https://christianity.codidact.com/categories/45/feedNew Posts - Q&A - ChristianityChristianity - Codidact2024-03-11T13:56:19Zhttps://christianity.codidact.com/posts/286592Why does the Bible include three Synoptic Gospels?gmcgathhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/530032022-06-15T13:18:06Z2024-03-11T13:56:19Z<p>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...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/290610Why did the early Christians refuse to bow down to the King?Michael16https://christianity.codidact.com/users/543072024-01-22T15:28:13Z2024-01-23T08:49:32Z<p>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 o...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/290561Biblical Mythology as genreMichael16https://christianity.codidact.com/users/543072024-01-12T15:31:03Z2024-01-12T23:04:48Z<p>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 bet...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/289103Does God rule over the heavenly beings through human beings?gpasturehttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/637082023-07-26T23:57:38Z2023-09-22T16:41:54Z<p>I think I came across this idea through the Bible Project, but I could be wrong.</p>
<p>It's worth noting that there doesn't seem to be any explicit mention in the Bible of God caring for and g...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/289055Which Christian denomination(s) in 2023 still dislike(s) images? TextKithttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/536962023-07-22T21:10:43Z2023-07-25T23:35:04Z<h4>I heard about this sect on the news, but can't remember the term. Anyone know what I mean?</h4>
<p>Aniconism isn't the answer — because I know this noun already — but also because this facti...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/288676Are Greek translations less accurate than Hebrew?Ellie3https://christianity.codidact.com/users/636742023-06-23T11:26:28Z2023-06-24T23:47:22Z<p>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?</p>
<p>In Proverbs 29:1 N...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/286639Could Forty Years in the Wilderness Have a Colloquial Meaning?James McLellanhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/567002022-06-26T10:57:16Z2022-06-26T12:09:38Z<p>In <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/num/33/1/s_150001">Numbers 33</a>
Moses gives an exhaustive and detailed list of every place the tribe of Israel stopped, from the moment they le...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/285497Why does the Bible repeatedly tout that sin begins in the heart — rather than the brain, mind, or other bodily organs? TextKithttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/536962022-01-07T04:23:03Z2022-05-09T14:04:01Z<ol>
<li>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. Fa...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/286016Roman ordinary vs maronite vs extraordinary calendarBenjyTechttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/561822022-02-23T09:06:30Z2022-02-26T07:57:17Z<p>I downloaded an application that provides daily bible texts. Within the app, it is possible to switch between different calendars:</p>
<ul>
<li>Roman ordinary calendar</li>
<li>Maronite calen...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/285774What is the most accurate and literal English Bible translation?qohelethttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/534412022-01-31T18:49:56Z2022-02-02T21:39:42Z<p>Which translation is most accurate and literal?</p>
<!-- g: js, mdit -->https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/285793Translation of Jude 8qohelethttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/534412022-02-01T21:13:14Z2022-02-02T00:13:44Z<p>There are different translations of "dream(ers)" in Jude 8. For example:</p>
<p>ESV:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Yet in like manner these people also, <strong>relying on their dreams</strong>, defile...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/280728What's the reason for Caleb, Achsah and Othniel story?artaxerxehttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/534832021-02-09T08:34:41Z2022-02-01T21:14:05Z<p>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).</p>
<p>Why do you think this story was consi...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/285719Why does Job 39:19 use 'clothed' for 'Have you clothed his neck with thunder'? TextKithttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/536962022-01-28T00:51:01Z2022-02-01T21:13:35Z<p><a href="https://biblehub.com/web/job/39.htm">This use of 'clothe'</a> feels kooky and unnatural to me. In 2022 Modern English, clothes
usually refer to the body, not the neck. Can someone plea...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/285748What is the Eastern Orthodox position on the Calvinist doctrine of total depravity?qohelethttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/534412022-01-30T15:17:54Z2022-01-30T15:18:24Z<p>Why do Eastern Orthodox Christians reject the Protestant Calvinist position of total depravity (i.e., part of <a href="https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/course/tulip-the-five-points-of-calvinis...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279276Does the narrator of Numbers assert that the Anakim come from the Nephilim?curiousdanniihttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/535452020-11-17T06:31:26Z2022-01-29T01:00:36Z<p>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 v...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/285591When did the doctrine of Biblical literalism originate?gmcgathhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/530032022-01-14T23:10:26Z2022-01-28T22:59:29Z<p>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. Thro...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/285047 Why was blood used, or believed, to consecrate entities?TextKithttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/536962021-12-02T06:46:44Z2022-01-28T22:14:45Z<ol>
<li>
<p>Why did worshippers believe that blood "make 'sacred' or 'holy'"?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Why did religionists believe that consecrating something with blood "render a thing inviolable ...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/281154The idea of two reformations instead just one reformationdeleted user#2021-03-23T04:07:17Z2021-10-25T13:23:14Z<p>Were there historians of Christianity that claimed a similar claim to that there were actually two reformations instead just one?</p>
<ul>
<li>One is the reformation initiated by the <a href="...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/284539What was the status of non-Christians in the Holy Roman Empire?gmcgathhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/530032021-10-08T13:12:49Z2021-10-08T13:12:49Z<p>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. Every...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/282228What does Paul mean by "sorcery" in Galatians 5:20?Vinicius Brasilhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/541112021-06-15T17:55:56Z2021-08-01T20:22:49Z<p>In Galatians 5:20 Paul uses the word <em>pharmakeia</em> (Strong's Greek 5331). This word has been translated to "witchcraft" or "sorcery" in most English versions. For example:</p>
<blockquote...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279328What is a polygamist supposed to do upon converting to Roman Catholicism?Nathanielhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/81772020-11-18T14:51:06Z2021-06-13T23:22:29Z<p>The Roman Catholic church, in the Council of Trent, forbade polygamy:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If any one saith, that it is lawful for Christians to have several wives at the same time, and that th...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/281351Theologically speaking, how does the Roman Catholic church decide which parts of the pre-Christian bible are binding?Monica Celliohttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/80462021-04-14T01:56:28Z2021-06-11T22:54:45Z<p>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 ...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279358What does Roman Catholic law say about a marriage that was later discovered to be invalid?Monica Celliohttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/80462020-11-19T03:49:57Z2021-05-28T06:46:35Z<p><a href="https://christianity.codidact.com/questions/279328">This question about a polygamist who converts</a> made me wonder about a different question. According to the Roman Catholic church,...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/281619Does the Catholic Church teach that use of artificial contraception within marriage is a worse sin that fornication?Nathanielhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/81772021-05-07T16:00:42Z2021-05-28T06:07:19Z<p>Recently I stumbled across an article by Catholic writer Matthew Walther, entitled <a href="https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/teenage-pregnancy-vs-the-success-sequence/">The Conse...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/281618What is the origin of the explanation that Joshua's long day was actually an extension of the previous night?Nathanielhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/81772021-05-07T15:43:04Z2021-05-07T15:43:04Z<p>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 <em>darkness</em> be exten...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279566How do Modalists respond to the idea that the Trinity is necessary for the manifestation of God's love?Nathanielhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/81772020-11-25T14:20:46Z2021-05-01T16:35:25Z<p>I often hear an argument defending the doctrine of the Trinity that says that God is <em>by nature</em> loving and relational (see, for example, 1 John 4:7–8), and that he exists independent of ...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/280698Are there any examples in the Bible of people using psychoactive agents (other than alcohol)?Sigmahttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/82632021-02-08T04:08:35Z2021-03-26T01:45:16Z<p>I know the Bible talks about some people being drunk (Noah etc.), but are there any references to people using other drugs?</p>
<!-- g: js, mdit -->https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279150How can we have free will without sin in heaven, but can't do so on earth?Peter Cooper Jr.https://christianity.codidact.com/users/363662020-11-13T20:43:32Z2021-02-25T19:24:50Z<p>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 "...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/280820What does "Ethiopian" mean in George Liele's "Ethiopian Baptist Church"?Nathanielhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/81772021-02-16T20:22:07Z2021-02-16T21:01:03Z<p>The Wikipedia article for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Liele&oldid=1005648473">George Liele</a>, a freed slave and the first American missionary, indicates that...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/280234As of 2021, what is the status of the Family Integrated Church movement?Charlie Brumbaughhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/81632021-01-03T02:33:49Z2021-01-14T04:20:02Z<p>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 sh...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279866What does *usury* mean in the Westminster Larger Catechism Question 142? Sigmahttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/82632020-12-15T06:19:49Z2020-12-21T14:32:02Z<p>The Westminster Larger Catechism (1648) Question 142 lists usury among the sins against the 8th commandment (highlight mine):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Q. 142. What are the sins forbidden in the eig...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/280015Does the Geneva Bible make substantial corrections to Tyndale, or just stylistic changes?Nathanielhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/81772020-12-20T01:43:43Z2020-12-20T01:43:43Z<p>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 transla...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279270Which Biblical Theology frameworks are currently taught in the Southern Baptist seminaries?curiousdanniihttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/535452020-11-17T05:43:48Z2020-12-15T06:43:25Z<p>There are two major frameworks of Biblical Theology in Protestant Christianity: Dispensationaliam and Covenant Theology. Simplistically, Dispensationaliam says there is a big discontinuity betwe...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279864When did the "Moses had horns" mistranslation get corrected?Charlie Brumbaughhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/81632020-12-15T04:05:25Z2020-12-15T04:54:40Z<p>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 ...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279632Christian views of Nicholas de Lyra's Biblical commentaryHarel13https://christianity.codidact.com/users/530152020-11-30T18:47:52Z2020-12-01T06:48:25Z<p>Hello.</p>
<p>Yesterday I came upon a Hebrew translation of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_of_Lyra">Nicholas de Lyra</a>'s commentary on Ruth. I found it to be intriguing for a...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279618In Genesis 4:14, who is Cain refering to when he says "whoever finds me will kill me."?KingDukenhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/363852020-11-29T22:49:44Z2020-11-30T18:02:09Z<p>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 ...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279435Why was it so important to Abraham that Isaac not go back to Abraham's homeland?curiousdanniihttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/535452020-11-22T07:24:13Z2020-11-24T12:08:59Z<blockquote>
<p>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 al...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279423Does the Bible ever talk about futuristic concepts which the original authors and audience would know nothing about?Alexeihttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/531772020-11-21T09:19:14Z2020-11-22T20:49:55Z<p><em>Note: I have already posted this on Biblical Hermeneutics SE</em></p>
<p>Some time ago I read a book where the author was doubting the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_inspir...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279261Which was the first English Bible translation to capitalize pronouns referring to deity?Nathanielhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/81772020-11-16T21:13:20Z2020-11-22T04:29:16Z<p>I grew up thinking that the practice of capitalizing pronouns referring to deity was pretty normal. Here's an example of it, from <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+4...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279393Does Romans 5:12 indicate that death came to all people because all sinned, or that all sinned because death came to all people?qohelethttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/534412020-11-20T03:14:57Z2020-11-21T16:52:33Z<p>There are varying translations of Romans 5:12. For example:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for tha...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279269What are the major problems that Chalcedonians have with Miaphysite Christology?curiousdanniihttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/535452020-11-17T05:42:08Z2020-11-19T15:28:57Z<p>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 ...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279331Why did John Knox reject the offer of the bishopric of Rochester?Nathanielhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/81772020-11-18T17:04:00Z2020-11-18T17:04:00Z<p>In a <a href="https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/course/the-westminster-standards/#course-introduction-history">lecture on the historical background to the Westminster Standards</a>, around minu...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279259What is the basis for believing that Peter actually wrote the book 2 Peter?Nathanielhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/81772020-11-16T20:34:29Z2020-11-18T06:03:50Z<p>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 Chri...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279271What contemporary definitions of Sola Scriptura are there, from self-professed proponents, which mean something other than the supreme spiritual authority?curiousdanniihttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/535452020-11-17T05:45:06Z2020-11-17T11:36:07Z<p>The doctrine of <em>Sola Scriptura</em> is generally defined as the belief that, while tradition, reason, and experience may be sources of spiritual knowledge for the Christian, the scriptures a...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279272Does Reformed Theology teach that Old Testament saints were personally united to Christ?curiousdanniihttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/535452020-11-17T05:46:38Z2020-11-17T05:46:38Z<p>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 Chris...https://christianity.codidact.com/posts/279260Has the "Back to Jerusalem" goal of sending 100,000 missionaries from China been accomplished?Nathanielhttps://christianity.codidact.com/users/81772020-11-16T20:52:28Z2020-11-16T20:52:28Z<p>According to a 2003 book entitled <em>Back to Jerusalem: Three Chinese House Church Leaders Share Their Vision to Complete the Great Commission</em>, several prominent Chinese Christians contend...