Little Known Bible & Christian Facts
1. The word "Bible" is not anywhere in the Bible.
2. The Bible never identified the forbidden fruit eaten by Adam and Eve as being an apple.
3. The Ten Commandments are not numbered in the Bible
4. The names of the Kings or "Wise Men" are never mentioned in the Bible.
5. The Bible was originally written with no chapter or verse.
6. The Bible does not contain a list of which books belong in it.
7. The name Jesus means "God Saves." The Term Christ is a title for "Anointed of God.
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MANY THINGS TO MANY PEOPLE
For MUSLIMS and some JEWS, Jesus was a Prophet. Buddhists say he was enlightened. Hindus call him an Avatar (The incarnation of a deity in human form) and Christians hail him as the SON OF GOD.
Although he is understood in many different ways, Everyone seems to agree that he was a very Extraordinary Man.
During the course of his ministry, Jesus preformed many miracles including walking on water, turning water into wine, turning one fish and loaf of bread into enough to feed hundreds, bringing people back from the dead, curing the sick and many exorcisms. Jesus even exercised power over the elements on occasion.
Often, people would travel hundreds of miles, on foot, and stand for hours just to hear Jesus preach. The sick were healed by Jesus' touch and on one occasion (MATTHEW 8:5-13) Jesus healed an ARMY officer's family member simply by saying that they were healed, and never actually seeing them.
During his (approximate) Three years of ministry, Jesus preached lessons of patience, loving your enemy as well as your neighbors, how to pray to the Lord (The Lords Prayer), who are blessed in the eyes of the Lord (the Beatitudes), and unconditional, selfless service of God and for all people. Selflessness was a main theme of Jesus' messages. Jesus was often in the company of society's undesirable people, giving them hope and forgiving their sins. The messages of Christ varied from "I did not come to judge the world, but to save it." (John 12:47) to "Do not think that I have come to bring peace."
The love of Jesus Christ was unconditional, and for all mankind.
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Modern Christianity is widely diverse in its social structures, beliefs and practices, but this diversity is mild compared to the first three centuries A.D., when Christians disagreed on such basic issues as how many gods there were, or whether Jesus was human, divine, both, or neither.
"The Didache". Its full name is "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles to the Nations", it was shortened to "The Teaching". "Didache" is Greek for "Teaching". Written in 120 AD by the Apostle's students, it is not a theological document, but a practical guide for Christian living, that was the focus of the early Church, living day-to-day by following Christ.
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Godfrey Higgins has discovered two references, one in the Midrashjoholeth and the other in the Abodazara (early Jewish commentaries on the Scriptures), to the effect that the surname of Joseph's family was Panther, for in both of these works it is stated that a man was healed "in the name of Jesus ben Panther." The name Panther establishes a direct connection between Jesus and Bacchus--who was nursed by panthers and is sometimes depicted riding either on one of these animals or in a chariot drawn by them. The monogram IHS, which today is interpreted to mean Iesus Hominum Salvator (Jesus Savior of Men), is another direct link between the Christian and the Bacchic rites. IHS is derived from the Greek ΥΗΣ, which, as its numerical value (608) signifies, is emblematic of the sun and constituted the sacred and concealed name of Bacchus. (See The Celtic Druids by Godfrey Higgins.)
Midrash (Hebrew: מדרשH; plural midrashim, "story" from "to investigate" or "study") also "Interpretation" or "Exposition", refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible. Midrash is a way of interpreting biblical stories that goes beyond simple distillation of religious, legal, or moral teachings. It fills in many gaps left in the biblical narrative regarding events and personalities that are only hinted at.
The original purpose of midrash was to resolve problems in the interpretation of difficult passages of the text of the Hebrew Bible, using Rabbinic principles of hermeneutics and philology to align them with the religious and ethical values of religious teachers. This method of interpretation was eventually expanded "to provide scriptural pretexts to justify oral tradition"
Homiletic's is the study of the composition and delivery of a sermon or other religious discourse. It includes all forms of preaching.
Exegesis (from the Greek ἐξήγησις from ἐξηγεῖσθαι 'to lead out') is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Exegesis includes a wide range of critical disciplines: textual criticism is the investigation into the history and origins of the text, but exegesis may include the study of the historical and cultural backgrounds for the author, the text, and the original audience.
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Hellenistic diaspora Jews (those who had left Israel but continued living as Jews in the ancient Greek or Roman empire) used a Greek translation of their scriptures (known as the Septuagint) that included slightly more than a dozen texts not found in the Hebrew scriptures. As a result of this difference between the Septuagint and the Hebrew canons, Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant Christians include (or exclude) different books of Hebrew scripture, which are thus known as apocrypha (from a Greek word meaning "hidden things").
Nowhere does the Bible itself tell us *which books* are inspired. The Bible gives us no such list. Take the Gospel of Mark. It’s inspired, but how do you know it is? Who told you this and why do you believe them? Mark wasn't even an apostle (and neither was Luke) and the Gospel of Mark doesn't even claim its inspired, so why believe it is? You believe it is inspired because the early Catholic Church declared it inspired. The Catholic Church officially did this in the 4th century and defined the list of inspired books we know now as the Holy Bible at the "Council of Carthage." And at the same time it proclaimed that the "Gospel of Thomas" who was an Apostle to be NOT inspired.
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The Beloved Disciple
While most scholars dismiss the idea that Mary Magdalene married Jesus, or bore him a child, a few still think that she could have been the Beloved Disciple. In fact there is some evidence that she did have a "special" relationship with Jesus. For instance, in a fragment of the apocryphal "Gospel of Mary", the disciple Levi tells Peter "Surely the Savior knows her very well. That is why he loved her more than us." Another apocryphal work, the Gospel of Philip, also may contain hints of a special relationship between Mary and Jesus.
However, John 20:1-2 says "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” This clearly says that she went running to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. So if the disciple whom Jesus loved wasn't Mary, then who was it.
Was it John the Son of Zebedee? The main reason for identifying John Zebedee as the Beloved Disciple is church tradition. However, there is no known mention of this tradition until near the end of the second century, probably at least 80 years after the gospel was written. Also, the identification could have resulted from confusion between John Zebedee and John the Elder, a later figure who may have put the gospel into its final form. For these reasons, many scholars doubt the validity of the tradition.
Several items of evidence also seem inconsistent with the idea that John was the Beloved Disciple. For example, it is unlikely that a Galilean fisherman would have had a house in or near Jerusalem, or would have been allowed to witness the interrogations of Jesus by the Jewish leaders and Pilate. Also, if a prominent disciple like John was the authority behind the fourth gospel, its author most likely would have mentioned it within the gospel itself, since this would add legitimacy and prestige to the work.
How about Lazarus? A number of scholars have argued that the Beloved Disciple was Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany, and the man that Jesus raised from the dead. Much of the argument is based on John 11:1-3, which says that as Lazarus lay sick, his sisters sent a message to Jesus which said "Lord, the one you love is sick." John 11:5 and 11:36 also say that Jesus loved Lazarus.
The Gospel of John never mentions Lazarus by name after Chapter 12, and it first mentions the Beloved Disciple in Chapter 13. Some argue that this isn't a coincidence, but that the gospel simply changed its way of referring to Lazarus.
John 11:18-19 indicates that Lazarus' house in Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and that he knew many people in the city. This could mean that he had enough social status to gain admittance to the interrogations of Jesus. His house was also close enough to Jerusalem to serve as a home for Jesus' mother.
The other three gospels never mention Lazarus, at least not by name. John 11:16 indicates that some of the other disciples saw Jesus raise him from the dead, so they must have known about the incident. It seems odd that the other gospels would fail to mention such a remarkable miracle. However, a fragment of the Secret Gospel of Mark does appear to describe the incident, although it doesn't give the raised man's name.
Overall, Lazarus seems a good fit for the evidence, and many scholars think that he is the best candidate.
A “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” on a Coptic Papyrus
http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/a-gospel-of-jesus-wife-on-a-coptic-papyrus/