Christianity

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For questions related to history generally. Use the [church-history] tag for the history of the post-NT church.

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4
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2answers
288 views

According to Catholicism which parts of the Bible actually happened historically?

One of the things that have tested my faith is the question: Did the bible really happen? Was there really a "garden of Eden"? Was there a universal flood" And perhaps more importantly, how important ...
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0answers
46 views

Is there any biblical reference to a third temple being built? [closed]

In referrence to to end times; does the Bible say anywhere that a third temple will be built?
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0answers
39 views

Is there a script of St. Francis' “famous” speach in Bologna, the 15th of August of 1222?

I was reading a book about St. Francis and there is a mention about a "famous" speech he gave in the piazza of Bologna, the 15th of August of 1222. There are several descriptions around of this speech....
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3answers
443 views

What internal evidence supports the historicity of Abraham?

Is there any internal or small external evidence of Abraham's existence? I have heard a claim from skeptics that Abraham is just flat out invented figure who never existed and even COULDN'T have ...
2
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2answers
132 views

Who is Sheshbazzar? Is he the same person as Zerubabbel?

The Bible says: KJV Ezra 1:8 Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. But in the following ...
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2answers
341 views

What is the basis for believing that 40 lashes would be deadly (especially in Roman law or jurisprudence)?

I have commonly heard that 40 lashes were thought to be deadly and thus 39 were issued. It seems as though neither 40 nor 39 lashes had anything to do with the deadliness of the punishment in Jewish ...
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2answers
100 views

Source for Biblical Moral Stories [closed]

Does anyone know of a good book, website, or general source that focuses on telling the the different narrative form moral-stories of the Bible (e.g. Peter walks on water with Jesus, doubts it, then ...
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2answers
316 views

Is the sign of the Cross as well as the crucifix a Catholic “trade mark”?

Why do Catholics have crucifix in their home and Churches; priest, bishops, cardinals, popes and the faithful wear crucifix in their neck and make a sign of the cross before and after prayer and ...
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2answers
182 views

Were the scriptural readings at Mass ever other than Vulgate read at mass pre-Vatican II?

Vatican II allowed vernacular languages for rites. However, the official document about it (Sacrosantum Concilium) doesn't mention anything about Bible readings. Where readings already allowed to be ...
2
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2answers
268 views

Taking shoes off before closing a deal - is there an history evidence?

In bible (Ruth 4,7) it's written that before closing a deal, it was used that one of the sides took his shoes off: Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and ...
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9answers
6k views

Can somebody summarize the different “branches” of Christianity to me, and explain why they exist in the first place?

All my life, I've been massively confused about how there exists separate, seemingly incompatible and separate, "branches" of Christianity. I know about "protestant", "catholic" and then there's ...
3
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1answer
180 views

Why baptise or christen a child multiple times?

I'm researching my family tree and I'm currently investigating ancestors who lived in England in the 18th and 19th centuries (1700-1899). Many of these people were born before birth registrations were ...
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1answer
156 views

Was God discovered or did He reveal Himself?

If He was revealed, why did He wait so long to reveal Himself? Humans have been around for 100,000+ years.
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2answers
270 views

Did Jesus reject the apocrypha?

In this video, John Barnett says "Jesus rejected the apocrypha" at 2:06:46. He goes into detail to discuss how Jesus accepted particular writers but rejected others. Are there any scriptural ...
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2answers
123 views

Biblical or Historical Devil Worshipper?

I am writing a novel happening in 1346. In it, a satanist sect worships some relics of a person that embodies evil (a biblical or historical devil worshipper). In the novel, the chuch will unroot and ...
6
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1answer
148 views

What is the meaning of the stained glass above the altar at Votivkirche in Wien with the Portuguese Quinas on it?

I would like to know more information on a glass painting I found in the church Votivkirche in Wien (Vienna, Austria). Above the person with the shield there is the symbol of the Portuguese Quinas. ...
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1answer
135 views

Was Jesus a liar? (rethorical question, I know he isn´t)

In three of the four gospels Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple, to the last stone. [Matthew 24:1-2] And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way; and his disciples came ...
5
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2answers
225 views

Is the Prophet Jonah the same Jonah as in 2 Kings 14:23-25?

If this is true, then Jonah prophesied that which did not come to pass, good favor from the Lord to Jeroboam. Then Amos 6:13-14 reverses this word of favor upon the evil king. So does this give us ...
4
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1answer
108 views

What was the concept of heaven people had before the death of Jesus?

Catechism of the Catholic Church Para 1026 states : "By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has "opened" heaven to us....." At Luke 15:21 we see the repentant prodigal son declaring : ‘Father, ...
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2answers
52 views

What is Carlo Maria Viganò's religious order?

I was wondering in which religious order did Viganò got ordained as a priest (is he franciscan, jesuit, dominican)?
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0answers
256 views

Are these Messages between Pontius Pilate and Herod real?

Are the messages between Pontius Pilate and Herod real or are there no real epistles found between Herod and Pilate? The source, here is the exact part that I am talking about: From Pilate to ...
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0answers
91 views

Is There Any Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus like some papers or something? [duplicate]

Is there any historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus like some papers or something or from some sources that are not from the bible . I am asking this because an atheist said to me ...
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4answers
236 views

Were birthdays celebrated by believers anywhere in Holy Scriptures?

Is there any mention of a birthday celebration among Old Testament Israelites or New Testament Christians in the Holy Scriptures?
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0answers
93 views

Do the Edomites, Moabites and Ammonites exist today?

I'm not sure if this is the right site for this type of question but I'm asking this because the Bible makes frequent references to these nations in prophecies, some of which pertain to the future, ...
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1answer
44 views

Essenes' Beliefs in Comparison to Christianity

Does anyone know (with sources) what the Essenes taught and believed in relation to what Christ taught? Sources are much appreciated.
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5answers
367 views

Could December 25 as the birthday of Jesus have come from Pagan influences?

Could December 25 as the birthday of Jesus have come from Pagan influences? I am asking this due to the information in the following sources: “NIMROD” – The LORD of Christmas Church of Satan ...
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2answers
110 views

At what time did the scourging at the pillar take place on Good Friday?

I have read some of the post on the accounts that took place between the time of the last supper through the crucifixion hour including the trials. what time would the scourging at the pillar taken ...
2
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2answers
490 views

How did scripture get the name bible?

A man came to my home and said that scriptures got the name bible from a prostitution city called Byblos near Tyre. He said that Byblos means "city of bastards" and it was deceptively put on the bible ...
5
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1answer
126 views

Has Peter Lombard ever been venerated in the Catholic Church?

Peter Lombard was allegedly one of the most important theologians of the Middle Ages. As Wikipedia states, he was: Bishop of Paris, and author of Four Books of Sentences, which became the standard ...
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2answers
265 views

What kind of movement or denomination in Christianity made being a Christian a personal/individual choice?

What kind of movement or denomination in Christianity made being a Christian a personal/individual choice? I recently watched a random YouTube video. Random, because I had no idea how I got there. ...
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2answers
448 views

What was the language that Enoch spoke and did the Book of Enoch get written 3000 years BC is there any proof or carbon dating of that?

I would like to know if the Book of Enoch was dated around 3000 BC and what language did he speak and is there any carbon dating that was use on any book found? And where are the oldest Scripture of ...
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1answer
116 views

What were the godparent requirements back in the 1960s?

My mother was baptised in the Catholic Church in the 1960s. I received information that her godfather (her uncle on her father's side) might not have been Catholic but rather Anglican. Could an ...
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1answer
105 views

What was the 16th century Catholic doctrine on Greek gods?

I've long assumed the Catholics have always denied the existence of pagan gods, hence allowed them to be represented in art as a fiction reminiscent of a heroic and remote past. However, the strong ...
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0answers
74 views

Are there any Eastern-Orthodox theologians who question the historicity of, for example, Moses and Joshua?

Some of the early church fathers seem to condone allegorical interpretations of certain part of scripture (for example Gregory of Nyssa concerning God's killing of the firstborn in Egypt). Are there ...
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4answers
162 views

Did Jesus write a Bible commentary?

It seems that Jesus is what the New Testament tends to consist of; him and his teachings. Did he ever ‘teach’ about the Bible, the first testament, in any capacity?
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1answer
109 views

How to find out more about the the 12 disciples?

How can I find out more about the 12 disciples and their lives and families than is mentioned in the Scriptures? What did they give up and who they left behind, in order to follow Christ.
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2answers
208 views

What's the first ancient document composed by a non-Christian denying the resurrection?

What is the first ancient document composed by a non-Christian denying the resurrection of Jesus that we have access to? I am specifically looking for a document actually penned by a non-Christian, ...
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0answers
86 views

Ties between the Jesuits and the Byzantine?

I am reading into Society of Jesus, seeking to uncover its parallels and differences with Orthodox Christianity. It is attested the Jesuit order was formed in France on August 15th 1534, by Ignatius ...
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1answer
261 views

Why is Christianity fixated on ancient Israeli culture? Is such a 'spacetime-lock' evidence of falsehood?

When I studied Mohammed's religion, I thought the insistence and enforcement of 7th century Arabian culture (e.g. diet, clothing, marriage, law) on the entire planet unreasonable, and evidence it was ...
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0answers
68 views

Which prophecies does Justin Martyr claim predict Jesus' Advent? Please identify them

In his First Apology Justin Martyr writes: We find it also predicted that certain persons should be sent by Him into every nation to publish these things, and that rather among the Gentiles [than ...
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2answers
226 views

Does the Minimal Facts Argument have the potential to the biggest Christian revelation over the last thousand years? [closed]

I recently came across the "Minimal Facts Argument" by Dr Gary Habermas. In short, the argument is that there are a half dozen reliable historical facts (even for those who'd judge the NT as ...
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4answers
3k views

When was David born?

I would like to know when David, the king of Israel, was born.
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2answers
2k views

How did Pope Urban II justify the first Crusade?

According to the ten commandments, you shall not kill anyone. How did Pope Urban II justify from a theological standpoint the First Crusade? Since it was successful, Pope Urban II must have had to ...
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1answer
189 views

Was Judas based on the story of Buddha and Devadatta? [closed]

To oversimplify greatly, Devadatta was a cousin of the Buddha when he was teaching his core disciples. Devadatta and the Buddha had many disagreements on things such as Asceticism. This cause and ...
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2answers
1k views

When did the term “New Testament” first come into usage?

While reading William Bridge's, "The Wounded Conscience Cured," (1642) I came across Bridge's usage of the term "New Testament" : "And in the New Testament, Romans 13.1..." -William Bridge, "...
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2answers
387 views

How were missionaries able to convert native populations? [closed]

What made it possible for Christian missionnaires to convert natives of America, Africa and Asia to another religion despite the fact that they already had beliefs and gods ?
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2answers
972 views

Origin of the (mis)translation “Ten Commandments”

The Old Testament speaks of the עשרת הדברים in Deuteronomy 4:13, a phrase which is translated almost without exception to be the "Ten Commandments" (see here). However, the word הדברים is never else ...
8
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1answer
128 views

Why were Catholic fasting obligations steadily relaxed?

It seems that since the Middle Ages, the fasts prescribed by the Catholic Church were gradually but steadily reduced. Much can be read about the history of these relaxations, but little is said about ...
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0answers
216 views

How many people were killed by Protestant Inquisition style tribunals? Asking for references

It's relatively easy to find estimates for the number of people killed during the Catholic Inquisition; one just needs to check the Wikipedia page, to see several estimates of the number of people ...
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1answer
127 views

What was the literal meaning of the term 'stone rejected by builders'? [closed]

Matthew 21:42 (NASB) says: Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone; This came about from the Lord, ...

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