What is Mount Athos like during Holy Week?

Dr. Jacobs returns to the podcast with a personal update on his time away, news about the upcoming East West Series, and reflections from Holy Week, Pascha, and Bright Week on Mount Athos. In this episode, he shares stories from Vatopedi Monastery, discusses miracles, relics, and monastic life, and offers insight into how these experiences challenge modern skepticism and deepen faith.Support the East West series: http://theeastwestseries.com/Leave a comment on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIZVUy5v32MBreakwater Festival 2026 | 19–21 June | London:I’ll be speaking at Breakwater Festival 2026, a 3-day Estuary gathering focused on bringing online conversations into real-life dialogue and connection. This year’s theme, Cross Pollination: Conversing Across Religious Lines, explores how beliefs engage across difference in a pluralistic world.Join me and other speakers in London — Early Bird tickets are available now: https://www.thebreakwaternetwork.com/upcoming-eventChapters:00:00 I'm back00:13 Why I disappeared for Lent and Mount Athos02:33 What this episode covers03:00 East West Series update04:53 Production timeline and release plan05:54 Fundraising and pre-orders07:16 Why the East West Series matters09:35 Who the series is for: converts, inquirers, and online debate11:45 Vatopedi Monastery endorsement announcement14:05 Podcast facelift and rebrand16:25 New 30-minute “Coffee with Dr. Jacobs” episodes21:07 Topic requests, comments, and sharing23:30 Website simplification and one-stop hub24:20 Mount Athos reflections begin25:45 Third trip to Mount Athos and Holy Week overview28:05 Visiting Elder Paisios’ hermitage30:32 Other monasteries and the capital of Athos32:55 Daily monastic rhythm: Matins, Vespers, and Compline35:19 Holy Week, Pascha, and the intensity of Athos37:41 The washing of the feet service40:09 Pascha procession and the all-night liturgy42:31 Holy Week exhaustion and conversations with monks45:00 Bright Week procession and blessing of the waters47:25 Pizza on Mount Athos49:48 Relics, miracles, and confronting modern skepticism54:29 The Belt of the Virgin Mary56:49 The True Cross and miraculous yeast59:16 St. John Chrysostom’s incorrupt ear01:04:00 The Panagia Paramythia miracle icon01:08:44 Skepticism, belief, and re-enchantment01:13:26 Why skepticism feels safe01:15:41 Belief, faith, and how we live01:20:23 Why people chase the paranormal01:24:59 Culture, plausibility, and belief01:34:40 Cyprus, Lazarus, and his relics01:39:23 Great Lavra, John the Baptist, and Athanasius the Athonite01:44:17 The bullet hole icon story01:46:42 The disobedient monk and the blackened hand01:53:46 Why Mount Athos belongs to the Virgin Mary01:56:15 Final thoughts and East West Series supportDo you like this content? Join Jacobs Premium to get exclusive access to written essays, exclusive lecture series, monthly Q&A Zoom calls, and our book club. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/======================================All the links:The Theological Letters Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastX: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobsSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcastWords for the algorithm: East West Series, Vatopedi, Mount Athos, Pascha, Holy Week, relics, miracles, church fathers, orthodoxy, monks.