The term “saint” is often used to describe a person of exceptional holiness, formally recognized by the Christian Church, especially by canonization. Canonization is a solemn declaration by the pope in which a deceased member of the faithful is proposed as a model and intercessor to the Christian faithful and… Read More
How does the King James (KJV) Bible translation compare to the Contemporary English Version? I have always been told to stay with the KJV but want to understand the Bible better.— Lesa M. Holmes, by e-mail The King James Version (KJV) is a very accurate translation of the… Read More
The 1 Samuel 28.3-25 narrative provides no details about the rituals or conjuring process. In the ancient world, the belief in magic, sorcery and witchcraft was common. Witchcraft and consulting the dead was forbidden by the Law of Moses (Leviticus 19.26, 31), because relying on spirits or powers other than… Read More
The Scripture you have is a New Testament in the King James Version produced by the American Bible Society during World War II. It was probably printed in 1942. Between 1941 and 1945, ABS distributed to our service personnel 4,440,119 copies of the New Testament and a total number of… Read More
There is no Christian ceremony or procedure for the disposal of old, worn Bibles. Although everyone agrees that if a book is worn and no longer usable, it should be discarded, discarding a Bible is a difficult act for many people. It should be remembered that a Bible is a… Read More
I am afraid no one can give you an exact number for the English translations and paraphrases of the Bible printed since Tyndale's New Testament of 1526. In part this is due to the difficulty of determining what should be defined as a new translation as opposed to a correction… Read More
How does the quote from Zechariah 9.9 found in Matthew 21.5 relate to Palm Sunday? — Jonathan Hobbs, by e-mail Matthew realizes that Jesus’ action of riding into Jerusalem on a donkey suggests the prophecy of Zechariah 9.9 and introduces the passage in Matthew 21.5, “Your King is coming to… Read More
What can you tell me about the people of Moab in Genesis? — Mickey Formato, by e-mail Genesis 19.30-38 tells the unusual story of the births of Lot’s sons Moab and Ben-Ammi. Moab is said to have become the father of the Moabites, and his brother the father of the… Read More
Other than Jesus, who in the Bible was given a name by God? —J. MacMichael Jr., via e-mail God named a number of people. – Jacob’s name was changed to Israel (Genesis 35.9-11). – Sarai’s name (Abraham’s wife) was changed to Sarah (Genesis 17.15, 16). –… Read More
Why did God choose Canaan to be his nation on this earth rather than Iraq — the old Eden, which is really rich in oil? —K. Moresi, New Zealand When Abraham was called by God (Genesis 12.1-3) to migrate to Canaan, it was a land of flourishing… Read More
