Unlikely. This is based on the similarity between kolouo “to prune” and kolazo “to punish”, which may or may not indicate a shared etymology earlier in the Greek language. It is evidenced only by one text – a literal reading of an instance by the botanist Theophrastus of the ‘punishment’ or ‘pruning’ ‘docking’ of an […]
Jesus says “days of Abiathar the high priest” (Mark. 2:26) but why not Abimelech (1 Samuel 21:1-6)?
25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” (NIV) Abiathar […]
What was the “thirteenth tribe” of Israel?
There was no thirteenth tribe of Israel in the Bible. This is a modern antisemitic conspiracy theory with no support among scholars. To illustrate, the following is taken from An Antisemitic Conspiracy Theory is Being Shared on Telegram to Justify Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine 5th May 2022 By Lea Gerster for the Institute for Strategic […]
Is “the land of Sinim” in Isaiah 49:12 China?
No. It is unlikely that the context refers to China. Firstly because Isaiah 49 seems to relate to a more local geography and also because the name Sinae is not attached to China at this period. Gesenius favoured China, but other lexicographers have pointed also at Syene, modern Aswan, in Egypt. The KJV left the […]
What is the tablet theory of Genesis authorship and is it biblical?
This is a textual theory as follows: Per Craig David (2007) … the Tablet Theory of Genesis first suggested by Percy Wiseman makes a genuine effort to explain the appearance of antiquity in Genesis. Wiseman states: “The book of Genesis was originally written on tablets in the ancient script of the by the patriarchs who were intimately concerned with […]
What does the Greek word morphe mean?
The word μορφὴ (morphē, form, appearance) is a classical Greek noun best known from Mark’s brief mention of Jesus having appeared to two disciples in another morphē – which is expanded in Luke 24:13-35 where Luke says that Cleopas and the other unnamed disciples’ eyes were “holden” to not recognize Jesus. And also from Philippians […]
What is Tartarus?
Tartarus occurs as ‘the deep’ in the Septuagint of Job 40:20 about the mythical beast Behemoth, and again in 41:32 (numbered 41:24 in LXX) about the lair of another mythical beast Leviathan. 20 And when he has gone up to a steep mountain, he causes joy to the quadrupeds in the deep. (Job 40:20 LXX ἐν τῷ ταρτάρῳ, […]
Why are there different churches with different names? Isn’t it against the will of God to separate the church?
This is a big question and the answer is not as straightforward as you might think. On the one hand, the New Testament encourages believers to live in unity with one another (e.g. Eph 4:3). On the other hand, the New Testament warns against those who spread false teaching (e.g. 2 John 1:10-11). Imagine there […]
If Jesus was alone then how did Matthew know what happened during Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness?
Question: Did an angel tell Matthew about the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness? Or did Jesus tell the disciples during his ministry? Answer: There are at least four reasons to think that the answer is the second of the above; that Jesus himself told the disciples the account of the temptations in the wilderness: (1) if […]
What did Paul mean by “baptised for the dead”? (1 Corinthians 15:29)
Paul’s reference to “those who are baptized for the dead” is one of the more obscure references in 1 Corinthians: Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? (1 Corinthians 15:29) Christian readers […]