Questions tagged [history]
For questions related to history generally. Use the [church-history] tag for the history of the post-NT church.
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Was there a time before the East-West schism where heretics outnumbered Catholics?
I am curious whether there was any one heresy that commanded a large enough following that the orthodox Catholics were outnumbered?
The scope of this question is worldwide
The point of view is the ...
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The priest/preacher's prayer before the sermon/homily -- what is it and why do the ECLA (and others) do it?
Tried to put the gist of this in the subject.
Often in my tradition (ELCA), the preacher will say a quick prayer before preaching; often it's the "May the words of my mouth.." prayer, or ...
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What do we know about the seven nations in Deut. 7:1, 2? [migrated]
In Deut 7:1, 2 we read of seven nations that were cast out. What were they known for in terms if their religion or culture, that merited their total annihilation?
Why were they so bad that they needed ...
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Did the early church believe that St. Peter was the first pope?
Roman Catholics believe that St. Peter was the first Pope, had primacy over the church and was given a pastoral role by the Lord Jesus Christ himself, we know the scripture argument for the papacy, ...
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Did the early church believe in the Papacy?
Roman Catholics believe that St. Peter was the first Pope, had primacy over the church and was given a pastoral role by the Lord Jesus Christ himself, we know the scripture argument for the papacy, ...
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Has anyone ever published a list comparing the amount of historically verified events from the Bible vs. the Book of Mormon?
Thus far, answers to this question, indicate that traditional Christian faith would suffer greatly if people, locations, and events recorded in the Bible could not be historically verified while ...
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How important is the historical verification of Biblical events to traditional Christian faith?
Two answers to a question regarding the Book of Mormon contain the following:
Without the Book of Mormon, nothing at all remains. If the Book of
Mormon is true, Joseph is a prophet and everything ...
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What is a brief history of the term "reformed" as in Reformed churches and Reformed theology?
Why do theologies and churches based on the teaching of Calvin consistently self-identify using the term "Reformed" even down to the 21st century, such as the 2019 Reformed Systematic ...
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How long had John the Baptist been preaching before Jesus started his public ministry?
I am wondering how long John the Baptist had been preaching before Jesus started his public ministry.
Had John been preaching for a few weeks, a few months, or for a few years before Jesus came to see ...
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How do believers in post-mortal consciousness respond to objections by the Jewish Encyclopedia article on the immortality of the soul?
I'm specifically referring to this article: https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8092-immortality-of-the-soul
--
Some quotes
IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL (late Hebrew, "hasharat ha-nefesh"...
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Is it odd that there is only one sentence about the death of David?
I read in 2nd Samuel from the time that David was anointed with oil to the beginning of Judges to Davids death and burial. Davids life is described in much detail, great detail. Both good and bad are ...
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Non-Christian scholars who believe in the attributed authorship of the Gospels
Modern scholarship tends to reject the attributed authorship of the gospels. But are there non-Christian scholars who believe in the attributed authorship?
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According to believers in the deity of Christ, is the historical evidence for this belief as strong as the historial evidence for the Biblical canon?
I ask this question as a follow-up to For Christians who are skeptical of the writings of the Apostolic & Ante-Nicene Fathers, what is their epistemological basis for trusting a canon?. I highly ...
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How did the author Daniel copy Babylonian literature?
This is an apologetics question involving history and archeology to which I’m looking for a christian’s answer.
Below is a quote from theologian Joyce G. Baldwin on her essay (pg.97) regarding the ...
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Who was the first Christian to list the books of the Old Testament in the Lutheran bible?
Who was the first Christian (not necessarily Lutheran) to list the books of the Old Testament in the Lutheran bible, without additions or subtractions, and without later changing his mind?
This source ...
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What is the biblical and historical basis for Full Preterism?
Not much to add to the title.
What are biblical and historical arguments for Full Preterism?
For those interested in the opposite view: What is the biblical and historical basis for the belief that ...
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Has any monk or nun ever left a monastery to be married to a king or queen?
Has any monk or nun in Church history ever left a monastery to be married to a king or queen?
St. Margaret of Hungary, according to Short Lives of the Dominican Saints p. 16, almost did:
Her parents ...
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Was Mt. Sinai a volcano?
Just watched this glorious video. In watching it, the similarity of the imagery to the description of God's presence as fire and smoke in the wilderness of Exodus and especially on Mt. Sinai was ...
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Are there instances in scripture of technical or scientific expressions pre-dating their discovery by other sources?
I am interested to see if there are any reliable references in (peer-reviewed) scientific literature or learned articles which indicate that some expressions in scripture pre-date scientific or ...
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Why doesn't hallucination, common burial, legend, and gullibility explain the rise of Christianity (rather than the Resurrection)? How is this wrong?
What scholarship refutes the following view of history? How do we know this alternative to the Gospel is incorrect?
Jesus is executed by the Roman empire after preaching a loving humanism based on ...
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What evidence can be used to show the historicity of Jesus?
In a debate about the historicity of Jesus, what/whom can I reference to show that Jesus was an historical figure?
It seems the “Jesus as a Myth” crowd is still with us.
Note:
(1) I already am ...
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What are scholarly books for and against the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus?
In order to have a well-rounded understanding of the arguments for and against a historical resurrection of Jesus, what would be a comprehensive list of must-read scholarly books defending its ...
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If Joseph Smith "inaccurately" translated Egyptian hieroglyphs in his Book of Abraham, does this cast doubt on his translation, the Book of Mormon?
In 1842, Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) acquired writings in Egyptian hieroglyphics.These writings were genuine hieroglyphs and were the bases for ...
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Do we know more details about the act of Jesus' birth beyond Luke 2?
Luke's Gospel tells us simply that Jesus was born to Mary and placed in a manger. It doesn't say if it was an easy or difficult birth, who helped deliver the baby, and so on.
I want to write a ...
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Did the Catholic Church make a conscious effort in re-naming the seven days of the week?
We see the Church having had great influence on many aspects of the development of human kind, including education, culinary habits etc. The very division of history by the term Before Christ and ...
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Can Catholics morally object to sharia law?
Christians often criticize sharia law because the death penalty is applied for crimes like adultery, apostasy, fornication, etc. Sharia is often compared to the legal laws given in the O.T, but it is ...
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Are there biblical examples that justify fantasy-scare?
By fantasy-scare, I mean the scare surrounding things like Dungeons & Dragons (a tabletop roleplaying game), Harry Potter or other media that depicts magic as narrative element and neutral part of ...
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Are there any extra-biblical documented cases of readily visible ailments or diseases that have been miraculously healed?
By readily visible ailment or disease I mean any malady of the body whose presence is quite obvious to the naked eye. For example: leprosy, visible bone fractures, severe cases of scoliosis where the ...
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Are there instances of miracles that are officially recognized by non-Catholic denominations?
The Catholic Church is well-known for its strictness in evaluating before officially accepting concrete instances of miracles. According to Wikipedia:
The Catholic Church believes miracles are works ...
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Are there any remains/fossils after Noah's flood?
As its considered that the flood happened on a global scale at Noah's time and its occurrence; are there any human (considerable account) & animal fossils/remains (apart from the ship) that ...
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Bloodletting and Protestantism?
After a bit of googling I've found that the Catholic Church prohibited bloodletting at the Council of Tours in 1163.
Bloodletting
But nothing about Protestant opinions...
Some Protestant author wrote ...
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Is there a consensus among Christian scholars or apologists as to which Biblical prophecies have been fulfilled?
Questions such as Biblical Prophecy and Fulfillment and Which prophecies have definitely been fulfilled? have already been asked in the past, but they have been closed due to their wording that ...
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Empirical evidence of historically mentioned locations/people/ things in the bible
I was arguing with a friend on religion and they mentioned that other religions' have more historical validity than bible. An example he cited for Islam was the instance of Mecca which is a physical ...
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Does any denomination have records of performing exorcisms on atheists?
Has an atheist, an agnostic, a naturalist or anyone lacking a belief in the supernatural for that matter ever been demon possessed or had a demonic experience of any kind? Is this even possible to ...
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St. Gregory the Great quote on how intellectual work is physically exhausting?
Years ago I read a quote—by St. Gregory the Great or St. Jerome, I think—on how intellectual work is physically exhausting. Who said that and in what work?
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Why is the Church of England planning a formal “act of repentance” to apologise to the Jewish community for the expulsion of Jews in 1290?
The 1222 Synod of Oxford approved of two canons aimed against Jews living in England. The Synod was held on the 11th of June, and presided over by Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury and ...
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Is Unterbrink's theory that the Judas of Galilee in Acts 5 is Jesus tenable?
I am a Christian and came across a theory by atheist Daniel T Unterbrink where he claims that Judas of Galilee from Acts 5 is actually Jesus insofar that the gospel accounts of Judas of Galilee (not ...
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What is the biblical and historical basis for the belief that the Second Coming of Christ hasn't happened yet (as of 2021)?
Simple question: many Christians believe that the Parousia (aka the Second Coming of Christ) hasn't happened yet (as of 2021). Why? What is the biblical and historical basis? What are the strongest ...
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According to Full Preterists, what historical facts fulfilled the signs and wonders prophesied by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:9?
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (ESV):
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by ...
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Was Pilate mandated to withhold the body of Jesus after the Crucifixion?
We read in Jn 19:38 of the preparation for burial of Jesus after his death on the cross:
After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear ...
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Has a healing miracle ever been recorded on camera?
Simple question: has a healing miracle ever been recorded on camera? I'm open to answers from any Christian groups/denominations.
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Have Jehovah's Witnesses ever encountered a demon-possessed person in the mission field or in other contexts?
Many Christians of different denominations have reported encounters with demon-possessed individuals. Catholic exorcists are an obvious example. In the mission field, reports of demonic possessions in ...
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What historical periods do the 390 year and 40 year periods refer to in Ezekiel 4:1-8?
In Ezekiel chapter 4 the prophet was instructed to lie on his left side for 390 days, a day for each year of the sin of Israel, and then to lie on his right side for 40 days for the sin of Judah.
What ...
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Why were the mystical works of Richard of St. Victor called "Benjamin"?
Richard of St. Victor (d. 1173) wrote two treatises in mystical theology, sometimes called Benjamin Minor and Benjamin Major. But where do those titles come from? It seems the first one has something ...
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Did the early Church become full preterist after AD 70?
Full preterists believe that the last trumpet call took place in AD 70. A very elaborate presentation of this view can be found in Gina's answer in one of my previous questions. A quote from the ...
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Is it correct to say Bible has 2 eyewitness accounts (Matthew, Mark and Luke as comprehensive one & John being the other) of Jesus Christ's lifetime?
Since the Synoptic problem indicates that the Synoptic gospels form a comprehensive view that gives a holistic perspective, therefore, bible readers can Not use the argument that the 3 gospels of ...
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What is the historical basis for the claim that there were hundreds of eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus?
I've heard, in several informal situations, claims to the effect that there were hundreds of eyewitness to the resurrection of Jesus. That many saw him and even interacted with him over the span of ...
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According to full preterists, what is the historical basis for viewing the last trumpet call as a historical fact that has already been fulfilled?
Different passages in the Bible shed light on the events that would unfold at the signal of the last trumpet call:
1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (ESV):
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot ...
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Looking for orthodox movies about St. Francis and St. Clare
There are tons of movies about St. Francis and St. Clare, is there a complete list of movies that, I don't know, rank by historicity and orthodoxy? I've seen a few movies about them but can't ...
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Does the concept of Godhead (one God, but multiple persons) predate Christianity? Can we find evidence of this concept in Judaism before 0 A.D.?
Was the concept of Godhead (one God, but multiple persons) known by the Jews prior to the advent of Christianity? Were there Jews that held a Binitarian, Trinitarian or similar "Godhead" ...