In the second episode of our series Macquarie University doctoral student Jack Hanrahan-Shirley interviews Dr Andras Kraft of the University of Vienna. Jack researches heresies in the Byzantine Empire, especially the Bogomils. Andras is a well-known researcher of Byzantine Apocalypticism. Thus, we are transferred in the eastern Roman Empire from the end of the third century onwards for a fascinating discussion of how the end of the world was used by the emperors to pose as God’s representatives on earth and by the Church to defend its ever-growing power over the state: in this context, emperors could be salvific or Satan’s agents but the Church was there to forever propagate God’s providence and explain the role of evil in the world. Bad emperors were often portrayed as heretics or supporters of heretics, while heresies themselves were seen as symptoms of the crisis that emperors could face with guidance from God’s foundational institution. This episode is about powerful, ambitious agents engaged in a dangerous game of negotiating paradise or hell for the people! Stay tuned!