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Biblical Inspiration and the Canon: How We Got the Bible

The Bible is often described as “God-breathed,” a phrase taken from 2 Timothy 3:16: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” But what does it mean for Scripture to be “inspired,” and how did the books of the Bible come to be recognised as part of the canon — the authoritative collection of writings that make up the Bible? Were they really “decided” at the Council of Nicaea, as some popular myths claim? Table of Contents Understanding Biblical Inspiration What is the Canon? The Septuagint and the Deuterocanonical Books How Were the Books of the Bi...

Slavery in the Bible – Does God Condone Slavery?

This is a guest post by Joshua Spaulding from eternalanswers.org. The views are that of the author and don't necessarily reflect the views of That Ancient Faith. As you read through the Scriptures, you will come across some passages that seem to suggest that slavery is not condemned by God. Some who think this to be the case are sincerely seeking truth, while others are only looking for reasons to discount the Bible. Some of the passages in question are Exodus 21:2-6, Deuteronomy 15:12-15, Ephesians 6:5 and Colossians 4:1 which provide instruction on the treatment of slaves. In light of these Scriptures, does God condone slavery? Before diving too deep...

Scientist Uncovers Hidden 1,750-Year-Old New Testament Translation with Ultraviolet Imaging

...ll Hebrew Bible books. Created around 900, the book comprises 24 books split into three sections. The Hebrew Bible is fundamental to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, with the 24 books comprising the canonical Hebrew Scriptures: the Torah, the Nevi'im, and the Ketuvim. Sotheby's, the fine arts company auctioning the manuscript, estimates it could fetch up to $50 million at the New York auction. Prior to the auction, the manuscript will tour major cities, including Tel Aviv, Israel, Dallas, and Los Angeles, granting the public an opportunity to view it. Further Reading Scientist discovers 'erased' 1,750-year-old Bible translation | World News (christianpo...

The Coming of Jesus: Revelation Fulfilled?

...rpret the Bible properly.   Two Dating Views There are two main views on the dating of Revelation: the “early date” and the “late date”. The early date places John writing Revelation around 64-68 AD, shortly before the fall of Jerusalem and just as the Jewish War was getting underway during the reign of Nero. The late date puts the writing towards the end of the reign of Domitian around 95-96 AD. From John’s own testimony, we know that he was suffering persecution at the time of writing: Revelation 1:9 I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos...

Should Christians get tattoos, and is it Biblical?

...ll of the Bible. That gives us even less context. From looking at the definition in my Strong’s ESV, it gives a few cross references for this verse which are all to do with pagan mourning rituals which involve cutting yourself in some way, as Leviticus speaks of: Leviticus 21:1–5; Deut. 14:1; 1 Kings. 18:28; Jer. 16:6; 41:5; 47:5; 48:37. If you have a look through some of those references, you’ll see that there was definitely a common practice amongst the pagan nations which had some type of mourning ritual that involved cutting themselves (or as part of worship, as we see with the Baal priests who went up against Elijah in 1 Kings 18). The language used...

Support Israel? OK, which Israel?

...ying "the Bible says God gave the land to the Jews, therefore they can blow up anyone who says otherwise" and thus "support" Israel because they are God's "chosen" people – to that I say you've misunderstood the New Covenant, and possible the role of God with Israel. Even if you believe the Jews have some special status with God over and above the rest of us, there's still the issue that even from a cursory read of the Old Testament, it was GOD who protected Israel and often specifically told them to go to battle with seemingly weaker positions so that it could be shown that God was their protector, not their own might (eg. Judges 7:2; Lev 26:7-9). With th...