Enoch is first mentioned in Genesis 4&5. There are two particularly intriguing verses about him: Gen. 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now […]
Did Paul write Romans?
The person who asked this question highlighted the contrast between Rom. 1:1 — which says the letter to the Romans is from Paul — and Rom. 16:22, which says: I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord. In this situation, Tertius is working as Paul’s secretary, writing down the words that Paul […]
Who saw heaven and returned to earth?
I think the questioner is referring to 2 Corinthians 12:1-5: I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven-whether in the body […]
What did it mean to be rich in biblical times?
Material wealth was distributed very unevenly throughout the biblical period. A small number of people owned a vast proportion of the land and resources, while most people lived in comparative poverty. The concept of a large middle class is a relatively recent and largely Western phenomenon. The wealth of the elite was almost always based […]
Who was the devil in the wilderness?
The devil is an allegory, the personification of temptation. The following details support the suggestion that the ‘temptation’ in the wilderness in Matthew 4 and Luke 4 is an allegory probably told to the disciples by Jesus himself, not a literal event with a literal tempter figure (angelic or human) following Jesus. Some of the […]
What is the “Holy Spirit”?
The word ‘spirit’ The word ‘spirit’ in Hebrew is the same word (ruakh) as ‘breath’ or ‘wind’. These are the first two uses in the Bible: Genesis 1:2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the spirit of God was hovering (or blowing) over the […]
Should women still wear head coverings?
The only passage that discusses this is 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. The passage appears to state that head coverings for women were essential in first century churches whenever they “prayed and prophesied” (“prayed and prophesied” equates both activities as spoken, out loud). There is no verse which indicates that this rule applied to women who did not […]
Who was the “cherub in Eden” (Ezekiel 28:13-14)?
In earlier years, “the cherub in Eden” of Ezekiel 28:13 was frequently identified as Satan. (Compare also the question on Isaiah 14 and “Lucifer”). Although this is less common today, one can see how someone looking for the origin of the ‘fallen angel’ Satan of medieval legend might be drawn to this chapter, if they […]
When did the word “holy” get added to “holy bible”?
The word “holy” is first used to distinguish the Old Testament scriptures in the New Testament: [the gospel] which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures (Rom 1:2) and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in […]
What does “born again” mean?
The term “born again” only occurs three times in the Bible: twice in John 3:3-7 and once in 1 Peter 1:23. When Jesus introduced the term, Nicodemus didn’t understand what he meant. So Jesus explained ““Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of […]