Malchus: The Roman Soldier in the Garden of Gethsemane
The short answer: In the Bible, Malchus is the servant of the high priest whom St. Peter struck with a sword when the Jews came to arrest Jesus. He is mentioned in only one Gospel account and is not considered a saint in any tr...
What is the longest book in the Bible? And the shortest?
Questions about which book of the Bible is the longest or the shortest are a little misleading because the answers depend entirely how you count. The first issue is that there isn’t a single canon of scripture. The older canon ...
The Symbolism of Birds in the Bible
As a general category, birds don’t symbolize any particular thing in the Bible, but different species are used for a variety of different types of symbolism. Owls and other birds of prey are often used to represent desolation. ...
Emperor, Liberator: Who was Cyrus in the Bible?
To understand the significance of Cyrus the Great, we need a little bit of context for the history of the ancient Israelites. If you know your Old Testament history, you know that there were two important time periods in the hi...
"It is well with my soul": Bible verse or hymn lyric?
The phrase “it is well with my soul” does not appear in the Bible as an exact quote. It was penned by a nineteenth-century Protestant named Horatio G. Spafford. The sentiment is not entirely un-Biblical, however, as you could a...
What are the best Bible verses about love and trust?
There are many passages in the Bible that address love—some of which are quite powerful. Two of the most famous are from 1 John and 1 Corinthians: 1 John 4:7-8: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyon...
Barachiel and Baraqiel: Angels named outside Scripture
Investigating angel lore is a tricky subject. There are a lot of false leads and made-up information, as well as careful distinctions that need to be considered. One issue is that angel names tend to derive from Hebrew, and the...
Anna in the Bible: The Prophetess and the Mother of Mary
There are two women named “Anna” who were very important in the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. One is the prophetess Anna who lived in the temple and constantly fasted and prayed. She was old by the time she encountered...