
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explore how St Augustine of Hippo made sense of the sack of Rome, presenting the rise and fall of empires within God's universal plan and arguing that the true focus of history is the eternal destiny of individual souls rather than earthly kingdoms.He also examines how the Saxon monk Bede told the story of the Christian mission to the English, weaving together martyrdom, miracles, heresy and missionary witness to portray God's providential work in Britain's history.📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
Jul 14
22 min

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores how the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, theological controversies, and new migrant kingdoms elevated the bishop of Rome into an increasingly significant political and spiritual leader. He concludes with Gregory the Great and his mission to the Saxons through Augustine of Canterbury, showing how it helped establish Christianity in England and expanded Rome's influence in the West.📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
Jul 7
16 min

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ examines how two Christians tell their version of history from the early centuries through Luke’s Acts of the Apostles and Eusebius’ History of the Church, presenting historical events as part of God’s unfolding plan for humanity.📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
Jun 30
25 min

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ takes us on a race through the first 400 years of Christianity, tracing its journey in the Roman Empire from a persecuted minority to an imperial faith.He explores how bishops and church councils began to define orthodoxy, establishing shared beliefs and practices across diverse Christian communities. Councils such as First Council of Nicaea and First Council of Constantinople shaped core doctrines, including the Trinity, while the growing influence of the bishop of Rome laid the foundations for the papacy.📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
Jun 23
20 min

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ reflect on how a faith tradition writes its ‘salvation history’ and the different ways of ‘reading a tradition’ for those who come after.📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
Jun 16
16 min

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ revisits Christian claims about resurrection in the modern era, exploring how the modern Catechism presents resurrection life with humility about the “how” and “when” of the transformed creation, while still affirming the promise of eternal life.📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
Jun 9
25 min

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ offers a first introduction to the roots of the distinctive Christian language of “sacraments,” tracing its development from the Greek mysteria and its connection to the sacred, liberating dramas of the ancient mystery religions. He then explores how baptism, the Eucharist, and other Christian rites came to be understood as participation in Christ’s death and resurrection, woven into a rich symbolic tapestry of Scripture, covenant, creation, and salvation history. Drawing especially on Augustine, Dr John also introduces the classic understanding of sacrament as a sacred sign, a visible symbol that reveals and communicates God’s saving work.📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
Jun 2
22 min

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores how Christians have understood the claim that Christ “died for us,” beginning with the rich variety of New Testament and liturgical images and tracing how these were developed in the tradition.He then examines several twentieth-century attempts to make sense of this mystery in ways meaningful to the modern world, including the renewal of theology at the Second Vatican Council, the existential approach of Karl Rahner, the social and political vision of Liberation Theology, and René Girard’s scapegoat theory as developed by Raymund Schwager.📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
May 26
23 min

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ compares how Athanasius of Alexandria and Anselm of Canterbury connect the Incarnation with the atonement as they answer the question of why God became human.📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
May 19
23 min

In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ returns to the New Testament matrices for interpreting the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross, revisiting themes from earlier episodes through the lens of atoning sacrifice in the Letter to the Hebrews.🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit Centre📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop LibraryIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
May 12
16 min
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