretty silly. A court deposition against the alphabet. He was a fun dude.
    23
  518. Thanks! Yeah, Sept - October 2020 has witnessed weekly uploads for the first time in this channel's history. But let me tell you, it's exhausting. Might dip back to twice a month.
    23
  519. +CainGrey Yeah it is a potentially contentious issue...so I wanted to be as objective as possible.
    22
  520. The video is about academic classes about religion (ie. history and anthropology). Not teaching any particular religion as the "true" religion or a class that affirms a particular religion's theology.
    22
  521. I tried to pack in as much evidence as possible! It is a pervasive myth, so I needed a lot of proof to dismantle it. I agree it is curious how much credit we give to Constantine. Don't get me wrong, he did a lot for Christianity early on in its history...but we can't attribute EVERYTHING to him.
    22
  522. I think your concerns are valid. While I do think it is possible to teach religious studies academically in high schools (I would prefer teachers specifically trained with a religious studies degree), I do admit that a lot of teachers don't want to teach this stuff. Religion IS a highly volatile subject (trying to teach about Evangelical Christianity's influence on American politics for example). I'm not advocating teaching about "warm and fuzzy" attributes about religion. I'm advocating teaching religion as history/sociology/anthropology etc. This will naturally include some really uncomfortable, but important, topics. But I would rather have high school students wrestle with these issues early on before they become voting members of society.
    22
  523. I would be VERY interested to hear how a Christian theologian would explain if aliens could be saved from their sins. I can imagine Christian missionary non-profits being founded to missionize aliens. Could make for a fun sci-fi movie?
    22
  524. Oh wow, I didn't know that. Very cool.
    22
  525. Ironic, but your comment kind of proves my point. "Cult" is used as a derogatory accusation, not a useful descriptive term for academic study.
    22
  526. Glad to hear it! Feel free to request video topics that you think would be useful for your class.
    22
  527. I'll start with the adage: "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." Other possible theories for why Philo didn't mention Jesus or the Jesus movement: He didn't care? There were plenty of apocalyptic preachers he doesn't mention. He wasn't aware of Jesus or the movement? They were a tiny, fringe Jewish sect with an executed leader. Might not have even been on his radar as an academic living over in the cosmopolitan city of Alexandria.
    22
  528. +Tesla Sun and son are different words in Greek.
    22
  529. It dates back to the 19th century...so it wasn't invented by modern liberals or social justice warriors. Though it did grow in popularity from the 1980s.
    21
  530. haha awesome. I don't know any Greek pagans personally. Glad to see you're a fan of the channel!
    21
  531. +wolverineminer Yeah that's sort of my main argument. Religious people are still the majority in the world...so it'd make sense to try to understand religion just to maximize your understanding of society, culture, and politics.
    21
  532. Good idea, I'm planning on getting to Manichaeism, Mandaeism, and Zoroastrianism as soon as possible.
    21
  533. Technically I'm quoting the NRSV. The image on screen I think is KJV.
    21
  534. This made me laugh. Secret mullet?
    21
  535. Jerusalem syndrome strikes again.
    21
  536. Thank you! That's a great attitude to have. We need to find ways to live together despite our differences. I think education is one step toward that goal.
    21
  537. I surprised even myself with that production cycle...
    21
  538. We mention the Wahhabis destroying Sufi tombs, we mention Al-Qaeda and Daesh, we discuss Iran and Saudi Arabia and "state Sharia." If it sounds like we are tiptoe-ing, it is because of trying to do a broad overview, not because we are ignoring real issues.
    21
  539. Currently writing an episode on ancient Celtic Paganism. No immediate plans for a modern Druidism episode, but I'd love to make one if I can find the right scholar to collaborate with.
    21
  540. Basically the central thesis is: It's the equinox/solstice. Sol Invictus was either secondary or not a factor.
    21
  541. I’m aiming to produce series on all of the largest religions in the world. Hoping for Shinto next.
    21
  542. Wish he called her Eostre though instead of Ostara...considering the latter is a tenuous reconstruction.
    21
  543. Episode 2 drops this month.
    21
  544. I'll make this happen. My apologies for not having a more accessible video.
    21
  545. What about learning the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam? Or learning about American Christianity to try to understand the Evangelical Right? Not trying to pick a fight...but those are two topics that I think would be super important for high schoolers to learn about before they go off to college.
    20
  546. Haha, that would certainly help with publicity! One of my professors was on the Colbert Report back in the day.
    20
  547. This is one of the most requested topics, so I am DEFINITELY going to do a video on Kabbalah someday. Right now, I have a whole slate of videos planned for the summer though, so it might be a while.
    20
  548. +RRK93 RRK93 The Ophites too...who saw the snake in Genesis as the protagonist of the story as he tries to give knowledge to Adam and Eve.
    20
  549. Agreed. This data is somewhat fraught. How do we define "religiosity" or "religious identity?" Very difficult to do so. I've seen the research you're referencing. Cognitive scientists show that atheism might be as high as 20% of the US population. Having said all this though, I still stand by this video insofar as it questions the Secularization Theory. Religion is not going away any time soon.
    20
  550. Yeah, a good analogy would be a griffin. Would we call a griffin an "angel?" No probably not. It's a "kind" of mythological being.
    20
  551. Nearby graves have female skeletons. Though some of the scrolls suggest they were celibate. So it’s a mystery, though my hunch from the archaeology is that women lived there.
    20
  552. +MacheteDontTweet They might have been in the same family of unintelligible “divine” language rituals. Whether one influenced the other is a harder thing to prove. But it is interesting that speaking in tongues and voces magicae were popular at the same time and in the same region.
    20
  553. Yeah this was the biggest struggle in planning this video. I could have delved into "Satan worship" as a theme stretching back centuries and its relationship to Christianity...but I decided to focus on contemporary Satanism because I didn't want to make an hour long video. Definitely a topic for the future.
    20
  554. Probably Melchizedek's mom
    20
  555. Thank you! Words matter.
    20
  556. The comment section will be apocalyptic.
    20
  557. My income comes from teaching undergraduate religious studies classes. Other career paths in religious studies include journalism (many major news outlets have at least one religion journalist on staff), government work (diplomacy/interfaith dialogue/foreign policy stuff), and social work.
    20
  558. +wolverineminer Well I filmed this three weeks ago, and he's still fine. I'll let you know if anything changes!
    19
  559. Sorry about that. :) I had to lay a lot of groundwork first trying to explain that "Gnosticism" is a modern term and not a clearly defined ancient religion. Its hard just to jump into simpler answer.
    19
  560. Thank you to Wondrium for sponsoring today's video! Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium at: http://ow.ly/klS650LnlVb
    19
  561. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Becoming Human here: https://nebula.tv/videos/realscience-how-burial-marks-the-start-of-human-culture?ref=religionforbreakfast
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  562. I'm unaware of Dr. Shaw's religious affiliation. I'm only aware of his credentials, expertise in Old English, and the fact that his scholarship was peer-reviewed. That is good enough for me.
    19
  563. I'd estimate Q2 of 2022. Lots on my RFB plate for the first few months of 2022.
    19
  564. All excellent points. I should have reframed the discussion to "religious symbol" to be more accurate.
    19
  565. Go to https://athleticgreens.com/religionforbreakfast to get started on your first purchase and receive a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3+K2 and 5 travel packs. Thanks to Athletic Greens for sponsoring today's video!
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  566. Perfect timing!
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  567. Yeah, we're friends and colleagues. If I'm not mistaken, RFB, in part, inspired Filip to launch his channel. I remember him commenting on RFB vids way back in the day.
    19
  568. I would love to. Currently working on an Intro to Sikhism first, but Judaism is on the list.
    19
  569. Very cool. I'm living in East Jerusalem currently, so it is cool to see all the locals walking to Al-Aqsa every Friday. The next video in this series will be on the Dome of the Rock.
    19
  570. Yeah, Christianity is a perfect example of the "Cult + Time = Religion" equation.
    19
  571. Living my best (and slovenly) quarantine life.
    19
  572. +Steve Mings Flute Maker It is a Coptic text found in Egypt. Coptic is a Greco-Egyptian language. Egypt was Hellenized under the Ptolemaic dynasty after Alexander the Great conquered it. Play the new Assassins Creed game and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Egypt by the time this text was written was a multi-cultural Roman province.
    19
  573. I agree with you. Though the question isn't if this papyrus tells real history...the question is: Did someone in the 21st century fabricate this artifact? The evidence is overwhelming that some guy made this using his own ink and a blank piece of ancient papyrus.
    18
  574. Luca Hulot Many people would disagree. Religion encourages many people to do good for society. The real trick is: How can someone have strong faith AND have a strong sense of doing good for humanity? Too often strong religious conviction = hostility...but this doesn't need to be the case.
    18
  575. Ironic indeed.
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  576. Luca Hulot As I say in the video, you have more and more people that agree with you. Whether someone is an atheist or a theist, though, we have a responsibility to empathize and understand the other side. We're all sharing this secular society.
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  577. You definitely should. Tis the Season!
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  578. I agree science illiteracy is a big problem too, but there are literally dozens of science education channels on YouTube (some of them are amazing, I particularly love PBS SpaceTime). The humanities, though, are barely represented on YouTube. So, if I ever do side-channels (and I hope I do someday), they will be other humanities fields: History for Breakfast, Archaeology for Breakfast, Classics for Breakfast, etc.
    18
  579.  @Pfhreak  Interesting, I did not know that.
    18
  580. Love them too. Hope I wasn’t too harsh haha.
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  581. PhD student at Boston University!
    18
  582. O_O
    18
  583. hah, i'll take it. That "z" phoneme was driving me crazy.
    18
  584. Judas didn't really write this Gospel. It is a pseudonym.
    18
  585.  @MisterItchy  I had similar thoughts while researching this episode. Lots of different Christian denominations will look at the same Bible verse, and interpret it in very different ways.
    18
  586. Agreed. It just requires good teachers that know those boundaries between "teaching" and "preaching."
    18
  587. It only counts as the Hajj if completed during this particular month (the last month of the lunar calendar).
    18
  588. It was a surreal experience! Like I said in the video...and experience I’ll carry with me my whole life.
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  589. Hi there! A few scholars mentioned this in my research. Stephen Stein mentions it in his history of the Shakers on pages 3-4: “The term had been applied derisively to the followers of George Fox, the Quakers, for the same reason-namely, a quaking caused by "Vapours in their Estatick Fits." Dr. Ben Dandelion at the University of Birmingham mentions it too in his book “Quakers: A Very Short Introduction” on page 39: “As mentioned at the start of the book, ‘Quaker’ was originally a pejorative term applied by Justice Bennett when Fox was on trial in Derby in 1650, and referred to the way the early Friends shook and trembled during worship.”
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  590. Yeah I admit that. Though I think he takes 2nd place to Colbert in terms of frequency, and he's a little nastier when he does talk about it.
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  591. I can add it to the list of future vids. Great idea. In terms of religion theorists, I do plan on covering Durkheim, Weber, and Frazer in the coming months.
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  592. Very interesting theory about the physiological and and psychological factors in this holiday! I never thought about that....how S.A.D, coldness, and shorter days might have affected pre-modern societies, especially in more northerly latitudes. I wonder if anyone has written about that.
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  593. +toahordika6 haha perfect timing.
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  594. Thanks! I'm planning more pop culture topics in the future.
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  595. I debunk the myth that Constantine had anything to do with choosing the books of the Bible in another video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBRy0Z7PyVM
    17
  596. "Son" and "sun" are English words. They sound nothing alike in Latin, Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew.
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  597. Possibly. Some Romans were actually fascinated by Jews and much more conciliatory that we might imagine. For example, there is archaeological evidence that pagans would donate to synagogues (the Sardis synagogue in Turkey is the example I am thinking about). But you're right, many Romans also viewed them as rabble-rousers and backward. I think Diocletian also persecuted Manichaeans...so Jews, Christians, and Manichaeans might have all been lumped together at one time or another in the minds of some Roman authorities.
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  598. Paul LoPiccolo I haven't heard the story about any Nag Hammadi texts being stolen...but to answer your question about whether the Gospel of Thomas predates the Gospel of John, the answer is a bit complicated: Although both texts are composite texts, Thomas has both earlier and later sources than John. Some of the "Jesus sayings" in Thomas probably date back to Jesus himself, while some of the more "Gnostic" sounding verses date to the 2nd or 3rd century. John, on the other hand, probably dates entirely to the late 1st century (our earliest fragment of John dates to about 130 CE, so its composition was earlier than that). So, our version of John is earlier than our surviving version of Thomas. But both contain sayings that date back VERY early in the 1st century.
    17
  599. Thanks! I was hoping to do videos on Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot too, but I ran out of time.
    17
  600. Thank you so much! I appreciate the encouragement. I wish there were other religious studies channels, but regardless, I’ll keep uploading content to fill this important need.
    17
  601. Yeah, that's a big reason why I wanted to make this video. Striking how different the reality is from the pop culture.
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  602. Indeed. I tried to avoid the most graphic ones.
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  603. Cool! In which case, perhaps delve into the mythology around Confucius' divine Qilin father that I mention halfway through the video.
    17
  604. He argues that Bede was using documents from southern England where she was more popular, but I also find it a bit of a stretch. The place-names (e.g. Eastry, Eastrington, Eastrea) may embed her name, but one thing is certain: Bede had very little knowledge about the goddess except the name of the month.
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  605. Episode 2 will be Sacred Groves
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  606. Yeah I really want to, especially after doing research for this video.
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  607. Register for my online class "Magic in the Ancient World!": https://www.religiondepartment.com/
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  608. This channel is basically a visual history of my haircuts.
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  609. +Alan Lopez The point of the video is to illustrate the difficulty in defining religion. Poking fun at Geertz’s famous definition.
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  610. Very good point. Seems arbitrary not to call angels a type of "god." Some scholars actually do classify them as a type of "small god."
    17
  611. Use code RFBINCOGNI at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: https://incogni.com/rfbincogni.
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  612. Hinduism series currently in production!
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  613. Mostly Smash Brothers, but there's a place in my heart for Street Fighter II back from the SNES days.
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  614. Agreed. Because my own expertise is on Christianity, I’ve been hesitant to delve into traditions outside of the Abrahamic religions. But I’m hoping to change that this year.
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  615. Jumping in here quick responding to Christopher P's hunch about archetypes in the modern study of religion. I view myself in a different camp than Campbell or Jung (or Peterson for that matter). Their views are in the minority among religious studies scholars these days. Back in the 70s and 80s, the scholar of religion Jonathan Z. Smith responded to their type of scholarship, arguing that by focusing on similarities across cultures, we inadvertently miss major differences which render the comparison baseless. I'm much more of a particularist and always argue for cultural specificity.
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  616. We need to dispense with the idea that there was a centralized authority deciding which books were in and which books were out. There was no centralized power like the Pope this early in Christian history. Yes, we have different Christian communities trying to decide which books should be in the New Testament, but these lists sometimes differ from each other. The Codex Sinaiticus, for example, one of our best copies of the New Testament includes the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas. Two books that eventually didn't make it into our familiar 27 book New Testament. The Council of Laodicea omits the book of Revelation...which eventually made it into our New Testament. I said this in the video, but I will say it again: "The New Testament was formed by consensus, not decree." There was no one "hiding" books or "deleting" books. It was more like an extended argument whether a particular book should be rejected or not. Most of the canon was already super popular by the 4th century before these big councils ever were formed (The 4 Gospels and most of Paul's Epistles.
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  617. I said "religion schools" not "religious schools." Harvard Divinity School is top of its class in the academic field of religious studies and theological studies. Harvard is known for a lot of things, not just law.
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  618. If I had my guess, it would be a European thing. Though, as I said on your other comment, a lot of secular universities here in the US do have theology programs a lot like you describe (with a lot of history, archaeology, and cultural theory). People in religious studies, though, try really hard to distinguish themselves from "theology." Thanks for commenting, glad you like the channel!
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  619. Thanks for the thorough critique. You're right that I'm not specifically dedicated to the fandom. A fan, yes, but not an uber fan. I'll try to address some of your excellent points. 1) I use "ritual power" to refer to magic in an effort to avoid the term "magic" itself as it is not exactly an analytical term. One man's magic is another man's religion. So I use "ritual power" to be more neutral. Other scholars who study magic use this phrase. 2) I believe Christianity only appears in one timeline, which goes to my point at the end that the religion seems to change depending on the timeline. I didn't realize that some games portray people praying to the Triforce! That's interesting. I feel that supports my position, though, that Hylianism doesn't seem to care that much about the goddesses as persons, but rather, the object that they imbued with their power. 3) Forgot about the brunette princesses. That was an oversight on my part. 4) Good point about the Sages living in the Temples. Though, I think my point still stands that the booby traps are there to prevent people from gaining the powerful objects residing within the sacred sites. 5) You're right, BotW is super far in the future. Though not SO far in the future that buildings like the Temple of Time can still stand or the ruins of Lon Lon Ranch? Either hundreds or thousands.
    16
  620. If a teacher is making one religion sound better or more "true" than other religions, then they are not teaching religion correctly. The First Amendment requires that all religions are taught from a neutral, academic perspective.
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  621. This is an excellent question. I'd say our use of categories depend on if there is a continuity of beliefs and practices across time and across various groups in the present (for example, belief in Jesus and practicing the Eucharist is almost universal among Christians both now and then). The categories "Islam" and "Christianity" are useful because they distinguish between two discrete families of beliefs and practices. So we need to ask ourselves: "Where is there CHANGE and where is there CONTINUITY across time for a religion?" We can use Islam as a category through time because there has been a continuity of practice in terms of belief in the Quran, the five pillars, etc. The change in belief and practice has not transformed the religion enough to warrant a new category. But consider Christianity. There reached a point in the 3rd or 4th century CE where belief and practice changed so dramatically from Judaism, that we needed a new category: "Christianity." The transformation can be so significant, that our categories do indeed destabilize. Naturally this means our categories are imperfect, but recognizing plurality in belief and practice does not mean we need to discard these categories entirely. They are still very useful.
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  622. Thanks for the encouragement! I plan on posting a video about my dissertation eventually. Sounds like you've had an interesting academic journey too.
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  623. "The Christian way is ours." But what if you are not Christian? Should a Jew living in America use the Jewish system? A Muslim the Islamic system? What about atheists? It reaches a point where it is no longer an efficient way of telling time. BCE and CE is a compromise. Keeping in mind, I don't like BCE and CE either, I think it is dumb and arbitrary, but I prefer the neutrality compared to other systems.
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  624. Show up for the religious studies scholarship. Stay for the gnostic-themed dad jokes.
    16
  625. Working on a separate video that focuses on new religious movements that worship A.I.
    16
  626. Thanks so much for the feedback! You're totally right I forgot about Jabu-Jabu and other culture's religious practices (e.g. the Zoras). This just means I need to make a sequel...
    16
  627. Definitely a minefield. Mark Chancey's report shows that. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised...but I was surprised nonetheless by how widespread it was.
    16
  628. The trailers have intrigued me. Cautiously optimistic it will be good.
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  629. If you want to study it academically, there are a lot of good scholarly intro books. Here are a few I've been using for this series: Ronnie Littlejohn, Daoism: An Introduction, 2009. Livia Kohn, Introducing Daoism, 2008. James Miller, Daoism: A Beginner's Guide, 2003.
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  630. Perfect timing!
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  631. To my knowledge, they are not etymologically linked. Eostre likely derives from the Proto-Indo-European root for dawn/sunrise. Hence the link to "eastern." The question remains if "east" in Old English simply meant the cardinal direction, or the literal sunrise.
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  632. Yes, I am currently in the early stages of producing an Intro to Hinduism series. Two episodes are already written. You can expect the series to launch in a few months.
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  633. Yup, not looking forward to that.
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  634. That's the plan, yes. I just filmed a huge video on Roy Rappaport's theory of ritual today. Much more theoretical.
    16
  635. +Serbia Stronk Very interesting point here. Defining Ideology vs. Religion would be a good discussion too.
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  636. Subscribe to Sacred & Profane's newsletter here!: http://eepurl.com/gjbzuX Listen to their Santa Muerte episode here!: https://religionlab.virginia.edu/podcast/santa-muerte/
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  637. +Tesla I thought you were referencing the argument from the documentary Zeitgeist, which draws a comparison between “God’s Sun” and “God’s Son.” Sorry. Either way, I do reference Sol Invictus in this video and acknowledge it might have something to do with Christmas.
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  638. Dude never made that connection. Deathnote Roman version...
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  639. +RRK93 RRK93 I certainly do realize that this caused a dilemma for certain Christians. Some Christians definitely saw sacrificing as apostasy...forsaking their allegiance to God. Others probably didn't feel the contradiction at all and didn't care. Still others felt the contradiction, but paid someone else to go do the sacrifice as their proxy. I would say we need to think of other reasons other than "cowardice" for trying to explain why some (maybe most?) Christians would have gone through with the sacrifice. I do imply that sacrifice was primarily an "action to appease the gods." For the Romans, religion was all about action...not much about belief or identity as we think about religion today. Sacrifice can be summed up by the Latin phrase "Do ut Des" = "I give so that you may give back." They were primarily concerned about appeasing the gods and ensuring good things will come from the gods. That's why refusing to sacrifice would have been seen as a scandal.
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  640. +RRK93 RRK93 This is a good question. Some Roman authorities didn't seem to care if you were a Christian or not. Other Roman authorities persecuted Christians, Manicheans, and sometimes Jews. Though remember that the people living in the Roman empire were pre-industrial subsistence farmers. They probably never moved more than a few miles away from their home town.
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  641. You're, right, I should have mentioned that....my own speciality in Late Antique Christianity takes up a lot of my mental space, so that's where my mind went!
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  642. So should Middle Eastern scholars use a different chronographic system? What about scholars living in South America, should they use the Mayan or Aztec system? I'm not trying to be inclusive, I am trying to be neutral. AD and BC are just as arbitrary.
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  643. Over the past few years, "CE" (Common Era) and BCE (Before Common Era) have become popular in academia as a more "value neutral" option since BC and AD are Christocentric. AD means "Anno Domini" which means "In the year of our Lord." I just use CE and BCE out of habit.
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  644. I plan on covering it in my "early Christianity" series along with Mithraism and Montanism! It might be a few months until I get to it though (each video takes a while to research and produce). Thanks for the suggestion, and glad you like the channel!
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  645. I appreciate the feedback. This certainly was a basic video, but I disagree with your assessment about its importance on YouTube. From my experience in this field, very few people even know what the academic study of religion is. I frequently get people asking: "Oh...so that means you are a priest, right?" Or "Oh cool, I'm not religious, so I'm not interested in religious studies." I felt it was important to produce a 5 minute video that gives a high-school level synopsis of what the field even is. Several high school teachers have already emailed me and said they are including it in their syllabi. So, perhaps this video wasn't for you as someone who knows more about the field, but I know from personal experience that there are thousands of people out there that simply need to be told: "Hey, you can study religion as a sociologist/archaeologist/neuroscientist/psychologist/etc"....even though that may sound banal.
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  646. For 1 Enoch, I recommend The Hermeneia Translation, which can be bought on Amazon. 2 Enoch is shorter, and a free version is available on Marquette University's website: https://www.marquette.edu/maqom/slavonicenoch.html
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  647. Yyyyup...maybe if I reworked the channel into toys and make-up reviews, I'd get more Google Adsense $$$...
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  648. hello
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  649. The books of the NT are not cohesive. That is a confessional perspective, not a scholarly perspective. Even Paul disagrees with himself as his theology developed over the course of his life (from the earliest 1 Thess to his later books like Romans). Read Galatians again and tell me Paul and Peter had a cohesive theology. Some think the epistle James was written specifically to counter Paul. Put another way, if you went back in time to 50 CE and interviewed Paul, Peter, James or Apollos, asking any of them: "Do you affirm the tenets of orthodoxy? (e.g. The Trinity, Jesus being fully God and fully human, the canon of Scripture)" They would find the theology as baffling and foreign as Valentinianism. It took hundreds of years to develop "orthodoxy" as we know it, and only in retrospect do we see a through-line from the NT to Nicene Orthodoxy.
    15
  650. I have published a general explainer on Sikhi. Still haven't published one on Jainism, though it is in the works.
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  651. I will mention that some portion of human was eaten in Aztec human sacrifices. Eating of sacrifices does seem to be extremely common across cultures. Of course there are always exceptions.
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  652. That's so awesome! Happy to hear it was one of your favs. And yeah that's a really good question....whether the artists were trying to disassociate him from his Jewishness. I'd need to see if anyone has published peer-reviewed work on that yet, because I really don't know.
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  653. Wow thanks for the insight from the perspective of disaster preparedness. Social capital is a good way to phrase it.
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  654. It’s so good.
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  655. Yeah, each concept and figure in this video requires an additional 21-minute-long video.
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  656. It was purposeful! And whoa, interesting. Thanks for sharing the link.
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  657. I almost included an image of Vegeta, and now I regret neglecting that.
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  658. I think that'd be a hilarious mash-up.
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  659. Oh interesting. Yeah, religious studies scholars like quoting it all the time.
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  660. Living here in DC for the summer! Shot all this on my way home from work.
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  661. Yeah agreed. Some well-meaning professionals with a public platform (journalists, bloggers, writers) strike me as nervous to talk about religion, so they either leave it out of their story or talk about it in vague/simplistic terms.
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  662. I don't think it is wrong to be fascinated by Gnostic theology. A lot of things that we consider "esoteric" are actually not all that weird when you study them closely in their historical contexts. For example, knowing a little bit about Plato's philosophy makes Gnostic theology seem a lot less weird. And you're right, the Bible has a lot of mystical texts and passages that we forget used to be "esoteric." So I encourage you to keep studying these things with an open mind. However, I wouldn't necessarily say Orthodoxy is "aggressive" and Gnosticism is "calm." I think the aggression of a religion really depends on the people practicing that religion. Those are just my thoughts though!
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  663. Patreon has been a life-saver for small channels like mine where the ad-revenue doesn't really amount to much.
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  664. Definitions, yes. Good definitions? Not so much. The term is notoriously difficult to define. Working out my own definition will take a whole video.
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  665. Awesome
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  666. I’m planning a multi-episode series on Daoism! Zen Buddhism is currently in the works for the Buddhism series, but I’ll see if I can fit in info on the overlap.
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  667. Religion is a human behavior and thus open to scientific inquiry.
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  668. alcohol poisoning ensues
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  669. Same. I thought about kami a lot while learning about lwa.
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  670. I’d say the concept of “evil spirit” is universal. Calling them all “demons” might blanket over the cultural differences though between these concepts since it’s such a Christocentric idea.
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  671. In the works!
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  672. Same. shudders
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  673. Ah good question and a big oversight on my part. They were active in the 1st century BCE and 1st century CE. Most archaeologists assume they were dispersed by the Romans during the 70s CE (sack of Jerusalem etc.)
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  674. I’d argue a specialized building for the public performance of a myth (e.g. something like Gilgamesh, the Ramayana, the Iliad, etc) counts as “religion.”
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  675. Video on Loki scheduled for next week!
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  676. From my experience, yes. I lived in Cairo for 1.5 years.
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  677.  @billymoran3138  Just finished my breakfast. Still drinking coffee though...
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  678. Future episodes coming on psychedelics!
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  679. Grateful recipient here too. Grant was transformative for my channel on the academic study of religion. Thank you Vlogbrothers for everything you do for online edu content!
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  680. I have a video on Salem, MA where I talk a little bit about wicca. I also posted a video recently "Is there a difference between a cult and a religion?" But yeah... I still need to make dedicated videos for Scientology and Wicca respectively.
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  681. I think it is fair to say, for the average person, trying to explain the "astronomical, mathematical and historical underpinnings" of the Christian calendar is bewildering. Sure, it was one of dozens of texts, but they were all erudite works published by extremely erudite people. Not content for the casual reader. That was what I meant.
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  682. I think most scholars would agree that the Gospel of John was written by a Jew too. So his use of "the Jews" as the antagonists to Jesus is usually interpreted as the author saying something along the lines of "mainstream Jews" in opposition to his own smaller (and possibly persecuted) Jewish sect. Verses like John 16:2 imply that the author was concerned about being thrown out of synagogues too. Some scholars posit the existence of a "Johannine community," a community of Jewish Chrsitians that used the Gospel of John and 1 John, that were pushed out of a mainstream Jewish community. 1 John also seems very bitter about a recent rift (read the first chapter). Good question though, it is a really tricky issue that scholars still debate.
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  683. Now I'm going to admit that I'm not an expert on Wicca. From my understanding, it is a "Neo" paganism group...meaning, it aims to revive ancient paganism, but it doesn't have a direct lineage to ancient pagan practice. Of course, they derive inspiration from the past, but it seems that the movement really got its start in the 20th century.
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  684. haha that made my day.
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  685. +LeviathanSpeaks1469 Interesting idea...I do think Constantine's "conversion" is misunderstood by most people. I'll put that in the pipeline!
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  686. Unless the aliens are religious too? Lots of sci-fi, including Star Trek and Babylon 5 envision religious aliens.
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  687. The Sanskrit word: "naraka." Interestingly, both scholars and practitioners translate it as the English word "hell" (as you can see onscreen in the 'paradise or hell' quiz at the Senkoji Temple).
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  688. Check out the main video here!: https://youtu.be/6OsdNghX2n0
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  689. Where do i say I believe in god? This channel neither endorses nor discourages religion. We study religion as a human phenomenon here without entertaining theological claims to Truth.
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  690. Yeah, Tertullian is an accidental wealth of information
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  691. I should definitely do one!
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  692. From my understanding, they officially changed it. No longer uses umlauts (per their official website).
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  693. The entire book is about critiquing the term "heresy." Hence why its in the title.
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  694. Some scholars have posited this theory, yes. Though as far as we know, John was a ascetic hermit. He probably knew of this community, but apparently he lived alone.
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  695. The New Testament Review podcast is good. Run by two New Testament PhD graduates from Duke University.
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  696. First time covering this subject on the channel. Maybe you're thinking of the Santa Muerte episode from a few years ago?
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  697. My late-semester laziness turned into a holiday project. I can't decide whether to keep it or not. :P
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  698. Hoping to publish a Druze video early next year!
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  699. Yes, I have. I think it'd be a very tough read, except for maybe an advanced history undergrad student and above. So, we're just arguing over a subjective sense of what counts as "bewildering," right? Have you read any studies on ancient literacy rates? I study folk religion in the late Roman Empire. Let me tell you, saying a book was geared toward "students and beginners" still is a book for the 1% of antiquity and the early Medieval period. There is a massive gulf between an institutional functionary like a monk and your average Christian in 8th c. Northumbria that you are not appreciating. And there is a gulf between your average YT viewer and someone who picks up Bede for casual reading. Imo, spending a small fortune on a pile of parchment in 8th c. Northumbria counts as "enormous amount of time and energy."
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  700. An example of someone using AI doomerism rhetoric. Where do I say he's an authority?
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  701. Thanks so much for the encouragement!
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  702. +CainGrey Very cool. Since I research magic, I'm familiar with the etymology of the term "magos" and the Greco-Roman attitudes about it, but I admittedly don't know that much about the Iranian traditions that they borrowed from.
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  703. Whoa that's cool. Sad that it ever ended up there. We might have preserved the entire gospel.
    12
  704. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls revolutionized how we view the Bible and its development, and the Bible remains one of the most influential texts in human history.
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  705. Yeah, archaeology is a technical field. I'm lucky to have had some training in it. And yes, excellent suggestion. We also need to be aware of western-centric bias and Christian-centric bias too when studying religion. Edward Said's research on orientalism might be an appropriate video topic.
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  706. Highly doubtful. Almost by definition Coptic Christianity is Egyptian because that was where Coptic was spoken (and where Coptic liturgy would have been recited). Pelagian Christianity seems to have been popular in Britain though...so perhaps it spread to Ireland too. That's my hunch.
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  707. Yes, but the misconception is so widespread, I felt it necessary to address in the video. Basic religious literacy reasons.
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  708. I bet it was BeDuhn’s edition if I had to guess. Very accessible publication
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  709. That's basically the crux of the issue!
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  710. You're welcome!
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  711. Hi Carlos. Thanks so much for the thoughtful message. Yes, I misspoke saying "Central America." I spent weeks buried in books reading the word "Mesoamerica" (Middle America) over and over again, that my brain elided the two when I was writing the script. My mistake.
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  712. He is an absolutely amazing speaker. Very fun lectures to watch.
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  713. I dunno...sounds silly, but fan studies I think can help explain a lot of what is happening today in 21st century society. All of us forming into "interest groups" online...centered around particular YouTubers, sub-reddits, or franchises that we love. I think we can apply those same theories to individuals' rabid fealty to a particular politician/political party or religion, etc.
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  714. Definitely. That's why I use the term "ritual expert" or "ritual specialist." Because it is a catch-all term for other religious authorities like priests and monks doing shamanic or exorcistic rituals for their people.
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  715. That’s true. It has a few verses that are “sort of Gnostic,” but it’s not like other texts in the Nag Hammadi library.
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  716. I'm planning on a Uyghur video.
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  717. Missed opportunity!
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  718. I think there were many motivations. In the early Byzantine period (my area of study), many people went on pilgrimages to obtain magical souvenirs from the site. An amulet with a picture of St. Symeon on it for example.
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  719. +Xiao'sChannel Yep, that was expected. No way around it.
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  720. My ideal situation would be sitting down with a scholar of Manichaeism as a co-host since it isn't my subfield. As of now, I'd make it one 20 minute video (similar to my Mithras vid), but some day I'd love to expand on all of these topics into 3 or 5 video series.
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  721. Yasmin Azar Most scholars don't care whether Jesus was divine or not. That is a Christian question and a theologian's question to answer. I'm not talking about Jesus' divinity here but his marital status. He MIGHT have been married, but our historical sources simply don't mention it. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9:5 that Peter and Jesus' brothers were married. If Jesus was married, I suspect Paul might have known this and would have mentioned it too. Celibacy was common in the 1st century for Jewish rabbis. The people who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls were probably celibate, and Paul claims to have been celibate. If Jesus was celibate, it fits perfectly with his historical period.
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  722. The bit about National Geographic "softening" the translation of "daimon" you mean? Or the bit about the 13th demon being equal to "Saklas?" Much of my research here is coming from April DeConick's book "The Thirteenth Apostle: What the Gospel of Judas Really Says." Though she is certainly not alone in translating daimon as "demon" here. I believe the reputable scholar of Gnosticism David Brakke also translates it as "demon."
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  723. +CONJURE HOODOO Well as you know, religious studies is interdisciplinary. You could approach this evidence from a philological perspective or an art historical perspective...but I like an "anthropological" approach to magic because it helps focus my research on the human agent, their actions, and their motivations when participating in ritual practice. I'm all about the social context and agents, so anthropological theory suits my research well.
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  724. Good points...and yeah I have always speculated what would have happened if Arius' view became the dominant view. Lots and lots of varieties of Christianity were "Arian" in some respects. He wasn't alone.
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  725. +Lamaar Steadman Yeah that pretty much is my argument. I would say "spiritual but not religious" is still "religion." Just not "organized religion." Organized religion may be in decline in the West, but yet people still are believing in supernatural things. I'm not defending religion, I'm trying to interpret demographic data. I invite you to offer your own argument after reading the Pew Research data I cite.
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  726. It is possible that this spell is invoking Hermes Trismegistus, who was believed to be a powerful magician back in antiquity. I'm quoting a curse tablet found on Acrocorinth in the ancient city of Corinth.
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  727. Glad you like it!
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  728. Fair critique. I'd have to think about it (and I'd be curious what JZ Smith would say in response). I simplified the definition for the sake of time...but others have expanded this definition to say "Ritual is a strategic way of acting that relies on the creation and maintenance of a 'place' within 'space.'" So its not simply to "create difference," but creating a differentiated and ritualized "place" in space and time (a ritual has a beginning and an end, after all). So, no I would not say growing a hipster mustache is a ritual. But setting out fancy china (replete with all the ritualized etiquette of a fancy meal) could be a component of a broader ritual "place" created by a bunch of strategies (fancy china, polite etiquette, saying please and thank you). Adam Seligman calls this creating a "subjunctive reality,"—subjunctive in the linguistic sense of "could be," "as if" or "hypothetical." The Eucharist creates a subjunctive ('could be') reality where heaven and earth merge. The fancy meal creates a subjunctive reality where everyone is more refined than they really are in ordinary life. Those are just my initial thoughts to your critique. Hope it makes sense.
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  729. The Gospel of John is a super confusing example, because I think the author was probably Jewish. So I don't know if that shows a split between Christianity and Judaism as much as it shows splits within Judaism (a Jesus-following Judaism starting to fracture with non-Jesus-following Jews). The destruction of the Temple probably did start a shift though since Palestinian Jews no longer had a center of sacrificial worship. What effect this had on the burgeoning Jesus movement though? I'm not sure.
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  730. Really good question, and I'm not sure. Obviously, the First Amendment wouldn't protect human sacrifice...but how far does it go to protect endangered animals? I know the Inuits have special privileges to hunt endangered arctic animals, so maybe that would come into play here? This is definitely a question for a law school thesis haha.
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  731. Yeah, I'd need to see the evidence for Coptic monks in Britain. As far as I know, no archaeological evidence with Coptic script has been found there. Mostly vernacular Latin.
    11
  732. It was my favorite city during my time there!
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  733. I've only seen it once in my life as a child.
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  734. That'd be especially useful for magical rituals that require extremely precise incantations or ingredients. Robot magicians anyone?
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  735. Sounds like a fun class!
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  736. The Amazon Prime joke was aimed at my dad...who just bought viewing glasses a few days ago.
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  737. It's always breakfast somewhere in the world.
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  738. Nothing wrong with it. Simply pointing out that these acts are ritualized.
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  739. My favorite Dead Sea scroll text. Super interesting.
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  740. Some Nahuatl-speaking viewers are telling me I'm butchering them though, haha. I tried my best.
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  741. Video on Tibetan Book of the Dead is already in production!
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  742. This is my kind of humor
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  743. Gaelic is hard ;_;
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  744. Recording a dramatic reading is SUCH a good idea.
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  745. Laughed out loud reading this.
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  746. Specifically, some of the best pilsners I’ve ever had. Love that place.
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  747. +olly chapman Manichaeism is high on the priority list!
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  748. hah. Religion is uncannily flexible indeed.
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  749. +LeviathanSpeaks1469 interesting theory, I'd need to look into it more. There does seem to be superficial similarities between "voces magica" and "glossolalia" (speaking in tongues).
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  750. Like what? I study this stuff for a living. My research is sound.
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  751. Great idea, love it. I would guess the Hajj...but I'll do my research.
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  752. Great idea. I'll consider adding Jung to the list of theorists I am planning on covering. I'll be doing videos on Durkheim, Weber, and Frazer in the coming months.
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  753. haha fair enough. It is an uphill battle, but one worth waging.
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  754. Glad you find them useful, and cool to hear that you majored in religious studies. It is definitely underserved in the USA...and many people don't realize you can study religion without being religious or without "losing" your religion. It is just like any other field of study.
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  755. #blessed #livelongandprosper
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  756. Thanks! I agree...definitely needed, but not enough people doing this sort of content on YouTube.
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  757. I think it would be reasonable for the teacher to dodge the question but use it as a teachable moment: They could say something like, "That is a theological question, and not a religious studies question. Presuming one religion as more normative and legitimate than others is what we call a devotional approach to studying religion. A religious studies approach to religion rather studies all of these claims to universal truth without presuming one is true. " A public school teacher trying to argue one religion is "true" would be considered proselytizing and would violate the First Amendment. Of course this is within reason. I don't think a school teacher should argue that Aztec human sacrifice should be condoned.
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  758. You definitely are on to something. Some aspects of early Christian gnostic theology were anti-Jewish. Indeed, some aspects of orthodox Christianity was anti-Jewish too. Check out John Chrysostom's "Adversus Judaeos" homilies...they are pretty bad.
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  759. That’s a good question. I’ve definitely hit up against a brick wall on some topics due to lack of available research. I had to abandon a video on indigenous Australian religion because I was having so much trouble finding accurate research. I’ll probably try returning to it in the future. Any topic on smaller, lesser known sects generally means research is harder to come by.
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  760. Technically it means one-in-ten, but I'm using it colloquially here as "utterly destroyed." When talking about Romans though, I probably should have been more precise...
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  761. The first video in this series got a comparatively low amount of views, but a huge amount of new subscribers per views. I do think there is an audience out there interested in the intersection of politics and religion.
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  762. Thanks so much!
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  763. Thanks so much for the encouragement. Comments like this keep me going. I agree 100%. Religion is interesting enough to study without all the ideological tribalism.
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  764. Now I'm going to go listen to blink-182...
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  765. The argument I've read is that it was spread by English missionaries, who had already started using the name for Easter. The earliest evidence we have for "Ostern" in German is 8th century. Around the time of Bede.
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  766. The word "avatar" comes to mind...
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  767. 3 episode series already in the works!
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  768. Thank you so much!
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  769. Agreed, the content of Mark (and not just Luke / Matt's use of Mark) indicate Mark was first.
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  770. That's the key problem. Scholars have yet to settle on a definition of magic. As far as I'm concerned, there is no useful way to distinguish between "miracle" and "magic" though.
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  771. Many ancient cultures could predict them. The Maya and Babylonians for example had the capability to predict them.
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  772. ah ok, I was only aware of the 2017 TV show.
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  773. Yes this is on my short list of topics!
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  774. The text doesn't use "mal'akh" to describe them. Calling a cherubim an "angel" is like calling a griffin an "angel."
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  775. Weird material, but a fascinating window into daily life in antiquity.
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  776. That’d require a long answer, but I’ll try to make it short. Basically Judaism went through big changes following the destruction of the 2nd Temple by the Romans in 70 CE. No more priesthood or temple sacrifice. Practice shifted to synagogues and households, and rabbis became the main religious authorities. In the following centuries, rabbinic Jewish practice was developed and written down in rabbinic texts like the Mishnah (and later the Talmud).
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  777. This is some next level exegesis.
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  778. Yes that is in the works!
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  779. I would too. I have a short intro to Sikhism due out by the end of this month, but I definitely need to do more.
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  780. Glad you’re liking the channel in general though! Thanks for the suggestion and encouragement.
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  781. Glad you liked it! I'm also a fan of Colbert and how he handles religion. And its not like he is being obsequious either. He can be tough on religion too like in that "Lesser Pope-pologies" sketch.
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  782. I think you might be on to something. As far as I know, almost all Christian groups were apocalyptic in their eschatology...which manifested itself as believing the Roman Empire would fall immanently (the book of Revelation comes to mind). But even earlier, some Jewish groups believed this too (the Qumran community who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls for example, in which they write about the spectacular battles that would end Rome). So I suppose we could say Christianity got its start as a particularly apocalyptic Jewish sect? A political vision shared by bunches of other sects.
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  783. +CONJURE HOODOO Great question. I can't speak for Dr. Wood personally, but I know that the researchers on this project are very savvy with their "theories of religion." I'm sure they have considered this. I'd recommend checking out the website of the Institute for the Bio-Cultural Study of Religion and see if they say anything more about their methodology.
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  784. You're definitely right that regional differences could potentially affect how comparative religions would be taught, though I think I am more optimistic than your assessment. The overwhelming majority of biology teachers in Texas and Kentucky teach real science (evolution...not creationism), so I see no reason why a well-trained social studies teacher with a minor or major in religious studies wouldn't also teach an academically rigorous comparative religions course. I don't think a run-of-the-mill history teacher would be ready to handle the problems you raise (ie. an evangelical student speaking out in class when the teacher suggests that Christianity is a 'religion'), so I'm of the opinion that we need college degree programs that help train future social-studies educators with a speciality in comparative religion.
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  785. +John Smith Glad you're enjoying the channel! Spread the word! I've been getting more subscribers every month. (Thanks for the tip on the small names...I'll keep that in mind going forward with other videos).
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  786. Thanks! It was a lot of information to cover.
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  787. +jesuschristsupermart Glad you're enjoying it! I'm hoping to speed up my video production in the coming months. So stay tuned!
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  788. Me too. The researchers didn't look into that though. Maybe in future research they will broaden their scope?
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  789. YouTube somehow knew you'd like the academic study of ancient religion. Those algorithms...
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  790. hah sad but true.
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  791. Next watch my video on the Mandaeans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMx_JKJbvJI
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  792. I should have been more precise. I am specifically referring to New Religious Movements. Scholars use terms like contemporary paganism, modern paganism, and neo-paganism to refer to disparate groups who identify as “pagan” and arose from movements in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
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  793. Yeah, "whether the OT and the NT are at odds" is a Christian theological question. They are collections of different texts from very different historical contexts (from Iron age all the way to the Roman period). I def want to finish an archaeology of the Bible series that I'm writing tho where I get into a lot of the Hebrew Bible texts.
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  794. Possibly. I have a Pokemon and religion episode planned, but that's about it. Open to suggestions.
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  795. Glad to hear that. Not all high schools teach religious studies well.
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  796. Mexico currently crushing it at 73%
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  797. Welcome!
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  798. Very underrated chapter. So interesting.
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  799.  @1st_Counselor_Max  I'd categorize it as a Christian denomination, but I know scholars who argue it's different enough to be a new religion. How do you self-identify out of curiosity?
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  800. The book is even older than that, 1934. The 1971 is a reprint. It is considered a foundational study in early Christian scholarship, but there definitely are some arguments in the book that have been developed/improved over the course of the 20th century. But yes, historians don't use the term "in a certain way." That "certain way" is using it as a descriptive category instead of recognizing it as an "insider's" term. Better descriptive categories would be "non-Chalcedonian," "Marcionites," "Arians," etc. The general use of the term is fine and appears in scholarly works all the time, but most careful historians I've read know its baggage and use the term appropriately.
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  801. My stint as a hell worker.
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  802. Thank you for your message Fin and sharing your religious journey. My mission with this channel has always been to explore the world's religions in a nonsectarian manner for the purpose of advancing religious literacy. I'm glad it has made an impact.
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  803. Thanks so much for this personal story. It does get to the heart of my argument here. We often assume belief leads to practice. But I think sometimes it is the other way around.
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  804. You mean the Jedi archives as portrayed in Star Wars Episode 2 Attack of the Clones? One and the same.
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  805. +John Kilmartin This is a very interesting question. Healing and exorcism, as I argue here, might be considered as part of the same ritual category. I’d say exorcism is more specific to rituals that performatively command demons to exit an object or person.
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  806. Perhaps the square fortress forms the remains of a Borg cube...?
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  807. Definitely. Religious freedom law by definition applies to religion. So defining religion is high stakes!
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  808. Don’t worry. My next video will be arguing religion is biologically hardwired. So it’s both biology and social construct!
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  809. Yeah, this is a secular channel dedicated to the academic study of religion. I'm examining these texts as a window into ancient Israelite mythology and religion. I'll leave the existence of angels to the theologians to debate.
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  810. Yeah, that's the wrench in this analysis. Pew Research only measured affiliation. With a dataset of only 535 members, it should be easy enough to measure the other dimensions of religiosity I mentioned.
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  811. Yeah, and the Arabic ayin is probably the closest approximation we can find today. That, and perhaps Mizrahi Jewish (especially Yemenite) pronunciation of ayin in Hebrew.
    9
  812. Working on a Theravada video!
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  813. Beside obvious choices like Masada, I'd definitely recommend Tel Arad. Also Sussita on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. Sussita is a little-known Roman city that's beautifully preserved. Zippori and Beth Shean were among my favorites too if you want the feel of a major Roman city.
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  814. You're totally right. 10 years in academy is hard to shake off....
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  815. Lots of contemporary pagans use it as a term of self-description. In antiquity, yeah, it was more a term used by Christians to describe non-Christians.
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  816. Wow, you're totally right. And that's not even stretching the metaphor, I think it helps.
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  817. Exactly. I think it would be even more confusing to say you study "biblical studies," even though anyone can study the Bible as a work of literature.
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  818. I think it needs to start at the high school level. We need to implement more and better discussions about world religions into World History courses...or...offer stand-alone religious studies courses for high schoolers. That's just my personal theory though.
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  819. Thank you! I'm glad to hear it. It is not easy to distill complicated religious studies information into 3 to 5 minute videos.
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  820. +Offret9719 There are similarities between gnostic groups and Marcion, but I wouldn't say one grew out of the other. They both draw a lot on Neo-platonic philosophy and some gnostic groups do seem to view the creator God as an evil being...but there are a enough differences that make scholars shy away from calling Marcion a gnostic himself. I can try to answer this more in depth in another video. It's pretty complex.
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  821. +Lamaar Steadman No problem, my channel is still small, so I can respond to most comments. Religion for Breakfast is committed to the academic study of religion. We don't endorse or defend it, we just follow the evidence. Your theories are interesting. I'd be curious to see if the "new age mystics" as you call them decline as well. I'm skeptical though, because people have been claiming religion will disappear since the 1800s...and it still isn't disappearing. That's why I'm skeptical of the secularization theory.
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  822. Awesome, I hope you like it. I have not heard of Ronald Hutton's book, but it looks academic and authoritative. Almost anything published by Oxford University Press is going to be well-respected...it is very reputable.
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  823. I did a bit of research, and it seems that Hermes was sometimes associated with the underworld. So this probably isn't Trismegistus on second thought. The epithet "of the Underworld" may be a personality of Hermes that the curser was invoking. Remember some Roman and Greek deities had several cult "personalities" like Fortuna Redux and Fortuna-Isis...although they are both "Fortuna," they were worshipped in different cults.
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  824. ***** Glad you enjoyed it! I'm also fascinated by the Coptic Orthodox Church. Lot's of rich history to that tradition. I'm sure I can cover it in the coming months!
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  825. Thanks! We are growing every day...still waiting for that big jump in subscribers though.
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  826. I want to! I have some footage from Safed, which is a famous center of Kabbalah.
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  827. Oh cool, thanks for sharing. I've heard good things about the class.
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  828. hah...no. I wrote it in a hurry. Fixing now!
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  829. I got the 20K per annum from Laack's book, but searching through Google Scholar real quick, it seems that you're correct. Big oversight on my part. YT enables me to cut parts out of the video, so I'm cutting that section out. Might take a few hours to go through.
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  830. The Romans accused Christians of cannibalism too, presumably misunderstanding the Eucharist.
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  831. Courtesy of the rarely mentioned Religion for Breakfast merch store: https://religionforbreakfast.myshopify.com/ Designed by my brother ECHenry
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  832. It's definitely possible that the answer is that simple: people are inside more. The hypothesis that religiosity is surging is very difficult to confirm.
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  833. Oops, yeah, my mistake.
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  834. Yeah that sums it up perfectly. I'd rather just drop the term cult and call them all religions (or religious movements). And I do plan on doing a vid on women in early Christianity. It has been requested a lot.
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  835. A pair of glasses does a lot for Superman.
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  836. Whoa cool. I’ll check it out.
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  837. I have a few videos in the pipeline along those lines. I'll post a video about the Western Wall in Jerusalem for example in the next few months.
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  838. As a non-expert in this field, I'd need to do the research first on this to provide an answer. But it definitely is a good idea for a video topic. I'll look into it!
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  839. Thank you so much for the encouragement! Yes, I will publish a Zoroastrianism video in 2021.
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  840. Dagon wasn’t a fish god. A common misconception.
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  841. From my understanding, it is an identification you take upon yourself.
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  842.  @linfu-sheng9066  Sure, I visited Megiddo (in northern Israel) last year, so I have some footage too.
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  843. Not yet, but coincidentally enough, he's been popping up in my YT feed every day this week. His PragerU series.
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  844.  @mosesking2923  Yes, but these are letters from Constantine himself. Do you think he's quoting Scripture or is he drawing on decades of experience as a sun worshiper? Read in the context of Constantine's fealty to Sol Invictus, these letters read differently to me.
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  845. +no morr Well, Matthew, mark, Luke, and John were composed 50 - 70 years after his death.
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  846. I must have missed that! Maybe I filmed it by accident, but I'll need to go through my footage and see.
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  847. Yeah, I was getting at regulations by that analogy. Less regulation of religious grouping = niche religious groups proliferating.
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  848. Not yet. But it’s on the summer schedule!
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  849. Yeah, less human interaction in the process of death and dying is what concerns me the most. "Being Mortal" by Atul Gawande is a good introduction to this topic.
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  850. Yeah, that’s a later tradition though. Post-dates the Talmud as far as I know.
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  851. Mandaean video coming in the next few months!
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  852. The magic of an electronic gimbal stabilizer can turn even an iPhone into an amazing video camera.
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  853. Christianity between 200 CE and 700 CE.
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  854. I address that in the video
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  855. When i first heard Thrawn say his name, "I was like...DID HE JUST SAY ENOCH??"
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  856. Hey thanks for the encouragement. I tried my best to be constructive.
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  857.  @editorsphilosophynow3646  That is a cynical response. Many Catholic scholars, Jewish scholars, and Mainline protestant scholars would say they believe in prophecy, but they also would say Daniel dates to the Hellenistic period based off of historical and literary analysis of the text. (historical analysis: fits in the Maccabean period better than 6th century; Ben Sira fails to mention Daniel; echoes other late texts of the apocalyptic genre) (literary analysis: late aramaic loan words; late Persian and Greek loan words). Moreover, many Evangelical scholars such as Peter Enns also take a late date. You are referring to a small stratum of conservative Evangelical scholars or apologists. As far as I can tell, Evangelical scholar Michael Heiser would also take a late date, but he thinks the evidence is a stalemate (between late or early), but the way I see it, Daniel is either the first of the apocalyptic genre and the first to use these late aramaic/greek/persian loan words....or it was spun out of the zeitgeist that was the 2nd Temple period when the apocalyptic genre was booming. The latter seems much more likely.
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  858. Woohoo, Nebula for the win
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  859. Yeah...I'm trying to reframe this topic as individuals making daily-life choices based on centuries-old cultural habits. "ripped off plagiarized material" is an example of the abstract way of describing this process I was talking about in the video
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  860. Ok @jmaraf77, the subtitles are published.
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  861. Coincidentally, some of the research for this episode said the same thing about pet owners ascribing agency and personhood to their pets.
    8
  862. So far no. Only the long interviews I’ll be posting on ReligionFor2ndBreakfast. Considering starting a podcast though.
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  863. Yeah I’ve been meaning to do that, but keeps slipping off my priority list
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  864. Agreed. I found the Elementary Forms didn’t make sense until my third read-through.
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  865. +Juan Garcia Glad you liked the nova model! I'm hoping to develop the idea into an even better/clearer graphic.
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  866. The Roman sun god. And Constantine probably revered the deity on some level considering his coinage portrays Sol Invictus. This shouldn't be surprising. The Roman Empire was a multi-religious empire, and the ancients didn't mind showing reverence to multiple different deities.
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  867. Yeah, it was to try to tip the scale. I'm not making a value judgment saying animal sacrifice is right or wrong...but I am going to warn my audience that the constitutional right is not without limits (even the freedom of speech has limitations).
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  868. I haven't read that...it sounds fascinating though. This topic has made me want to make a few more videos on religion and health. Just yesterday I read an article on experiments being done at Johns Hopkins on psychedelic drugs and religion. And agreed about Sam Harris. He could use a healthy dose of nuance in his commentary about religion.
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  869. Agreed, it must be from a neutral position. Even religious teachers can be neutral in their presentation, but it requires practice.
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  870. He's a personal hero of mine too. I think he approaches religion in a respectful and nuanced way unlike many other public figures.
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  871. Yeah that would be interesting. Of course I expect them to be overwhelmingly Republican, but the size of the minority group would be interesting in and of itself. 10% Democrat? 20%? I'd be curious to find out.
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  872. 1) I'm a scholar of early Christianity (still a PhD candidate writing my dissertation). My expertise focuses on local religion in the Eastern Roman Empire (so...that is Greece, Asia Minor, and Syria mostly). 2) I don't generally share my personal beliefs with my students or on YouTube. Thanks for asking though!
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  873. I think that is a great suggestion. I'll definitely put it on the backlog of topics. I was going to do a few episodes on demonology...which of course would cover Socrates' famous "daemon" statement.
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  874. These are some tough questions for modern Christian theologians. As a historian, I'm not equipped to answer them (I'll leave that up to the theologians), but I encourage you to look into how Christians have tried to answer this. The theologian Eric Seibert, for example, wrote a book called "The Violence of Scripture," where he says we shouldn't view the violent actions of God in the Old Testament as true. I think it will be helpful for someone like you who are troubled by the violence and slavery in the Bible. Keep in mind the Bible was written by the ancients, and ancient people didn't operate under the same moral framework as we do today in the 21st century. Historical context always helps in these situations.
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  875. Well, presumably some Christians really liked it since it was circulated around enough to end up in Syriac, Greek, and Latin manuscripts. Since copying and translating was difficult back then (not too many skilled, literate scribes), they would have done this only if they found the text valuable. Having said that, some Christian authorities such as Irenaeus come out pretty early saying that this text is heretical. I believe Irenaeus mentions it in Adversus Haeresis 1.20.1
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  876. To your point about secularity, I say the exact same thing in the video. "Secular" does not equal "less religion" or "no religion." Secularity means living in a society with options, both religious and non-religious. I'm following the research of philosopher Charles Taylor with this argument in his book "A Secular Age." To your point about religion declining in the Middle East and Africa. The evidence doesn't seem to bear that out. I invite you to check my bibliography in the description of this video. I'm not making these statistics up. We can argue Islam and Christianity are increasing simply because of birth rates instead of rising religiosity, but the data tells us these religions are still increasing in population nevertheless.
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  877. Thank you! Glad you liked it. I made a sequel of sorts about the Gospel of Judas if you want to check it out.
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  878. Show me the Iranian and Babylonian sources that prove direct influence on Mithras worship in the Roman Empire. I cite my sources, you merely attack my credibility.
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  879. +Belinda Alvelo Glad you've been enjoying it! Thank you!
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  880. +Walk With Christ Glad you enjoyed it! Give me some time and I'll be at 300K too!
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  881. Oh man...I don't know if I want to wade into that topic. The bottomline is similar to what I say at the end of this video: mostly spurious inventions from 19th century pseudo-historians. Richard Carrier's argument is more sophisticated but deeply flawed as well. I will do a video on it someday, but only when I am more established.
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  882. Ancient history in college. Religious studies in graduate school!
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  883. That’s a really interesting question. Maybe? I feel like that wouldn’t apply to religious groups that are so tied to ethnicity like Judaism or the Mandaeans.
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  884. That's so great! Thank you so much for the encouragement and support.
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  885. Very true!
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  886. My use of the term "character" is not to diminish the historicity of Paul or Peter but to emphasize that the Gospels and Acts are works of literature. Literature couched in historical events, yes, but still works of literature. I believe Paul, Peter, and many other New Testament figures are real historical figures.
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  887. For example. Paul is a historical figure. We have at least 7 texts that no reputable scholar disputes were written by him. However, the Book of Acts was almost certainly written by some other guy decades after Paul's death. So we need to question, does the author of Acts relate Paul's speeches verbatim? Or did that author have some creative liberty in composing some of those speeches? I think the latter. Paul is a character in the Book of Acts' narrative...even though Paul himself is a historical figure and many of the events in Acts may be historical.
    7
  888. I think that’s just really bad studio lighting casting weird shadows. Health-wise I’m feeling well! Thanks for the message though.
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  889. Glad to hear it! Aiming for 2021 to have much more diverse topics.
    7
  890. +Chick Finnegan glad to hear it. Welcome!
    7
  891. Thanks! I've been trying to get better at hitting these time-sensitive topics.
    7
  892. Fairly common, yes. Star Trek Deep Space 9 comes to mind immediately.
    7
  893. Check the bibliography. No joke.
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  894. Yeah, I wanted to compare today's pandemic to religiosity following the Spanish Flu rather than the Black Death. I figured sociological data would be far more fine-grained and detailed than Medieval historical documents. However, I wasn't able to find any study on the Spanish Flu's effect on religiosity. I'll keep searching and hopefully release a follow-up.
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  895. Definitely didn't disappear. Just bogged down with editing a big "Intro to Islam" video. November will probably be a 3 video month to make up for October!
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  896. Spoiler alert: It's Adam and Eve.
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  897. Yeah, I argue any definition of "miracle" that attempts to distinguish it from "magic" quickly falls apart under scrutiny. There are rituals that aim to manipulate ritual power...some using materials (e.g. a wand), some only use efficacious speech ("abracadabra!" "peace, be still!), some derive power from the ritual specialist, others derive power from a higher being. "Thaumaturgy" is my attempt to avoid both terms, and to implicitly state that there is not much difference between what Simon Magus does in the apocryphal acts and what Jesus does in the Gospels...what differs is the moral category that ancient and modern audiences impose on those rituals.
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  898.  @luisoncpp  No self-labeling is not enough. This is part of the bedrock of my style of religious studies, we aren't beholden to what the adherents say of themselves. It is useful information, sure, but it shouldn't sway an empirical study.
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  899. No mention in the Hebrew Bible or NT. One mention in Septuagint (Baruch 6:21)
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  900. Thanks! And no worries about the Patreon. Donations are nice, but I totally understand we all have limitations and priorities (especially during a global pandemic).
    7
  901. Yeah, that is an example of phono semantic matching
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  902. Same. Only had one whiskey sour last night, and it gave me a headache today for whatever reason T_T
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  903. Yeah, some might say that makes it a useless definition, but I think it highlights that there are “religious dimensions” in these other arenas of life (e.g rituals and sacred figures in politics)
    7
  904. You're in luck. I've already filmed an Intro to Islam video which is currently in post-production! Look for it in late September or early October.
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  905. The Gospels try to set him up as a prophet paving the road for Jesus. They both had a very apocalyptic message. Some scholars have theorized that Jesus started his career as a disciple of John, and that later Christians tried to flip the narrative in the Gospels...making John subordinate to Jesus (the famous baptism scene for example) instead of the other way around. Jesus, John, and the Qumran community all exhibit the popularity of apocalyptic thought during this time.
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  906. +Keith Dunn Not being ideological in this video. Just trying my best to reflect the best and most recent scholarship.
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  907. I'd actually agree. We impose our own bias when we call a prayer an "incantation" or "spell." Many so-called "spells" in Greco-Roman rituals are simply prayers.
    7
  908. Indirectly, yeah. Technically derived from Proto-Sinaitic, which itself was inspired by hieroglyphs.
    7
  909. Thanks so much for your thoughtful response and addendums. I'll try to incorporate this nuance into future episodes. And yes, I'm planning a Pure Land episode in the future.
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  910. Indeed. The Philistines were almost certainly one of the Sea Peoples.
    7
  911. I’m currently living in Egypt. They are a little token to where I now call home.
    7
  912. Already working on it!
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  913. I have one coming out soon on Valentinus. Donatists definitely sometime in the future.
    7
  914. Interesting. I didn't address secrecy at all in the video, which was an oversight.
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  915. e.g. I seem to remember a lot of Jung and Campbell, and not so much citations of neolithic hunter-gatherer archaeologists, who I see as more authoritative on the evolution of religion.
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  916. The amulet I cite likely predates Constantine, same with the textual evidence (Epistle of Barnabas and Justin Martyr).
    7
  917. Yeah, this had a lot of dense Star Wars lore...shows how many of those novels I read as a kid.
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  918. Glad to hear it! Pour one out for me waking up at 3:30 AM to capture both the American and Australian audiences while I'm streaming from Turkey.
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  919. I think this is where Zurvanism comes in too. One entity presiding over the Light and the Dark entities. The Dead Sea Scrolls are adamant that the spirit of light and the spirit of darkness are below God.
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  920. I say directly that ancient wine was boozy, and then referenced a peer-reviewed article that recreated ancient wine that resulted in 13% ABV.
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  921. No evidence that they were nicknamed.
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  922. I have a video on Sikhism coming out soon where I collaborated with an expert in the field. At least two other videos I shopped out the research to scholars in my network. Most of my research I do on my own though. Some day I hope to have the budget for a team of scholars though.
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  923. Awesome
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  924. You’re def right. I meant to say “one of the.”
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  925. I really appreciate that. Thank you so much for the kind words. Religious literacy for the win!
    7
  926. Yes!
    7
  927. The anti-Semitic conspiracies I was referencing are actually from the early modern period (about 15th century). But yeah...point taken...plenty of modern conspiracy theories too.
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  928. Yup. Really hoping for Tobey Maguire to make an appearance.
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  929. Exactly. Using the term as a weapon to marginalize. Falun Gong fascinates me...millions of followers, but hardly anyone in the West knows about it.
    7
  930. It shouldn't be a "take it all" or "throw it all out" approach. The Bible contains some stories rooted in actual history. For example, King Hezekiah's battles against the Assyrian king Sennacherib in 2 Kings are extremely well attested in the archaeological record. Other stories, like Joshua's conquering of Canaan, appear to be completely fabricated. It is the job of the historian/archaeologist to piece together these fragments of data.
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  931. Glad you enjoyed it! I try to present all topics on religion from a neutral perspective.
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  932. I think most evangelicals believe the baby will be saved. There is a nebulous age when you are accountable to sin.
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  933. Immense indeed. I lost myself staring up at the dome.
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  934. As with many historical claims from the distant past, we can never be 100% sure. But most archaeologists agree this must have been the spot. Not only because of cultural memory/textual evidence, but also because the Dome of the Rock is built on the highest point on the Temple Mount and is built upon bedrock. There aren't other good candidates as the location. Though as I say in the video, we cannot confirm this scientifically without being allowed to excavate.
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  935. You’re totally right. Lots of atheist Jewish Israelis, which would have made an interesting discussion to include.
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  936. Generally speaking you need a PhD in archaeology. If you’re a med student, you might be able to enter the field as an expert of ancient skeletons/bones.
    7
  937. Haha, maybe a healing spell of some sort? But thank you, I really appreciate the support. Religion is a tough topic to cover on YouTube with all the nasty comments. But comments like yours keeps me going. I generally don't share my own personal beliefs on the channel, but I might make a video about it some day. Haven't decided yet. Rest assured, it isn't very interesting haha.
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  938. I definitely plan on doing Hinduism and Buddhism. I'm not sure what my timeframe will be on those since my next two series are going to be Islam and American Evangelicalism....but I think I could touch on Vedic Hinduism if I do a video on incarnation or death rituals...those are topics I know the most about when it comes to Vedic stuff. 
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  939. +CainGrey Thanks! I'm going to have fun with this series. Some might find the theory of religion a little boring, but I think it is important stuff.
    6
  940. Soylent Green Glad you liked it! Religion is SO nuanced and potentially polarizing. I'm aiming to talk about these issues from a more academic perspective which [hopefully] will lend a bit of religious literacy to whoever watches the episodes. Thank you for the subscribe!!
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  941. The high school teachers of world religions that I know are committed to a nonsectarian approach to religion. Kids need to study world cultures...how can they understand India without learning about Hinduism? How can they understand the Middle East and not study Islam/Judaism/Zoroastrianism? This is vital knowledge. Yes, there is a concern teachers will bring their own ideologies into their teaching...but that would violate the First Amendment rights of their students and hopefully someone would step up and protect those rights.
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  942. In a lot of circles, yes, it is not awkward. But I'd definitely say public television tries to avoid it like the plague. That's just my hunch.
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  943. +King of Hexter It's hard to point to a single reason why a certain religion gained ascendancy. I know a lot of research says that Christianity spread so fast because of its focus on miracles and exorcizing demons, which common-folk would find very useful. I would be curious to see if this was at work in Manichaeism too. Of course there can be other factors why religions spread (popular trade routes, political patronage, etc.)
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  944. Thomas Thomas Thomas Thomas Thomas Thomas
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  945. Great suggestion. I think I'll do a "Book of Enoch" episode...
    6
  946. Thanks for stopping by! Step Back's video is great.
    6
  947. +hyrulesurfer1 Thank you! I should have more time to devote to it going forward.
    6
  948. Sikh joke. :P
    6
  949. +RRK93 RRK93 I agree, though remember that there were a lot of messianic Jews in the first few centuries CE. We know of at least a few people who claimed the title "messiah." And you're right, it's tricky when you start considering Gentile converts into Christianity. Are they converting into a Jewish sect or a new religion? Tough questions for our clunky modern categories.
    6
  950. Glad you like it! And we don't need to agree on everything!
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  951. I'll echo what Prof Sickbock just said...by the time Christianity started, Judea had been under Greek rule since Alexander the Great. Greek culture was deeply embedded in Judean life, and Greek language was spoken widely. So it is not inaccurate to think of early Christianity and Judaism in the 1st century as a "Greco-Roman" religions in some respects, especially since Jews, by that time, were living everywhere in the Roman Empire (especially in Rome, Greece, and Asia Minor).
    6
  952. ProgressiveLiberty I love math and science as much as the next guy, but I think the humanities are necessary for living peacefully in a pluralistic democracy. But I'm biased as a humanities guy with a religious studies YouTube channel haha.
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  953. Sad! Well, maybe you can study History, Archaeology, or Politics and focus on religion? Religious Studies is very interdisciplinary!
    6
  954. I've actually been planning a "The Development of Hell Theologies" or a "History of the Belief in Hell" video for quite some time now. I don't have any books to recommend off the top of my head, but once I start researching for that video, I will have a lot. Stay tuned.
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  955. You raise such an important point. I've long thought that "Religious Studies" is perhaps the most unfortunate name for an academic discipline. That adjective "religious" just causes so much confusion for everyone. Some of my colleagues who study secondary education prefer using terms like "Teaching about religion," though that gets kind of clunky. I'm intrigued by your comment in the third paragraph. At first blush, I'm not sure I agree that it is ever good to teach children a narrow, bigoted view of religion...but I certainly agree that it is a problem that many parents see the school as the primary place where education occurs.
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  956. Hard to say...I love teaching, but there is something very rewarding for me to conduct research. It is very inspiring to hear your 20 years of experience at a community college though! That is such important work, and I'm sure you are doing great things for the discipline.
    6
  957. Maybe, though good luck starting a Neo-Aztec religion with human sacrifice! The Supreme Court probably wouldn't side with you then haha.
    6
  958. Very interesting thoughts. I think you're right...Freud wouldn't have known very much about Hinduism and Buddhism. He probably has a bias toward Western religions in his analysis.
    6
  959. omg I'm the same. And with ISIS destroying Palmyra...it boils my blood.
    6
  960. By hysteria I meant a social phenomenon of rampant mistrust where everyone is blaming each other for being witches. Kind of like the communism "Red Scare" in the 20th century.
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  961. Thanks! We're growing around 400 new subs per month.
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  962. Yeah, which is why I'm always baffled when legislators like the one I quote get so upset about these sorts of classes. When people hear "religious studies" they hear "indoctrination"...they just don't understand you can study and teach religion from an academic perspective.
    6
  963. Lots of people choose to study their own religion, and I think that's great. I don't think it inherently leads to biased research, though the researcher needs to be aware of their own biases as they study it.
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  964. Glad you're still following! Thanks so much for the continued support.
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  965. I think that describes a lot of rituals, but not all rituals. Some don't necessarily need a specific place/day/time. Specific action? Yes, I'd agree with that bit.
    6
  966. +MarkTheChaldean Well the Greeks and Romans were kind of notorious for fetishizing the "East." It's not all that much different than the Orientalism that we see in Western cultures today. They saw the Egyptians as mysterious and magical...same with the Babylonians and Persians.
    6
  967. I stand by that. Shinto has priesthoods, mythology, countless kami and shrines. In what meaningful way does ACR mirror those? I’d say Shinto falls under the category “religion” far more easily than ACR. But yes, I agree State Shinto and ACR have similarities.
    6
  968. Yes!
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  969. Cool to hear! And yeah...same with citing almost any digital product honestly.
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  970. You guys inspire me. Here's to a new year.
    6
  971. One of the most requested topics after that Yeshua video.
    6
  972. new brunswick enters the chat
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  973. Welcome! As far as I can tell, you're first.
    6
  974. Go to Heimaey, the puffin island.
    6
  975. Thank you! I appreciate the encouragement.
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  976. Yes, I'm a PhD student in religious studies and a religious studies educator.
    6
  977. Congrats! Also thanks!
    6
  978. Hoping to do more. I have work done on at least one for North America, and a half-complete script for Aztec religion.
    6
  979. You're 100% right. Rituals banishing malevolent spirits appear across cultures. I'd need to do more research though on those traditions. Christianity was easy for me as that is my field of research.
    6
  980. Awesome. We apparently are all nerds. I’ve seen Harry Potter used as an analogy too.
    6
  981. Thank you! Hitting the ground running
    6
  982. I mean contemporary paganism.
    6
  983. Awesome! Hope the students like it.
    6
  984. Tricky question to answer concisely. The Torah, as we know it, was compiled much later and is almost certainly a pastiche from several authors (see scholarship on the Documentary Hypothesis. Joel Baden at Yale as a good intro to it). The oldest sections that we know of, such as the Song of the Sea in Exodus, are in archaic Hebrew. Anything earlier would have probably been some form of Canaanite.
    6
  985. I wasn’t because it was covered with backfill and closed to tourists for the off-season. But I met the dig director!
    6
  986. I don't necessarily say that it wasn't a "top down" compilation. But I think many people today assume Christianity was hierarchical and organized as the Roman Catholic church is today. This is the position I reject. Even in the 4th century (and especially before), Christianity was highly local...influenced by local social/political pressures (and the power of local clergy).
    6
  987. +Mitch Brown Yeah that is an unfortunate fallacy. That stereotype about religious people might be shared among a certain type of scientist (or public scientific figure such as Neil Degrasse Tyson), but I've found religious studies scholars to be surprisingly empathetic to religious people. Many have their own religious convictions too.
    6
  988. Hence my comparison to theological debates. I see it with conservative Evangelicals calling liberal mainline Protestants “not true Christians” because some of the latter may not believe the bodily resurrection of Jesus or reject biblical inerrancy.
    6
  989. Welcome to the channel! Glad you're enjoying it. I'm definitely interested in covering Navajo religion. That's on the list.
    6
  990. Thisvideoisseveralyearsoldiliketothinkthati'vegottenbetterattalkingtoacamera.
    6
  991. I'd definitely consider it. I'm touching on the Nestorian issue in an upcoming video on the first Christians to reach China.
    6
  992. At least you're not a Pepsi-ist. There's still hope to bring you back into full communion.
    6
  993. Just wait til next week’s video...
    6
  994. Either in parts, or just a super long video.
    6
  995.  @oskarhenriksen  No need to feel bad. Reality is reality. Glad you like the mug!
    6
  996. Glad to hear you're liking the channel! I started it because I didn't see enough academic, moderate voices discussing religion on YouTube. I'm trying to be that person.
    6
  997. One passing mention in the Septuagint (Baruch 6:21). No mention in HB or NT.
    6
  998. +Nnikman Mahadi Well, maybe blame the bishops and scribes that promoted certain books over others. I suspect Constantine was largely unconcerned about this debate. See my video on his purported role in shaping the biblical canon.
    6
  999. Yeah, I really glossed over that. How dhamma is used in the Satipatthana Sutta would require a much deeper dive into Buddhist metaphysics in the early Buddhist environment. Deserves its own video.
    6
  1000. Oh yes, we'll be covering Sethianism ASAP.
    6
  1001. Yeah I’ve listened to his podcast a few times. He knows his stuff.
    6
  1002. Great question, I hope to do a video on these soon (I'm actually writing a review of CrashCourse Mythology, which uses these models EVERYWHERE). In short, I'm not a fan (Campbell and Huston Smith in particular). I wouldn't call them "anachronistic," but they definitely don't account for cultural context as much as they should. The whole mission to find "archetypal monomyths" (i.e. dying and rising gods), implies that we can find universal themes that permeate all cultures across time. The thing is....different cultures interpret these themes differently. Even something universal like "death" will be interpreted differently if you are a Hindu or a Christian. So categories like "dying and rising gods" are too divorced from their respective cultures to have any use as an explanatory category. Its like inventing a category called "Gods that look like humans." The category is too reductive and lacks cultural context to be of any use to us. Scholars like J.Z Smith and Russell McCutcheon have largely dismantled these categories if you would like some extra reading.
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  1003. You and me both! These videos would be so much easier to make if religion weren’t so complex!
    6
  1004. Yes, the fact that the Nativity stories differ is one of the main reasons scholars argue Matt and Luke were independent. Scholars like Mark Goodacre would say though that we are assuming Luke wouldn’t throw out much off Matt’s story. Maybe he really didn’t like the magi story and cut it.
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  1005. Register here: https://religionforbreakfast.com/ Q&A session: https://forms.gle/Ac2CBfyxsTnAV5Ph8 View itinerary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inlxDgsWLmE&ab_channel=AndrewMarkHenry
    6
  1006. No unfortunately! My trip was a few months ago.
    6
  1007. The Arabian Desert extends into Jordan. The Nabataean Kingdom covered modern day Jordan and a bit of northwestern Saudi Arabia.
    6
  1008. Not sure if I'll be able to get into Gaza, but I am living in East Jerusalem and will be traveling extensively in the West Bank while I am here. Perhaps I can give my thoughts on that.
    6
  1009. I'm currently reading "Religion in 50 Words: A Critical Vocabulary." It is extremely dense, and probably only suitable for graduate work, but I find it the best summation of the critical, secular study of religion.
    6
  1010. This is why I study ancient history. The sheer fascination with how different their lives were.
    6
  1011. I'd say so...but one thing I learned while making this video: Historians like to argue over categories. So many rejected the "deist" label while others were happy to use it.
    6
  1012. Episode two is almost ready to go!
    6
  1013. But he was an apparition. So he was crucified by a cross, but only his essence was crucified. We're talking docetist theology right here.
    6
  1014. Still working on it!
    6
  1015. +biblegirl glad you’re enjoying the channel! That airplane story is totally true too haha.
    6
  1016. I am planning a "What is Mythicism" video for the future and a "Star Trek on Religion" to publish at the same time as Star Trek Discovery in September. I love the analogy of ritual as "talking aloud." Very apt analogy. I've also heard it described as "a way of paying attention." That is to say, paying attention to something "beyond us."
    6
  1017. Alpha and iota form an “aye” sound in Ancient Greek. Omega is a long “o.” Thus: die-mōn
    6
  1018. This is an excellent idea.
    6
  1019. Thanks for sharing. You have an important perspective as an atheist who still appreciates the religious identity of others.
    6
  1020. Constantine's involvement with the development of the canon is exaggerated. And the council of nicea wasn't accepted by everyone. I have another video about that too if you want to check it out.
    5
  1021. I'd check out their article on the dating of the site. I trust the radiocarbon dating, but stratigraphic dating can be inconclusive: https://tepetelegrams.wordpress.com/2016/06/22/how-old-ist-it-dating-gobekli-tepe/#
    5
  1022. Soylent Green Thank you!
    5
  1023. Each school district is different, but yes, I have read Modesto's textbook. Last I checked it was the Usborne Book of World Religions, which in my opinion is too surface level and basic. I don't remember it being biased toward one religion or another though. The teacher should have the authority to deviate from the textbook if he/she wants though. So, in my opinion, it is about the teacher. Teachers need good training on how to teach religion. It has special challenges that other social sciences don't have.
    5
  1024. Very insightful. You're right that we need to be more open about these things if we want to live peacefully in a pluralistic society. Secular doesn't mean "no religion," but rather, a marketplace of different beliefs where "no religion" is a prominent option.
    5
  1025. +coldslutsonfire Well, I would argue Paul was part of a reformist sect of Judaism that invited Gentiles into the covenant of Abraham. I guess it's all semantics, but I see Pauline Christianity as still 100% Judaism.
    5
  1026. My research is on Greco-Roman religion...mostly the archaeology of early Christianity. So even though I am getting my PhD in religious studies, I am more of an ancient historian.
    5
  1027. Well, the type of scholars I hang out with are perfectly fine with the idea of Socrates believing in a daemon that possessed him. We who study demonology/daemonology and the archaeology of magic aren't surprised by these beliefs.
    5
  1028. For these more informal videos, I write out what I want to say and then riff on it. So that is probably why I appear less polished here.
    5
  1029. I went a different route...launching the Patreon at 500 subs. I haven't seen any downside. A small cadre of supporters kept the channel afloat through its early months.
    5
  1030. Glad you like them! Feel free to subscribe and suggest any video ideas!
    5
  1031. Some really good points. I think the concept of pilgrimage could be universal, but specific pilgrimage sites are obviously Earthbound (Jerusalem, Mecca, etc.).
    5
  1032. That's so cool. I didn't know that. Mage King is a much better name. Glad you like the channel!
    5
  1033. Yeah, agreed. For a religious literacy course, the ideal class would be a balance of memorized content (for example: What is the difference between Sunni and Shia? What are the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism? etc.) and analysis (How do religions change over time?).
    5
  1034. +Pasquino 0 Good points...maybe in a sequel episode. I didn't want to delve too deeply into Neo-platonism on this episode (it's really dense stuff if you've ever tried reading Plotinus), but it does make a lot of these "gnostic" texts make more sense.
    5
  1035. You're right that some scholars have recently questioned Nero's persecution. Brent Shaw published an article in 2015 and goes through the evidence. The Christian tradition to demonize Nero as some sort of anti-Christ was really early though...so I find it at least plausible that Nero did SOMETHING to the Christian community. Whether that was a one-time crack-down or the fantastical depictions of burning Christians as torches, we can't be 100% certain. Pliny does seem to be referring to early forms of Christian worship though (congregants singing antiphonally). I haven't seen it argued that they were part of the Serapis cult.
    5
  1036. Yeah I get the "are you studying to be a priest?" a lot. It is annoying. But I'm glad the video came in handy!
    5
  1037. I know a little bit about it. I'm actually producing a video on Yoruba religion in the late summer. Stay tuned!
    5
  1038. +The Atheist Socialist Vegan Glad it was helpful! I have a sequel about the Decian persecution if that will be helpful too.
    5
  1039. This is a great video topic idea. I actually have been meaning to do a video titled; "Why is Religion So Controversial?" I don't know exactly what I would say, but I could start researching it.
    5
  1040. I tend to agree. I think the most likely outcome would be new "alien based" religions. Either humans worshipping aliens...or humans assimilating into alien religions (or, of course, aliens converting to human religions). Religion has proven to be very flexible when faced with new information.
    5
  1041. Oh I didn't come across that in my research. That is astonishing indeed.
    5
  1042. Yeah let me know. I respect Ehrman's work. My hunch is that the Romans didn't care about relatively minor theological distinctions (or what would have been minor to the Romans...to early Christian leaders...these distinctions meant a lot).
    5
  1043. +Scott Pugsley I'll check it out!
    5
  1044. I'd love to, but I don't know enough Spanish to write subtitles! Do you want to volunteer? :) Pre-hispanic religions is such a great idea. Do you mean the Aztecs/Incas/Mayans? I'm already researching an Aztec episode. Thanks for the suggestions!!
    5
  1045. I've flipped through Wright's book (its so long!). Most of my research is late antiquity though, so I don't spend much time in New Testament scholarship.
    5
  1046. +usedtobeifb I would say the NT authors had no idea that their writings would become a canon. As far as they were concerned, their "Bible" was the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible). Jesus' sayings and teachings were probably transmitted as oral tradition for decades...but even with a low rate of literacy in antiquity, writing still was very important to ancient Greco-Roman society. A certain amount of prestige came with knowing how to read and write, and early Christian leaders like Paul probably found greater success BECAUSE they could write (allowing them to disseminate ideas across several civic centers). Since the early Christians were Jews, having an authoritative collection of texts was a normal and accepted practice (Septuagint), so they probably readily collected these new authoritative texts out of this same impulse.
    5
  1047. This sounds fascinating. No I haven't. I've been meaning to look into the scholarship on this topic though.
    5
  1048. +CONJURE HOODOO I'd be curious to see data on theological studies expanding. I would argue that theology is declining too since I see seminaries closing all over the place. The broader decline in the humanities is a very complex question. I always say that religious studies (and all humanities) need to do a better job convincing the public that their research is useful for society and has plenty of utility on the job market. A recent survey just came out that found Classics majors and religious studies majors are among the best majors for getting into and succeeding in law school. So the idea that these majors are "useless" is absurd.
    5
  1049. Yeah, he's definitely not correct on most of his theories...even his theories on religion. He thought religion would disappear, and it is still here 100 years later. I tried my best to convey in the video: "I don't think Freud is right!" haha.
    5
  1050. Had a lot of fun writing this episode!
    5
  1051. Yeah pretty common theory. Though it’s a Medieval invention.
    5
  1052. Yeah, I mention Snowball the Dancing Cockatoo, but several birds have proven to have rhythm.
    5
  1053. Ep 2 is almost done. Aiming for January release.
    5
  1054. And to you too!
    5
  1055. Awesome. I'll lay my cards on the table and say I'm definitely convinced by TMT as an explanatory model for religion.
    5
  1056. Tribalism over chronographic systems. Cute.
    5
  1057. Well, the line between the two disciplines can be very blurred. There are theologians that do both, and there are religious studies scholars who can do theology. There are those like myself, though, that are 100% in the RS camp.
    5
  1058. Working on one, yes. Should be launched in a few months.
    5
  1059. That movie is surprisingly helpful for illustrating historical ideas like multiple, competing prophets.
    5
  1060. Excellent. This video is based off of a term paper I wrote in grad school too.
    5
  1061. Yeah, the "earliest religion" is one of my longterm fascinations. What did homo sapiens believe/practice 100,000 years ago? You're right most people brush it aside as "animism," but I haven't looked into the research. I definitely will do a video on this one day, I just have a backlog of vids to produce first.
    5
  1062. Ben Zeller counts it. Other scholars wouldn’t. But Zeller takes a broad definition.
    5
  1063. I’m definitely open to it. I’ve considered an episode on shamanism in general.
    5
  1064. Already enrolling in Yotsuba Theological Seminary for Cutest Manga studies.
    5
  1065. What a coincidence! Welcome to the channel.
    5
  1066. Go to the link: https://imprintapp.com/religionforbreakfast . First 200 subscribers get 20% off an annual membership!
    5
  1067. The lockers were a funny detail. Definitely broke my stereotypes of the place.
    5
  1068. Same criticism. His bible lectures are ok, but they are not religious studies. Comparative religion has to be done on a granular level. Comparing real rituals between specific communities. Once you start using abstractions like he does, the research becomes closer to poetry or literature than describing what is actually happening “on the ground.” Though i admit this is coming from my own methodological bias. I’m trained in archaeology and anthropology. I like studying actual artifacts, gestures, rituals etc. Abstract archetypes aren’t empirical data in my book.
    5
  1069. Yeah no offense to Jerusalem, but the coffee here is bad. So much instant coffee.
    5
  1070. The only acceptable Latin accent! ;)
    5
  1071. Glad you like it!
    5
  1072.  @erdood3235  You're actually touching on a debate within the field called the "insider-outsider dilemma." A similar dilemma exists among anthropologists who study other cultures outside of their own. I'm of the opinion (as with others in my school of thought) that the academic, nonsectarian study of religion absolutely necessitates that the scholar isn't beholden to the normative claims of their subject of study. That is the difference between a scholar and a reporter who simply repeats what the subject says about themselves uncritically and unreflectively. As the scholar of religion Russell McCutcheon argues: "What does having one's research subjects approve of one's work have to do with assessing whether its analysis is persuasive or produces new knowledge?" Of course this can be taken to the extreme. If the scholar is describing something that is completely unrecognizable to the subject of study, then I'd question if the scholar is actually all that good at their area of study. Also we must realize that any outsider's attempt at describing the insider's perspective will be refracted through the outsider's own perspective (i.e. bias).
    5
  1073. Yeah, some of my colleagues pronounce it with the hard T.
    5
  1074. Joshua comes from Yehoshua. Jesus from Yeshua. Yeshua came from Yehoshua.
    5
  1075. In terms of the discipline? That falls under “ancient historian.” I guess specifically an ancient historian of the “Hellenistic period,” which is usually what we dub those centuries after Alexander’s death.
    5
  1076. That’s a really good question, and I don’t know the answer. Jason Josephson-Storm did say that house exorcisms are popular too, but I haven’t seen data.
    5
  1077.  @pjrt_tv  Yes, this is a better comparison using vegetarianism as an example than what I've been seeing in the comments.
    5
  1078. Maybe. As far as I can tell, they were supposed to be similar to lamassu.
    5
  1079. I haven't yet, but I'm definitely interested in that. I have a video on the development of hell though.
    5
  1080. Lots of reasons off the top of my head, but most of it is speculation. They lived in a region where these texts would have disintegrated if written on wax or parchment. Many of our Greco-Roman texts were preserved in Egypt’s hot climate. It’s possible that Roman or Christian suppression of their texts occurred too.
    5
  1081. A full video on him is in the works!
    5
  1082. I'd like to. I was planning a video on Aztec religion, but a video dedicated to human sacrifice would make more sense following this one.
    5
  1083. They’re outdated for religious studies. Not sure for mythology or folklore Studies scholars. Though I see those latter disciplines as the equivalent to literature, not history/sociology/anthropology.
    5
  1084. That’s pretty much what people are doing. Basically New Agers using quantum physics to explain religious phenomenon. Dr. Carbonara’s work is an anthropological study of these individuals.
    5
  1085. Excellent question, but I have no idea. It'd be a battle between "animals' rights" versus "religious freedom."
    5
  1086. I know right? One video on magic, the next video on Satanism. I need to return to a good ol' fashioned biblical topic soon...
    5
  1087. Thanks for your insight into this! Hopefully I portrayed the situation there accurately.
    5
  1088. Great idea. I have a video coming out soon on the pre-Christian origins of baptism. So that is related to your question.
    5
  1089. A comparison of Star Wars canon and Christian canon is coming out this month, working on it now. I'd like to do one on the Shinto themes in Pokemon too.
    5
  1090. Yeah, I tried to watch a few tutorials on how to pronounce the Arabic ayin for this video, but I gave up. Very difficult!
    5
  1091. The Pledge of Allegiance is a civic ritual in which Americans recite a specific patriotic formula while facing toward the flag, holding their hands over their heart. Generally it's done by students in school settings.
    5
  1092. Same
    5
  1093. Already planned, yes, but I'm thinking of keeping it an open-ended series so I can cover stuff like what you mentioned. Definitely more topics to cover.
    5
  1094. +Logan Quinn Great idea. Added it to the list of future videos!
    5
  1095. What timezone are you in?
    5
  1096. Not yet. Aiming for August.
    5
  1097. Glad you found the channel! The psychology of religion is one of my favorite aspects of this field.
    5
  1098. It’s very true! So many alchemical texts...
    5
  1099. Yeah, tough timing for some timezones.
    5
  1100. Technically the Gospel of Matthew is anonymous. Most scholars think the name was added later. Hence what I said.
    5
  1101. Weird how some videos my hair looks so good...other videos...not so much.
    5
  1102. You can’t talk about religion without culture. They are embedded, inseparable.
    5
  1103.  @Qwajman97  From my understanding of the original comment, Peterson usually disagrees with people who call things "social constructs" (e.g. calling race, gender, religion social constructs). My video here skirts close to that...calling religious beliefs socially constructed. But I may have misinterpreted DeadEndFrog's comment.
    5
  1104. Can you tell the movie left a lasting impact on me?
    5
  1105. I think it is a very similar religious practice. "Positive" spirit possession appears to be a cross-cultural belief/practice.
    5
  1106. +Sol Mon I use early Christian sources since they were the ones writing about the early Christian councils (makes sense, no?). I'm not pushing an agenda, just using literally the only sources available. I'm not Catholic by the way. Not sure where you're getting that idea.
    5
  1107. +Uncle Grim Thanks! Excited to finally pass 10K
    5
  1108. Agreed. Their whole botanical line of sets look very cool.
    5
  1109. Thank you so much Angela! That is super kind and encouraging to hear you say that. Cool that you’ve been a subscriber for years.
    5
  1110. I think it's more likely the resurrection story is influenced by contemporary Jewish apocalyptic thought (i.e. we see resurrection themes in The Book of Daniel and the Dead Sea Scrolls)
    5
  1111. I do have a Satanism video, but it doesn’t dig deep enough imo. I don’t have imminent plans, but I should revisit the topic.
    5
  1112. I’m working on a Sabbatai Zevi video now. I wanted a full video on the subject.
    5
  1113. Do they have the right? Sure. I'm a big fan of the freedom of speech. I'm a much bigger fan, though, of interfaith dialogue and mutual understanding rather than insulting people.
    5
  1114. There isn't one imo. Some scholars argue that magical ritual is a subset of religion (e.g. rituals that derive language, materials, and ideas from religious and applied for the manipulation of ritual power), others might argue that "magical" can be applied as a fluid qualifier for any ritual that aims to manipulate ritual power, which is generally where I fall. But in that case, I'm using it as an adjective to denote a ritual's potency and application, and not to define a specific subset of rituals. The dataset is way too large for a hard-and-fast definition.
    5
  1115. All of those points depend on Carrier's interpretations of Paul's allusions to Jesus being a human. You need to interpret Paul's "born of a woman" phrase, "seed of David" phrase, "James his brother" phrase among others as all referring to something celestial instead of something human. I see Carrier's arguments as a house of cards...each and every card needs to be interpreted in a particular way for the whole argument to hold up. As it stands, it seems much more likely that Paul thought of Jesus as a deified (or angel-ified) human.
    5
  1116. duly noted!
    5
  1117. Yeah, I believe many liberal Protestants would view it as more merciful than torture, but still less desirable than an afterlife.
    5
  1118. All good questions. My hunch is that robotics technology is no where near sophisticated enough to perform everything necessary for a Japanese funeral (or any funeral for that matter). If we some day make androids like Commander Data in Star Trek? Maybe. But then the question remains about their ability to empathize with a grieving family.
    5
  1119. As it was important to Origen!
    5
  1120. Yeah, in the Socrates Scholasticus scene, I think the Christians say something similar...that the meaning of the ankh aligns with Christian theology.
    5
  1121. Time for some vacuum sealed meat chunks...
    5
  1122. Almost all scholars agree Daniel did not write Daniel and that it dates to the Hellenistic period.
    5
  1123. Ayahuasca video has been scripted, as well as a basic intro to entheogens. .
    5
  1124. Got my graduate degree from Boston University's department of religion, which is a secular department. Religious studies is closer to fields like anthropology, sociology, and archaeology. Sticking with "just the facts," as you say.
    5
  1125. +Bryan Bridges Thanks! The neutrality is important to me and this channel.
    5
  1126. Yeah, the journalists that specialize in religion generally do a good job. The ones who don't specialize? Not so much. I recommend reading Religion News Service. All of their journalists have experience on the religion beat.
    5
  1127. Bummed I'm out of the country! Otherwise would have at leas seen the partial eclipse from the east coast.
    5
  1128. Ehrman's New Testament textbook is fairly standard in the US. My NT class in graduate school used it too.
    5
  1129. Yeah, tho I’d say avatars in TLA are a mix of tulkus in Tibetan Buddhism (reincarnating leader-lineages like the Dalai Lama) and Hindu avatars (godlike beings descending to restore harmony and balance). I’m working on another video that talks about the Buddhist influences on TLA
    5
  1130. Awesome, glad to hear it! New video drops Tuesday!
    4
  1131. +LeviathanSpeaks1469 Very interesting. Another comparison you can make is how they both died. The Buddha's and Christ's respective deaths are described with great symbolic significance.
    4
  1132. The YouTuber Kurzgesagt suggested what you just did...finding some "year zero" for humanity based on the agricultural revolution. It is also arbitrary, especially since we can't pinpoint an exact date to the invention of agriculture. At least our estimate of Jesus' birth is only off by a few years. But I take your point...this is all quibbling.
    4
  1133. Yeah, the Cult of Mithras is interesting enough without the weird ahistorical theories.
    4
  1134. +Dan McClellan Eventually I do want to do a video on non-theist Buddhism. I think it's a good way to imagine religion without "gods." Good point bringing up the so-called "Protestant bias" in religious studies too...we always seem to think religion is all about "belief" and forget that it is mostly "practice."
    4
  1135. +coldslutsonfire I'm glad you're enjoying the channel! Another video is coming up next week. I did say this topic is controversial even among scholars, so I don't think we'll figure this out on YouTube comments haha. I'm getting most of my ideas from the scholar Daniel Boyarin who would say "Christianity" didn't exist as a distinct religion well into the 3rd century. It was all Judaism up until then. It's an interesting debate when you delve into it!
    4
  1136. Well calling Jesus as "savior" or "God" is a theological standpoint. This is a neutral YouTube channel, so we'll leave those questions for the theologians to debate. I'm more interested in the history. You have the general sequence correct though. Jesus, from what we can gather, was an apocalyptic Jewish preacher who spoke out against the political and religious leadership in Judea and Galilee sometime in the 1st century. After he was executed for sedition at the hands of the Romans (some think in response to his rampage in the Jerusalem Temple area), people started spreading stories of his resurrection...which lead to guys like Paul theologizing his death and resurrection into what we know as Christianity. The argument of this video, though, is that "Christianity" was still a Jewish sect well into the 3rd century. We sometimes want to call it a separate religion as early as the 1st century.
    4
  1137. John Green, the Vlogbrother and bestselling author, has his BA in religion. Anecdotal evidence, yes, but a religious studies degree (or any humanities degree) doesn't automatically mean a life of low-wages.
    4
  1138. +King of Hexter I actually don't know much about them! Medieval Christianity is not my strong suit...
    4
  1139. No worries about not being a Patreon patron...just subscribing and engaging with the content is more important! I already have a video that talks about how Judaism and Christianity "parted ways," but you're right, I probably can go deeper into that topic. One of my playlists focuses specifically on early Christianity since that is my own field of research.
    4
  1140. That's a great idea. I don't know if I can commit to a whole series between now and October...but I can definitely do one or two more "health" related videos. Streaming the conference is a great idea too. I'll look into that.
    4
  1141. I am! Currently researching it. If all goes well, I'm aiming for a summer release.
    4
  1142. The Tripartite Tractate is an obscure text from the Nag Hammadi library. A very real text, but just as fictional in its content as the Infancy Gospel haha. I guess I could do another video on Gnostic cosmology...Aeons are pretty cool.
    4
  1143. It is called "Sci Fi" by bensound
    4
  1144. You'll definitely have fun in that class! Jealous.
    4
  1145. Perhaps, though I still see scholars using AD in an academic context and no one bats an eye. Context matters, but I still think this isn't an important issue.
    4
  1146. You're probably right. "Religious studies" is too vague, and I usually say I am a historian (which is just as accurate to say than 'scholar of religion'). I wish religious studies was an "-ology" like "sociology" and "anthropology."
    4
  1147. CainGrey Glad you liked the vid! And thanks for the thoughtful post. Funny that you mention aliens and religion as I've often thought about that situation myself. We'd probably have some interplanetary proselytizing happening! I usually use the term "fundamentalist atheist" to describe individuals such as Sam Harris. Their rhetoric is just as uncompromising as religious fundamentalists.
    4
  1148. +Tori Searcy Thanks! Glad you found it helpful!
    4
  1149. Yeah the PhD is definitely not for everyone. So cool that you were a religious studies major though! I hope you enjoyed it.
    4
  1150. Dr. Fredriksen has been in Israel for years now...I think she is still an official faculty member at BU, but I've been studying under Dr. David Frankfurter.
    4
  1151. Marsilio Ficino is a personal favorite of mine. I probably will cover him in my Magic/Science/Religion series since he is an excellent example of early "medical science" and how close it is to magic. 
    4
  1152. +MarkTheChaldean I have a little bit of experience with early Syrian Christianity. As for Mesopotamia...most of my knowledge comes from studying the site Dura Europos. Really cool research done there at the ancient synagogue and house church.
    4
  1153. That's a great recommendation. I think it has enough to do with religion to go with the channel. I'll put the topic on the "to do" list, though it might be a few weeks. Thanks for subscribing!
    4
  1154. +Worcester Exchange Well, I'm actually arguing for secular religious studies classes. NOT what we would call "confessional" or dogmatic classes. These classes would explore religion as part of human culture (art, history, politics)...and I actually think students studying this stuff from a young age would cut down on religious extremism because they would have the critical thinking to see through dogmatism.
    4
  1155. I think everyone is a little bit biased. But recognizing your own biases and trying to identify if they are influencing your research is the first step to studying religion from an academic perspective. YouTube, for whatever reason, didn't notify me of your message. I just read it now. I'll respond now!
    4
  1156. Broader than just Islam.....also encompasses Middle East and East Asia.
    4
  1157. I'd love to do a study on the Indo-Iranian Mithras. Future video perhaps! As for the Greco-Roman Mithras, check out Manfred Clauss' book. It is the gold standard for this field.
    4
  1158. Well, its not a problem if all your enemies are the ones in hell. The idea of heaven and hell kind of implies that YOU (and your compatriots) are going to heaven. The bad people (i.e. definitely not you) are the ones going to hell.
    4
  1159. That's a tough question why religion hasn't disappeared despite all these advances in science and technology. I go a little bit into the question in one of my older videos: "Is Religion Declining?" I argue that the "secularization theory," the theory that religion will eventually disappear, has been proven false again and again. Religion apparently is VERY resilient and has an ability to adapt to new social realities and technological realities.
    4
  1160. Well, no. I suppose you can make an argument that it is a conglomeration of institutions? Each denomination (at least the major ones) have their own by-laws, beliefs, and governments. What I meant in the video was there wasn't a clear "leader" or hierarchy of Christian authority in the 2nd century. A Gnostic theologian like Valentinus, in many respects, commanded as much clout as a "proto-orthodox" leader like Irenaeus. I could have phrased that better.
    4
  1161. Yeah, the "narcissism of small differences" is really an unfortunate name for the phenomenon. I blame Freud haha. I guess another way to phrase it is: "in group" members will fight others who claim to be part of the "in group" a lot harder than they would fight "out group" members. Thanks for the thoughts though! I appreciate the critique.
    4
  1162. Thanks! Glad to hear you enjoyed it. My whole channel is dedicated to the respectful, neutral, academic study of religion. Subscribe and stay tuned!
    4
  1163. +Beth Melton Glad you're enjoying the videos! More are coming early 2016. Stay tuned!
    4
  1164. That's a great way to describe it: "Amusing and entertaining with some political overtones." That's how I imagine/speculate ancient audiences read it.
    4
  1165. My favorite NPR show is "On Point" with Tom Ashbrook, but he covers mostly politics. For religion podcasts, check out "The Religious Studies Project." It is VERY academic...so be prepared for tons of deep (sometimes jargon filled) episodes. But they cover some excellent stuff and cutting edge research. My episode on Salem Massachusetts was inspired by one of their episodes on Modern Paganism.
    4
  1166. +Andrew McCombs I'm not saying Gnostic and orthodox theology wasn't different. The difference is relative. Both Gnostics and orthodox Christians believe that Jesus somehow, some way, was the savior. Compare that to the Hindu idea of the afterlife: escape from the cycle of reincarnation. Huge difference! What you see as hugely different soteriologies (secret knowledge versus an atoning sacrifice) are small differences compared to the differences between Christianity and Hinduism. Or Christianity and the cult of Artemis, or Egyptian polytheism, or etc. etc.  The narcissism of small differences is just a helpful way to explain why, for example, a Calvinist Baptist church and an Arminian Baptist church will argue all the time, but they won't pay attention to Coptic Orthodox Christians, a group so far removed from their own theology and social community. The groups that are closest to you are potentially more threatening to the community because what you see as "outsiders" are claiming to be "insiders."
    4
  1167. I know. I figured that would have confused most of the audience though.
    4
  1168. +Richard S. Ironically, I think Jerusalem syndrome would be a really interesting video topic.
    4
  1169.  @oskarhenriksen  Thanks Oskar! Your mug is on its way by the way. Hopefully it survives the transit over the Atlantic!
    4
  1170. Did you read the article? Here’s a direct quote: “To ward off evil, as well as use the powers of the Prince of Darkness to their own advantage, they propitiate Satan's representative, known as the Peacock Angel, in their religious rites.“
    4
  1171. I was there in February! Beautiful town.
    4
  1172. Thanks! Do you mean ancient or modern Greek? From my understanding “οίνος” sounds very different in modern Greek. I thought I said it correctly for Ancient Greek, but i might be wrong!
    4
  1173. +The7nUp You must be fun at parties. Game theories as an opportunity for education have a long and rich history on YouTube.
    4
  1174. This is actually a SUPER good idea. I'd be fascinated to research a video about Inuit religion...
    4
  1175. Thanks to Wondrium for sponsoring today's video! Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/rhcY50Mf3i6
    4
  1176. Yeah, that's a fascinating study too
    4
  1177. I'd say it is definitely still Buddhism, just a different variety of Buddhism. Buddhism, just like any other religion, is more than its original founder.
    4
  1178. Episode 5 will do exactly this!
    4
  1179. Tengrism is on my shortlist!
    4
  1180. Planned!
    4
  1181. Wish I could explain. YouTube’s algorithms are maddeningly opaque.
    4
  1182. Glad you're enjoying the channel!
    4
  1183. A more recent example: I was driving from Ontario into New York. The US border guard asks, “So what do you do for work?” I say, “PhD student in religious studies.” He says, “Oh, studying to be a pastor?” I can’t make this stuff up.
    4
  1184. Check out my full interview with Dr. Jason Josephson-Storm here!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8jUsOv7QX4&feature=youtu.be
    4
  1185. It's my own merch. Get it at the RFB store: https://religionforbreakfast.myshopify.com/
    4
  1186. If it makes you feel better...I think the beard looks better on camera than in person.
    4
  1187. Yes, though probably from the Latin first. “Caesar” was pronounces with a hard “k” in Classical Latin.
    4
  1188.  @dorcaswinter8296  Yes the class will be recorded and sent around to everyone who registers!
    4
  1189. Hmmm...at that point, I almost wonder if I would start calling it a new religion. Christianity has the same question about Mormonism. Is Mormonism a new religion? Or a sect of Christianity? Not an easy question to answer. The same happened with Christianity, which was for all intents and purposes, a Jewish sect for the first hundred or two hundred years of its existence.
    4
  1190. Technically, analogous to the difference between "Arab" and "Arabic."
    4
  1191.  @baningobarge  yeah scheduling is tough. Lots of timezones to consider, and of course, Dr. Bonar's schedule to consider!
    4
  1192. Thanks for the encouragement and welcome on board! Glad you are enjoying the videos.
    4
  1193. Adam Ruins Everything's video was the inspiration behind my video. I thought his was so lackluster.
    4
  1194. I don’t know what that is...but I can be very pop culturally ignorant sometimes.
    4
  1195. Intentional timing and intentional bibliography in the description below to show it is based on real scholarship. The quotation from the 5th century Thecla hagiography is particularly hilarious.
    4
  1196. It’s old. classic RFB
    4
  1197. It’s “oo” in Hebrew
    4
  1198. Yes! This is one of the topics I want to cover most. I'm thinking a 3-part series: Aztec, Mayan, and Incan religions.
    4
  1199. Or the antichrist...
    4
  1200. Yeah I was one day late on my "every other Tuesday" schedule. I have a whole list of vids to publish this month, it is just a matter of finding time!
    4
  1201.  @merrittanimation7721  Ah good point. WWI would be a confounding element in that hypothetical study.
    4
  1202. +Gavers23 A few months. Hit me up when you’re here!
    4
  1203. Nope, I think culture plays a much bigger role and is meaningful. Like I say in the video, this might be a cognitive default, but it doesn’t singularly “explain” religion and the evolution of religion.
    4
  1204. He's in the majority saying that there wasn't a strongly polarized hatred between Samaritans and Jews. As for his interpretation of the parable, it is his new interpretation (published relatively recently), but it builds on interpretations from a few previous scholars.
    4
  1205. Unfortunately, we simply don't have enough data. Shaw argues Bede may have used Kentish sources when composing his own text, which I find unconvincing. More convincing to me is the idea that Anglo-Saxon missionaries brought the name of "Easter" to the Germans. The first mention of "Ostarun" as the name of Easter in Old High German is 8th century (around the time of Bede). Quite late if we are trying to speculate about a Roman-era pan-Germanic goddess.
    4
  1206. I mean...check my sources. Actual clinical psychologists have written about this phenomenon. I'm being serious.
    4
  1207. Yes, but with some key differences. A) We have a lot more New Testament texts. B) We have texts written by the sect themselves (e.g. Paul's letters).
    4
  1208. +zoroisdead Nope. Mithras painting from Dura Europos mithraeum. I snapped the photo myself from the Yale Art Museum.
    4
  1209. Someone else mentioned that too. I'll manually fix them as soon as I am able.
    4
  1210. That would be much preferred to 2nd hand Roman accounts.
    4
  1211. A throwback to my video on "Is Coca-Cola a Religion?"
    4
  1212. Cool, hope you like the other videos and stick around!
    4
  1213. Generally academics use Judahites to refer to the people when the Kingdom of Judah still stood. After the Babylonian Exile, they switch to Judean to distinguish them from the Iron Age kingdom.
    4
  1214. Always a tough question. Seems like a bunch of ecclesiastical authorities came to doubt its authenticity. Augustine straight up says Enoch didn't write it.
    4
  1215. Yeah, though when I was first introduced to him he was still “c canon” before the Disney buyout. Very happy he’s recanonized.
    4
  1216. Watched the episode the same day I was finishing edits on the video. Perfect timing.
    4
  1217. To be fair, Pliny’s letter is evidence at least some Christians were being arrested. But yes, many scholars argue this was the exception rather than the rule in the 2nd century.
    4
  1218. "I find your lack of faith disturbing." -Coke CEO
    4
  1219. Awesome, welcome to the channel! Yeah it’s the Korean flag. My brother studied abroad there.
    4
  1220. Still hasn’t.
    4
  1221. Good question. For me, neutrality doesn’t mean accepting the truth claims of these religions. It means being transparent with my sources and how I’m interpreting my sources. It also means trying to understand the tradition instead of making fun of it. I do make some assumptions in my analyses though that some may criticize. I study religion without assuming supernatural influence. Peter Berger called this “methodological agnosticism.” A way of studying religion that only relies on data that is empirically available. A young earth creationist is empirically incorrect, so my neutrality doesn’t mean accepting their truth claim. It means following empirically available evidence.
    4
  1222. Fair point. People use Homer and Matthew all the time as shorthands because "author of ____" sounds clunky, I admit that. But I personally prefer it because I consider it more accurate.
    4
  1223. Awesome, thanks! Feel free to send along video suggestions. I'm curious what new viewers like about the channel.
    4
  1224. I haven't covered this topic yet, but I'd love to. Ancient magic is my area of expertise. I'll add the Ephesian Letters to the list of topics to cover!
    4
  1225. I have sponsors on other videos too, but Buddhist Studies Online is run by religious studies academics that I trust who teach from a non-sectarian perspective. I wouldn't ever accept a sponsor from a religiously-affiliated organization.
    4
  1226. Thanks so much for the support! Couldn't do it without you all.
    4
  1227. I'm hoping for multiple seasons of each tradition. So Season 2 of Shinto could be green-lit sometime in the future. We couldn't possibly cover this tradition in 5 episodes.
    4
  1228. Hah, welcome back. Inspires me to get back to some of the weirder aspects of my research to keep you around :P
    4
  1229. From my understanding it is a relatively recent development (past few decades). But I can confirm this is currently a fact as I was just there a few months ago.
    4
  1230. +Xiao'sChannel Yeah, it’s the font.
    4
  1231. Good luck on the exam! Glad I could help.
    4
  1232. Whoa that is so fascinating. That’s worth another video...
    4
  1233. I know. I said “Gaza and Southern Israel,” meaning the coast around Ashkelon and Ashdod.
    4
  1234. Check the article by Fanny Urien-Lefranc in the journal Religion (issue 2020, 11/2): "From Religious to Cultural and Back Again: Tourism Development, Heritage Revitalization, and Religious Transnationalizations among the Samaritans"
    4
  1235. I suppose it depends on your criteria of what makes a Christian "Christian." If it is just simple worship of Jesus, then yeah, the definition is expansive enough to include all the so-called "heresies." Though parsing between who is a "true Christian" or not sounds like a theological question.
    4
  1236. I could do that. Maybe during a livestream. Basically it’s all primary sources and a few foundational religious studies theory books. Those are the two types of books I can justify spending money on.
    4
  1237. There are several outtakes of my attempt, and I deemed them so bad, I’d basically be publishing misinformation 😆
    4
  1238. Yeah, Prothero is a big name in religious literacy studies. His book "God is Not One" is worth a read (in which he introduces this problem-based-model).
    4
  1239. Religious studies is different than inculcating a specific religion. It is the nonsectarian study of religion without endorsing religion.
    4
  1240. Yep. I’ve been planning a “what is shamanism?” video for a while.
    4
  1241. Definitely interested in doing at least one video on Corpus Hermeticum! Might be part of a larger series, haven't decided yet.
    4
  1242. Thanks Terry, I'll revisit Weiss' article to confirm this. I might have misrepresented how he interprets Lactantius. -Yes you're correct the arch is probably a work of the Roman Senate, but I suspect that inscription is relaying what Constantine told them. (some sort of divine intervention was involved) - I've read the statue described as both or either. Keeping in mind that Constantine apparently viewed himself as resembling Sol Invictus.
    4
  1243. Correct. Pliny and Columella marked it on the 25th. Apparently that was accurate hundreds of years before their time, but it slowly drifted out of sync with their own calendar. But the 25th stuck as the traditional day (albeit not the true solstice).
    4
  1244. I spent too long trying to think of a good pun in response........but I failed.
    4
  1245. Hi
    4
  1246. That’s a really good question that I do not know the answer to. I’d love to see this research expanded to other regions to see if it holds true for Buddhists and Hindus etc.
    4
  1247. Yeah I first learned about Falun Gong while walking through MIT's campus in Cambridge, MA. There was a group of Chinese people peacefully gathered outside the Student Union with a big Falun Gong sign. Struck me as peculiar, but not insidious or evil as the Chinese government has labeled them.
    4
  1248. Yes, finally! It was stuck in production limbo for so long.
    4
  1249. Glad I subverted expectations. No one expects the "understanding ancient literature through the lens of fan culture scholarship" angle.
    4
  1250. Not super religious. Definitely not a theologian. I consider myself a scholar of religion or "religious studies." It is the secular, academic study of religions (along with their rituals, histories, mythologies, etc.)
    4
  1251. Hello
    4
  1252. Thanks for the encouragement! I try not to editorialize in my content. There’s enough religion content like that on YouTube already! As for Zoroastrianism, I definitely plan on doing a video about it some day. Lots of people have requested it.
    4
  1253. I dabble in theology when it comes to Star Wars :P
    4
  1254. I actually think you were first!
    4
  1255. Same Latin root I think.
    4
  1256. Yeah it’s possibly referring to their genitals. At least, it is a plausible reading. I'm not sure if it is the majority position.
    4
  1257. Coincidentally you are the second person to say that in the past week. I only know his political commentary lectures. I'll need to check out his Bible stuff.
    4
  1258. I have one on YHWH and Asherah based on the temple at Tel Arad.
    4
  1259. Glad you like the videos. But yeah...all time is arbitrary. That's why I just advocate "pick a system and stick with it." Geologists and anthropologists that deal with deep time (100,000 years ago), hate the BCE/CE system because BCE doesn't make much sense when you are dealing with the evolution of homo sapiens, or the extinction of the dinosaurs, etc. As an ancient historian, I'm fine sticking with it.
    3
  1260. I've done some research on the Testament of Solomon and some late antique amulets that deploy Solomon idioms and imagery, yes.
    3
  1261. Besides the fact that I love its technical term?: "Glossolalia." Not much else. St. Paul alludes to glossolalia a few times though, which makes me curious about how the ritual was used in 1st century Hellenistic Jewish culture.
    3
  1262. Yeah, I've always wanted to see a study like this shine light on Revelations in the New Testament...or mystical experiences in general.
    3
  1263. +Bryan Landreth Thanks!
    3
  1264. I'm not sure off the top of my head. The author I cite records the song itself...they sing about soul-cakes. I can try to find it and post it later on my blog?
    3
  1265. +Stefan Travis secret gospel of mark is a crazy story. Possible forgery by a scholar. Good video idea.
    3
  1266. Yeah, I'm not sure if I agree with his statements then. If those troughs were indeed used for brewing beer...then they definitely were farming around Göbekli Tepe. And the people who made the site presumably lived near it in some sort of village. So it probably predates the domestication of draft animals but not village life.
    3
  1267. Interesting quotes. I'll check it out. And the intentional burial of the site is kind of weird. I'd be curious to learn more about that.
    3
  1268. No worries! The Patreon campaign is only if you have the means. Subscribing and engaging with the videos is more important to me! I've been doing 1 video every 2 weeks...one of these days I want to bump that up to once a week. Next video will drop the first week of January!
    3
  1269. "Heretical" is an insiders term for Christians. Scholars try not to label texts "orthodox" or "heretical" in an effort to stay neutral. I have another video about this if you want to check it out: "The Problem with Heresy."
    3
  1270. Maybe...though he does do brilliant satire of religion, which is its own form of critique.
    3
  1271. +Josbi Thanks!! New video coming next week.
    3
  1272. That is the same argument scholar April DeConick posits in her books. She argues that the Gospel of Thomas started as a collection of Aramaic Jesus sayings in the 1st century, but it underwent several layers of copying and editing into the version that we have from the 3rd-4th century. So, yes, definitely possible.
    3
  1273. Very interesting argument. It'd be even stronger if we can find a correlation between the gods the spell invokes with soldiers or battle. Of course keeping in mind if these gods had a different purpose in Greco-Egyptian understanding.  And you're right...the Romans had a belief that their defeated foes were abandoned by their gods. They performed a ritual called the "evocatio" which would "call out" the besieged city's god. 
    3
  1274. +John McKeon There is evidence that there was a market for magic. Archaeologists have found mass marketed curse tablets with blank spaces for the client to fill in whoever they wanted to curse. The Christian monk Shenoute also complains about monks selling fox claws and other animal parts for magical spells. So, I'm not sure if we can prove definitively that people were harvesting body parts (more likely from a tomb than a battlefield), but there definitely was an "ingredient market."
    3
  1275. Huh, I've never heard of its authenticity being doubted in the scholarly circles I run in. I'll definitely look into it some more...but from my understanding, scholars have dated it based on the handwriting (paleographic dating...its pretty standard and usually accurate to about 50 years). Though it would surprise me if it has never been subjected to radio-carbon dating.
    3
  1276. I second Joseph's suggestion to check out Science on Religion. My friend and colleague Dr. Connor Wood is the writer. Smart guy (way smarter than me). As for recommended books...it really depends on your personal interests. Start with Stephen Prothero's "God is Not One." Also there is an anthropologist named Michael Jackson (yeah really) who writes on the anthropology of religion. Maybe check out his book "Existential Anthropology."
    3
  1277. That's one of my top requested topics. I am definitely planning on getting to Manicheanism eventually, though I am giving first-dibs to Patreon supporters as far as video suggestions go...so I have a backlog of videos to cover.
    3
  1278. Glad you like the videos!
    3
  1279. haha you're lucky! I've met a lot of people like this.
    3
  1280. I think we're in agreement then. Any humanities course that is just pure memorization is a waste of time. Critical thinking and analysis are needed.
    3
  1281. I would say that you're right: the study of rituals tends to focus on "religious rituals." But sociologists do sometimes touch on "non-religious" rituals like shaking hands or rituals in sports/games.
    3
  1282. Yeah I don't plan on sharing my own personal beliefs (or lack thereof) because I'm afraid it will create factions within my audience. My methodology remains rigorously academic and as neutral as I can possibly be.
    3
  1283. I do plan on covering the Infancy Gospel of Thomas in a few months. Stay tuned!
    3
  1284. Thanks for the response. I really appreciate it. We've all been there before...venting our frustration online. As for suggestions for modern scholars following in the stream of Freud, I'd highly recommend Gananath Obeyesekere. He is an anthropologist who has researched religion in Sri Lanka and is one of the few scholars today who applies psychoanalytical methods to his research.
    3
  1285. We have no idea when Jesus was born, but Dec 25th was an early tradition...either because the Romans already celebrated a holiday around that date (Saturnalia), because it coincides with another holiday celebrating Sol Invictus, or because some Christians believed Jesus was conceived in late March or early April. 9 months from that date would be around Dec 25th or January 7th (the latter date being when some Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas).
    3
  1286. Good idea. The short answer is there isn't much good evidence for this, but the tradition is very early. Someone recently wrote an article on this topic...but I forget who...I'll start hunting.
    3
  1287. Yeah, I wish more people had religious liberty education. Public school teachers have a lot of leeway as long as they are talking about religion from an academic perspective as part of culture.
    3
  1288. Sure, you can email me at religionforbreakfast@gmail.com. Or tweet at me @andrewmarkhenry. Or you can just ask questions in the comments here.
    3
  1289. Yeah I think the stats might be different depending on where you live. If you read more of that Pew study, they dig down into different religions (what do Catholics know? What do Protestants know? What do atheists know?). Ironically, atheists score very well.
    3
  1290. +daydreamingwill Thanks for the advice! One video every two weeks is what I'm aiming for now. I totally respect your decision not to commit to the Patreon drive...at this early stage of the channel, I appreciate that you're just watching and finding it interesting!
    3
  1291. Wow thanks for the very thorough follow-up. I might need to post a sequel including some of these sources. Glad to hear that you think we are discussing religion well! That is my whole mission....provide a balanced, respectful, and academic voice discussing religion on YouTube.
    3
  1292. Yeah, "comparative religion" is a good phrase. I should probably use it more.
    3
  1293. I was thinking the same thing when I was researching this. It doesn't necessarily sound as "central" as Justice Kennedy says, but it certainly is important to some communities. Thanks for the input!
    3
  1294. I actually don't really know what it smells like myself. I've probably smelled it in some of the Orthodox services I attended while excavating in Greece, but I wouldn't be able to identify the scent.
    3
  1295. Glad to hear it! I actually majored in ancient history...and I had the same thought process, "What am I doing??" Turns out, getting a degree in ancient history is helpful when trying to become an ancient historian haha.
    3
  1296. Glad to see other YouTube channels handling topics on religion from an objective perspective!
    3
  1297. Thanks! Glad you like the vids.
    3
  1298. +Walk With Christ I'll keep it in mind. Haven't thought much about collaborations yet. Good luck with your channel!
    3
  1299. +seadawg93 I have. Fritz Graf is one of the leading figures in this field (I know him personally). I'd check out John Gager's "Curse Tablets and Binding Spells," or Chris Faraone's edited volume Magika Hiera if you want more secondary sources. For primary sources check out Marvin Meyer's "Ancient Christian Magic." Graf's book is prob the closest to the definitive book in the field, though it is a bit outdated.
    3
  1300. I know, right? It is almost like people prefer timely, relevant topics...
    3
  1301. Thanks for the feedback. I'm still sort of new at this and trying to find my style and fix problems. Can you give some examples of the unnecessary cuts and unidentified iconography? That is easier for me to fix than how I act on camera (which admittedly, I am very awkward at).
    3
  1302. Many scholars (myself included) use "pneumatic" or leave it untranslated as "pneuma" to actively avoid using the English word "spiritual" which so often means "non-corporeal." So for example, Paul of Tarsus, as an ancient person, didn't distinguish between "immaterial" and "material." Everything had substance. So when he talks about "pneuma bodies" in 1 Corinthians, he isn't talking about "spiritual bodies" in our modern sense...but bodies with a new, different substance.
    3
  1303. Kind of the opposite if speculative. Lots of experiments have been conducted, many cited in this video. The real debate is if modern experiments can tell us about Pleistocene human behavior.
    3
  1304. Hey thanks! We don’t always need to agree, but I do try my best to accurately report and interpret the data.
    3
  1305. +Stu B Stay tuned for my Star Wars on Religion vids next month haha
    3
  1306. She is a paragon of scholarship in the field of late antique Mediterranean religion.
    3
  1307. Hi Ben. Glad you like the channel! Off the top of my head check out the podcast The Religious Studies Project. It’s a very academic, very well done podcast. I don’t know many other YouTube channels. Jospeh Lumbard runs an academic Islamic Studies channel.
    3
  1308. I didn’t mean to offend with using the term outdated. I apologize. I tacitly meant any discussion of archetypes and comparative religion must take into account JZ Smith and his generation, who, I think, warned us about the pitfalls of perennialist approaches like Smith and Campbell.
    3
  1309. +lshulman58 Yeah that was the aim of the video: use an absurd example to illustrate the problems with defining religion.
    3
  1310. Surprisingly elegant word in its simplicity.
    3
  1311. Great question. What immediately comes to mind is PBS's "God in America." It was a little cheesy with its re-enactments, but the scholarship behind it is sound. Dr. Stephen Prothero, a scholar who I respect and have worked under before as a teaching assistant, was a consultant for the whole series. I'll need to give it more thought though...I can only think of ones I don't like haha.
    3
  1312. Yes there is a debate. We use the correlation that arrives at the date Aug 14.
    3
  1313. I know right? That certainly wouldn't be controversial.
    3
  1314. One episode will cover atheism in the Arab world, another will cover Maori atheism in New Zealand.
    3
  1315. Yeah he was the researcher/writer!
    3
  1316. Definitely doing a podcast in the next year. Currently in the planning stage.
    3
  1317. My hunch is that this wasn't commonly applied, but rather, some scribe collected it into his "powerful spells" book. The Greek magical papyri were written, collected, and shared by a literate elite in Greco-Egyptian culture.
    3
  1318. I don't see any problem using the term "religious movement." If they are evil, exploitive, authoritarian, etc like the People's Temple...I would just use those adjectives. Too many people have weaponized the word "cult" for me to use it as a descriptive category.
    3
  1319. Huge and fast-growing Protestant churches.
    3
  1320. 100% agree with this. I've gotten into the habit of calling it "study of religion."
    3
  1321. It's been on my "to do" list for a while. Currently scripting out a Hinduism series for this year.
    3
  1322. Thanks!
    3
  1323. Good summary, though keep in mind Durkheim's Elementary Forms has a lot of problems too. He relied on 2nd-hand, sometimes inaccurate data from anthropologists. He never did his own ethnographic research in Australia, so some of the rituals he describes are basically fabricated. Having said that, he probably has had the biggest influence on the academic study of religion to this day.
    3
  1324. The question is: were artists trying to portray him as a Jew? The halo and gold cloak make me think they were stressing “deity.”
    3
  1325. Lots of people have been requesting this. I've started watching them and am taking notes.
    3
  1326. Yes, I should. I do have one video on the Bahai Gardens in Haifa which gets into the faith a little bit, but it's not a thoroughgoing analysis of the tradition.
    3
  1327. Pretty useful if you are trying to stay away from people though. They apparently didn't like the religious authorities of Jerusalem.
    3
  1328. Thank you so much Breno. It is so encouraging to hear that.
    3
  1329. Plausible, though I'm skeptical. Plant-based seems more likely to me than gas-based.
    3
  1330. Yeah, Mario 3 was very much on my mind while filming this!
    3
  1331. Thanks. Bought that in the Old City of Jerusalem.
    3
  1332. It is a pretty cool looking place. I’m taking suggestions on how to use all my hours of footage. Educational vids come naturally.
    3
  1333. I'd focus on rituals to try to answer that. It depends on if members of Sunday Assembly practice rituals at home and if we could even call them religious rituals. Christians that don't meet on Sunday for church can still pray at home. What atheistic rituals would be performed?
    3
  1334. Even more important than the UN. The United Federation of Planets. Because I’m a Star Trek nerd.
    3
  1335. You're in luck. This year's Halloween special is on demon possession. Stay tuned. My academic field of expertise is magic and demonology. Watch my other videos before you jump to these conclusions about me.
    3
  1336. Big fan of that series, and I think that’d be an excellent video topic...
    3
  1337. Perhaps, but I'd argue Nicene orthodoxy was also for the educated elite. The masses of the Roman Empire cared more about how not to die from typhus and where to get their next meal. Who were Justin, Irenaeus, Jerome, and Augustine if not educated elites?
    3
  1338. No, though a similar topic
    3
  1339. Awesome. Here is to a year full of more videos!
    3
  1340. Yes, contemporary pagan movements are growing, at least in the US. Still a small segment of the population though.
    3
  1341. My Hebrew-speaking friends tell me the stress is on the last syllable.
    3
  1342. Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. I appreciate it!
    3
  1343. This is one of the most persistent conspiracy theories out there, yes. No thanks to Dan Brown's book "The Da Vinci Code."
    3
  1344. I am pronouncing Miθra correctly. The Greek "alpha" makes the same "a" sound as it does in the English word "father." Anyone pronouncing it with a short "a" (as it is pronounced in the word 'glass') is Anglicizing the syllable.
    3
  1345. Fair enough if we were talking about the Persian deity. But the topic here is the Roman cult. This god underwent a lot of syncretism over the centuries.
    3
  1346. Yeah I’m not so sure about that word. The scholarship literally used that term, but I’d prefer “deinstitutionalized spirituality.”
    3
  1347. I'm super fascinated by the "origins" of religion. So, yes, I'm definitely going to do a topic on this. Some anthropologists say religious ideas originated in early humans' survival instinct to attribute agency to natural phenomenon.
    3
  1348. A sequel.
    3
  1349. Planning a Pokemon episode, but open to suggestions!
    3
  1350. Yeah we saw this after the shooting at the synagogue near Pittsburgh. A rabbi in Israel offering condolences was careful not to call them Jews or call the place a synagogue.
    3
  1351. What would you say is the difference?
    3
  1352. Awesome. Hope your students find it useful!
    3
  1353.  @MichaelDeHaven  Thanks for pointing that out. I put a link in the description!
    3
  1354. And the Aramaic Dictionary Industrial Complex.
    3
  1355. Thanks for the info. I'll check it out. I'm following mostly Carrasco's textbook, who seems to think Ometeotl was a concept for the Aztecs. But I'm sure he's not the final authority on this.
    3
  1356. Awesome, welcome!
    3
  1357. That is an excellent fact.
    3
  1358. Did not say that. They don't use the word because it is a theological category: "Right belief versus wrong belief."
    3
  1359. Best footage I could find of the pouncing technique. Though area around Göbekli Tepe isn't a desert. Wet cool winters (sporadic snow), super hot summers.
    3
  1360. Thanks for your insight!
    3
  1361. Asking the important questions here at Religion for Breakfast.
    3
  1362. No. The belief that it was a Druid temple dates back to that. It is a modern belief about a very ancient site.
    3
  1363. Check my sources. They are weird, but real.
    3
  1364. That's an alternative way of spelling it. Most academics these days spell it with a D.
    3
  1365. From my understanding, the YouTube algorithm automatically demonetizes videos based on keywords that it deems are not advertiser friendly. Basically anything on war is an automatic demonetize (e.g., my video "War Makes Us More Religious" and, I suspect, my video on Masada). Other videos, I'm more confused why they get demonetized (e.g., videos on demons seem to get demonetized a lot). Religion is a tricky subject, and the YouTube bot seems adverse to controversy.
    3
  1366. All I know about it is that there is a huge debate over whether or not it is authentic, but I haven't dug into the scholarship personally. I'm definitely interested in making a video about it so I can come to my own conclusions though.
    3
  1367. Oh that's interesting. I didn't realize he references one of my videos. I'll have to check it out! Thanks for the tip. By "nonsectarian," I mean that this channel doesn't subscribe to any one religious tradition or perspective. I try to neither encourage nor discourage religion.
    3
  1368. Thanks for the encouragement! i'm glad you've liked the channel. As for suggestions....languages, languages, languages. If you're going to do ancient history, start studying the languages now! In your case: Hebrew, Aramaic, Ugaritic, or maybe Greek (if you do later 2nd Temple Judaism for your research). One of my biggest regrets is not starting my language study earlier. PhD programs will accept you or decline you based on how many years of the relevant languages you have studied and mastered.
    3
  1369. Great points. Thanks for raising them. I guess it centers around the question "What does the word 'cult' do to help us better understand the social reality of small, sectarian religious groups and/or religious abuse?" Or more simply: "do we gain or lose more by using the term?" Used carefully, it might have some utility in the same way that other subjective words like 'magic' help us understand a broad category of religious beliefs/practices. I could be persuaded that we can use the word "cult" appropriately to refer to sectarian religious groups with a central charismatic figure...that is to say, as a sub-category of religion. The point of the video, though, is to argue that the term is mostly mis-applied as a pejorative label.
    3
  1370. I already have a video on gobekli tepe!
    3
  1371. Dude nice. It is some heavy-duty history, but a foundational book in the field of early Christian studies.
    3
  1372. I’d say so, yes. A tool to draw lines between “us vs. them” (Philistines, Northern Israelites, and Greeks respectively over the course of three eras of history)
    3
  1373. Can you be more specific? Honestly at a loss what you may be perceiving. Some viewers say I'm hostile towards theists.
    3
  1374. Just a few years before Athanasius' letter, the Council of Laodicea affirmed a different canon (only a few books are different). The Codes Sinaiticus also has a different set of texts. So Athanasius' canon certainly is important (he is the first to list the 27 books Christians accept today in the NT), but he was only one authoritative voice out of a chorus of bishops.
    3
  1375. Thank you!
    3
  1376. I did not encounter this in my research. Only the comment from Dr. Robins that “Satan” is offensive to some Yazidis and some have a taboo against pronouncing it. Keep in mind my research is not exhaustive though. I can only speak to the books/articles I found on the topic.
    3
  1377. Well, technically I think Paul was expanding God's "Chosen People" to include non-Jews. So I'd still call Paul's sect a brand of Judaism, not yet a new religion called "Christianity."
    3
  1378. Oops, yeah I haven't decided if it scares me either. Constantly debating whether to shave or not.
    3
  1379. The question isn’t “did Jesus have a beard” (he probably did), the question is “why did early Christian artists portray him with one” (and initially did not). My hunch is the artists didn’t care about historical accuracy.
    3
  1380. I can cover it more in a later video, but briefly: it's the Thirty Meter Telescope. A proposed gigantic telescope that will be built on Mauna Kea, but the Native Hawaiians are opposing its construction b/c the volcano's sacred status.
    3
  1381. Awesome. He does good work in this space. Welcome!
    3
  1382.  @Qwajman97  Thanks for your input. Eh, I'd say his bible lectures are more literary analysis and myth studies. I'd need to go back through them to see if he cites any cognitive evolutionary psychologists of religion.
    3
  1383. Glad you enjoyed it. I have plenty more where that came from. Visited dozens of sites during my time there.
    3
  1384. More like I call subs "hoagies." South Jersey.
    3
  1385. More of a cognac guy myself. Definitely have felt a warm energy permeating me after some of that...
    3
  1386. +Giulia de Oliveira I do it all myself! Audio, video, editing...
    3
  1387. I misspoke calling it a “definition.” The Prothero Model is more of a lens for comparative religious studies. A lens that helps us focus on a particular aspect of the various religious systems (I.e. what problem is the system trying to solve?). I think it is helpful for studying Buddhism because the problem of dukkha is at the center of it all.
    3
  1388. As a 2nd year PhD student, I equated "academic" with "neutral." Then I read Donna Harraway, haha.
    3
  1389. Haha awesome. I definitely should do a sequel to this video.
    3
  1390. All new religious movements are not like that. And there are sects within larger religions that are charismatic/exploitive too. You see this sometimes on the local level here in the United States, where a single church will develop extreme devotion around a single pastor. Whether we should create a whole new category beyond "religious movement" for these groups? I'm not sure. "Cult" could work if it wasn't so often used as an insult or accusation. That's why I prefer "sect."
    3
  1391. Thanks for the suggestion Aaron. I really think a video on Berger is necessary too. I'll see what i can do.
    3
  1392. Welcome to the channel! Hoping to publish the next video in August.
    3
  1393. The passage I cite from the Talmud specifically mentions the Priestly Benediction: "One may not allow the people of Beit She’an, nor the people of Beit Haifa, nor the people of Tivonin to pass before the ark in order to lead the service because they pronounce alef as ayin and ayin as alef, and they thereby distort the meaning of the prayers."
    3
  1394. I know he has dabbled in religious studies, but I've only watched his political commentary. I'll check it out.
    3
  1395. Yeah, that was an oversight. The main theme of this video was on artistic representation, not the actual appearance of the historical Jesus.
    3
  1396. Dr. Suchard has some theories. I'll see if we can team up again for a sequel.
    3
  1397. Awesome! Welcome to the channel. I always say “you don’t need to be religious to study religion.”
    3
  1398. Thanks for the feedback! I do have mugs for Patreon patrons, but I’ve been playing with the idea of selling T-shirt’s too. Glad to hear you’d be interested!
    3
  1399. Cool to hear it. And yeah, a lot of fiction authors have delved into the academic study of religion. It's one of the reasons that "mana," the magical power we see in video games today, is such a common trope. Sci-fi and fantasy authors of the 70s borrowed it from religion scholars of the 60s who borrowed it from Oceanic cultures in the late 1800s.
    3
  1400. Thanks! Glad you like it. Lots more evolution of religion vids planned.
    3
  1401. I considered it, but I was already concerned about bloat in the video script. I’m convinced Hippolytus’ reckoning predates Africanus’, so I figured I’d focus on the one. I do mention Africanus in my earlier Dec 25 video.
    3
  1402. Yeah, that'd be a great video topic. I get into it a little bit in my Haitian Vodou episode, but there are many other examples across religious traditions.
    3
  1403. Yeah, I 100% should have mentioned that.
    3
  1404. Yes its a fascinating period of history, especially since I study late antique Christianity. I'd definitely label the 690s as "late antiquity."
    3
  1405. +iknowyouwanttofly Super interesting question, and I don't have an answer. I suspect any religion with higher happiness levels is probably influenced by other factors (country, income, etc.). Worth checking into this though. I'm curious.
    3
  1406. Makes me so happy to hear that! Glad you enjoyed it.
    3
  1407. I found your BAR article in my research! Am considering a sequel to cover Tobit and the Mishnah references.
    3
  1408. I've given this some thought, and i think proudwonk has a point. The Japanese have a rich tradition of beliefs about inanimate objects being inhabited by "kami" (gods/spirit/supernatural beings). So it is not a stretch to think a robot could be a kami.
    3
  1409. I don't disagree with this. I sometimes wonder how many "religious figurines" in museums were simply children's toys.
    3
  1410. I make sure to mention Sharia law nations like Iran. I make sure to mention human rights violations. Did I ever say it is a peaceful religion? You are putting words in my mouth.
    3
  1411. Scholars aren’t 100% sure about the roof, but from the research I read for this video, seems like they lean toward the buildings being roofed.
    3
  1412. Thanks so much Rob. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for Confucianism Episode 3 next month.
    3
  1413. Yeah, huge. The Coyolxauhqi stone too.
    3
  1414. Def seen in other sports. Lots in tennis.
    3
  1415. the Greek letters alpha and iota form a diphthong that sounds like "aye." The omega is a long English "o." Thus: dīˌmōn
    3
  1416. Of course.
    3
  1417. Indeed. The lunate sigma becomes the standard in late antiquity.
    3
  1418.  @Sewblon  The reason why I think so is because most of the "nones" or "religiously non-affiliated" still hold to quasi-religious beliefs like astrology, spiritual beings, or "life force." Most of them are not atheists. The current data we have seems to point to more personalized beliefs and practices outside of historical religious systems.
    3
  1419.  @jimbob3030  Yeah I don't think that. I put "secularization" in quotes because I think what we're seeing is being misinterpreted. Religion is not disappearing. Certain traditions in Western Europe and the U.S. are losing members to personalized beliefs and practices outside of those traditions. Big difference (and a lot more interesting imo as a scholar of this stuff).
    3
  1420. I think literature and religious studies can go well together...studying myths, sacred texts, religious songs/poetry/novels etc. Glad you're enjoying the channel!
    3
  1421. That's a highly syncretic text with closer parallels to Hermetic thought than Mithraism. It's almost certainly not a Mithraic text and only received that (mis)name from an early 20th century scholar.
    3
  1422. The Romans marked it on the 25th, though they were off by a few days.
    3
  1423. I think it's hair.
    3
  1424. Yeah, maybe like a civil religion (e.g. American Civil Religion)
    3
  1425. I'll be publishing a sequel video on this exact question. Felt like it deserved it's own dedicated treatment.
    3
  1426. Patreon is best (patreon.com/religionforbreakfast), but one-time donations can be done here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast
    3
  1427. You are misquoting me. I never said "dependent." I said religions are embedded in culture, and I cited the Harvard Religious Literacy project to further explain what I mean by this: "In the words of the Harvard Religious Literacy Project, when studying any religion we need to understand them “as they arose out of and continue to be shaped by particular social, historical, and cultural contexts." So yes...religion is embedded in culture AND is shaped by culture. It is reciprocal.
    3
  1428. No worries, sorry if I came across as snippy. I don't disagree with you that religion plays a huge role in shaping cultures, I just don't want to lose the fact that local cultures shape religion too. Even a cross-cultural religion like Christian has many manifestations depending on the cultural context (Ethiopian Christianity compared to Syriac Christianity for example)
    3
  1429. Thanks for the encouragement! The channel is growing slowly but surely. We were at 100K subs only a few months ago. Now almost 120K.
    3
  1430. Glad to hear it. I figured it was better to film and publish than wait another year until next Hanukkah.
    3
  1431. I've toyed with this idea. I'm already in the midst of producing a video on: "Star Wars Canon Helps us Understand the New Testament Canon." But that is not quite the social experience of fandoms vis a vis religion. I'll definitely consider it.
    3
  1432. I loved the novel and the video game. I hope they re-canonize it.
    3
  1433. Actually, it was discovered with the stones toppled. Some scholars think they were toppled purposely during a destruction event of some sort.
    3
  1434. Yes I do know that.
    3
  1435. Welcome! She’s great.
    3
  1436. Jackson's theory is based on empirical studies too. The whole " Religion is 'Terror-Management' Theory" is backed up by a bunch of studies across the social and cognitive sciences. Happy to share the bibliography. Happy also to accept your criticism that my delivery of this information was reductionistic. Religion is crazy complex and difficult to capture in academic models (as with a lot of human behavior).
    3
  1437.  @3kids2cats1dog  I think fundamentally this conversation will lead us to "humanities/social sciences vs. STEM." The humanities/social sciences will always be more subjective and interpretive. So for example, one of those studies I am referencing literally showed test subjects pictures of dead bodies, and then had the subjects rate their beliefs in the afterlife. It is an academic study, but it is based on people self-reporting their beliefs on a survey. That's much more subjective than other fields like astronomers measuring heat signatures from a supernova. Human behavior has so many confounding elements, but that doesn't mean theoretical models like the "terror-management theory" are not empirical.
    3
  1438. Glad you like the channel! Atheists actually score very well on religious literacy exams according to Pew Research, so it makes total sense to me why so many RFB fans are atheists.
    3
  1439. Thanks! I agree there should be more academic religious studies channels. I'm quite happy with 18K subscribers after sticking in the land of sub-1000 subscribers for over two years!
    3
  1440. I’m glad you liked it!! Feel free to suggest topics you’d like to see me cover too.
    3
  1441. Gobekli Tepe by a lot. I think Stonehenge is 3000 BC.
    3
  1442. The word “Satan” was probably flagged as not advertiser friendly. It is still demonetized despite my appeal.
    3
  1443.  @LarsPallesen  The theory rests on how the author of John is using "the Jews" when he uses the term negatively. Some scholars think he is using it specifically to refer to Jewish religious authorities, and not the whole of Judaean culture/ethnicity/etc. John positively refers to "Israel" and "Israelites," he refers to Jesus as "king of Israel." So the issue isn't so simple as "John's Gospel is hostile toward Judaism as a whole." Whoever wrote it, they were certainly thoroughly Hellenized (e.g. the Gospel's use of "logos theology" and relatively elegant Greek)
    2
  1444. Royalty free music for the win. I stopped using it in later vids b/c it was too annoying.
    2
  1445. Thanks for the detailed response. We should have collaborated on this video!
    2
  1446. I'm getting my Ph.D at Boston University. Studying early Christianity is interesting for anyone! Atheist or not.
    2
  1447. +CainGrey Glad you liked it!
    2
  1448. Yeah I think it is widespread, even among fellow academics.
    2
  1449. Most of the Nag Hammadi texts are stored in the Coptic Museum in Cairo. Anyone with a decent knowledge of Greek can translate them, and there are plenty of critical, academic translations that you can easily find online.
    2
  1450. Thanks for your comment. Don't forget that religion also is comprised of actions (rituals). So just saying "beliefs" limits your definition. Also there are a lot of religions that don't necessarily have an idea of salvation or damnation (the Hindu cycle of samsara for example...life/death/rebirth). I'm not trashing your definition, just trying to raise some questions :)
    2
  1451. Yeah I think a lot of Tebow's fame came from his unabashed public display of religion. Goes back to what I said in the vid, "Religion is everywhere." We just need to train ourselves to notice it and its influences.
    2
  1452. Glad you like the channel! As for your other question, it is for time saving. I am aware of the other Orthodox groups, though I mention the biggest branches. I have an "Intro to Christianity" video coming out soon where I talk about the full plurality of Christianity (as best as I can in a 15 minute video).
    2
  1453. Thanks so much for the encouragement! Even though you didn't major in religion, you still obviously have a deep and academic interest in the subject. Keep exploring!
    2
  1454. The struggle is real. T_T
    2
  1455. DC is pretty cool. I've been living here all summer doing research and making videos. Impressive that you're interested in Origen's Hexapla! Those were the sorts of things I was reading at 13. Not sure if I'll have the chance this summer, but I'll put it on the "to do" list this coming Fall semester!
    2
  1456. So glad to hear it! Thanks for the encouragement. Content about religion is difficult to do well...and so much of the content on YouTube is angry or vitriolic. I'm trying to show you can talk about religion from an academic perspective without it getting nasty!
    2
  1457. +Lamaar Steadman The internet does introduce an unknown dynamic. I don't know how it's going to effect religion in the long run...but so far it has created interesting syncretistic religions and liberalized religions (the growing liberal evangelical movement and liberal Mormon movements for example). Crippled or transformed...I don't know, but it'll be interesting to see where everything stands 25 years from now.
    2
  1458. Haha glad to hear you like the vids. As for other channels...Wisecrack actually has a few videos on pop culture and religion that are reasonably academic (their vid "South Park on Religion" is well done). CrashCourse as well has some good videos if you just want summaries of the history of Christianity/Islam/Buddhism etc.. Otherwise...I really think religious studies is under-represented on YouTube. I'm trying my best to fill that gap. Cool that you're thinking of studying religion too. Feel free to message me if you ever have questions about degree programs and what you can do. I'm getting my PhD at BU.
    2
  1459. I've been researching a Pokemon vid!
    2
  1460. Haha glad you liked it! Definitely intersected two nerdy interests of mine too.
    2
  1461. Hi Kahan, glad to hear that the channel has been interesting to you. I can definitely post more videos about my studies. I was thinking of posting a video on how to get into a PhD program in religious studies, but I can definitely include one on my "daily life" etc. Thanks for the suggestion! ~Andrew
    2
  1462. I'd say most of the Nag Hammadi texts are 2nd-3rd century. Parts of them, of course, date back earlier. Plato's Republic, for example, is obviously really old, but it was preserved among the Nag Hammadi texts. The Gospel of Thomas may have bits that date back to the 1st century. Most of the New Testament texts are first century (except for the possible exceptions of 1 Timothy, 2nd Timothy, Titus, Luke-Acts, 1 and 2 Peter). In general, the New Testament books are older.
    2
  1463. A combination of: 1) The Infancy Gospel is in some ways less complicated (I didn't need to spend 4 minutes explaining Gnostic cosmology like I did in the Judas vid)....and 2) I have a dissertation to write, and these videos take a really long time to research/film/edit!
    2
  1464. +myWCI Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!
    2
  1465. No prob. Thanks for suggesting vids and commenting all the time. I appreciate the engagement.
    2
  1466. +Mike Dorris Thanks Mike, that means a lot. We're just trying to raise the level of conversation on religion here on YouTube!
    2
  1467. +Juan Garcia Yeah I'm not sure. My first thought is for nefarious deeds (stealing), but I suppose there were a few applications available to someone in an ancient Roman province.
    2
  1468. Thanks for watching!
    2
  1469. +wolverineminer Glad you enjoyed the Gnostic vid! I have a few mysticism videos planned, though it might be a few months until I get to cover Kabbalah. I'm publishing a video on ancient magic on Monday, stay tuned!
    2
  1470. I'm actually not familiar with that argument. Could you point me to the author who posits it? I'm curious what would make Mithraism "pantheist?" It seems that Mithraism is "monolatrous" in that it worships a particular god Mithras.
    2
  1471. From my understanding, the mithraeum there was found in the midst of Roman-era "insula" (apartments). I didn't want to spend the time explaining what insulae are...but thanks for pointing that out.
    2
  1472. +Jonathan Jensen Yeah, most people don't realize that the Gospel of Thomas has a bunch of canonical verses. Only a few sayings are what we would consider "gnostic" sounding.
    2
  1473. Thanks!
    2
  1474. Glad to hear it!
    2
  1475. +Soylent Green I'll have a video on Docetism later. But it is not so much an official heresy as a vague category of belief about Jesus. Any theology that says Jesus didn't have a flesh and bone body could be called "docetic." It's different from other varieties of Christianity that were lead by a charismatic founder like Marcionism or Montanism.
    2
  1476. So hard to please hahaha. Ok ok, I'll start working on a Jubilees video.
    2
  1477. Very cool story, thanks for sharing! I sometimes feel like I missed out by taking Religious Studies classes instead of Theology. Lots of great scholars doing great work. I hear good things about Fuller.
    2
  1478. Yeah I imagine it helps having a religion degree when you're the Archbishop of Canterbury...
    2
  1479. Yup. It is inspired by Bronislaw Malinowski's book "Magic, Science, and Religion."
    2
  1480. Hi Roger. Can you give me an example of when I describe "religion" in a way that you don't think is religion? Of course this word is extremely difficult to define...I have another video where I try to define it. But I would definitely say religion is more than "theism." I usually use a "family resemblances' definition. As in, if you have something that manifests several of the following things, it is probably "religion" or "religious:" 1) Belief in supernatural beings. 2) A distinction between sacred and profane. 3) ritual acts focused on sacred/profane. 4) A moral code believed to be sanctioned by supernatural beings. 5) Feelings of awe. 6) Direct communication with divine beings. 7) Worldview concerning the role of the individual in the universe. 8) A collective organization bound up in this worldview. If something manifests 3 or 4 of these "family resemblances," then I am fine using the word "religion" to define it. I don't think any universalizing definition of "religion" can be 100% accurate. That's why I use the family resemblances method. I don't think belief in a supernatural being is the only way to define a belief system or ritual as religious. There are plenty of non-theistic religions. And even some rituals that we would define as "secular," (i.e. a baseball pitcher performing the same ritual before every single pitch), has some similarities to religion. Hopefully this helps? I encourage you to go check my video: "What is Religion?"
    2
  1481. Crazy, right?
    2
  1482. I actually like Freud a lot. Don't know why you think I was being condescending.
    2
  1483. Also, I say almost exactly what you say: "Not everything in his work is scientific, but it is hugely influential." I've read these works. Any 1st year PhD student in religion reads this work.
    2
  1484. +Juan Garcia Knowledge seekers, I like it. Keepin' it spicy since 2014. Thanks!
    2
  1485. I plan on getting to non-Christian topics as soon as I can. I've been sticking with what I know best (early Christianity and general religious studies) until I've really refined the channel. This is still a new channel.
    2
  1486. Awesome. I might take you up on that. When I start my Hinduism and Buddhism series, I plan on collaborating with a few others.
    2
  1487. One of my Patreon supporters asked for a video on atheistic Satanism, so I will cover that first. I might be able to include theistic Satanism in that discussion.
    2
  1488. +Emily Ainscough Thanks as always!
    2
  1489. What about a single person who invents their own belief system? A cult leader for example? I'm not saying yours is a bad definition, but I can find exceptions to your "generally agreed upon by a number of persons" phrase.
    2
  1490. Thanks!
    2
  1491. This is a good point. I didn't consider that European universities might be different. Of course there are a lot of secular universities here in the US with theology programs that sound a lot like yours...but I think, in general, theology programs are more devotional in the US and housed at seminaries.
    2
  1492. Of course, that'd be great. Send them to my email religionforbreakfast@gmail.com. Thanks!
    2
  1493. Thanks man. I'll check out your music. Ironically, I took music out of my videos because too many people were complaining it was distracting. It might have been because I hadn't learned yet how to equalize it with my voice though.
    2
  1494. Indeed, one of the fastest growing religions.
    2
  1495. I will do a video on the Hebrew Bible someday, yes. I currently have my schedule solidified until May 2017. But I'll see what I can do for the summer or fall. Thanks for the suggestion!
    2
  1496. Thanks! Here's to 1000 more.
    2
  1497. I almost went to IU's ancient history PhD! I was waitlisted but eventually rejected. They have some great scholars there.
    2
  1498. Funny that you ask about the methodology. In my opinion, there is no "religious studies methodology." We are a hybrid discipline that borrows the methods from different fields. Having said that, we do have some pillars of the discipline that have helped shape it. Weber, Durkheim, Frazer, and Tylor are important early voices. Then Mary Douglas and Geertz. Then modern scholars Catherine Bell and JZ Smith. I'd say start with Durkheim's "Elementary Forms of Religion." He is kind of the grandfather of Religious Studies. If you want to approach religion from a philosophical or theological perspective, those have slightly different methods, and I'm admittedly not that qualified to recommend who to start with. I was a digitization specialist, meaning I learned how to photograph, scan, and edit images of Babylonian tablets. I later moved into an assistant curatorial role.
    2
  1499. Ok, that's good to know. If French and German speakers have the same confusion, it must be more than just the word "religious" studies.
    2
  1500. haha, yeah I'm trying something new. Balancing the audio tracks (music vs. voice) was always a bit annoying!
    2
  1501. Yeah I love Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. I hear it may be shutting down though.
    2
  1502. Cool, maybe its an omen.
    2
  1503. Yeah, I totally understand why a newspaper would focus on the popular stuff (sports/technology/science/politics)...but it would be nice if they gave us a little bit more attention!
    2
  1504. +Walk With Christ Thanks! I do appreciate it! The channel aims to be an educational series on religious studies topics. My own research just happens to be ancient Christianity, so I go back to that a lot.
    2
  1505. Awesome to hear, glad you like the channel! Those are some great recommendations...I was just reading about the Druze a few days ago. Modern Hellenism is a great idea too...I probably can cover modern paganism in general in one video. I'll put these on my "future vids" list.
    2
  1506. I'm actually not familiar with Jung, but the book "Evil Incarnate: Rumors of Demonic Conspiracy and Ritual Abuse in History" makes excellent use of psychoanalytical theory when studying ancient Christian authors who bashed "heresies." Epiphanius, for example, goes into graphic (both sexually and violently graphic) detail when describing Gnostic heresies. Why would he use such graphic rhetoric? The scholar argues that Epiphanius is exhibiting his own obsessions which manifest in his writing. Very interesting work, you should check the book out.
    2
  1507. Thanks! Happy New Year to yourself.
    2
  1508. Awesome, glad to hear it. I've been planning a video titled "What is Mysticism?" Stay tuned. And Zoroastrianism is probably my most requested topic. I should start researching that....
    2
  1509. Nothing wrong with it at all. I just think a lot of people misinterpret what is happening to the religious landscape globally.
    2
  1510. I have a video on Sikhism coming out next month. But yes I agree it is a gap in my coverage that I plan on fixing.
    2
  1511. Gospel of Judas was written a lot later than the texts in the New Testament. Also, it doesn't appear in collections alongside other books that apparently were contenders to be canonized (e.g. Shepherd of Hermas, Didache, Epistle of Barnabas).
    2
  1512.  @caleb5234  Thanks so much Caleb! Huge help.
    2
  1513. Love this comment. Yeah I was trying to think of how Bowser fits into all of this because he is technically a star child too.
    2
  1514. Thanks! Greetings from Washington DC
    2
  1515. I suspect that may be true, hence why I worked hard to include Shia groups in this vid and acknowledge that the "5 Pillars" approach to understanding Islam overemphasizes Sunni perspectives.
    2
  1516. Great! I hope your students got something out of it.
    2
  1517. +victor van boxtel Yeah I need to explain it all the time too. People often don’t realize that you can study religion just like any other aspect of humanity. Glad to hear you found the Freud video helpful! Hope you did well on the exam.
    2
  1518. Glad you like them. You're correct that my whole approach is to present religion from an academic, not devotional, perspective.
    2
  1519. You’re right. The YHWH and his asherah theory is only a theory. Some scholars posit it because of the two inscriptions I mentioned.
    2
  1520. Strategically placed for the topic at hand!
    2
  1521. As far as I know? Unknown. Seems like Egyptologists just call him the 'Set(h)-animal.'
    2
  1522. thanks for the support!
    2
  1523. Thank you!!
    2
  1524. I'm using Palestine to refer to the geographic region. Not in the modern sense of the term. The term has a history before the 20th century (the Roman province Syria Palaestina)
    2
  1525. Thanks! That means a lot coming from you as a local expert!
    2
  1526. That'd be a fun video topic.
    2
  1527. Filmed the first part late at night, and I didn’t compensate enough in post production!
    2
  1528. I have another video about him. Look up my Council of Nicaea vid.
    2
  1529. Most scholars would argue that Daniel was actually written much later than Babylonian era. More of a Hellenistic text.
    2
  1530. Scholars don't think Job is the oldest book in the Hebrew Bible. That is a common misconception. Some date it to Hezekiah's reign (7th century), others after the Fall of Jerusalem (6th century).
    2
  1531. Agreed. DS9 did the war narrative very well. It wasn't just mindless action. I can see Discovery pulling that off too.
    2
  1532. Pomegranate!
    2
  1533. And from my understanding of Koine pronunciation, the eta and iota were still distinct. The fact iotacism increased in late antiquity makes me all the more certain the confusion was mostly a later phenomenon. The manuscripts that say “kamilon” are 10th century.
    2
  1534. Thanks for your message. Karen King is the most vocal scholar to discard the term. David Brakke to an extent too.
    2
  1535. When do I say they are separate? I don’t. I compare the Talmud’s discomfort with the Enochic tradition and the Zohar’s apparent affinity for it.
    2
  1536. That’s a really good idea.
    2
  1537. Mark of the Beast!
    2
  1538. +Jack Pullen haha true true. Glad you liked it!
    2
  1539. I’m trying to branch out from Abrahamic religions!
    2
  1540. Definitely would like to cover Norse religion.
    2
  1541. Definitely not giving up on the PhD. It's almost done, and I'm wrapping it up in my spare time.
    2
  1542. Glad you've been enjoying the channel! And yeah...huge difference between Latin word "cultus" and the way we use it in the 21st century.
    2
  1543. Honored to have made the list! There will definitely be more video game topics here in the future. Pokemon is on my list of topics to consider.
    2
  1544. There was an additional 1,500 words in my script going into Late Antiquity. But the video was getting too long imo. Sets me up for a sequel.
    2
  1545. Gospel gospel gospel gospel gospel
    2
  1546. haha good point. Thanks for the encouragement!
    2
  1547. Thanks for your thoughts! I agree that I think I'll be getting confusion about this discipline for the rest of my life. But I guess I'm used to it.
    2
  1548. Yes definitely one of the oldest Christian symbols. Probably THE oldest, but difficult to tell. The earliest is either the catacomb graffiti or the Abercius inscription. I think both predate our earliest attestation of the cross as a Christian symbol.
    2
  1549. Thanks. One of my dreams is producing a "religious freedom" series. So much confusion in this field.
    2
  1550. That’s so encouraging to hear. Thank you so much!
    2
  1551. I think the impermanence (or changeability) of the category is a problem in and of itself. I don't see a religious group "falling" out of the category of "religion," but we see "cults" morphing into "religions" all the time as the public grows to accept them as "normal." This tells me it is more an accusative category that people use to marginalize groups instead of a descriptive category. Secretive or insular groups I'd call sects or "secretive religious group" (as boring as that may sound). As it turns out, Dr. Megan Goodwin who I quoted does use the term "cult" in her classes, but specifically as a political term referring to groups in high tension with society. Not as a broad category or "type of religion."
    2
  1552. Very interesting theory. We definitely see that today with certain religious groups. The modern-day Samaritans with their animal sacrifices during Passover and pagan revival groups following the traditional Greek pantheon for example.
    2
  1553. Yeah it can have similar connotations. Ancient Christians certainly used it as a derogatory term. Today some people self identify as pagan.
    2
  1554. Not really. I’m fairly active on r/academicbible though.
    2
  1555. Not really. I’m fairly active on r/academicbible though.
    2
  1556. Ancient Greek the upsilon sounds like "oo." Modern Greek the upsilon changes more to "ee." Hence, the famous Greek pita "gyro" is pronounced "yee-ro."
    2
  1557. Smyth's Greek Grammar. The standard textbook. He has a whole page on the vowel change of upsilon (just took the book off my shelf to check).
    2
  1558. Glad you like it! I cover more than just early Christianity too. The whole channel is dedicated to the academic study of religion.
    2
  1559. That's not how I defined homophily. I said it is the observation that people tend to associate with people similar to them. The similarity includes race but also education/wealth. It's not so much an argument as much as it is an observation. Definitely agree that how we view race is socially conditioned and can be arbitrary. It was an oversight of mine to not parse out how nationality and language plays into this too.
    2
  1560. indeed, lifelong Lego fan
    2
  1561. modern greek = "TH." ancient greek: "D"
    2
  1562.  @Razamaniac  I'm basing this off of the Greek grammars used universally in ancient history academic programs (for example, Smyth's famous Greek grammar textbook). Happy to be convinced otherwise that the ancient Greek "delta" was a voiced dental fricative instead of a voiced dental plosive. But that'd require some links to peer-reviewed articles from Attic Greek linguists.
    2
  1563. It was an awesome city! Loved my time there.
    2
  1564. Good question. Hoping to publish a video on that topic in the near future.
    2
  1565. It is demonetized, even after I appealed.
    2
  1566. PhD still underway! Aiming to graduate this summer.
    2
  1567. Video on Thor is planned. I did one on Loki last year with Dr. Jackson Crawford
    2
  1568. Glad that you found it! Welcome!
    2
  1569. Awesome, thanks! Are you on Twitter? Feel free to shoot me a DM and we can chat.
    2
  1570. +phoenix olivia Short answer: The canon formed by the consensus of a bunch of different bishops over the course of decades or centuries. But the point of this video was to debunk a widespread assumption that Constantine did it at Niceae. The evidence doesn't support that claim.
    2
  1571. Thanks! It's been great so far. Can't wait to start visiting sites around here.
    2
  1572. More on the way! I filmed 6 interviews at that conference where I interviewed Dr. Henrich.
    2
  1573. Daniel’s Hellenistic-era date is a pretty solid consensus. Multiple lines of evidence.
    2
  1574. That'd blow my mind.
    2
  1575. Quite a bit later chronologically. aimed to focus on the First Temple Period. Almost included a discussion about it tho because it may indicate improving opinions toward dogs in Jewish communities in later centuries. The Mishnah also references pet dogs.
    2
  1576. excellent news
    2
  1577. Sounds like a conspiracy theory to me. Haven't heard any scholar argue this.
    2
  1578. There's a chance I'll be back in Israel in January. I'll announce it on the channel and maybe try to organize a meet-up.
    2
  1579. Every scholar alive calls it the cult of Mithras. “Cult” is a technical term for ancient historians, not the pejorative biased term in modern parlance.
    2
  1580. I've thought about that. I used to have music in the background, but I never knew how loud to make it lest it be too distracting.
    2
  1581. Yeah I have a lot of interviews recorded from a recent colloquium in Boston. So you’ll see more faces soon.
    2
  1582. Wow thanks. I'm glad at least one Greek philologists watched. I honestly thought the "omicron iota" dipthong was pronounced like "oil" and that the /i/ sound wasn't until much later (Byzantine).
    2
  1583. Thanks! J.Crew
    2
  1584.  @timothymclean  Yeah, it goes both ways.
    2
  1585. Fair criticism, but the hard sciences have started to corroborate Durkheim actually. Durkheim's whole argument was that religion bubbles out of collective ritual. I'd point to studies by scholars like Connor Wood and Dimitris Xygalatas (who study synchrony between people during rituals) and Eleanor Power (who studies collective ritual) who have used the hard sciences to demonstrate social scientific theories like Durkheim's. My point with Durkheim was arguing that H.A.D.D can't explain why something like Christianity would develop and be passed down from generation to generation. It can only explain why very early humans (and maybe other hominids) started developing these cultural frameworks that we call "religions" in the first place.
    2
  1586. Awesome! Thanks for the message. I’ll check out your documentary.
    2
  1587. Thanks! And yeah, I'm always open to other academics playing in this field as long as they do it responsibly. Peterson brings a fun perspective as a psychologist (though I do hope I can find the time to make a response video to his Bible lectures one of these days...they are just so dang long!).
    2
  1588.  @Laadeenwaa  Hi Nwabisa. Boston, MA, USA
    2
  1589. It is ironic when revisionists appeal to groups we know very little about (Serapis cult, Mithras cult) in an attempt to change our understanding of groups we know a fair amount about (early Jesus movement). We have a crazy amount of evidence for early Christianity compared with other ancient religions.
    2
  1590. +Andrei Florin Musat hah I really like this idea. “Pilgrimage tourism trinkets from antiquity to modernity”
    2
  1591. Thanks for the super thanks! Good points all around. Yes, Walsh's book was super eye-opening for me.
    2
  1592. +Leigh Lowry thanks!
    2
  1593. Thank you. Tough topic to cover.
    2
  1594. Welcome! Hope you enjoy the other content!
    2
  1595. Great idea about religion in Dark Souls. I'd like to get more topics about video games on this channel.
    2
  1596. Fair question and probably a poor choice of words on my part. By "sophisticated," I mean "surprisingly complex for a fictional religion." In real life, I don't think we can objectively say one religion is more sophisticated than another. What would be the criteria to determine "levels of sophistication?" They are all complex amalgams of beliefs/rituals/identities/ideologies/etc.
    2
  1597. +Josedaniel Huereca Uriegas Haha dude I know. Big city, tiny apartment.
    2
  1598. Yes, the historical Jesus probably had a beard b/c he was a Jewish man. The question here is about ICONOGRAPHY though. These Roman artists were artists, not ethnographers of Judaean hairstyle. The Dura Europos artist obviously didn't care about this ethnographic detail b/c they depict Jesus beardless. Did the artist of the Santa Pudenziana mosaic aim to convey Jewishness by Christ's beard? Maybe. But then why the throne, golden cloak, and halo?
    2
  1599. I like that interpretation. Very nuanced.
    2
  1600. Apparently for you?
    2
  1601. Indeed, the ultimate Roman stereotype signaling "this guy is from the East."
    2
  1602. Not sure. The next Egypt-themed episode will focus on the Sea Peoples, so they won’t all focus on specific gods.
    2
  1603. Good question. The stars apparently have their own personalities/cities/customs. The mushrooms/fire flowers lack these things. I'd say your theory of calling them animals makes more sense than calling them spirits.
    2
  1604. Yeah, only the Modesto, California school district (to my knowledge) has mandatory comparative religion courses. But even if they were implemented nationwide, the teachers themselves would need to be taught the difference between an academic approach and a devotional approach to religion.
    2
  1605. I think Nero is a cool name. I wouldn't worry about it.
    2
  1606. Love that game.
    2
  1607. From my understanding the Cathars are a much later group. I think they were active during the Medieval period?
    2
  1608. +Markus Arseneault Yeah I thought for a long time whether I split this into 3 vids, but opted for 1. A few others have the same criticism, and I totally get it. Definitely an info dump. I’ll try to improve on the format in future vids!
    2
  1609. Thanks for sharing Thomas. I tend to agree that these universal questions can never be answered, but I enjoy wrestling with them nonetheless.
    2
  1610. I have an Intro to Buddhism video half written, but it might be a while until I release it. Intro to Islam and Intro to Sikhism are coming first!
    2
  1611. Fun coincidence. I mostly know about it’s 7th century and 20th century history. Need to learn more about what’s in between.
    2
  1612. I guess this is a similar debate that we see in literature. Does it matter what the author intended for a book if the audience interpreted it in a different way? The founder can try as much as they like to define “right belief and practice,” but the adherents have a lot of power themselves too.
    2
  1613. Blasphemy
    2
  1614. Yeah it seems ritual behavior is correlated with elite level of play.
    2
  1615. Coincidentally, I was thinking the same thing when working on that section.
    2
  1616. I said: "one story from his childhood." The story of 12 year old Jesus in Jerusalem. I don't count infancy as childhood, do you?
    2
  1617. Religion for Lunch has a nice ring to it. Religion for Coffee-break...not so much. Good luck with your history and/or anthropology. I was a history major myself.
    2
  1618. YouTube algorithm reasons. YouTube doesn’t generally reward mixed-format channels from my research.
    2
  1619. To my knowledge, they haven't found dog bones at the site. And only wild animal bones. So no known animal domestication at Göbekli Tepe.
    2
  1620. Glad you like the format. I'll be playing with this "standing in front of a green screen" format for a few future videos too. Hope your students enjoy the vid!
    2
  1621. Correct, Judahite refers specifically to the people of the kingdom by that same name.
    2
  1622. Religion News Service has a newsletter. I know their reporters, and they’re all great.
    2
  1623. Big fan...I used to have no imagination and only drank IPAs. I've broadened my horizons.
    2
  1624. +Gavers23 Yeah I have 4 green screened vids coming out in the next month or so! Summer project.
    2
  1625. Can't escape the guy, but I also can't help liking him (despite poking fun at his definition here...)
    2
  1626. Definitely not a fundamentalist guy. Welcome aboard.
    2
  1627. Cool to hear that. The channel is for anyone interested in the academic study of religion. Atheists and theists and everyone in between.
    2
  1628. Awesome that you're enjoying the science of religion. Definitely one of the more interesting fields I've jumped into in recent years. No worries about the Patreon thing. Studies come first.
    2
  1629. Not yet. Hoping to graduate this year. Will definitely announce it on the channel.
    2
  1630. I've often thought that too. They are SO random. I'd need to read what scholars have theorized because I don't have a workable theory off the top of my head.
    2
  1631. Seems like the Greeks and the Romans adopted/adapted parts of the Egyptian pantheon. There is a Temple of Isis in Pompeii. Serapis was a Greco-Egyptian god syncretized with Zeus and Osiris. Harpocrates too (as I mention in the vid).
    2
  1632. Thanks! Bought that on eBay back during a high school obsession with swords and armor...
    2
  1633. Hoping to do more in the future too!
    2
  1634. I think it's the Abuhav synagogue in Safed/Tsfat. It's my own footage from a few months ago.
    2
  1635. It is such a vague term, I'm not sure what to do with it. A lot of "Divinity" schools like Harvard and Yale are basically religious studies schools. Plus the "Masters of Divinity" degree is sometimes super "religious studies" and sometimes a pastoral or theology degree. It really depends on the school. All this to say, no, I wouldn't call "Divinity" a separate discipline. It either is lumped into Religious Studies or Theology depending on the institution.
    2
  1636. I'd love to do that, though I think I'd need to connect with them somehow before I ask for something like that. I'd be happy if they made a series with or without me.
    2
  1637. Some similarities for sure (and agreed, no connection). Though I don’t think I know of any Greek, Egyptian, Jewish, Christian daimon/demon that transform from household objects like tsukumogami.
    2
  1638. Religion for Breakfast is a digital museum of my haircuts.
    2
  1639. Agreed, but it is a fun thought experiment to test the methods of religious studies on a fictional universe. Thanks for the feedback.
    2
  1640. Yeah...the "social scientific study of religions" might work. I have yet to find a perfect answer though.
    2
  1641. haha, he certainly must have been difficult to get along with.
    2
  1642. Glad you like it! I plan on doing a follow up video on demonology in Zelda. Lots of demons/ghosts/malevolent spirits.
    2
  1643. I've been curious about them. I think they're "invite only," but I'll check it out.
    2
  1644. Yeah, I’m just using America as an example here. Definitely can be applied to other nations.
    2
  1645. One of my favorite creators.
    2
  1646. Thank you! I really appreciate it.
    2
  1647. I agree that there must be SOME kind of criteria to use these categories (Christian, Buddhist, vegan, American, etc.). It’s only a fallacy I’d say when someone is trying to deny the validity of someone’s identity when an expert outside opinion would accept it as a valid identity. It only gets confusing when even the experts can’t agree on the category (The “Messianic Jewish” movement of today...are they Christians or Jews?) (Or Mormons, are they a Christian denomination or an entirely new world religion?)
    2
  1648. Maybe. And that’s an interesting thought experiment if humans ended up being the only religious species.
    2
  1649. Yeah I researched the hell out of the pronunciation of samhain. I didn't realize my mistake with Fionn until months later. Thanks for the encouragement though! Glad you liked the vid.
    2
  1650. Yeah I definitely plan on doing more video game analyses. Glad you liked it!
    2
  1651. Yeah there’s some debate over whether that Greek word is translated correctly as “accent.” But it might shed light on the existence of a recognizable accent.
    2
  1652. What about the curse tablet I cite that says its power comes from the goddess Sulis?
    2
  1653. +ReligionForBreakfast I'll just add, in not trying to be confrontational here. My comment might have come across as that. I guess the notion that Constantine helped form the canon is a "possibility." But I maintain the sources make this possibility unlikely. Historical arguments are always shades of possibilities.
    2
  1654. Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.
    2
  1655. They are written in Aramaic yes. Check out the corpus edited by Charles Isbell and published by Wipf and Stock.
    2
  1656. A sistrum. A musical instrument kind of like a rattle.
    2
  1657. Forgot to mention...I am planning a video on the book "The Myth of Disenchantment," that talks about how belief in magic still hasn't gone away in modernity. Similar to what you just suggested about "magic vs. tech."
    2
  1658. The 3rd c. text De Pascha Computus would agree with you.
    2
  1659. I've loved my time here, yes. The undergrads seem to like it too. I think a lot of it will depend on your major. I, of course, will recommend a religious studies major haha.
    2
  1660. Talk about stress. I lived over that intersection for 6 months.
    2
  1661. I understand the criticism, but the history of science as a discipline is Eurocentric. It is hard to escape that. I can't talk about the Myth of Disenchantment without talking about the Christian white dudes who have dominated and shaped Western academia's historical narrative of "the scientific revolution." Newton, Bacon, Bruno, Copernicus, Descartes, etc. etc. etc. I'd love to broaden the topic to the rest of the world, but that'd require a 20 episode Netflix series, not a 10 minute YouTube synopsis of a single book.
    2
  1662. The book is titled "How (Not) to be Secular." It is a play on words that simultaneously toys with the ideas of "how to be secular" and "how not to be secular." It is aimed at people who are afraid of the idea of secularity and it seeks to redefine secularity in light of the philosopher Charles Taylor. You know what is not a good look? A long, reactionary, angry YouTube comment banged out before you even realized you misheard me or even before you bothered Googling the book for yourself. Take a chill pill. Go read the book. And think before you comment.
    2
  1663. I think that’s a real possibility. Though dining and celebration frequently involve rituals too (including religious ritual).
    2
  1664. Getting my PhD at Boston University. Still finishing the dissertation.
    2
  1665. I’m pretty sure the H and the G would have been voiced in late antique Greek when it was built. But I honestly don’t know when it comes to later Byzantine Greek.
    2
  1666. Yup, Kirby main, Ganondorf secondary. I like my low tier characters.
    2
  1667. Buddhism series coming in August. Daoism soon after that. Haitian Vodou video in a few weeks! Just finishing it up.
    2
  1668. Notice how he didn't ask if you wanted to be a dolphin when you said "marine biology."
    2
  1669. A channel dedicated to the nonsectarian, academic study of religion?
    2
  1670. Definitely plan on doing this topic. It needs several videos.
    2
  1671. The evidence that some Christians were celebrating on Jan 6 predates the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. And Mithras may or may not be involved here. He is sometimes called "Invictus" but most Mithraists seem to have thought of him as a separate being from Sol Invictus.
    2
  1672. Haha, thank you for your service!
    2
  1673. Thanks! Special thanks to my brother and fellow YouTuber EC Henry for making it happen. He’s done some set design in the past.
    2
  1674. Thanks for the encouragement. In a sea of mean comments, I always appreciate the nice ones.
    2
  1675. I'd be curious to learn about the relationship between Christian nationalism and American Civil Religion (embedding religious symbols into public life like 'In God We Trust').
    2
  1676. Judaism
    2
  1677. Our 300+ patrons made this series possible! Join our Patreon community here: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    2
  1678. I knew someone who said "they wouldn't eat any animal smarter than a chicken." Thus, pig was off the table as too intelligent.
    2
  1679. The data doesn’t necessarily demonstrate intention, but that particular study did try to account for things like song lyrics and how the word is being used in a sentence.
    2
  1680. Someone else in the comments here said a theological perspective would be this shows God's intention to be known by humans. I think it was jim22512251. As a non-theologian, I will leave it to others to hypothesize about that, curious as I may be.
    2
  1681. I have another video vetting the Essene hypothesis. I think it’s likely, but not a settled fact. So I usually refer to them as “the community.” Which is what the sect called themselves.
    2
  1682. That's a very good question, the motivations might be different. I don't know if there is a profit motivation in early Christianity, but there may have been a power or authority motivation among certain bishops. Also another good point about the Star Wars saga still being open...the canon for Christianity, for all intents and purposes, is "closed." Star Wars canon? Still being made every day.
    2
  1683. Thanks Austin, I appreciate the encouragement!
    2
  1684. It was originally envisioned as a 5-part series. I changed the example for episode five in light of Jan 6. And I’m now thinking this should just be an open-ended series.
    2
  1685. I agree to a certain extent. As long as we are gaining more from the generalization than losing. So, "Christians believe in the Trinity" is a safe generalization." But your example "Christians vote Republican" I think is too broad of a generalization, and we would lose the fact that Mainline Protestants and 50% of Catholics tend to vote Democrat. I'd add some qualifiers like: "American Evangelical Christians tend to vote Republican."
    2
  1686. So glad to hear it! Welcome to the channel! I publish videos on the academic study of religion with a particular focus on ancient Mediterranean religion.
    2
  1687. And I bear the full brunt of it. A new hellscape of comments every morning as I check my notifications. T_T
    2
  1688. The synagogue is on the west side of the plateau, north of the siege ramp. As far as I know, its one of the earliest examples of a synagogue known to archaeologists.
    2
  1689. Jerusalem is northwest of Masada, so it is possible that the synagogue was purposely oriented on the west side of the plateau. I'd need to know more about the interior layout of the building to know whether or not the rituals conducted in the synagogue were meant to be oriented toward Jerusalem. And yes I'd like to write books, I have a few outlines drawn up...but I need to finish my PhD dissertation first!
    2
  1690. Oops. Sorry about that. Still working on my delivery.
    2
  1691. Yeah, Hanukkah cards, Christmas cards, Saturnalia cards, Sol Invictus cards....really hits the budget hard.
    2
  1692. Hey! I love this idea...its actually a side interest of mine. I think some former Google exec tried to form a religion based on the worship of AI. Robotic converts is a fascinating idea I've never thought about too. Good luck with the grad program!
    2
  1693. Definitely. As an ancient historian, I'm always baffled by people who glamorize the "classical Greek" past. I'm like..."oh, you mean the time where everyone had parasites, died by age 40, and lived in a Mediterranean climate without air conditioning?"
    2
  1694. Yes you're right. Part of what I meant by that is: At that time, Christianity was basically a sandbox lacking much codification. A Wild West if you will. So Constantine probably didn't have much to go off of when formulating his own sense of what following the Christian God really meant.
    2
  1695. Big fan. I find it fascinating.
    2
  1696. Thanks, I’ll check it out!
    2
  1697. Understandable, no worries! Here's the one-time donation link, but no pressure! https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/religionforbreakfast
    2
  1698.  @jimbob3030  Raised religious. Not particularly religious any more. You're right about what a PhD in the secular study of religion does to childhood faith.
    2
  1699. ​ @MichaelBrown-fb3jy  Like David, I wasn't making a value judgment. I didn't mean to come across as defending religion or "spirituality." I don't think we can say religion is a positive or negative force any more than we can say "culture" is a positive or negative force, but I'm the first to admit that many manifestations of religion certainly are negative and antithetical to modern liberal values. My main point here is that I disagree with the notion that religion's influence is waning. Religion will remain a powerful influence going into the future...I think for centuries to come, but it will look very different as historical religious traditions lose members (but those members leave still having vague religious beliefs in spiritual beings, astrology, telepathy, forces, etc. or invented rituals like westernized forms of meditation).
    2
  1700. Possibly, but there are a bunch of other manuscripts with issues around Martha. Seems like there was an alternative version floating around. P66 is only one example. Codex Alexandrinus has a very similar “mistake” as P66.
    2
  1701. Really good question. From my understanding, a lot of scholars have tried to move beyond the "East" and "West" categories. One way I've seen this done is to focus on origins. "Today we're studying religions that originate from the Indian Subcontinent." Or "Today we're studying religions that originate from the Arabian Peninsula." The broad categories "east" and "west," at least in my opinion, are not necessarily accurate. Christianity started in the Middle East and is global. So calling it a "Western" religion, despite its influence on Europe and the US, leaves out a bunch of its story.
    2
  1702. You assume I do it for the clicks. I do it because it makes me laugh. Gotta have some fun in a comment thread full of cynics.
    2
  1703. Yeah, conversions are actually not as common as many people think. Birth rate matters more.
    2
  1704. I see your point, but I still disagree. I think we are disagreeing on what I mean by baked in. I mean that violence can’t necessarily be an essential part of a religion because adherents will always be reinterpreting what it means to be part of their tradition. It’s subjective. If the Aztec religion was still around today, the modern day Aztecs would say “human sacrifice was never true Aztecism. They were mistaken back then.” Even though it’s part of the original practice, it’s not essential.
    2
  1705. Yeah, that's coming up next episode.
    2
  1706. The Romans marked Dec 25 as the solstice 500 years before Constantine. They were off by a few days.
    2
  1707. From what I read it almost exclusively happens to Christians. Not sure about Mecca for Muslims.
    2
  1708. Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the video. So interesting to hear about your experience in Sinjar.
    2
  1709. I believe they are European members of the Hare Krishna movement.
    2
  1710. Ah sorry. It is the video "Orthodoxy vs. Heresy." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W80CbmfRt9s&t=187s
    2
  1711. Thank you so much!
    2
  1712. Thanks! I try my best to remain non-partisan and non-sectarian. We have enough sectarian and partisan YouTubers talking about religion....why not try something different?
    2
  1713. The Israel National Park service removed one. I have no idea why. When it was first discovered it looks as it does at 0:33.
    2
  1714. From my understanding, they officially changed it. Dropped the umlauts.
    2
  1715. Din Djarin literally calls them sorcerers. Again: subjective terms.
    2
  1716. It’s definitely controversial. Lots of anger at the Waqf’s renovations. Lots of anger at the Sifting Project’s methods.
    2
  1717. Yeah, it was scary looking over the edge.
    2
  1718. No idea...i just checked and it is working for me...
    2
  1719. I have no problem with uncertain authorship. We have no clue who wrote the Gospels. Definitely not eye witnesses. Many scholars simply use the traditional names (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) for convenience.
    2
  1720. Thanks Jack. I'm surprised by people being friendly toward this topic too. I feared the worst.
    1
  1721. Some think he is claiming to be the twin of Jesus because "Didymos" means twin.
    1
  1722. Thanks man. I've been at this for over two years myself. Growth is slow but steady.
    1
  1723. +Bryan Landreth Thanks! Glad you're enjoying them. I publish new videos every other Tuesday. Stay tuned!
    1
  1724. +LeviathanSpeaks1469 I'll put it on the list! And thanks, glad you like it! More videos to come every other week!
    1
  1725. Love this. I've heard a similar concept from someone's definition of the humanities: "Trying to understand other humans."
    1
  1726. Definitely a lot of forgeries in antiquity.
    1
  1727. Off the top of my head, I'm not sure. I'm sure some scholar out there has done a linguistic analysis to see if Matthew and Luke have affinity for Thomasine sayings. I'd suspect many scholars would say all three of them are drawing from other sources and oral traditions that have since been lost. The overlap is striking, but not verbatim (like the verbatim quoting we see Matthew do with Mar).
    1
  1728. haha, frat gathering. Love the analogy.
    1
  1729. Yeah I was surprised by the amount of people in the entertainment business too...I don't see the connection either. I just wanted to give some "super famous" examples. I'm not sure if I could convince anyone to be a religion major because of these famous entertainers...but I did just read a report that religion majors are very successful at getting into law school (2nd only to Classics). Maybe I'll do a follow-up video on that.
    1
  1730. The host has a problematic definition of "secular." Secularity is not a "subtractive" process (society minus religion = secular). But rather, an additive process (adding exclusive humanism as a viable and popular worldview in a mostly religious society). Check out Charles Taylor's "A Secular Age." It will help you get over all this hand-wringing about the so-called "secularizing" of society.
    1
  1731. Glad you like the vids! I'll add your suggestion to the list. That's definitely an important topic.
    1
  1732. +RRK93 RRK93 I actually don't think we disagree on the definition of heresy. Heresy refers to when people think their religion is being perverted. I don't think Christians would consider Hinduism a heresy because it is SO different from Christianity. But most Christians WOULD consider Marcionism a heresy because Marcionites are trying to pass their religion off as Christianity. So the Orthodoxy/Heresy divide is all about defining what "true religion" is.
    1
  1733. Right, though certain passages in Thomas might date even earlier. Thomas, as we have it, is later. Being a collection of sayings, though, makes it difficult to date.
    1
  1734. You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it. Objective study of religion for the win.
    1
  1735. Thanks! Glad you like it!
    1
  1736. Hmm, I've always pronounced it "in-weak-tus," like the long "i" in the famous phrase "veni, vidi, vici." But you may be right...the two consonants "c" and "t" might shorten the "i." Latin uses both long and short, and modern texts aren't always consistent using macrons.
    1
  1737. Thanks for the feedback. This is one of my earlier videos...before I knew what an "equalizer" was. I'm better with the music these days. As for so-called gnostic gospels. I agree on some level that early ecclesiastical leaders helped shape the canon by banning certain texts. Though I am hesitant to say they were the primary or sole factor. Some collections like the 4 Gospels we are familiar with were already popular before the 4th century, that is to say, before ecclesiastical authorities really had all that much power (though perhaps some influence over their local community).
    1
  1738. Yeah my field of research is Late Antique Christianity (4th-7th centuries). My secondary expertise would be New Testament. But I do plan on eventually getting to the Medieval Period, which would include the Investiture Controversy.
    1
  1739. Thanks man! I have no plans of stopping!
    1
  1740. Mr. Beat. Glad you like the channel! And yeah, I think a lot of edu-tubers are fans of the Vlogbrothers.
    1
  1741. John, I read The Fault in Our Stars while working as a teaching assistant for a religious studies class for my Ph.D. We used the book as a textbook to discuss death and mortality, and the students loved it. 90% of my students had read the book already, and it sparked a fevered discussion on "What is a 'good death?' Is there such a thing? How do other religions deal with death and mortality?" Some of the best classroom discussions I've ever lead came out of that class. Best, Andrew
    1
  1742. +The Life of Tim and Kayla Glad you liked it! Stay tuned next week for a video on Marcion. Similar themes to what we see in Gnostic theology.
    1
  1743. +Dino Dragovic I just now did a little bit of research on them...they have a very interesting Gnostic theology. Though it doesn't look like they called themselves "Gnostic." That's a term we generally use to describe others, and I'd still say it describes a certain type of theology more than a cohesive religion or Christian denomination.
    1
  1744. Thanks! I don't know much about Skyrim, but I'll look into it. My next video game episode will be on Pokemon.
    1
  1745. Oh man, I never thought about musicology. Point taken as well! Though I wouldn't mind a lecture about the power dynamics of music in North Korea... ;)
    1
  1746. Glad to hear it! I had a lot of fun making this episode.
    1
  1747. CainGrey I don't know that much about Catharism, but reading into it, it looks like they might have some similarities due to the "dualistic theology" that they share. It is interesting to see dualism pop up in so many traditions. Manichaeism comes to mind as well.
    1
  1748. CainGrey Ironically Iconoclasm is the subject of my next video (publishing it today or tomorrow). I don't think there is a specific link between different accounts of iconoclasm, but I would say there are common motivations that we can identify. But you're right, we are way to quick to point out connections where none may exist.
    1
  1749. That's a really good analogy about nationality and ethnicity. And you're right, perhaps leading with "I have a degree in this..." might help. I always thought saying "academic" and "non-sectarian" in my pitch was good enough. But not always.
    1
  1750. Haha I do think about what i wear. So you think the sweater looks better than the blazers I've worn in the past?
    1
  1751. My own background is actually a 4 year degree in history. I then studied classics (Latin and Greek) in a post-baccalaureate program, and only then did I get into Religious Studies (in my PhD program). Depending on what you want to do, starting with a degree in religious studies might be an easier path into graduate school. When you do ancient religion, though, you need a ton of language study (Latin, Greek, etc.). I personally would recommend pairing a Religious Studies degree with an area study: Religion and the Middle East. Religion and America. Religion and Africa. etc. etc. That helps focus your area of interest. "Religion," by itself, is a very broad topic!
    1
  1752. Hope it answered your question! I'll probably put out videos eventually on topics about that.
    1
  1753. Yeah. I am getting my PhD in Religious Studies. My research is on ancient Christianity...specifically researching ancient Christians' beliefs about demons and the rituals they used to protect themselves from these perceived threats (magic). So it is a mix of ancient history and religious studies. So when I talk about "magic and demonology," I am talking about my research (the dissertation I am writing in order to graduate).
    1
  1754. Exactly, that's why I have videos on ancient Christianity. That is my specialty. But I'm also interested in religion in general. Sometimes I need to travel overseas, yes. I was in Greece last year on an archaeological excavation.
    1
  1755. +theninjacowboy Awesome, thank you! More videos already in the work.
    1
  1756. Thanks! We're growing every month, so here's hoping!
    1
  1757. The mithraea? Probably not as they were so small. But the analogy of a "mascot" does make sense, especially since Mithras was known to be popular with the military in particular.
    1
  1758. Thank you! I've been regularly uploading content for only a year, so I'm actually happy with the channel's rate of growth. We'll be breaking 1000K subs by the end of the summer.
    1
  1759. +Z. Taylor Yeah that's a tough question. Pliny seems to recognize this group as distinct from Judaism. But I'd question if Pliny really had a good handle on what Jewish worship looked like anyway. Again, if these people accepted the Hebrew Bible and the God described in those books as authoritative, I would have a hard time calling them a whole new religion at this point. But Pliny doesn't give us that much detail. I haven't read any specific scholarship on which group it might be. Pliny was governor of Bithynia at the time...so the Black Sea coast of Asia Minor...it could have easily been a Pauline group of some sort or maybe even an early Montanist group (who were popular in nearby Phrygia), but I'm honestly just speculating. What we do know is that he mentions them singing hymns antiphonally and women being an integral part of the community. It's important to remember that Asia Minor had a huge Jewish population during this time too. Whatever group this might be would probably have had some overlap with non-Jesus-following Jews too. I'd recommend seeing if the scholar Larry Hurtado has said anything about this. He's rather passionate about the early division between Christianity and Judaism and might be able to provide a counter to my position.
    1
  1760. Glad you like the videos! I mention the early Church Fathers here and there, but I haven't done a video dedicated to them. I'll put the suggestion on my list of future video topics. Thanks!
    1
  1761. Thanks man, I appreciate it. Happy New Year to you too!
    1
  1762. You weren't obnoxious! It is a question I get a lot, and it's something I'm definitely working on in the coming months!
    1
  1763. I would say there were more varieties of Christianity than just Paul and James/Peter. Paul alludes to other Christians that disagree with him (more than just Peter in Galatians). Also I don't know if we can neatly place the rest of our early Christian literature into those two categories (Where does Revelation fit? 2 Peter and Jude? Hebrews?)
    1
  1764. 2 Peter is traditionally ascribed to Peter, but it is almost certainly not by Peter. Jude and 2 Peter seem to riff off each other...one copying the other. As for Pauline authorship...Scholars generally agree that 7 epistles should be attributed to Paul. Some of the other epistles are disputed with varying degrees of certainty (2 Thess, Ephesians, Col, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus). Other books do seem to be influenced by Paul's thinking. I'm not doubting that he was a huge influence on early Christianity. He definitely was. But his own writings imply that he wasn't accepted everywhere. He is constantly defending his own apostleship and claim to authority (apparently because so many people were doubting his authority). Paul attacks Peter in Galatians 1 and 2 I believe (i'd need to double-check). They must have had a major dispute before the epistle was written.
    1
  1765. +Ashley C Bought them on Zenni Optical, but they discontinued the model. So sad.
    1
  1766. Yeah I was wondering that. His single "33 God" seems to have religious themes.
    1
  1767. For me it is lack of quality information on how to proceed. I have a YouTube channel...but when do I turn it into a "business?" Do I go with a sole proprietorship? Is that the same as an LLC? So many paths...don't know which one to take.
    1
  1768. +RoweHowe Esotericism is a lot of fun, though, of course, it is only esoteric to us! Gnosticism wouldn't be so weird to ancient philosophers. Glad you enjoyed the vid, feel free to send me more video ideas if you have them!
    1
  1769. +Jennifer Berard Glad you liked it! Intersects two loves of mine too!
    1
  1770. A theology degree and a religious studies degree do not necessarily contradict. A theology degree will be more similar to philosophy in many respects. A religious studies degree is more related to history, and anthropology, sociology.
    1
  1771. You're welcome! Glad you found it useful. Lots of contradictory information indeed, though I think the evidence is pretty straight forward when you ignore the sensationalism.
    1
  1772. Yeah, I have been trying to find a good "intro jingle" for that title card ever since i started the series. Do you have any 5 second clip that would work? I listened to some of your stuff...sounds great, though it might be too ambient for what I am going for. Check out my most recent vid (the one on politics) to see the vibe I'm trying to capture: "Background music, but slightly upbeat."
    1
  1773. +Bryan Hodge People do think "gnosticism" was an actual religion instead of a loosely defined collection of belief systems (which is what I am arguing). I don't know why you say this is a "postmodern" approach. I'm not applying any postmodern theory to this analysis ( I don't think either Karen King or David Brakke, the two historians who I am relying on here, would call themselves postmodern theorists). I refer to the narcissism of small differences to explain the animosity between ancient heresiologists and "gnostics."
    1
  1774. Glad you've been enjoying them!
    1
  1775. Glad you found it useful! I was surprised too to find that out.
    1
  1776. +Jim Bob Barton well if you look at the chart, a solid 30-40% of PCA pastors are democratic. That's a sizable group.
    1
  1777. Thanks! I do have an interest in science too. The playlist "Magic/Science/Religion" will eventually have more videos on scientific approaches to religious studies.
    1
  1778. Thanks! Always trying to keep it fun.
    1
  1779. Demonology is actually my research speciality...so I'm definitely planning on publishing a few videos on that topic (at least one in October to celebrate Halloween haha). Iconoclasm is a bit later than what I do...but a video on the "cult of the saints" is a really good idea. I'll start writing that one this week. Look for it in about a month.
    1
  1780. Great video, I love your channel. Just subscribed too. I wish I could understand French better!
    1
  1781. awesome, keep up the good work. I was a history major, and here I am doing YouTube. Humanities majors have all sorts of applications. You just need to find them.
    1
  1782. Dude, great idea. I was just thinking the book of Revelation would make a terrifying VR headset game.
    1
  1783. +usedtobeifb The most influential has been Karen King's book "What is Gnosticism?" Also check out scholar David Brakke. Both of these scholars have done a lot for the field of ancient Gnosticism over the past decade.
    1
  1784. Mesoamerican history is so under-represented in movies. I'd love to see more movies on Mayan or Aztec culture.
    1
  1785. I can't point to a specific person or group. But whatever the process, it happened at a local level first. In local communities, individual bishops started arguing for certain sets of books, and tried to convince their neighboring communities to follow these canons (though these differed slightly). We can point to the Council of Laodicea's list as an attempt to codify a list...though this council was local. Were bishops over in Syria or Egypt really listening to this Council in Laodicea? Probably not. Moreover, scribes started compiling the same sets of books (starting with the main chunks: 4 Gospels, Paul's Letters). I usually point to Chester Beatty Papyrus 45 as an early example of compiling the 4 Gospels together. We need to imagine a world where local Christian communities might have only had a few books (maybe just the 4 Gospels) and not entire collections like the Codex Sinaiticus. Basically, I am arguing against the "top down" argument. The argument that says some big institution, the Church (or Constantine), legislated this. Who would have enforced this legislation? How much sway did these bishops really have over their people in the first place? (not much if all the complaints about "heretics" can be taken as evidence of people not listening to their bishops).
    1
  1786. Fascinating idea. I love it. You're right that I didn't consider that many of these temples are abandoned, implying that the religion possibly has fallen out of the peoples' collective memory.
    1
  1787. +Alexander Von Net Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for new vids each week. I talk about Marcionism next week, and I analyze a Greco-Egyptian invisibility spell in two weeks.
    1
  1788. Glad you like it! Feel free to recommend video topics.
    1
  1789. Great, thanks for sending this along. I'll check it out.
    1
  1790. Glad to hear you find the video useful for your class! I actually find the term "theology" a little problematic when applied to other religions because it has such a strong Christian connotation. In other words, when you say "theology," people immediately think "Christian." So in some respects, yeah, I think we might be applying a term that doesn't fit, but I don't know a better way to describe the discipline of "thinking about the questions that Buddhism raises." For lack of a better word, I still use "theology," but am careful not to describe everything in Christian terms.
    1
  1791. Glad you enjoyed it. I recently posted a video on the Gospel of Judas too if you're interested.
    1
  1792. +Angelo Nasios Yeah it is surprisingly not on the radar of most public health experts. Seems obvious to me.
    1
  1793. +Daniel Coetzee Good point, but remember "Small differences" is relative. The differences between Hinduism and Christianity are huge (completely different conception of the soul, after life, God/gods, sin, etc.). So, yes, many Gnostic groups had different ideas about Jesus and what his death means for salvation when compared to proto-orthodox groups. But this is an insiders concern. If a traditional polytheistic Roman looked at these Christology debates from the outside, he probably would have a harder time telling the difference: "Wait...you Gnostics believe he is a god-like human, you proto-orthodox think he is fully God AND human, why are you arguing? Seems like you agree 50% of the time." It is a huge problem for Christian theology, but strikes an outsider as a "small difference."
    1
  1794. Hmmm, maybe? The pyramids were tombs, so their ritual function is a little more obvious. I'm actual not familiar enough with the interior chambers of the Giza pyramids to surmise if they could be called "labyrinths" to dissuade grave robbers.
    1
  1795. My hunch is because of the association with the emperors and battle victories. Coinage was one of the most efficient ways for emperors to spread their propaganda.
    1
  1796. hieroglyphic symbol for the concept "life."
    1
  1797. Massively nerdy describes me very accurately.
    1
  1798. Similar in some ways, yes I agree.
    1
  1799. Nope. Though I’m writing a PhD dissertation on the archaeology of ancient magic.
    1
  1800. Ah, sarcasm is difficult to detect in YouTube comments. Imagine the hellscape my comment feed looks like every morning on a channel like this.
    1
  1801. They are fringe scholars with unconvincing research. I'd side with the Mithras historians any day over them.
    1
  1802. Thank you so much!
    1
  1803. Yeah that's what I had in mind. Definitely debunked, but lots of people still believe it.
    1
  1804. Caffeine. But yeah...I took too many cues from other YouTubers who have a hyper delivery style. I hope I've toned it down in later videos, maybe not.
    1
  1805. No. That’s a legend invented by later Christians.
    1
  1806. Well, the cross for Christians doesn't symbolize a ritual they performed. Why would the image of a bull automatically imply ritual practice? Archaeology can tell us a lot about ritual practice. Christian houses of worship were equipped with baptisteries and a raised platform to perform the liturgy. Similarly, Mithraea, the houses of worship for Mithraists, are not equipped to perform the ritualized slaughter of a bull. Small altars, not much space, etc.
    1
  1807. I’ve considered it actually.
    1
  1808. They're pretty cool. Mostly found in Mesopotamia. Mostly dating between 600 and 800 CE. Many are in Aramaic and were written by rabbis. .
    1
  1809. Glad to hear it. Sounds like your school is doing a good job constitutionally.
    1
  1810. Awesome, I'm curious to hear what they think.
    1
  1811. Yeah, I know how you feel. One way to say it diplomatically would be to compare it to love. Loving someone has a neuro-chemical basis too baked into our brain from evolution. But that fact doesn’t negate the meaning and importance in loving someone. Same goes with religion.
    1
  1812. Good question. It was a originally a geographic term used by the Greeks and then later the Romans (that was the name of the Roman province in that area, Palaestina). I use the term just like how I refer to ancient Turkey as Asia Minor, ancient France as Gaul, and ancient Germany as Germania.
    1
  1813. laughed out loud reading this.
    1
  1814. No worries. I should have been more clear with the term "character" in the video.
    1
  1815. Rocking the bowl cut
    1
  1816. H&M, though several years ago at this point.
    1
  1817. Judge a video on its evidence, not its chronometric system. I'm not making a political or religious statement using CE. Old habits die hard.
    1
  1818. Yeah your input was valuable.
    1
  1819. An apt analogy I think.
    1
  1820. I filmed this two weeks ago. I was there back in March too.
    1
  1821. Orthodox Christmas is Jan 7 because of the Julian calendar to Gregorian calendar shift.
    1
  1822. Very Beatles.
    1
  1823. Lamsa is relying on bar Bahlul's singular definition. No evidence gamla meant rope before Bahlul. It's generally understood the Peshitta relies on the original Greek of the Gospels. Tons of Hellenisms sprinkled throughout the Peshitta.
    1
  1824. Maybe. Though the point of the video was to illustrate how difficult it is to define religion, not prove Coke is a religion. I don’t think Coke is a religion, but it fits into Geertz’s definition.
    1
  1825. Yeah I liked how they portrayed the Klingons. They are more diverse and nuanced than the other series where they all dress the same and all act like stereotyped pirates.
    1
  1826. Glad you like it! I'm all about the academic study of religion.
    1
  1827. Yeah, I've since made them open to unlimited attendees. Early days of experimenting.
    1
  1828. You are conflating "historical evidence" with "conjecture based on historical evidence." Saying that place-names like Eastrington, Eastrea, or Eastry is conjecture BASED on information from Bede. Without Bede, we'd just assume those town names simply mean "eastern."
    1
  1829. Yeah YT will block links. Maybe type the bibliographic citation in the thread here, and I'll follow up. I'm happy to post an update/correction, but I think we're still talking past each other on what counts as evidence and what counts as extrapolations based on evidence. I guess what I'm saying: did the Exeter researchers find something that without Bede would prove that Eostre existed as a concept? For example: an inscription with the name Eostre.
    1
  1830. It’s a big chunk of bedrock in the center of the building.
    1
  1831. +Dan Sanders Awesome. You can message me on Twitter or the RFB Facebook page. Let me know if neither of those work and I can try to get my email address to you. Rather not post it here.
    1
  1832. At least some can't. We have evidence that many Christians sacrificed to Decius but then asked to be re-accepted into the church as if nothing happened (Cyprian of Carthage speaks of this...he wasn't too pleased as you can imagine.)
    1
  1833. So you think there is a difference between a "cult" and a "religion?" Is a cult a sub-category of religion?
    1
  1834. No prob. Good luck with the homework.
    1
  1835. The Cold War origins of in God we trust is episode 2
    1
  1836. Yes it is!
    1
  1837. You mean the Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Tim and Titus)? Too convenient in my opinion. More likely some forgotten anonymous person. The 7 undisputed letters though I think were actually written by a Hellenistic Jew by the name of Paul.
    1
  1838. I’ve met Jason a few times. Excellent scholar and definitely the first stop for anyone who wants to learn about Marcion.
    1
  1839. Haha thought you’d appreciate that! It’s a new camera set up so it’s easier to keep the mic off screen.
    1
  1840.  @brianb8889  Definitely agree with your sentiments here. This is why I've stopped using terms like "Western" or "Eastern" religions because there is a massive amount of diversity (global diversity) in a religion such as Christianity, and calling it a "western" religion is just simply inaccurate. I don't plan on stopping covering these traditions, and I'm always looking for opportunities to cover something that is underrepresented.
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  1841. Very interesting observation...that modern esoteric practice swaps metaphysical beings like demons/angels with ambiguous "energy" or "force." I wonder why this is...
    1
  1842. Yeah...this is one of my older videos...before i discovered what an equalizer is. I drop the music in later vids. Glad you subscribed!
    1
  1843. Only ReligionForBreakfast is my channel. Patheos is a different platform that focuses on religion and spirituality content. We collaborated on this Bible series.
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  1844. I say there are no "texts" written by Mithraists. No theologies/myths/origin stories. I didn't say there is no "evidence." You are putting words in my mouth.
    1
  1845. Yes I am still in the process of writing that series.
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  1846. One of the myriad gift shops in Cairo. Not sure where those shops source them though...
    1
  1847. Good to know, thanks.
    1
  1848. The name that the book of Enoch calls fallen angels.
    1
  1849. Diana of Versailles is a Roman-era statue and a copy of an older Greek original
    1
  1850. Haha yes, yes it is. Seriously, I’m considering writing a peer-reviewed article on how scholars frame Yazidism. I was quite annoyed by their framing of syncretism.
    1
  1851. Glad to still have you on board!
    1
  1852. A few things...the Talmud is a lot later (6th century CE). Maybe you meant the Mishnah? I'm not sure how many early Christians were reading rabbinical literature, but we do have some evidence that they attended synagogues as late as the 4th century. But yeah, I don't think any historian today accepts this gospel as factually true in the sense that it describes an actual conversation between Judas and Jesus. But as an ancient text, it definitely shows early Christian interest in Judas and "Gnostic" theology. Somebody must have accepted it as "theologically true" even though it didn't make it into the New Testament canon. There is a long lineage of new "prophets" in the Christian tradition that try to bring a new revelation. Joseph Smith is one example, but in antiquity we have guys like Montanus who claimed to bring a new gospel.
    1
  1853. Yeah, I think the title of her book is what threw me off. It wasn’t what I was expecting.
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  1854. 3
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  1855. I think so. Nostalgia is a strong motivator.
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  1856. It means it is not a particularly useful descriptive category. As useless as "heretic."
    1
  1857. 1) Agree with you that in its current form it is later than the canonical Gospels. Though, of course, a huge chunk of Thomas is comprised of canonical quotes and therefore date much earlier back to the 1st century. 2) It was accepted by SOME Christians, why else did they copy it and read it? Enough Christians read it to make some bishops denounce it. 3) Some passages appear to be gnostic, yes. Others are from the canon as we know it. 4) Few manuscripts, agreed, but some NT texts only have a handful of ancient manuscripts too. The "thousands of biblical manuscripts" citation is misleading since most of those are Medieval.
    1
  1858. We have no myths or texts. We have tons and tons of archaeological evidence. From what we can glean from the archaeological evidence, we can disregard much of the rumors about Mithras today as modern inventions from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Really the cult of Mithras is an instructive lesson on the difference between textual and material evidence.
    1
  1859. Vsauce was an early inspiration. Though this video is pretty old now. I find it cringey compared to my later stuff haha.
    1
  1860. I do have a Patreon with perks at different levels!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    1
  1861. The real joke though is that all of this evidence is actually from ancient sources. The Life and Miracles of St. Thecla, Seneca's story about the gladiator and the sponge-stick, the Ostia barracks, and the Pompeii painting. Wrote one of my graduate school papers about this topic.
    1
  1862. Good luck with the debate. One-time donations link here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast
    1
  1863. The Greek on the icon reads: "Mary Magdalena." I checked before I used it.
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  1864. Yeah I went inside Al-Aqsa Mosque as well.
    1
  1865. Just a huge Star Wars fan. Though I do want to make a video on Jediism...
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  1866. Would love to produce one too! I have videos planned on Pokemon and Shinto...but I need more video game themed suggestions.
    1
  1867. That didn’t come up in my research. Though I’m sure I missed a few references.
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  1868. Welcome to the channel!
    1
  1869. I mean that we have no Cult of Mithras literary texts...e.g. gospels, myths, or histories. I don't mean inscriptions, which I don't consider "literature."
    1
  1870. Yeah kind of weird.
    1
  1871. Eusebius describes Constantine asking for baptism near his death. Though, we'd need to trust Eusebius' account to accept this as historically accurate, and Eusebius was famously a Constantine fanboy.
    1
  1872. Thanks so much! You’re in an elite Patreon tier!
    1
  1873. +Anonymous Anonymous Irenaeus mentions it in 180, but it was likely circulating a few decades before him.
    1
  1874. I say "maybe around 150 CE," not "could not have been produced prior to 150 CE." I suppose a 100 CE date is feasible, but a mid-2nd century date is a better educated guess based on its similarity to what other Christians were writing around this time (this is the era of famous so-called "heretical" theologians like Valentinus and Marcion). Given what we know about texts being written around 100 CE, I find it is unlikely that the Gospel of Judas is that old. It makes more sense in a mid-2nd century context.
    1
  1875. Christianity probably played a role in its decline. At least a few churches were built over mithraea.
    1
  1876. I'd say now that religion is a bio-cultural phenomenon. It stems from a biological cognitive basis (e.g. HADD), but is propagated by the usual processes of cultural transmission (e.g. art, educating children, structures of authority, story-telling, etc. etc. etc.)
    1
  1877. +Kaleah Collins Show me the primary source documents and I’ll believe you. No reputable scholar would agree with you.
    1
  1878. Similar calculation. But calculating from April 6.
    1
  1879. Awesome! So excited to have you join the Patreon community.
    1
  1880. I am familiar with the pre-Disney canon tiers. I made a video about it. Even pre-Disney, the movies always had stronger canonicity than the books/video games etc, and George Lucas is said to have hated Mara Jade. So I've always considered her outside of the canon even before the Disney buy-out.
    1
  1881. Check the bibliography in the description. :)
    1
  1882. The difference between my video and your comment is that I cite several ancient sources that support my claim (Jacob Bar-Salibi's 12th century quote saying Christians celebrated the 25th because of Sol Invictus; St. Augustine's treatise on Jesus' birth) while you make an unsubstantiated claim. I have no doubt that Germanic winter solstice festivals were syncretized with Christian practice, but this appears to have happened later than the phenomena I am discussing here (3rd and 4th centuries CE). Come back with some ancient evidence, and we can have a historical argument without ad hominem attacks.
    1
  1883. Not since starting this Coca Cola Cult
    1
  1884. The word "Hygeia" appears in at least one latrine that I know of (in Sepphoris), so that may have been a protective deity too.
    1
  1885. I did! I visited Bethlehem Bible College and was given a tour. A video on that population is a good idea.
    1
  1886. Thanks for the encouragement! Religion is a tough topic to cover on YouTube.
    1
  1887. Yes, the historical Jesus probably had a beard b/c he was a Jewish man. The question here is about ICONOGRAPHY though. These Roman artists were artists, not ethnographers of Judaean hairstyle. The Dura Europos artist obviously didn't care about this ethnographic detail b/c they depict Jesus beardless. Did the artist of the Santa Pudenziana mosaic aim to convey Jewishness by Christ's beard? Maybe. But then why the throne, golden cloak, and halo?
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  1888. No worries, it came off as a genuine question. I agree that there is an prevailing stereotype that there are "primitive religions" and "more developed religions." The 19th and early 20th century scholars who founded religious studies as a discipline perpetuated this idea (I'm thinking of E.B. Tylor in particular, who calls all manner of indigenous religions 'primitive'). Instead of levels of development, I think we can anthropologically speak of "tendencies" or "differences" between religions: The tendency toward developing systematic theologies for example. But I'm just thinking off the top of my head.
    1
  1889. I mean no written sources from Mithraists. We have a bunch of archaeological evidence (their meeting places, frescos, statues, etc.). Imagine trying to learn about Christianity, but without any text from the New Testament...only evidence of their churches and their iconography (e.g. the Cross).
    1
  1890. Tips on how to fix it? I’ve gotten this complaint before but haven’t been able to fix it even with a de-esser pass in Adobe Audition.
    1
  1891. +seadawg93 For westerners I would assume the distance we are from the slaughtering process. In modern India, many Hindus find it an affront for religious reasons.
    1
  1892. Ooo, I'd love that actually. Anything JZ Smith inspired would make a good video...
    1
  1893. Ironically there is a lot of material for a video on "religion and beards." But yeah, Christian Zionism is a great topic. Very applicable to today's politics too here in the US.
    1
  1894. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgbIhdvviBU&t=413s&ab_channel=ReligionForBreakfast
    1
  1895. I've had a few conversations with them, yes. But like many non-profits, they're not swimming in money either.
    1
  1896. This is inspiring. I too started to feel incapable of reading for more than 15 minutes at a time. I don't know if I could give up Twitter, but I have been able to cut back my use.
    1
  1897. I said the Nat Geo translation was flawed. I see you watched the video closely.
    1
  1898. I didn’t go inside. My impression it was only for Baha’is.
    1
  1899. This is a secular channel about the academic study of religion.
    1
  1900. Hearing Olly's voice acting is the best thing to happen to me today.
    1
  1901. Def one of my favorite games. That and its sequel Thousand Year Door.
    1
  1902. Thanks! I appreciate the support.
    1
  1903. Most scholars think it is 7th or 6th century BCE.
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  1904. I dunno, I read a lot about those bog bodies when writing this episode, and I think "ritualistic" is a stretch. Couldn't a blow to the back of the head, garroting, and slashing the throat be evidence for any number of other crimes? I can easily imagine that death being the result of bandits or internecine warfare. Without more obviously religious evidence (e.g. an altar, temple, a ritual functionary like a priest, ritual objects), I think bog bodies are a non-factor in the argument for human sacrifice.
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  1905. Thank you so much!
    1
  1906. Thanks! Shout out to my brother and fellow YouTuber EC Henry for designing it.
    1
  1907. Yes, though the scholars I read for this video say that acrostic was invented later as an explanation for why he's called Yeshu in the Talmud.
    1
  1908. Yes, one of the series would be "non-religion" of various sorts.
    1
  1909. Feeding the kids definitely comes first, no worries. But thank you so much for the dollar! Every little bit helps
    1
  1910. Pretty sure that’s b/c of influence from Syriac Christianity
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  1911. Yeah one of my favorite early Christian texts. Did a video analysis of that too.
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  1912. Although they are the creator goddesses, they don’t seem to be that important in daily religious life in Hyrule. Hylia and the Triforce are more central.
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  1913. Interesting point, though both adherents and scholars would agree then that the charlatan is not really a Buddhist priest.
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  1914. Thanks for the encouragement! I was a little nervous about this episode because the topic of race can bring out the worst partisanship.
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  1915. I showed pictures of actual artifacts in museums you can visit today. Actual mithraea that you can visit today. Plenty of evidence about this religion.
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  1916. +Mark D yeah the more I think about it, the more I think the Freemasons are a good analogy.
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  1917. Haha fair point. Maybe my video on Star Wars canon will convince you otherwise?
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  1918. Ah yes, I've heard of him. Though he markets his organization as an apologetics site. This channel does not do apologetics, but rather, nonsectarian education.
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  1919. Great name, and a great neolithic archaeologist.
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  1920. Awesome, see you then!
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  1921. Yeah, I've been meaning to make a tribute video. Huge influence on this field.
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  1922. This channel continually amazes me. Great work.
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  1923. I definitely have more video game themed videos planned. Pokémon in particular.
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  1924. Not exactly what I said. I said there is no religion like the Hylian Religion (a religion based on the worship of and physical contact with a ritually powerful object). Holy Grail, Holy Lance, True cross are all ritually powerful objects in the Christian religion, yes, but Christianity is not based upon the worship of those objects.
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  1925. Yes, the historical Jesus probably had a beard b/c he was a Jewish man. The question here is about ICONOGRAPHY though. These Roman artists were artists, not ethnographers of Judaean hairstyle. The Dura Europos artist obviously didn't care about this ethnographic detail b/c they depict Jesus beardless. Did the artist of the Santa Pudenziana mosaic aim to convey Jewishness by Christ's beard? Maybe. But then why the throne, golden cloak, and halo?
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  1926. I earn my income from an academic institute. PhD candidate in ancient religion, and I teach college students ancient history/religion. If that isn’t professional, then I don’t know what is.
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  1927. For the same reason I wouldn't rely on ancient Israelite sources to understand Mormonism. The Roman Cult of Mithras was a new religious movement only tangentially related to Iranian religion.
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  1928. The Coke CEO, blessed be his name, finds your lack of faith disturbing.
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  1929. My question would be were they ritually sacrificed or just killed in battle or executed?
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  1930. Must be a different timezone because i'm about to head to bed! Glad to hear you like the channel, welcome aboard.
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  1931. Yes! Two more to come. Maybe more.
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  1932. United Federation of Planets
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  1933. Right, I think that is an apt analogy. Kind of a Masonic group.
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  1934. Probably, yeah. My branding is based off of vintage Frosted Flakes boxes after all.
    1
  1935. He seemed to love Sol Invictus so much, I think that's evidence he was capable of personal fealty to a god. I don't think his support of Christianity was only political.
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  1936. You're welcome!
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  1937. Good question for which I have no good answer. It definitely stretches the definition of what we've come to expect with the word "gospel" as it relates to other gospels which have more narrative.
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  1938. No you’re totally right. Another viewer pointed out that this was a rather Eurocentric video. I should have delved into the Ethiopic or even Chinese depictions of Jesus to get a fuller picture.
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  1939. Yeah, it's a surprisingly pervasive legend. Earliest source is Anselm though...definitely not the church fathers.
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  1940. Yeah, I've dropped the background music in most of my later videos. Check the date stamp...this was in my early YouTubing years, and I sucked with production quality.
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  1941. Marx would agree. That’s an underlying theme in his famous “religion is the opiate of the people” quote.
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  1942. Yeah that distinction strikes me as arbitrary.
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  1943. +Grace O. You're welcome! It is a short Gospel. It'll take no time at all.
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  1944. No direct correlation as far as I know, but they are both are examples of groups using "initiation rituals." That, in and of itself, is interesting. Why do initiation rituals span the globe and all of human history?
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  1945. nice. Honestly, I think of "mithril" whenever I say Mithras too.
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  1946. Yeah, 100 degree weather and a blazing Judean Desert sun really put a stop to my eyebrow gestures. And great idea...that video definitely needs to be made.
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  1947. Yeah I could actually...I have a bunch of footage from my visit to Megiddo...
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  1948. Coincidentally, I have an Intro to Islam video coming out soon. I'd love to do videos on Mormonism, but it'll be a while until I get around to it.
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  1949. Thanks for the thoughtful feedback. Geography Now is somewhat of an inspiration of this series, but it's definitely not a "new era" of the channel. Just an ongoing series that will be interspersed every so often, focusing on countries with interesting religious landscapes and often where I have a ton of travel footage. Big multi-part series are currently in the works for Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, as are absurdly in-depth dives into single topics.
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  1950. Nope. Just a curious interest in the history and anthropology of what we call "religion."
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  1951. He’s my brother!
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  1952. +bevis 316 Oh please. As if AD and BC weren’t already inventions in and of themselves? Maybe I can start using BP like anthropologists do? Or the Islamic calendar? Judge a video by its evidence, not its calendrical system.
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  1953. +stolli72 Most of my male relatives are balding, so I figure I’ll enjoy my hair while it lasts...
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  1954. haha, the struggle is real. I'm subscribed to too many. But glad to have you on board!
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  1955. Go watch my video on Hell and see if I'm defending Christianity. I'm a historian, and this was my analysis of the sources at hand.
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  1956. Glad you liked it!
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  1957. Yeah I’ve applied to a few NEH grants before. No luck yet, but I’ll keep trying.
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  1958. Basically: 1) Useful descriptive term for ancient historians. 2) Useless descriptive term for modern historians because it has become a derogatory accusation. Hope it didn't come across as me being self-indulgent.
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  1959. +-KING- See if the Epic Rap Battle guys will take that up. It'd be hilarious.
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  1960. Fair point, but I don't think "objectivity" equals "moral relativism."
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  1961. Very good guess based on how I usually structure my videos, but we stay in the ancient world for this whole vid.
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  1962. You're right that apocalypticism has appeared in other religions...especially in the earliest forms of Christianity. I guess when people use the phrase "doomsday cult," they mean "groups that expect the end of the world to happen imminently." Even though groups today like Evangelical Christians are also supposedly apocalyptic in their thinking...only a few of them act like the end of the world is nigh.
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  1963. Maybe. Royalty free music from Kevin Macleod is everywhere.
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  1964. I mean...lots of scholars have translated it since. We don’t need to rely on their translation. (Which was fine...their translators just made a few curious choices)
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  1965. No matter what religion we're talking about, there will be actions that people are socially conditioned to participate in. For Catholicism, it might be attending Mass. The practices aren't necessarily strictly religious rituals either...such as refraining from pre-marital sex. For that example, there is social pressure not to engage in the action based on the identity and community you are a part of from birth even before you actually "believe" that God will be unhappy if you engage in that activity.
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  1966. haha, awesome.
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  1967. I say none of those things. Jesus is a historical character, the New Testament is a mix of history and exaggerations just like any ancient document, and modern fan studies is a helpful analogy (in my opinion) to understand canon formation.
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  1968. Penguin Books published the Complete DSS in English translated by Geza Vermes. The Hermeneia Translation of 1 Enoch by Vanderkam is inexpensive and readable. Lots of editions of Nag Hammadi codices. Marvin Meyer has a translation and commentary from 2010.
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  1969. +Joseph M Thanks for the recommendation. They seem legit.
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  1970. I have another video explaining this: “what’s the difference between a cult and a religion.” Short answer, the word has a different meaning in antiquity and when used by ancient historians. Generally means “worship” or “group that worships...”
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  1971. Yup! I was a graduate student at BU at the time.
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  1972. Thank you! Exciting to have finally passed that milestone.
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  1973. Better than dating Judas. That guy will betray you and all your friends.
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  1974. One of these invisibility spells literally requires rubbing yourself with shit. Not sure if I want to test that one...
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  1975. Thanks. I don't speak Coptic, but I can read it well enough.
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  1976. Yeah I wasn’t convinced that that was a ritual killing. Couldn’t it have been just as easily a homicide?
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  1977. Nope.
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  1978. +Bert Powers I don't have a video that provides an overarching structure, but all of my videos are organized into three primary playlists: Early Christianity, Magic/Science/Religion, and Religion 101. You can find those playlists on the channel page.
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  1979. Feel free to email me if you’d like. We should collab on a vid on “dogs as physicians”
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  1980. You believe an elite Roman artist in the 400s depicted him like that because of his Jewishness? What about the halos, thrones, golden clothes? The beardless Jesus in the Dura Europos paintings imo show the artists didn't really care for that detail. These were artists. Not ethnographers.
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  1981. Yeah, super annoying. The algorithm doesn’t know this is a secular channel with a bunch of atheists that watch it.
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  1982. Funded through an American archaeological research institute.
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  1983. That's how we've translated these Greek names into English. In the original language of the New Testament, "Judas" is ioudas and Jesus is "iesous." Ironically, even these names are Hellenized forms of Aramaic/Hebrew names Yehudah and Yeshua respectively.
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  1984. I would definitely call myself a Star Wars diehard.
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  1985. A YouTube channel that talks about religion from a neutral perspective. So no, there is no irony I’m missing here. Ironic that you don’t realize your demand is tribalistic.
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  1986. If you're concerned about historical accuracy, then I suppose I'll start using BP (before present), as the anthropologists do. Or "AH" (anno hegirae) as the Muslims do. My point being...all calendrical systems are subjective. I am using the one that I prefer and that my academic discipline prefers. You parachuting in and demanding that I use a Christocentric one smacks of tribalism, not of any real concern for my scholarship or how I present the evidence.
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  1987. Mellifluous voice at 12:18. That guy should get a job in radio.
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  1988. +Captain Picard Awesome! Welcome!
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  1989. Yes, but with a few caveats. 1) The Gnostic books in the Nag Hammadi library are still pretty exclusive. Extremely tough to understand unless you are well-versed in Greek philosophy/mysticism. 2) Eventually Nicene Orthodoxy did win. Though later than what is usually assumed.
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  1990. So would you quit an anthropology video that uses BP (before present) instead of BC?
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  1991. It is a composite text...some guy compiled over 100 sayings into one document. Some of those sayings are Gnostic. So, I can call it a "gnostic text" or I can be more accurate and say "some of the sayings in this text sound gnostic." I prefer being careful and accurate with my wording.
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  1992. Literally the entire last third of this video is a discussion of church authorities rejecting a "gospel of Thomas" as a forgery written by heretics. I'm not hiding the fact that there was a mainstream group of ecclesiastical authorities who didn't like it. So yes, I agree it was rejected precisely because it was viewed as heretical because of its heretical sounding passages (and also because the 4 Gospel tradition was so early, and this text was so late, which I also mention in this video). What I am trying to do is complicate what we mean by "Gnostic." The few "gnostic-ish" sayings in the Gospel of Thomas sound nothing like Valentinus, nothing like the Gospel of Judas, no mention of aeons or archons, no mention of Barbelo, no wicked demiurge, no hatred of the material world. Basically none of the stuff we associate with Gnosticism. So, I will unapologetically call the Gospel of Thomas "a text with a few gnostic sounding passages." That is not watering it down. That is me interpreting the data accurately and in line with other scholars of early Christianity. You think I am manipulating the data? I think you have an inaccurate and totalizing view of "Gnosticism." I don't say that as an insult, I say that as someone who has read a hell of a lot of this stuff and want to encourage you to read up on the complexity of what we call "Gnosticism." Dr. David Brakke and Dr. Karen King are good starting points.
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  1993. You sure its not BH and AH (before the Hijra, and Anno Hijirae)? Or BP (before present)? Lots of different dating systems. They all do the same thing: help us talk about the past.
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  1994. As long as you don't upset the atheists celebrating Festivus...
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  1995. I think that's a fair analogy. "Secret society" meets "religion."
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  1996. Might be from my upbringing, I dunno. I've tried to pronounce it like normal people, but ingrained habits are hard to break...
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  1997. I think it is more of a stretch to say only this person thought this. I'm fine saying this text reflects many Christians of the time (certainly not all).
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  1998. History is a discipline of probabilities. The Gospel of Thomas definitely exists. When was it written? We don't know, so we deal in hypotheses.
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  1999. I will! In the meantime, you can join the waitlist at: info@speakeasy.com
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  2000. It is actually called "Book of Revelation," "Revelation," or "The Apocalypse of John." "Revelations" is a common mistake.
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  2001. How is this in any way hateful? I'm using a modern example to help understand a confusing historical process (canon formation).
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  2002. Yes, I think the evidence suggests that Jesus existed as an apocalyptic Jewish preacher in the 1st century. Which of his sayings actually date back to him though is tough to determine. All of these early Gospels were composite texts compiled by an editor. So presumably some of these sayings were transmitted orally between people or in other texts that have since been lost. The Gospel of Thomas is a good example of "sayings Gospels," simple compendiums of wise sayings.
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  2003. When I say Aquinas attributed the saying to Anselm, I mean Aquinas claims he got it from Anselm’s previously published writings.
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  2004. Glad to hear it! I see a lot of different associations in the 21st century attempting to replace the "social" and ritualized aspects of religion.
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  2005. Anecdotally, I think the Two Source Theory is still dominant, but it is losing ground to Farrer. I was taught Two Source during my PhD program, but seems like the new generation of Synoptic scholars follow Farrer. This is all anecdotal though.
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  2006. Thank you so much!
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  2007. Thank you so much!! It means so much to me.
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  2008. The Philistines def mixed with the Canaanites. Increasingly so in the Iron Age.
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  2009. They were literally falling apart! I had them for about 7 years. Needed to be replaced.
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  2010. Glad you like it! I try to post 2 videos a month, so there is more on the way.
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  2011. heresy.
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  2012. No, but I hung out with the Coptic liturgy that whole time.
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  2013. I honestly don’t see it. His face is way rounder than mine. Though my hairstyle is similar to Daily Show era Oliver.
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  2014. Thanks! Its hard work running the channel, but its a topic I'm passionate about.
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  2015. Yeah, depending on the instructor, religious studies could easily mix into theological studies. Its the teacher's responsibility to know the difference.
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  2016. Thanks for the tip. Sounds like I’m definitely missing out having not read the manga.
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  2017. Thanks Hank, you're such an inspiration to us small creators. Keep doing what you're doing!
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  2018. Yeah, super excited to have joined.
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  2019. Nope. I filmed this awhile ago pre-beard.
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  2020. Yeah I’m envious of the German scholars in that respect.
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  2021. Good analogy I think
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  2022. Hi Dimity. Thank you for your powerful words. We are living in a moment of increased hate crimes against Muslims. Hate crimes are up in the UK and the USA as well. This recent terrorist attack is heinous and is a terrible example of how Islamophobic rhetoric can radicalize people. We must try to change the narrative and fight it. I hope this channel can work toward that goal even in a small way.
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  2023. Yeah, we will hit 5 out of 7 churches of the apocalypse on this tour.
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  2024. Yes, that was a factor that I glossed over. Some see Hellenistic Titan mythology underlying 1 Enoch too in addition to Persian influence.
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  2025. In the text, I believe it is Uriel, Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael
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  2026. Yeah, and the magical papyri from the Roman period are even crazier. Basically inventing dozens of archangels with the last syllable "-el" in their names
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  2027. full time job, PhD student, and the channel. It was too much.
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  2028. +Notorax1 Glad you're liking the content!
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  2029. Yeah...they ALMOST did it with their Mythology series, but it definitely is not religious studies.
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  2030. This channel is a 3-year-long archive of my bad haircuts.
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  2031. Cool, seems like a cross-cultural way that people treat divine images.
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  2032. That's a really interesting idea. Goes along with Mark's overarching theme of the "messianic secret." Jesus always telling people to keep his identity and/or powers under wraps.
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  2033. Thank you! Glad you enjoy it.
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  2034. Yes, all the Gospels are written in Greek, but they assume on multiple occasions that Jesus is speaking in Aramaic (e.g. Mark records Jesus shouting in Aramaic on the cross: Eloi eloi lama sabachthani). Assuming some of these sayings stretch back to the historical Jesus, they would have been originally in Aramaic. But our only sources are in Greek, and for all intents and purposes, the Gospels are works of Greek literature. I bring this up because there are some who claim there were earlier versions of the Gospels in Aramaic (not a mainstream scholarly view). I think it’s much more likely that the Gospels were composed in Greek, and may record authentic sayings of Jesus that had long been translated into Greek.
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  2035. Yeah, I think you were the one that recommended this topic!
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  2036. Caffeine...it's caffeine my friend.
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  2037. Professor at the university of Pennsylvania.
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  2038. I've considered doing a video on alchemy and Fullmetal Alchemist.
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  2039. Yeah these are older videos. In all my recent videos I don’t use music. It was definitely a mistake.
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  2040. I provide 20 minutes of archaeological evidence and analyses from leading scholars in the field. You dismiss my video without evidence. I see a problem here.
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  2041. Published one a few months ago! https://youtu.be/B0SKiTnYO_U
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