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Q&A

General Q&A on the topic of the site.

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Why does the Bible include three Synoptic Gospels?

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels because they obviously draw upon common source material. John, in contrast, is less similar to any of them than they are to ea...

2 answers  ·  posted 2y ago by gmcgath‭  ·  last activity 8d ago by Conrado‭

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Why did the early Christians refuse to bow down to the King?

I don't understand the exact objection in bowing down to the King, which is a universal practise in line with the Bible (Rom 13) and does not seem to violate monotheism, as it is not a worship of h...

0 answers  ·  posted 2mo ago by Michael16‭  ·  edited 2mo ago by Michael16‭

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Biblical Mythology as genre

What books or other resources introduce the different genres recognised in the Bible from a literary view? It would be helpful if the recommended resources address how scholars differentiate betwee...

1 answer  ·  posted 2mo ago by Michael16‭  ·  last activity 2mo ago by qohelet‭

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Does God rule over the heavenly beings through human beings?

I think I came across this idea through the Bible Project, but I could be wrong. It's worth noting that there doesn't seem to be any explicit mention in the Bible of God caring for and governing t...

1 answer  ·  posted 8mo ago by gpasture‭  ·  last activity 6mo ago by H_H‭

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Which Christian denomination(s) in 2023 still dislike(s) images?

I heard about this sect on the news, but can't remember the term. Anyone know what I mean? Aniconism isn't the answer — because I know this noun already — but also because this faction allows th...

1 answer  ·  posted 8mo ago by TextKit‭  ·  last activity 8mo ago by qohelet‭

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Are Greek translations less accurate than Hebrew?

Why is ABEn different from other translations that use the Hebrew Scriptures? I know it uses the Greek translation. But is ABEn or the Greek translation less accurate? In Proverbs 29:1 NASB: (NAS...

2 answers  ·  posted 9mo ago by Ellie3‭  ·  last activity 9mo ago by gpasture‭

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Could Forty Years in the Wilderness Have a Colloquial Meaning?

In Numbers 33 Moses gives an exhaustive and detailed list of every place the tribe of Israel stopped, from the moment they left Egypt on the morning after passover until parked right outside of th...

0 answers  ·  posted 1y ago by James McLellan‭  ·  edited 1y ago by James McLellan‭

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Why does the Bible repeatedly tout that sin begins in the heart — rather than the brain, mind, or other bodily organs?

Undeniably, the heart can't physically cause the sins quoted below, as in the Matthew 15:18-20. Crimes against the person (manslaughter) are committed usually with the limbs and hands. False pret...

1 answer  ·  posted 2y ago by TextKit‭  ·  last activity 2y ago by qohelet‭

sin
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Roman ordinary vs maronite vs extraordinary calendar

I downloaded an application that provides daily bible texts. Within the app, it is possible to switch between different calendars: Roman ordinary calendar Maronite calendar Extraordinary calen...

1 answer  ·  posted 2y ago by BenjyTec‭  ·  last activity 2y ago by qohelet‭

71%
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What is the most accurate and literal English Bible translation?

Which translation is most accurate and literal?

1 answer  ·  posted 2y ago by qohelet‭  ·  last activity 2y ago by qohelet‭

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Translation of Jude 8

There are different translations of "dream(ers)" in Jude 8. For example: ESV: Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme th...

1 answer  ·  posted 2y ago by qohelet‭  ·  last activity 2y ago by qohelet‭

33%
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What's the reason for Caleb, Achsah and Othniel story?

In Joshua 15:16-19, it is related a short episode of Caleb, Othniel and Achsah. In Judges 1:12-15, it is related the same story (almost copy paste). Why do you think this story was considered sign...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by artaxerxe‭  ·  edited 2y ago by qohelet‭

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Why does Job 39:19 use 'clothed' for 'Have you clothed his neck with thunder'?

This use of 'clothe' feels kooky and unnatural to me. In 2022 Modern English, clothes usually refer to the body, not the neck. Can someone please make this natural and intuitive? Then again, Engl...

2 answers  ·  posted 2y ago by TextKit‭  ·  edited 2y ago by qohelet‭

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What is the Eastern Orthodox position on the Calvinist doctrine of total depravity?

Why do Eastern Orthodox Christians reject the Protestant Calvinist position of total depravity (i.e., part of the five points of Calvinism / TULIP model)?

1 answer  ·  posted 2y ago by qohelet‭  ·  last activity 2y ago by qohelet‭

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Does the narrator of Numbers assert that the Anakim come from the Nephilim?

The Nephilim are named only in two verses in the Bible, in Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33. Numbers 13:33 says that the Anakim come from the Nephilim, but different translations render this in a vari...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by curiousdannii‭  ·  last activity 2y ago by qohelet‭

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When did the doctrine of Biblical literalism originate?

The doctrine that the Christian Bible is literally true in every respect is not as old as Christianity. If nothing else, there wasn't a settled Biblical canon until late in the 4th century. Through...

2 answers  ·  posted 2y ago by gmcgath‭  ·  last activity 2y ago by mbomb007‭

25%
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Why was blood used, or believed, to consecrate entities? [closed]

Why did worshippers believe that blood "make 'sacred' or 'holy'"? Why did religionists believe that consecrating something with blood "render a thing inviolable from profane use of men and...

0 answers  ·  posted 2y ago by TextKit‭  ·  closed 2y ago by qohelet‭

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The idea of two reformations instead just one reformation

Were there historians of Christianity that claimed a similar claim to that there were actually two reformations instead just one? One is the reformation initiated by the "proto protestants" and ...

4 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by deleted user  ·  last activity 2y ago by gmcgath‭

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What was the status of non-Christians in the Holy Roman Empire?

For most of its history, the Holy Roman Empire had laws against heresy. The Peace of Augsburg in 1555 recognized only Catholicism and Lutheranism, with each state picking one or the other. Everyone...

0 answers  ·  posted 2y ago by gmcgath‭

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What does Paul mean by "sorcery" in Galatians 5:20?

In Galatians 5:20 Paul uses the word pharmakeia (Strong's Greek 5331). This word has been translated to "witchcraft" or "sorcery" in most English versions. For example: (19) Now the works of the...

2 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Vinicius Brasil‭  ·  last activity 2y ago by qohelet‭

84%
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What is a polygamist supposed to do upon converting to Roman Catholicism?

The Roman Catholic church, in the Council of Trent, forbade polygamy: If any one saith, that it is lawful for Christians to have several wives at the same time, and that this is not prohibited b...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Nathaniel‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by elemtilas‭

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Theologically speaking, how does the Roman Catholic church decide which parts of the pre-Christian bible are binding?

My understanding, which must be overly simplified, is that the founders of Christianity held that even though the pre-gospel books of the bible (the Hebrew bible or what Christians call the old tes...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by elemtilas‭

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What does Roman Catholic law say about a marriage that was later discovered to be invalid?

This question about a polygamist who converts made me wonder about a different question. According to the Roman Catholic church, what happens if a marriage entered into in good faith later turns o...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by elemtilas‭

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Does the Catholic Church teach that use of artificial contraception within marriage is a worse sin that fornication?

Recently I stumbled across an article by Catholic writer Matthew Walther, entitled The Conservative Case for Teen Pregnancy. With a title like that from a Catholic, I was expecting to see an argum...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Nathaniel‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by elemtilas‭

66%
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What is the origin of the explanation that Joshua's long day was actually an extension of the previous night?

Recently when studying Joshua 10 and the "long day," I encountered an explanation of the event that posits that in the morning Joshua actually asked that the darkness be extended so that his soldie...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Nathaniel‭

71%
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How do Modalists respond to the idea that the Trinity is necessary for the manifestation of God's love?

I often hear an argument defending the doctrine of the Trinity that says that God is by nature loving and relational (see, for example, 1 John 4:7–8), and that he exists independent of his creation...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Nathaniel‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by qohelet‭

83%
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Are there any examples in the Bible of people using psychoactive agents (other than alcohol)?

I know the Bible talks about some people being drunk (Noah etc.), but are there any references to people using other drugs?

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Sigma‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Peter Cooper Jr.‭

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How can we have free will without sin in heaven, but can't do so on earth?

The general explanation I've heard (if I can try to summarize it) for "the problem of evil", of why a good God allows evil things to happen in the world, is that God doesn't want "robots" as he wan...

6 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Peter Cooper Jr.‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Lee Woofenden‭

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What does "Ethiopian" mean in George Liele's "Ethiopian Baptist Church"?

The Wikipedia article for George Liele, a freed slave and the first American missionary, indicates that as part of his missionary work in Jamaica, he founded the "Ethiopian Baptist Church of Jamaic...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Nathaniel‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Nathaniel‭

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As of 2021, what is the status of the Family Integrated Church movement?

Around 2010-2011 I was reading about the Family Integrated Church, a movement that basically said almost any family seperation during church services like Sunday School was wrong and families shoul...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Charlie Brumbaugh‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Sigma‭

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What does *usury* mean in the Westminster Larger Catechism Question 142?

The Westminster Larger Catechism (1648) Question 142 lists usury among the sins against the 8th commandment (highlight mine): Q. 142. What are the sins forbidden in the eighth commandment? A. T...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Sigma‭  ·  edited 3y ago by Nathaniel‭

71%
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Does the Geneva Bible make substantial corrections to Tyndale, or just stylistic changes?

In the history of the English Bible, the work of William Tyndale is impressive for a number of reasons, one of which is how closely subsequent translators followed his language. Tyndale translated...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Nathaniel‭

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Which Biblical Theology frameworks are currently taught in the Southern Baptist seminaries?

There are two major frameworks of Biblical Theology in Protestant Christianity: Dispensationaliam and Covenant Theology. Simplistically, Dispensationaliam says there is a big discontinuity between ...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by curiousdannii‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Sigma‭

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When did the "Moses had horns" mistranslation get corrected?

When Michelangelo sculpted Moses, he carved the statue with two small horns on the top of Moses's head because in one of the translations at the time there was a verse that was mistranslated as "Mo...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Charlie Brumbaugh‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Sigma‭

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Christian views of Nicholas de Lyra's Biblical commentary

Hello. Yesterday I came upon a Hebrew translation of Nicholas de Lyra's commentary on Ruth. I found it to be intriguing for a number of reasons. One reason was that he based much of his commentary...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Harel13‭  ·  edited 3y ago by Harel13‭

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In Genesis 4:14, who is Cain refering to when he says "whoever finds me will kill me."?

I remember having a discussion with someone in my church about the book of Genesis and re-reading about Cain and Abel made me scratch my head. When Cain murdered Abel, God put a mark on Cain as pun...

2 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by KingDuken‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by mbomb007‭

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Why was it so important to Abraham that Isaac not go back to Abraham's homeland?

Genesis 24:1-9 (CSB): Abraham was now old, getting on in years, and the Lord had blessed him in everything. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his household who managed all he owned, “Pl...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by curiousdannii‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by mattbrent‭

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Does the Bible ever talk about futuristic concepts which the original authors and audience would know nothing about?

Note: I have already posted this on Biblical Hermeneutics SE Some time ago I read a book where the author was doubting the divine inspiration nature of the Bible by using the following reasoning: ...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Alexei‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by qohelet‭

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Which was the first English Bible translation to capitalize pronouns referring to deity?

I grew up thinking that the practice of capitalizing pronouns referring to deity was pretty normal. Here's an example of it, from Matthew 4:11–12 (New American Standard), where "He" and "Him" refe...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Nathaniel‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Peter Cooper Jr.‭

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Does Romans 5:12 indicate that death came to all people because all sinned, or that all sinned because death came to all people?

There are varying translations of Romans 5:12. For example: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (KJV...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by qohelet‭  ·  edited 3y ago by curiousdannii‭

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What are the major problems that Chalcedonians have with Miaphysite Christology?

The Council of Chalcedon of 451 gave a clear definition of the Hypostatic Union, the doctrine that in the incarnation, the Son of God took on a full human nature, so that in this one person are uni...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by curiousdannii‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by qohelet‭

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Why did John Knox reject the offer of the bishopric of Rochester?

In a lecture on the historical background to the Westminster Standards, around minutes 12–13, Sinclair Ferguson mentions that John Knox was offered the bishopric of Rochester, "whether to give him ...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Nathaniel‭

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What is the basis for believing that Peter actually wrote the book 2 Peter?

2 Peter has an interesting history. Apparently some in the early church doubted that Peter actually wrote it (as per Origen and Eusebius), but it eventually made it into the canon for most Christi...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Nathaniel‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by curiousdannii‭

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What contemporary definitions of Sola Scriptura are there, from self-professed proponents, which mean something other than the supreme spiritual authority?

The doctrine of Sola Scriptura is generally defined as the belief that, while tradition, reason, and experience may be sources of spiritual knowledge for the Christian, the scriptures are the only ...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by curiousdannii‭  ·  edited 3y ago by curiousdannii‭

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Does Reformed Theology teach that Old Testament saints were personally united to Christ?

Union with Christ is a central doctrine in Reformed Theology, and concerns the mystical union of the believer with Christ, by faith and by the Holy Spirit. In faith the Spirit unites us to Christ, ...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by curiousdannii‭

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Has the "Back to Jerusalem" goal of sending 100,000 missionaries from China been accomplished?

According to a 2003 book entitled Back to Jerusalem: Three Chinese House Church Leaders Share Their Vision to Complete the Great Commission, several prominent Chinese Christians contended that Chin...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Nathaniel‭