The Sacred Page Podcast with Michael Barber

Recently I spoke with Dr. Andrew Jones, a Church historian with Logos Bible Software, on the history of papal resignations. Jones does a fantastic job, surveying all the evidence, beginning with the early Church. He was nice enough to provide an outline, which you'll find posted below. This is the most thorough overview you'll find in a single podcast. I hope you enjoy it! Leave your comments below! Listen on iTunes or click the link below. TSP 33: Interview with Historian Andrew Jones on the History of Papal Resignations Early Church - Problem: PersecutionSt. Potian, 230-235: Maybe abdicated before being martyred, but the evidence is shaky.St. Marcellinus, 296-304: There is some evidence he abdicated after offering sacrifice to idols and before being martyred, but there is other evidence that he did not.Liberius, 352-366: There is some evidence that he abdicated while in exile. This, though, is slight and can be interpreted otherwise.St. Martin I, 649-655: Odd situation. Martin was the last of the martyr popes. He was exiled and Eugenius I was elected while he was still alive.11th Century - Problem: Secular Power and CorruptionBenedict IX (e. 1032) and Gregory VI (1045-6) – very dramatic series of abdications and depositions. Resulting ultimately in the intervention of the Emperor and the establishment of the Reform party. Benedict IX appears on the list of popes three times.The Reform party set up for the first time a process by which the cardinals would chose the pope—trying to stop these sorts of things from happening.14th Century - Problem: the Papal Monarchy, the College of Cardinals, and the Rise of the National Kingdoms.The Construction of the Papal Monarchy: large, centralized institution throughout Europe.The College of Cardinals: they became very powerful and important, a part of the papacy.The Problem of Papal Vacancies: the see was vacant for 13 years between 1241 and 1316. The Cardinals couldn’t decide, couldn’t compromise.The Invention of the Conclave (it’s initial failure to work), 1274Election and Abdication of Celestine V in 1294: he was a compromise candidate who was elected to end a two year conclave.Boniface VIII and the Avignon papacyThe Western Schism and ConciliarismThe Council of Constance and the abdication of Gregory XII in 1415 to end the Schism.Election of Martin V in 1417 and the end of the medieval Papacy and the start of the Renaissance papacy.This week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

Recently, Pope Benedict XVI made headlines when he added a new name to the official list of figures given the title "Doctor of the Church": St. Hildegard of Bingen. Who was she? Why did the Holy Father choose to declare her a doctor of the Church at this time? In this episode of The Sacred Page Podcast I am joined with Leroy Huizenga who has done a good deal of work on St. Hildegard.  At the Society of Biblical Literature last year, he presented a paper entitled, "St. Hildegard of Bingen's Premodern and Postmodern Paul." In fact, for a fantastic overview of St. Hildegard, see this excellent piece written by Leroy over at First Things.  As you'll learn here, she fought heretics, but opposed burning them at the stake; she wrote the only surviving medical treatise of her time; she related visions of Christ. . . in short, St. Hildegard was a truly fascinating figure! Dr. Huizenga is Professor of Scripture at the University of St. Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, where he also serves as the Director of the Christian Leadership Center. To learn more about him and his work, check out his website. Also, I'd encourage you to follow him on Twitter: @LHuizenga (This podcast was recorded before Christmas. Due to some technical issues, it is only being posted today, which is an appropriate day for it to go up--January 8th is Leroy's birthday. Happy birthday, Leroy and thanks for coming on the show!) Listen on iTunes or click the link below. Your comments are welcome as always in the comment box.  TSP 32: Leroy Huizenga on Hildegard of Bingen, a New Doctor of the ChurchThis week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

Who were the magi (Philosophers, Persians, Arabs, Babylonians)? What was the star that guided them (comet, constellation, or angel)? What is the significance of their gifts? What connection is there between the birth of the Messiah and the arrival of Gentiles? This podcast is completely devoted to the story of the Epiphany. What is this feast? How is related to Jesus' baptism and the wedding feast at Cana in Church tradition? Find out here. As always, you can listen on iTunes or click the link below and, as always, your comments are welcome in the comment box below. TSP 31: Epiphany: Who were the Magi and what was the Christmas Star?This week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

Today the Church remembers the slaughter of the innocents, Herod's savage massacre of all the children two years and younger in the region of Bethlehem after Jesus' birth. The story is recounted in Matthew 2. Who was Herod? How did he become king? How were the Romans involved in Palestinian political affairs? Understanding the historical backdrop of first-century Judea helps us put the story in perspective. It also reveals its historical plausibility. This podcast will give you the complete run down. I hope you enjoy it! As always, you can listen on iTunes or click the link below and, as always, your comments are welcome in the comment box below. TSP 30: TSP 30: Herod and the Slaughter of the Innocents: The Rest of the StoryThis week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

Today our focus--as it should be--is on Christmas. Tomorrow we continue to celebrate the Christmas season, but, as we do that, we celebrate the Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church. Why is he so important that he is the follow-up to Christmas Day? I've always had a fascination with St. Stephen. Over on the right you can see a picture of me standing at the traditional site of his burial site in Rome. So I couldn't let December 26th go by without posting some thoughts on this great figure from the Acts of the Apostles. Learn more in this special podcast. Listen on iTunes or click the link below. As always, we welcome your comments below. Merry Christmas! St. Stephen: Deacon, Martyr, Theological Genius (Podcast for 12/26/12)St. Stephen TSP PodcastThis week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

With Christmas upon us, The Sacred Page Podcast turns to look at the birth narrative of Jesus in Matthew and Luke. Are the infancy narratives hopelessly contradictory? Were they simply invented out of whole cloth? Why are there so many hymns in Luke 1-2? Why did Luke not tell us about Magi? Why did Joseph seek to divorce Mary? Was he really suspicious of her? Find out the answers to these and many other questions in this podcast. For more on Joseph, see this post. Listen on iTunes or click the link below. Your comments are welcome as always in the comment box.  TSP 29: The First Christmas: The History and Theology of Jesus' Birth in Matthew and LukeThis week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

This Sunday we turn to the story of the widow's mite. Notably, we read this story against the backdrop of a miracle worked by Elijah and the Epistle to the Hebrews. [Readings here] Who was Elijah? Why was he important? How do the Gospels portray Jesus as a New Elijah? How does the reading from the Gospel relate to the first and second readings? Learn about all that in more in this brief podcast. Listen on iTunes or click the link below. As always, we welcome your comments below. "Widows, Miracles and Sacrifice" (Sunday Readings Podcast for 11/11/12)This week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

This Sunday's Gospel has Jesus explain the greatest commandment. The first reading is taken from Deuteronomy and the second is from Hebrews. Find out how they all fit together. We also talk about how Jesus slightly alters the "greatest commandment" in Deuteronomy, emphasizing the importance of loving the Lord with all one's mind. What does this mean? Listen on iTunes or click the link below. As always, we welcome your comments below. "The Greatest Commandment" (Sunday Readings Podcast for 11/4/12)This week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

The Sacred Page Podcast is back! Due to some illness in late September, I fell way behind on a number of things. Getting this podcast up was just not possible. But now we're back. . . with our spookiest podcast ever! Halloween and All Saints Day is right around the corner. With that in mind I thought I'd cover a topic that doesn't get much attention: "ghosts" in Sacred Scripture. Scripture in fact says that we have already come to "the spirits of just men made perfect". Where does that happen? When? How? What did Augustine, Jerome and Aquinas say about Scripture's teaching? Listen here and you'll learn all about it. Oh yes. . . and please tell your friends that we're back! Next week we'll also be back to our Sunday Readings Podcast. Listen on iTunes or click the link below. Feel free to leave your comments below. I'm also including a .pdf below including some of the primary sources cited, i.e., biblical references, an excerpt from Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae where he draws from Jerome and Augustine, etc. . .  TSP 28: Ghosts and Saints in Scripture and Catholic Teaching (Halloween / All Saints Days Podcast)Ghosts and Saints Podcasts.pdfThis week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

This week I did something a little different on The Sacred Page Podcast. Here we look at the historical and religious roots of the Olympics. The topic was discussed in a recent USA Today article. Here we expand on this, asking, What makes the Olympics so popular? Did you know that the Olympic motto, "citius, altius, fortius," is attributed to a Roman Catholic priest? Did you know that Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, was educated by Jesuits and said, "The first essential characteristic of the Olympics, both ancient as well as modern, is to be a religion . . . above and outside the churches." Learn much more in this podcast. Listen on iTunes or click the link below. Feel free to leave your comments below. TSP 27: The Religious Roots of the OlympicsThis week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

I'm currently teaching a graduate course on Liturgical Theology and so I've been doing a lot of work in the study of worship. Here I share some thoughts from the course. In the first Eucharistic Prayer of the Catholic Mass, the priest makes reference to an altar in heaven: "command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high." What many do not realize is that the belief in a heavenly temple liturgy originates in the Old Testament and ancient Judaism. In fact, New Testament authors, clearly drawing on such beliefs, explain Christ's sacrifice in terms of a heavenly temple and liturgy. In this episode we look at Jewish beliefs about liturgy and see how they form the background for the New Testament's view of Christ's sacrifice and Christian worship. For example, as we shall see, the Epistle to the Hebrews links the heavenly liturgy (leitourgia) to the ascension. As we shall see, the New Testament reveals the surpassing ways Christ fulfills hopes regarding participation in the angelic worship of the heavenly temple. Look for the outline with all the notes over at www.TheSacredPage.com. Listen on iTunes or click the link below. Feel free to leave your comments below. TSP 26: The Heavenly Liturgy in Judaism, the New Testament and the Eucharistic CelebrationThis week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

In this episode I look at Jesus' role as a prophet--a much overlooked aspect of his ministry. In addition, I look at the role of "prophetic acts", other first-century Jewish figures, and, for good measure, the Last Supper. On TheSacredPage.com (here) you'll find an extensive handout. Listen on iTunes or click the link below. Feel free to leave your comments below. TSP 25: Jesus as Prophet, His Prophetic Signs, and the Last SupperThis week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

Best-selling author and patristics expert, Mike Aquilina, comes on the show to discuss a new book he recently co-wrote with Christopher Bailey, The Mothers of the Church: The Witness of Early Christian Women (Huntington, Ind.: Our Sunday Visitor, 2012). This is a tremendously good book and it fills an important lacuna in books on the early Church--here we have a book that focuses on the influence of important Christian women. How did ancients view the role of women? How did Christianity bring about a revolution?Did you know one of the Capadocian fathers described a woman as "the Teacher"? Who are Felicity and Perpetua? The two saints are mentioned in Eucharistic Prayer #1 and are therefore probably familiar to most Catholics--but most do not know much about them!Mike is a great guest. . . I'm sure you'll agree! Listen on iTunes or click the link below. Feel free to leave your comments below. TSP 24: Mike Aquilina on the Early Church "Mothers" Here's a bit more about our guest from the St. Paul Center website: Mike Aquilina, Executive Vice President and Trustee of The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, is a widely recognized Catholic author and lecturer. Aquilina’s books include the best-selling, The Fathers of the Church: An Introduction to the First Christian Teachers (2nd ed 2006); Living the Mysteries: A Guide for Unfinished Christians (2003) co-written with Dr. Scott Hahn; The Mass of the Early Christians (2001); What Catholics Believe: A Pocket Catechism (2000); The How-To Book of Catholic Devotions (2000); and A Pocket Catechism for Kids (2001). He is also the author of Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with St. Thomas Aquinas (2002), The Way of the Fathers: Praying with the Early Christians (2000), Love in the Little Things: Tales of Family Life (2007), Signs and Mysteries (2008) and is co-author of Weapons of the Spirit: Selected Writings of Father John Hugo, along with St. Paul Center colleague, David Scott. His most recent book is Take 5: On the Job Meditations With St. Ignatius (2008). All of Aquilina’s books are published by Our Sunday Visitor Books. His ongoing research is concerned with early Christian community and worship. He is past Associate Editor of Scripture Matters, the bulletin of The Institute of Applied Biblical Studies and past Editor of New Covenant, a Catholic spirituality magazine, and The Pittsburgh Catholic, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. His reviews, essays and journalism have appeared in First Things, Touchstone, Crisis, National Catholic Register, Child and Family and elsewhere. Aquilina has also co-hosted, along with Dr. Hahn, several popular series on scripture and theology airing on the Eternal Word Television Network. He and his wife Terri live in the Pittsburgh area with their six children.This week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of John the Baptist. Why was he so important? Here we talk about his role in the New Testament. A full write up with all of the primary sources cited here can be found over at The Sacred Page blog here. Listen on iTunes or click the link below.  Feel free to leave your comments below. TSP 23: John the Baptist: In the Spirit and Power of Elijah This week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".

With the big discovery of some of his lost homilies on the Psalms in the news, I decided to focus on Origen in this week's episode of The Sacred Page Podcast. Below is a .pdf containing an outline and notes of this presentation, with references to primary sources cited. Listen on iTunes or click the link below. Look for more information on this podcast over at the corresponding post at TheSacredPage.com. Feel free to leave your comments below. TSP 22: Origen and His Influence on Christian Theology The Sacred Page Podcast on OrigenThis week on "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber".