Church history is the chronicle of Christianity and the church including notable historical figures, and the rise and fall of various traditions.
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0answers
35 views
How is Paul's hypothetical case in 1 Cor 15 (If the dead be not raised) intended to be understood? [closed]
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul famously writes:
1Co 15:16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also ...
1
vote
1answer
44 views
Did the events of Good Friday take place during winter?
Peter went to a camp fire when Jesus was being crucified, but we celebrate Good Friday in the spring/early summer. That Peter required a camp fire makes me doubt that the events happened at the time ...
-4
votes
4answers
105 views
Has the Gospel been completely preserved textually and linguistically since the time of Jesus?
I was reading a book which made me wonder whether the true message of Jesus has been faithfully passed down to this age. I would like to know whether the Gospels have been preserved textually and ...
5
votes
1answer
65 views
What evidence is there that the Chinese script reflects a knowledge of Genesis 1-11?
It has been asserted that the author of the Chinese alphabet could very well been knowledgeable of the accounts in Genesis 1-11--those that occurred prior to the division of peoples and languages at ...
3
votes
3answers
67 views
Has any church organization refused lottery winnings as donation?
Sometimes I've played the lottery when it gets over $100 million, thinking I could retire on a small fortune and then give tens of millions away to charity, including of course, Christian ones.
Has ...
10
votes
2answers
134 views
At the greater emergence of democracy in Europe during the 'Enlightenment' did the papacy support democracy?
I was just wondering how did the papacy respond to democracy when it first arose in Europe? On one hand, in a country that was, according to its sovereign, a Catholic country, democracy would be very ...
8
votes
1answer
72 views
At what date in history was the last papal anathema officially applied through the death penalty in a papal court against a heretic or protestant?
I was just wondering when in history the official papal death sentences really ended. I am not interested in any killing that was not officially authorized by a pope (or his authorized ...
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0answers
85 views
what is it that one would need to do according to the Bible if one was demonic possessed? [closed]
I have a following case,
My cousin has been sick since he turned 13 he is 25 now he stopped eating an stopped talking an walking very aggressive at times when you,hook him up to his feeding tube ...
8
votes
3answers
114 views
How many New Testament manuscripts do we really have?
How does the Bible size up with other books from the ancient world?
Is it really true that the New and Old Testament is the book from the ancient world that has the largest amounmt of extant ...
5
votes
1answer
70 views
Was the temple built in 46 years or was it 46 years old during Jesus time?
I stumbled on this verse again and would like some clarification:
John 2:20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
Was the ...
-3
votes
0answers
38 views
What exactly is 'progress'? [closed]
Civilizations begin, grow, decline and then die. Why have we never progressed away from this?
I understand that this is a very slippery subject, but if you could share any insights or thoughts I ...
9
votes
1answer
81 views
Is there any evidence that Romans viewed Christian teachings on sexual restraint as a liberating influence?
Sarah Ruden (via John Stonestreet) makes an interesting claim about the Roman Empire in the time of Paul:
Dreher cites classics scholar Sarah Ruden, whose book “Paul Among the Gentiles” was the ...
2
votes
0answers
33 views
Is it possible the Biblical and scientific timelines for the age of the earth could link up? [duplicate]
In many versions of the Bible I have e read, in fiitnotes/endotes they say the Hebrew term for "day" could also mean "period of time." So if you took period of time to mean oh say, a billion years, ...
3
votes
1answer
31 views
Who produced the first Concordance?
Prior to this new-fangled electronic thing called the internet, people who were looking to find a particular verse in the Bible resorted to a manual index called a concordance. In such a book, ...
3
votes
1answer
123 views
Did the city of Nazareth exist in the time of Jesus?
The question stems from this video. Additionally, I would like to know any books, articles and other credible sources that deals with this question for further reading*. Thank you for your time.
* ...
7
votes
1answer
58 views
To what are the scriptures referring when they speak of the books of the “chronicles of the kings”?
In the books of 1 and 2 Kings, there are quite a few places where the author refers to "the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah" or "the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel".
...
4
votes
1answer
45 views
Did the American Constitution and independence from England usher in the first full separation of Church and state?
I have noticed that even among theologians that postulated full separation of church and state, like Luther, they did not force the subject so fully as our modern world understands. In fact there was ...
5
votes
1answer
128 views
What happened to the two trees in the Garden of Eden?
In Genesis 2, we are told that there were two named trees in the Garden of Eden--the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life.
When Adam and Eve ate fruit from the Tree of the ...
10
votes
1answer
85 views
Why didn't Syriac Christianity keep Aramaic as their liturgical language?
Syriac Christianity (as well as with other oriental orthodoxy denominations) today use Arabic as their liturgical language. It is known that they have been using Arabic since the times of Muslim ...
4
votes
1answer
99 views
Was the mode of execution for Jesus required to be crucifixion?
Did Jesus need to die on a cross or were there alternative endings? Would being stabbed with a sword or if he died during the beatings have been good enough?
Specifically, are there prophecies held ...
1
vote
3answers
142 views
Are the early followers of Christ considered Christians or Jews in today's context? If not, when was the religion created? [duplicate]
From sometime after 4 BC and up to and sometime between the destruction of the Second Temple (C. 70) and Council of Nicaea (AD 325), Christians were considered Jewish with Jesus as their leader. When ...
12
votes
3answers
182 views
Why is Rome the holy city?
Why did Rome become the seat of the Pope and the central location for the Church? I would think that Jerusalem would be the first choice. There are also a number of other cities that I would ...
8
votes
3answers
116 views
Why did the conclave elect Pope Stephen I, when he died prior to taking office?
According to Wikipedia, Pope Stephen I was elected to the papacy in March of 752 A.D., but died a few days later, prior to being installed. As I understand it, Catholic teaching indicates that God's ...
3
votes
3answers
104 views
Did God ever talk about his other creations?
I have always been a lover of all things "Science", space, other life forms, etc. I excelled in Science in School but a few years ago I started questioning things and now believe that "Science" and ...
2
votes
3answers
61 views
When was the title of “Mother of God” first ascribed to Mary?
I understand that the phrase "Mother of God" appears in the prayer commonly referred to as the "Hail Mary" prayer. I'm wondering, though, what the origin is of the phrase "Mother of God". Did it ...
5
votes
3answers
190 views
Why was the New Testament Written in Greek?
New Testament was written in Greek. But Jesus lived in Israel and was supposed to be the next King of Israel. I think it is probably fair to assume that he and his twelve apostles spoke Hebrew. Then ...
11
votes
4answers
188 views
At what point did Judaism and Christianity diverge?
At what point did Judaism and Christianity diverge? Christianity and Judaism share the Old Testament (The Hebrew Bible), so it should be safe to assume they are the same people at least during the Old ...
1
vote
1answer
52 views
Conversion of Romans and Bible Portrayal of Romans
I have trouble understanding how Romans converted to Christianity. In the Bible, Romans weren't portrayed very nicely. For example, Herod the Great did quite a lot of awful things. Jesus was crucified ...
3
votes
1answer
84 views
Persecution of Jewish by Christians in Middle Ages?
I want to apologize ahead if my questions sound disrespectful to anybody. This isn't my intent. I grew up in East Asia which has very few Christians, but I have been very interested in the history of ...
6
votes
2answers
103 views
Has the Church historically considered biblical texts concerning slavery to be transcultural or finite?
How have the Bible's passages concerning slavery been interpreted and applied throughout Christian history, especially passages such as Exodus 21:2-11, Leviticus 25:44-46, and 1 Timothy 6:1-2?
Have ...
2
votes
2answers
72 views
Did Zachariah ask for a son to God?
This is related to this question.
I found this verses from Qur'an.
Surah 19:1-7
Kaf- Ha-Ya-'Ain-Sad.
(This is) a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His slave Zakariya (Zachariah).
When ...
0
votes
3answers
166 views
The Popes Prophecy of St. Malachy [closed]
I am a young Christian and at times I fall into traps that I read one thing that isn't written in the bible then I believe it.
I read the Prophesy of St Malachy and now I am convincing myself that ...
6
votes
1answer
144 views
Are there any secular historical references to the natural phenomenon that occurred at the crucifixion and resurrection?
The Scriptures record that there was three hours of darkness during the crucifixion of Jesus. This is a pretty significant meteorological event. Furthermore, the morning of Jesus' resurrection, the ...
8
votes
1answer
152 views
Are there any references to “four canonical Gospels” prior to 100 AD?
According to the "Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung" eleven manuscripts of NT are from within the second century alone, which include: P52 (100-150), P90, 104 (2nd century), P66 (c. AD ...
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vote
0answers
98 views
Was Satan an Angel [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Where in the Bible does it say that Lucifer is an angel?
Of what nature is Satan?
Most people refer to the following scripture as support for the fact that Satan was ...
4
votes
2answers
167 views
Were witches ever executed by the Eastern Orthodox Church?
If we don't count lynchings, were people ever executed for witchcraft be the Eastern Orthodox Church?
In western Christianity, the execution of witches was condemned until 1484, four centuries after ...
1
vote
1answer
104 views
What does it means INRI in Jesus Cross? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What does INRI stand for?
In Jesus Cross there is symbol like INRI, What does it exactly means and why they are keeping this still in cross any conditions or story ...
8
votes
1answer
52 views
Where did the dates at the bottom of the pages in the Book of Mormon come from?
From these images of an original copy of the Book of Mormon, it appears that the dates and chapter summaries that appear in modern printings do not appear in the original.
When exactly did these ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
What is significant about the swaddling clothes with which Jesus was wrapped as a baby?
Luke gives the account of Jesus' birth and mentions that Mary wrapped Him in "swaddling cloths".
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling
cloths and laid him in a ...
7
votes
5answers
247 views
Was Jesus a poor man, in economic sense?
I saw a video of Cesar Vidal and he said, that probably, Jesus was a middle-high class in economic sense, during the period of life before public ministry. I need historical references.
4
votes
1answer
62 views
Does an understanding of how the Bible was written, play a strong role in any Christian sect?
There is sometimes a misunderstanding or differing opinion of who wrote what in the Bible. Is this issue relevant to any particular Christian sect? Does the topic play an important role?
8
votes
1answer
60 views
How much time did medieval Christians devote to prayer?
I was critiqued on this answer concerning it taking less time out of the day for someone to be a Muslim than a Christian, and that may be untrue for a majority of Christians today.
But how much ...
9
votes
1answer
116 views
How many witnesses are there who physically saw and/or touched the golden plates from which the Book of Mormon was reportedly translated?
I understand the Book of Mormon has a list of witnesses. However, I have heard that these witnesses may not have actually ever seen the gold plates that contained the original manuscripts for the ...
3
votes
1answer
438 views
When did the practice of Confession in the Catholic Church begin?
Confession, specifically the practice of confessing one's sins to a priest, is a quite common practice in the Catholic Church. When and how did this sacrament first originate and become codified as ...
11
votes
4answers
320 views
When did the one-way monologue sermon first become a normal feature of church assemblies?
Of course Jesus preached a lot of monologue sermons, but I have noticed that Jesus did not usually preach sermons like nearly every church does today. He never seems to have, or at least rarely ...
13
votes
1answer
61 views
Are there any surviving hymns from the Valdensian movement?
The Valdensians preached and celebrated the Lords Supper in the native tongue of the people, not in Latin. However, every source I've read about their customs focus on what was spoken, and I also want ...
3
votes
2answers
129 views
When did the gathered church stop singing choruses?
I read a few years ago, that the early church (1st - 2nd century) would start their gatherings by singing choruses and that this went on for a while, before the rest of the liturgy.
Unfortunately, my ...
8
votes
2answers
402 views
Is it true that early Christians were baptised naked?
I was told that people were baptised naked in the early Christian church. Is this true? If so, could you provide references please? I would like to investigate this for myself.
Regards,
Walid
7
votes
2answers
175 views
What evidence is there that the Apostle Paul had been a member of the Sanhedrin?
I remember hearing someone make the claim that Paul had been a member of the Sanhedrin prior to his conversion to Christianity. Is there any evidence for this claim? If so, what is it?
4
votes
2answers
84 views
What is the basis for ascribing any fiscal policy to Jesus?
In the United States, specifically on the Right, many Republican / Tea-Party, Evangelical Christians have very little problem in ascribing a moral motive for a tight fiscal policy which restricts ...
