Was Luluwa the wife of Cain?
The Bible does not identify Cain’s wife, and while some traditional, extra-Biblical sources attempt to explain where Cain and Abel acquired wives, most of these sources are of dubious authority. Many ancient sources indicate th...
Is Sachiel a real angel?
During the Medieval period there was a minority interest in producing grimoires, which were magical texts with instructions on how to do things like interact with various spiritual beings, performs spells, and create magical ob...
Athaliah, ancient queen regnant of Israel
It’s important to get definitions right when trying to answer this question. Athaliah was the daughter of the king of Judah, king Ahab, and his wife, queen Jezebel. Through a series of political maneuvers, she became the first ...
A PhD explains the phrase "What the devil meant for evil"
There isn’t a single, specific Bible verse about what “the enemy meant for evil,” but the closest is Genesis 50:20: “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this...
Two biblical figures: Belteshazzar or Belshazzar
There was no king “Belteshazzar” in the Bible, though you may be misled by the similarity of this name to “Belshazzar.” The latter was a king, the last king of the Neo-Babylonian empire, and some scholars believe that he was th...
Who was St. Gemma Galgani, patron of students?
St. Gemma seems to have had a variety of health problems throughout her life. As a child, she was generally of ill health. At age 16, she developed spinal meningitis. She prayed to the sacred heart of Jesus for recovery from he...
Benaiah, soldier of David and Solomon: What did he do?
Benaiah, son of Jehoiada was one of King David’s “mighty men” in the Old Testament. He was one of the supporting characters in the life of King David, especially in the complicated struggle for the throne among David’s sons. W...
Is Gadreel a real angel?
The name “Gadreel” is not found in the Bible. It comes from another highly influential ancient text called the Book of Enoch. In that book, Gadreel is listed as one of the mighty angelic beings called “Watchers,” many of whom f...