Are soul ties a Christian idea? A scholar responds
What does God say about breaking soul ties? Nothing. Because soul ties—as a specific concept and not a general sense that physical things have spiritual content—are a modern idea, there is nothing in the Bible, the writings of ...
Bestiality and other deviant sexual practices in the Bible
The Bible lists many prohibitions on various kinds of sexual behavior. Leviticus puts the main ones in a short list together, and includes adultery and homosexuality along with bestiality: “...you shall not lie carnally with yo...
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 ...
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...
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...
Abishai: Military leader for King David in the Bible
Abishai was a military leader who served under King David. He was the oldest son of David’s sister Zeruiah, who married a man named Suri. He commanded one of the three divisions of the army in the battle against David’s betraye...
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...