All Questions
2
votes
3answers
70 views
What traditions hold that Satan is not actually a person?
I heard somewhere (can't remember where) that Satan is more of a term than a person. In other words, Satan is not so much a fallen angel, person, or being, but rather a designation for evil.
Is this ...
0
votes
3answers
109 views
What biblical references explain the idea that Jesus is God's “only begotten Son” other than John 3:16?
Jesus identified God as His Father and Himself as the only begotten Son; these are familial names, which impose relational considerations.
Biblically speaking, in what way is God the Father of ...
6
votes
2answers
100 views
Who rules this Earth after the millenium?
According to premillenial eschatology, there will be a special period after Christ comes again in which He will reign on earth with His saints for a 1000 years. Their view is typically based on a ...
3
votes
2answers
67 views
Why is it said that the Gospel of Luke presents Jesus as “the Son of Man”?
It is said that the Gospel of Luke presents Jesus as "the Son of Man"--not the Christ or King or God Incarnate, but distinctively the Son of Man.
What is it in the Gospel of Luke that gives rise to ...
5
votes
1answer
40 views
Who is the American Catholic Church?
What are the major doctrinal differences between the American Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic church? Why did they split?
5
votes
1answer
55 views
Fellowship with God
I came across an interesting quote in Lutzer, Erwin W. (2003-02-01). Cries From The Cross: A Journey into the Heart of Jesus (p. 20). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Jesus’ suffering was ...
4
votes
1answer
59 views
According to Roman Catholic doctrine, does the incorruptible body possess blood?
In my translation of a work by John of Damascus entitled Περὶ τοῦ ἀχράντου σώματος, οὗ μεταλαμβάνομεν, it is my understanding that John wrote,
Even as his body prior to the resurrection of the ...
3
votes
1answer
91 views
What is the difference between the grave and Hades?
John 5 vrs 28-29 (NIV)
" Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out those who have done good will rise to live, and those who ...
3
votes
1answer
95 views
How does music relate to the prophecy of God's mind?
I have been thinking about the 'aesthetic aspect of understanding' and found it surprising, when I noticed the role music had in the Bible. (I still scratch my head a bit and find it pleasurably ...
0
votes
1answer
8 views
Matriarchal Holy Spirit
Count Zinzendorf came to the aid of the Moravian Brethren. He held that the Holy Spirit was matriarchal. Are there any teachings of this perspective in early church history?
9
votes
0answers
128 views
Where does the Catholic church procure most of its Bibles?
I was recently doing some research on Bible publishing and distribution in order to compose this answer over on the Skeptics Stack Exchange site. In spite of the result being well received, I have a ...
8
votes
0answers
51 views
What does “the saints are not keepers of the law, but legislators” mean?
In a recent encyclical marking the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, wrote:
The Wisdom of God, the Lady Theotokos our ...
8
votes
0answers
65 views
What is the status of “The Will to Believe” among contemporary philosophers?
My own conversion experience agrees with William James' "Will to Believe" philosophy. To put it briefly, here's a snippet from Wikipedia:
""The Will to Believe" is a lecture by William James, ...
5
votes
0answers
48 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 ...
5
votes
0answers
75 views
Who compared the Trinity to a triangle with three right angles?
Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464), wrote in part 1, chapter 12 of his De docta ignorantia (1440):
Others who are very talented compared, to the Super-blessed Trinity, a triangle consisting
of three ...
5
votes
0answers
71 views
What does St. Augustine mean by predestination?
St. Augustine says somewhere (quoted in the old Catholic Encyclopedia):
Predestination is nothing else than the foreknowledge and foreordaining of those gracious gifts which make certain the ...
4
votes
0answers
36 views
When did female missionaries first start to appear after the reformation?
Assuming prior to the reformation jesuit priests did not bring missionary wives or families along (as they were not married) when did woman become a normal sighting among missionary work around the ...
4
votes
0answers
31 views
According to Catholic law and rules, is postponing of the Rite of Acceptance OK?
This is a follow-up question for Are those instructed before baptism considered catechumens before entering the catechumenate formally?
In Czech Republic the pre-baptismal formation is often called ...
4
votes
0answers
47 views
How much did Moses and Elijah know about Jesus' Imminent Death?
Luke 9:31 (NLT 1996) [Moses and Elijah] were glorious to see. And they were speaking of how [Jesus] was about to fulfill God's plan by dying in Jerusalem.
Shortly before, Jesus had told his ...
4
votes
0answers
46 views
How did Thomas Aquinas view grace as opposed to the church fathers?
I talked to a teacher at a theological seminary here in Sweden today, and we discussed the nature of grace: Fulfillment of natural potential or completely otherworldly? His idea was that with Thomas ...
4
votes
0answers
29 views
How does current Church of England polity compare with Richard Hooker's teaching?
Richard Hooker's Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1593) is a foundational document for the theology and ecclesiology of the Church of England. In it, he defends (among other things) the Anglican ...
3
votes
0answers
30 views
Is this melody part of the French church mass?
In this article, in the section entitled The “Great” Aleinu History, the author writes that a particular melody used in Jewish High Holiday prayers was added to the French Church Mass in the late 12th ...
3
votes
0answers
43 views
Are there any traditions regarding the non-disciple casting out demons in Jesus' name?
Luke 9:49-50 (NLT)
49 John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn’t in our group.”
50 But Jesus said, “Don’t ...
3
votes
0answers
44 views
Is there any connection between the country of origin of Popes and nearby large gatherings of Catholics or Councils?
Not that a run of 2 means anything (or Rio is in Argentina like I mistakenly assumed It is just down the road) and given there were hundreds of years of Italian popes to skew this statistic, but it ...
2
votes
0answers
27 views
How does the loss of Wesleyan perfectionism differ from Catholic distinctions between mortal and venial sins?
Wesleyan perfectionism is often compared to a Calvinist view of sanctification but this question is different. It is designed for someone familiar with Wesleyan theology to provide an explanation that ...
1
vote
0answers
13 views
What was the first Spiritual Gifts Inventory book published or who was the first to use the method?
Today there is a plethora of books using questionnaires or similar tools in order to identify what spiritual gifts a person might have. I am wondering who was the first using this methodology and/or ...
