Use this tag for questions about the history of Christianity and the church.
2
votes
2answers
221 views
Voltaire and his house being used by the biblical society?
His there any valid source that one of Voltaire house have been used by the Bible Society? I heard many times the illustration, but I never read a valid source of this.
11
votes
3answers
564 views
Where did Baptists get their name and what do they believe?
Where and when did the Baptists get their name and what do they believe that sets them apart from the rest of Protestant denominations?
I realize there are different divisions among Baptists as well, ...
6
votes
0answers
22 views
Is there any evidence that Romans viewed Christian teachings 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
30 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
29 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
100 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.
* ...
6
votes
1answer
48 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
2answers
145 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 ...
0
votes
0answers
142 views
If Adam was the first man, and Eve the first woman, them where did Cain's wife come from? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
Is incest a sin?
Did Adam and Eve's Progeny Commit Incest?
How did the world get populated according to Bible?
Was Cain's wife made from his ribs too? Or did god make ...
4
votes
1answer
42 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
90 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
48 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 ...
2
votes
3answers
99 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 ...
15
votes
1answer
551 views
How did the cross come to be a symbol for Christianity?
I understand WHY the cross became a symbol for Christianity, but HOW did it become a symbol? How did it start and how did it evolve into the symbol (or symbols since there are many variants) we all ...
13
votes
2answers
1k views
What effect did the Reformation have inside the Catholic Church?
I confess my knowledge of church history branches at about the Reformation. I know a quite a bit about Catholicism today, and I have an idea of what it was before the Reformation. These are not at all ...
4
votes
1answer
91 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
133 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
175 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
111 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 ...
2
votes
3answers
59 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
1answer
116 views
When did Christians switch from an ‘immediate baptism’ to ‘after years of instruction and scrutiny’ baptism, such as in the Apostolic Tradition?
According to this article ‘Catechumen’ means one receives instruction from “a catechist in the principles of the Christian religion with a view to baptism”. I understand that some churches have this ...
11
votes
4answers
183 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
103 views
How diverse or united is Christian history on the imagery of “Father” and “Son”?
The original languages of the Bible itself and, to my knowledge, most of Christian history, are replete with the filial language of God being known as a “Father” and Jesus being known as his “Son”. ...
6
votes
2answers
287 views
What language did Jesus speak?
As a young believer I was quickly turned on to the idea of learning some things about the "original languages" of the Bible. After all, how could you understand John 21:15-17 without understanding ...
5
votes
3answers
167 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 ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
Protestant rejection of the Catholic implementation of confession
(Pardon the length - my original post was more concise, but wasn't clearly conveying my question.)
Background:
I am currently studying the Spiritual Disciplines at a Protestant seminary. For those ...
13
votes
2answers
5k views
What is the origin of praying hands folded?
I was taught in Sunday school to pray hands folded. On the other hand, there's no biblical mention of the practice (as far as I know). It actually doesn't seem to matter which position we pray in.
...
6
votes
2answers
98 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 ...
11
votes
4answers
689 views
When was Job alive?
The first chapter of Job describes a man who was favored by God (Job).
1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. ...
6
votes
1answer
140 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 ...
12
votes
4answers
1k views
What is the origin of the Good Friday tradition?
As suggested by this question and this answer, it seems possible that Jesus actually died on a Wednesday, not on a Friday.
In light of these competing theories, what is the origin of the Good Friday ...
1
vote
1answer
46 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
69 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 ...
3
votes
1answer
381 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
279 views
What is the purpose and basis for the special garments issued to temple-going Mormons?
I understand that there are certain garments which temple-going Mormons are obliged to wear after going through their initial Temple Ceremony. My question is regarding the basis for this. When did ...
7
votes
3answers
235 views
What is the historical reason the King James Version was created?
Many years ago, I heard someone say that the KJV came about because King James I wanted a version of the Bible that supported him getting a divorce. Nowadays, I can't help but wonder how true this is. ...
5
votes
1answer
884 views
In what order were the books in the New Testament written?
I'm just curious as to the actual timeline and known dates of the New Testament books. I know the version fo the Bible I read had the letters from Paul ordered by their size, and not when they were ...
12
votes
1answer
312 views
What is the origin of the moral-civil-ceremonial distinction of the Old Testament law?
This distinction is often called tripartite division of the law.
I ran across this series of blog posts:
http://maelandcindy.blogspot.com/2008/06/is-mosaic-law-tripartite.html
...
10
votes
2answers
1k views
Who was Pharaoh when Moses lived in Egypt?
Do we have a good idea as to which Pharaoh(s) were around during the time of Moses' life? What internal and external evidence exists to back-up those claims? Do any Christian traditions attach any ...
2
votes
2answers
70 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
165 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 ...
11
votes
2answers
289 views
What is the Toronto Blessing?
Just over a decade ago there was much hype in the media about the Toronto Blessing, a phenomenon that began at Toronto Airport Church and subsequently spread from there. What is it? Is it still ...
8
votes
1answer
140 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 ...
3
votes
1answer
2k views
How did the world get populated according to Bible?
Adam and Eve had only three sons (Cain, Abel, and Seth), but no daughters: how did the world get populated?
1
vote
2answers
343 views
When and why did the devil, or Satan, really emerge as a force in Christian belief?
From what I understand, the devil is not a character who appears obviously in any part of the Bible.
If this is true, when was it that Satan/the devil began to terrify people who called themselves ...
1
vote
0answers
61 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 ...
33
votes
7answers
3k views
The Bible seems to allow polygamy. Why doesn't the church?
In Exodus 21:10 and Deuteronomy 21:15-16 (among many other passages), it talks about polygamy as if it were acceptable.
Indeed, there are several holy men (Abraham and Solomon come to mind offhand) ...
12
votes
5answers
629 views
Did early church fathers understand the doctrine of trinity?
Many historians and religious scholars ... attest to the influence of
Greek or Platonic philosophy in the development and acceptance of the
Trinity doctrine in the fourth century. ... the ...
5
votes
2answers
117 views
John Wesley's influence by ancient fathers
I have been told that John Wesley read the pre-Schism fathers a lot, and was influenced by them.
Is this so, and if so, to what extent and how was his doctrine influenced by them?
4
votes
2answers
99 views
Did the Emperor Constantine ever present explanations for putting off his baptism?
The Emperor Constantine who favored Christianity as early as 312, and convened the Council of Nicæa in 325, postponed baptism till 337. Did he provide any reasons for doing so?
