Christians claim that the Christian religion is true, because there
are more than 2 billion Christians in the world, and it is impossible
that 2 billion people could be wrong.
When debating with the Christian remind him that there are 2 billion
Muslims in the world, and then ask a Christian the question: can 2
billion people be wrong? Is there any possibility that 2 billion people
could be wrong? This elementary simple question puts a Christian in
deadlock.
In argumentation theory, an
argumentum ad populum (Latin for "appeal to the people") is a
fallacious argument that concludes that a proposition is true because
many or most people believe it: "If many believe so, it is so."
This type of argument is known by several names, including appeal to
the masses, appeal to belief, appeal to the majority, appeal to
democracy, appeal to popularity, argument by consensus, consensus
fallacy, authority of the many, bandwagon fallacy, vox populi, and in
Latin as argumentum ad numerum ("appeal to the number"), fickle crowd
syndrome, and consensus gentium ("agreement of the clans"). It is also
the basis of a number of social phenomena, including communal
reinforcement and the bandwagon effect. The Chinese proverb "three men
make a tiger" concerns the same idea.
Wikipedia
In Christianity there are more than 41 thousand of Christian
denominations and each of them believes in different dogmas.
In many countries, censuses and
demographic surveys do not include the
detailed denominational affiliation and religious self-identification
measures necessary for determining the size of global movements within
Christianity (such as evangelicalism, pentecostalism and the
charismatic movement). The figures on Christian movements in this
report were commissioned by the Pew Forum from the Center for the Study
of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in
South Hamilton, Mass. CSGC researchers generated their estimates based
in large part on figures provided by Christian denominations and
organizations around the world. CSGC has obtained denominational
membership information from about 41,000
organizations worldwide.
Appendix B: Methodology for
Estimating Christian Movements, "Global Christianity: A Report on the
Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population", The Pew
Forum on Religion & Public Life, December 19, 2011.
It is interesting to note that there are several denominations of
Christians whose dogmas claim the Jesus is not the God – as for
example, Jehovah's Witnesses claim that Jesus is not the God.
Nontrinitarianism (or
antitrinitarianism) refers to monotheistic belief systems, primarily
within Christianity, which reject or disavow the Christian doctrine of
the Trinity, namely, the teaching that God is three distinct hypostases
or persons and yet co-eternal, co-equal, and indivisibly united in one
essence or ousia.
Modern nontrinitarian Christian groups or denominations include
Christadelphians, Christian Scientists, Dawn Bible Students, Friends
General Conference, Iglesia ni Cristo, Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), La Luz del Mundo,
Living Church of God, Oneness Pentecostals, Unitarian Universalist
Christians and the United Church of God.
Is Jesus Almighty God?
<...>
Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, not Almighty God. If Jesus were
God, to whom was he praying while here on earth? (Matthew
14:23; 26:26-29)
Surely Jesus was not just pretending to talk to someone else!
Watch Tower Online Library.
Jehovah's Witnesses Official Web
Site
Is Jesus Almighty God?
The Bible’s answer
Jesus’ opposers accused him of making himself equal to God. (John
5:18; 10:30-33)
However, Jesus never claimed to be on the same level as Almighty God.
He said: “The Father is greater than I am.” — John
14:28.
Jesus’ early followers did not view him as being equal to Almighty God.
For example, the apostle Paul wrote that after Jesus was resurrected,
God “exalted him [Jesus] to a superior position.” Obviously, Paul did
not believe that Jesus was Almighty God. Otherwise, how could God exalt
Jesus to a superior position? — Philippians
2:9.
Watch Tower Online Library.
Jehovah's Witnesses Official Web
Site
However all Christian denominations share one common ground – they
all claim that “New Testament” is holy and has no error. So let’s have
a closer look at the text of “New Testament”.
All the material about Christian theology below is divided into small
logical chapters and each chapter ends with a question which you should
ask a Christian during the debate about Christianity.
Chapter #1: Prophecies of Jesus
Christians claim that all biblical prophecies were fulfilled or will
be fulfilled in future. So let’s a have a closer look at the prophecies
of New Testament.
In Matthew 24:1-34 (and also in Mark
13:24-31, Mark 9:1, Luke 9:23-27) Jesus
makes prophecies that: 1) the Second Coming of Jesus, 2) “End of the
World”,
and 3) Judgment Day are going to happen within the lifetime of people
then living in that area (“this generation will not pass away until
all these things take place”).
However all theses prophecies of Jesus have failed – the generation of
Jesus have all died out without ever seeing the fulfillment of
prophecies of Jesus.
1 Jesus left the temple and was
going away, when his disciples came to
point out to him the buildings of the temple.
2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to
you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not
be thrown down.”
3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him
privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will
be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.
<....>
27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the
west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
29 “Immediately after
the tribulation of those days the sun will
be darkened, and the moon will not
give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of
the heavens will be shaken.
30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all
the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of
Man
coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they
will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to
the other.
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes
tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at
the very gates.
34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will
not pass away until all these things take place.
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
24 “But in those days, after
that tribulation, the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
25 and the stars will be falling from
heaven, and the powers in the
heavens will be shaken.
26 And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in clouds with great
power and glory.
27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the
four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes
tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is
near, at the very gates.
30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will
not pass away until all these things take place.
31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the
angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
33 Be on guard, keep awake.For you do not know when the time will come.
34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts
his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper
to stay awake.
35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the
house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster
crows, or in the morning—
36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.
37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
1 And he said to them, “Truly,
I say to you, there are some standing here
who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has
come with power.”
23 And he said to all, “If
anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross
daily and follow me.
24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his
life for my sake will save it.
25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses
or forfeits himself?
26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son
of
Man be ashamed when he comes in his
glory and the glory of the Father
and of the holy angels.
27 But I tell you truly, there are some
standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
5 These twelve Jesus sent out,
instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of
the Samaritans,
<...>
14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake
off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.
15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of
judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
1 After this the Lord appointed
seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into
every town and place where he himself was about to go.
2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are
few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out
laborers into his harvest.
<...>
10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you,
go into
its streets and say,
11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off
against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come
near.’
12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than
for that town.
Bible. Luke 10:1-12
Christians try to explain this obviously unfulfilled prophecy of Jesus
using a verse [Matthew 24:36].
32 “But concerning that day or
that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,
but only the Father.
Bible. Mark 13:32
However, it is very easy to show that this counterargument of
Christians is false.
The point is that Christians confuse the [exact date] with the [time
period].
We will provide an analogy for clarity.
Suppose
we predict when it will snow: “we cannot accurately predict the exact
day and time when it will snow, however we can guarantee that snow will
surely fall some day during the year starting from today”.
Likewise the prophecy of Jesus says too that the exact “day and hour
no one knows”, however the time period is defined – “this
generation will not pass away until
all these things take place”, “there are some standing here who
will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has
come with power”.
The God Yahweh/Jehovah said very clearly in the Bible: if the
prophecy
is not fulfilled then such prophet is a false prophet (Deuteronomy
18:20-22), which means that Jesus is a false prophet according to
the Bible.
20 But the prophet who presumes
to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or
who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’
21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the
Lord has not spoken?’—
22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not
come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken;
the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.
Bible. Deuteronomy 18:20-22
Question #1: Please explain the reasons why we should
believe in the false prophet Jesus if the prophecies of Jesus were not
fulfilled.
Chapter #2: Miracles of Jesus and the divinity of Jesus
Christians claim that the proof of Jesus divinity is the fact that
Jesus performed miracles. Let’s analyze this claim more detailed.
We will remind that Moses had performed miracles just like Jesus.
Question: is Moses considered to be God?
No, Moses is not God.
Many biblical prophets performed miracles too.
Question: are these biblical prophets considered to be Gods?
No, these biblical prophets are not Gods.
Many shamans and black magicians can do miracles too.
Question: are these shamans and black magicians considered to be Gods?
No, these shamans and black magicians are not Gods.
Even the Satan himself can do the miracles.
Below are several verses from the Bible which clearly state
that performance of miracles is the proof of demonic possession.
22 But the magicians of Egypt
did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh's heart remained
hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
9 The coming of the lawless one
is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,
10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because
they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
24 For false christs and false
prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead
astray, if possible, even the elect.
25 See, I have told you beforehand.
11 Then I saw another beast
rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like
a dragon.
12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence,
and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose
mortal wound was healed.
13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to
earth in front of people,
14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the
beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an
image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
20 And the beast was captured,
and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by
which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and
those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the
lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
13 For such men are false
apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of
Christ.
14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of
light.
Bible. 2 Corinthians 11:13-14
In verse [Mark 10:18] Jesus clearly said that Jesus is not God,
Jesus clearly distinguishes himself from God.
17 And as he was setting out on
his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good
Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good
except God alone.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus
cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema
sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
17 Jesus said to her,
“Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go
to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and
your Father, to my God and your God.’”
28 So Jesus said to them, “When
you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and
that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the
Father taught me.
Bible. John 8:28
Question #2: Performance of miracles is not the proof of
divinity, isn’t it?(nota bene: this question is not
applicable to nontrinitarian Christian groups, like for example
Jehovah's Witnesses, who do not believe that Jesus is God.)
Chapter #3: Name of the Messiah
The New Testament begins with the Gospel of Matthew.
The very first page of the New Testament contains the prophecy of
Isaiah, which tells that when the Messiah will be born, his parents
should give him the name “Immanuel” (Matthew 1: 21-23; Isaiah
7:14).
However, Mary and Joseph gave their newborn son completely different
name “Jesus”, which means that the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah was
not fulfilled, and Jesus is not the Messiah.
21 She will bear a son, and you
shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the
Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall
call his name Immanuel” (which means,
God with us).
14 Therefore the Lord himself
will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel.
Bible. Isaiah 7:14
When you show to Christians that it is clearly written in Bible that
the name of the Messiah should be “Immanuel” and not “Jesus” or
“Christ”,
and when you ask the Christians the question “please explain the
reasons why we should believe in the impostor-false-Messiah-Jesus?”
Christians try to get out with the help of several counterarguments,
which are very easy to smash to smithereens.
Counter argument #1.
Christians claim that the name “Immanuel” means “God is with us”.
However such interpretation is irrelevant, because all names mean
something, as for example, the name “Jesus” means “Yahweh is
salvation”, the name “Christ” means “anointed one”, etc.
Each name has some meaning.
The meaning of the name has nothing to do with the fact that the
parents of the Messiah must give their son the name “Immanuel”.
Also, it is important to note that no one ever called Jesus using the
name “Immanuel”, even in adulthood.
Etymology <...>
The name Jesus is derived from the Latin Iesus, a transliteration of
the Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iesous). The Greek form is a rendering of the Hebrew
ישוע (Yeshua), a variant of the earlier name יהושע (Yehoshua), in
English "Joshua". <...>
The etymology of Jesus' name in the context of the New Testament is
generally given as "Yahweh is salvation".<...>
The word Christ is derived from the Greek Χριστός (Christos), which is
a translation of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Meshiakh), meaning the "anointed"
and usually transliterated into English as "Messiah".
Wikipedia
Counter argument #2.
Christians claim that the Messiah allegedly has many names, and Isaiah
allegedly also wrote other names of the Messiah: Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
6 For to us a child is born, to
us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and
his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace.
Bible. Isaiah 9:6
Such an argument is erroneous because epithets and titles have
nothing to do with the name given by the parents to their newborn child.
The list “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace” is a list of epithets/titles; this is not a list
of names.
A person receives epithets/titles later in his adulthood. And it is the
parents who give the name to their child at the time of birth.
An epithet (from Greek: ἐπίθετον
epitheton, neuter of ἐπίθετος epithetos, "attributed, added") is a
byname, or a descriptive term (word or phrase), accompanying or
occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has
various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious
people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It can also be
a descriptive title: for example, Pallas Athena, Alfred the Great,
Suleiman the Magnificent or Władysław I the Elbow-high.
A title is one or more words
used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may
signify either veneration, an official position, or a professional or
academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted
between the first and last name (for example, Graf in German, Cardinal
in Catholic usage (Richard Cardinal Cushing) or clerical titles such as
Archbishop). Some titles are hereditary.
A personal name or full name is
the set of names by which an individual is known and that can be
recited as a word-group, with the understanding that, taken together,
they all relate to that one individual. In many cultures, the term is
synonymous with the birth name or legal name of the individual. The
academic study of personal names is called anthroponymy.
Wikipedia
Moreover, all these epithets “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” are completely not applicable
to Jesus – no one ever called Jesus using these epithets:
1) no one ever called Jesus using an epithet “Everlasting Father”
– on the contrary, they called him “Son of man” or “Son of God”;
2) no one ever called Jesus using an epithet “Wonderful Counselor”;
3) no one ever called Jesus using an epithet «Mighty God»;
4) no one ever called Jesus using an epithet «Prince of Peace»;
The Prophet Isaiah clearly indicated that the parents of the Messiah
should give their son the name “Immanuel” and the epithets of the
Messiah should be “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace”.
In other words, the prophet Isaiah clearly said that Jesus is not the
Messiah, therefore God killed the false messiah Jesus.
Below is the list of biblical names.
As you can see, there are no names in this list “Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” – this is because these are
not names, but epithets.
List of messiah claimants
This is a list of people who have been said to be a messiah, either by
themselves or by their followers. The list is divided into categories,
which are sorted according to date of birth (where known).
Jewish messiah claimants
In Judaism, "messiah" originally meant a divinely appointed king, such
as David, Cyrus the Great or Alexander the Great. Later,
especially after the failure of the Hasmonean Kingdom (37 BC) and the
Jewish–Roman wars (AD 66-135), the figure of the Jewish Messiah was one
who would deliver the Jews from oppression and usher in an Olam Haba
("world to come") or Messianic Age. However the term “false messiah”
was largely absent from rabbinic literature. The first mention is in
the Sefer Zerubbabel, from the mid-seventh century, which uses the
term, mashiah sheker, (“false messiah”). The false messiah is known
as Armilus.
● Simon of Peraea (c. Unknown – 4 BCE), a former slave of
Herod the Great who rebelled and was killed by the Romans.
● Jesus of Nazareth (c. 5 BCE – 30 CE), leader of a Jewish
sect who was crucified by the Romans at the instigation of Jewish
leaders; Jews who believed him to be the Messiah were the first
Christians, also known as Jewish Christians. Muslims,
Christians and Messianic Jews believe him to be the real Messiah.
● Athronges (c. 3 CE), a shepherd turned rebel leader.
● Simon bar Kokhba (died c. 135), founded a short-lived
Jewish state before being defeated in the Second Jewish-Roman War.
● Moses of Crete, who in about 440–470 persuaded the Jews
of Crete to walk into the sea, as Moses had done, to return to Israel.
The results were disastrous and he soon disappeared.
● Ishak ben Ya'kub Obadiah Abu 'Isa al-Isfahani (684–705),
who led a revolt in Persia against the Umayyad Caliph 'Abd al-Malik ibn
Marwan.
● David Alroy, born in Kurdistan, who around 1160 agitated
against the caliph before being assassinated.
● Moses Botarel of Cisneros, active around 1413; claimed
to be a sorcerer able to combine the names of God.
● Asher Lämmlein, a German near Venice who proclaimed
himself a forerunner of the Messiah in 1502.
● David Reubeni (1490–1541?) and Solomon Molcho
(1500–1532), messianic adventurers who travelled in Portugal, Italy and
Turkey; Molcho, who was a baptised Catholic, was tried by the
Inquisition, convicted of apostasy and burned at the stake.
● Sabbatai Zevi (1626–1676), an Ottoman Jew who claimed to
be the Messiah, but then converted to Islam; still has followers today
in the Donmeh.
● Jacob Querido (?–1690), claimed to be the new
incarnation of Sabbatai; later converted to Islam and led the Donmeh.
● Miguel Cardoso (1630–1706), another successor of
Sabbatai who claimed to be the "Messiah ben Ephraim."
● Löbele Prossnitz (?–1750), attained some following
amongst former followers of Sabbatai, calling himself the "Messiah ben
Joseph."
● Jacob Joseph Frank (1726–1791), who claimed to be the
reincarnation of King David and preached a synthesis of Christianity
and Judaism.
Christian messiah claimants
Verses in the Christian Bible tell that Jesus will come again in some
fashion; various people have claimed to, in fact, be the second coming
of Jesus. Others have been styled a new messiah still under the
umbrella of Christianity. The Synoptic gospels (Matthew 24:4, 6, 24;
Mark 13:5, 21-22; and Luke 21:3) all use the term pseudochristos for
messianic pretenders. There is the concept of the Antichrist, or
Antichrists, false messiahs.
● Simon Magus (early 1st century), was a Samaritan, and a
native of Gitta; he was considered a god in Simonianism; he "darkly
hinted" that he himself was Christ, calling himself the Standing One.
● Dositheos the Samaritan (mid 1st century), was one of
the supposed founders of Mandaeanism. After the time of Jesus he wished
to persuade the Samaritans that he himself was the Messiah prophesied
by Moses. Dositheus pretended to be the Christ (Messiah), applying
Deuteronomy 18:15 to himself, and he compares him with Theudas and
Judas the Galilean.
● Tanchelm of Antwerp (c. 1110), who violently opposed the
sacrament and the Eucharist.
● Ann Lee (1736–1784), a central figure to the
Shakers, who thought she "embodied all the perfections of God" in
female form and considered herself to be Christ’s female counterpart in
1772.
● Bernhard Müller (c. 1799–1834) claimed to be the Lion of
Judah and a prophet in possession of the Philosopher's stone.
● John Nichols Thom (1799–1838), who had achieved fame and
followers as Sir William Courtenay and adopted the claim of Messiah
after a period in a mental institute.
● Arnold Potter (1804–1872), Latter Day Saint schismatic
leader; called himself "Potter Christ"
● Hong Xiuquan (1814–1864), Hakka Chinese; claimed himself
to be the younger brother of Jesus Christ; started the Taiping
Rebellion and founded the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace. Committed
suicide before the fall of Tianjing (Nanjing) in 1864.
● Mirza Husayn 'Ali Nuri, Bahá'u'lláh (1817–1864), born
Shiite, adopting Bábism later in life, he claimed to be the promised
one of all religions, and founded the Bahá'í Faith.
● Jacobina Mentz Maurer (1841 or 1842-1874) was a
German-Brazilian woman who lived and died in the state of Rio Grande do
Sul who emerged as a messianic prophetess, a representation of God, and
later declared the very reincarnation of Jesus Christ on earth by her
German-speaking community called Die Muckers (or the false saints) by
her enemies, Die Spotters (or the mockers). After a number of deadly
confrontations with outsiders, Jacobina was shot to death together with
many of her followers by the Brazilian Imperial Army.
● William W. Davies (1833–1906), Latter Day Saint (Mormon)
schismatic leader; claimed that his infant son Arthur (born 1868) was
the reincarnated Jesus Christ.
● Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, India (1835–1908), claimed
to be the awaited Mahdi as well as (Second Coming) and likeness of
Jesus the promised Messiah at the end of time, being the only person in
Islamic history who claimed to be both. He claimed to be Jesus in the
metaphorical sense; in character. He founded the Ahmadiyya Movement in
1889 envisioning it to be the rejuvenation of Islam, and claimed to be
commissioned by God for the reformation of mankind. He declared
that Jesus survived crucifixion and died a natural death having
migrated towards the east.
● Cyrus Reed Teed (October 18, 1839 - December 22, 1908,
erroneously Cyrus Tweed) was a U.S. eclectic physician and alchemist
turned religious leader and messiah. In 1869, claiming divine
inspiration, Dr. Teed took on the name Koresh and proposed a new set of
scientific and religious ideas he called Koreshanity.
● Father Divine (George Baker) (c. 1880 – September 10,
1965), an African American spiritual leader from about 1907 until his
death who claimed to be God.
● André Matsoua (1899–1942), Congolese founder of Amicale,
proponents of which subsequently adopted him as Messiah in the late
1920s.
● Samael Aun Weor (1917–1977), born Víctor Manuel Gómez
Rodríguez, Colombian citizen and later Mexican, was an author, lecturer
and founder of the 'Universal Christian Gnostic Movement', according to
him, 'the most powerful movement ever founded'. By 1972, he referenced
that his death and resurrection would be occurring before
1978.
● Ahn Sahng-hong (1918–1985), founder of the World Mission
Society Church of God and worshiped by the members as the messiah.
Sun Myung Moon (1920–2012), founder and leader of the Unification
Church established in Seoul, South Korea, who considered himself the
Second Coming of Christ, but not Jesus himself. Although it is
generally believed by Unification Church members ("Moonies") that he
was the Messiah and the Second Coming of Christ and was anointed to
fulfill Jesus' unfinished mission.
● Yahweh ben Yahweh (1935–2007), born as Hulon Mitchell,
Jr., a black nationalist and separatist who created the Nation of
Yahweh and allegedly orchestrated the murder of dozens of persons.
● Laszlo Toth (1940-2012) claimed he was Jesus Christ as
he battered Michelangelo's Pieta with a geologist hammer.
● Wayne Bent (born 1941), also known as Michael Travesser
of the Lord Our Righteousness Church, also known as the "Strong City
Cult", convicted December 15, 2008 of one count of criminal sexual
contact of a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of
a minor in 2008.
● Iesu Matayoshi (born 1944), in 1997 he established the
World Economic Community Party based on his conviction that he is God
and the Christ.
● Jung Myung Seok (born 1945), a South Korean who was a
member of the Unification Church in the 1970s, before breaking off to
found the dissenting group now known as Providence Church in
1980. He also considers himself the Second Coming of Christ,
but not Jesus himself in 1980. He believes he has come to finish
the incomplete message and mission of Jesus Christ, asserting that he
is the Messiah and has the responsibility to save all mankind. He
claims that the Christian doctrine of resurrection is false but that
people can be saved through him.
● Claude Vorilhon now known as Raël "messenger of the
Elohim" (born 1946), a French professional test driver and former
automobile journalist became founder and leader of UFO religion the
Raël Movement in 1972, which teaches that life on Earth was
scientifically created by a species of extraterrestrials, which they
call Elohim. He claimed he met an extraterrestrial humanoid in 1973 and
became the Messiah. Then devoted himself to the task he said was
given by his "biological father", an extraterrestrial named Yahweh.
● José Luis de Jesús (1946–2013), founder and leader of
Creciendo en Gracia sect (Growing In Grace International Ministry,
Inc.), based in Miami, Florida. He claimed to be both Jesus Christ
returned and the Antichrist, and exhibited a "666" tattoo on his
forearm. He has referred to himself as Jesucristo Hombre, which
translates to "Jesus Christ made Man".
● Inri Cristo (born 1948) of Indaial, Brazil, a claimant
to be the second Jesus.
● Apollo Quiboloy (born 1950), founder and leader of the
Kingdom of Jesus Christ religious group, who claims that Jesus Christ
is the "Almighty Father," that Quiboloy is "His Appointed Son," and
that salvation is now completed. Proclaims himself as the "Appointed
Son of the God" not direct to the point as the "Begotten Son of the
God" in 1985.
● David Icke (born 1952), of Great Britain, has described
himself as "the son of God", and a "channel for the Christ spirit".
● Brian David Mitchell was born on October 18, 1953 in
Salt Lake City, Utah, he believed himself the fore-ordained angel born
on earth to be the Davidic "servant" prepared by God as a type of
Messiah who would restore the divinely led kingdom of Israel to the
world in preparation for Christ's second coming. (Mitchell's belief in
such an end-times figure – also known among many fundamentalist Latter
Day Saints as "the One Mighty and Strong" – appeared to be based in
part on a reading of the biblical book of Isaiah by the independent LDS
Hebraist, Avraham Gileadi, with which Mitchell became familiar from his
former participation with Stirling Allan's American Study
Group.)
● David Koresh (Vernon Wayne Howell) (1959–1993), leader
of the Branch Davidians.
● Maria Devi Christos (born 1960), founder of the Great
White Brotherhood.
● Sergey Torop (born 1961), who started to call himself
"Vissarion", founder of the Church of the Last Testament and the
spiritual community Ecopolis Tiberkul in Southern Siberia.
● Alan John Miller (born 1962), founder of Divine Truth, a
new religious movement based in Australia. Alan John Miller, also known
as A.J., who claims to be Jesus of Nazareth through reincarnation.
Miller was formerly an elder in the Jehovah's Witnesses.
● David Shayler (born 1965), former MI5 agent and
whistleblower who declared himself the Messiah on 7 July 2007.
Muslim messiah claimants
Islamic tradition has a prophecy of the Mahdi, who will come alongside
the return of Isa (Jesus). There is also a prophecy of the Masih
ad-Dajjal, a false messiah.
● Muhammad Jaunpuri (1443–1505), who traveled Northeastern
India; he influenced the Mahdavia and the Zikris.
● Báb (1819–1850), who declared himself to be the promised
Mahdi in Shiraz, Iran in 1844. (Related to Baha'i claims.)
● Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908) of Qadian, 'the Promised
Messiah' return of Jesus as well as the 'Mahdi', founder of the
Ahmadiyya religious movement. He preached that Jesus Christ had
survived crucifixion and died a natural death. He was the only person
in Islamic history to have claimed to be both the promised return of
Jesus as well as the promised Mahdi.
● Muhammad Ahmad ("The Mad Mahdi") (1844–1885), who
declared himself the Mahdi in 1881, defeated the Ottoman Egyptian
authority, and founded a short-lived empire in Sudan.
● Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan (1864–1920), who led the
Dervish State in present-day Somalia in a two-decade long resistance
movement between 1900 and 1920.
● Rashad Khalifa (1935–1990), an Egyptian-American
biochemist who claimed that he had discovered a mathematical code in
the text of the Qur'an involving the number 19; he later claimed to be
the "Messenger of the Covenant" and founded the "Submitters
International" movement before being murdered.
● Juhayman al-Otaibi (1936–1980), who seized the Grand
Mosque in Mecca in November 1979 and declared his son-in-law the Mahdi.
Other/combination messiah claimants
This list features people who are said, either by themselves or their
followers, to be some form of a messiah that do not easily fit into
only Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
● Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (1892–1975), Messiah of the
Rastafari movement. Never claimed himself to be Messiah, but was thus
proclaimed by Leonard Howell, amongst others.
● André Matsoua (1899–1942), Congolese founder of Amicale,
proponents of which subsequently adopted him as Messiah.
● Samael Aun Weor (1917–1977), born Víctor Manuel Gómez
Rodríguez, Colombian citizen and later Mexican, was an author, lecturer
and founder of the 'Universal Christian Gnostic Movement', according to
him, 'the most powerful movement ever founded'. By 1972, Samael Aun
Weor referenced that his death and resurrection would be occurring
before 1978.
● Nirmala Srivastava (1923–2011), guru and goddess of
Sahaja Yoga, proclaimed herself to be the Comforter promised by Jesus
(that is, the incarnation of the Holy Ghost / Adi Shakti).
● Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda (born 1946 - died 2013), a
Puerto Rican preacher who had claimed to be both "the Man Jesus Christ"
and the Antichrist at the same time. He claimed he was indwelled with
the same spirit that dwelled in Jesus, however, Miranda also
contradicted his claims of being Christ incarnate by also claiming he
was the Antichrist, even going as far as tattooing the number of the
beast (666) on his forearm, a behavior his followers also adopted.
Founder of the "Growing in Grace" ministries, Miranda died on August
14, 2013 due to liver cancer.
● Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi (born 25 November 1941) is a
spiritual leader and the founder of the spiritual movements Messiah
Foundation International (MFI) and Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam.
He is controversial for being declared the Mehdi, Messiah, and Kalki
Avatar by the MFI.
● Raël, leader of the International Raëlian Movement (born
30 September 1946); Rael claimed he met an extraterrestrial being in
1973 and became the Messiah.
● World Teacher (unknown), a being claimed to be the
Theosophical Maitreya and the Messiah (promised one) of all religions.
He is said to have descended from the higher planes and manifested a
physical body in early 1977 in the Himalayas, then on 19 July 1977 he
is said to have taken a commercial airplane flight from Pakistan to
England. He is currently said to be living in secret in
London; promoted by New Age activist Benjamin Creme and his
organization, Share International (See Maitreya (Benjamin Creme)).
● Ryuho Okawa (born 7 July 1956), is the founder of Happy
Science in Japan. Okawa claims to channel the spirits of Muhammad,
Christ, Buddha and Confucius and claims to be the incarnation of the
supreme spiritual being called El Cantare.
Wikipedia
Question #3: If a man believes in the prophecy of God’s
prophet Isaiah that the parents of Messiah must give their newborn son
the name “Immanuel” – is this faith of this man correct or not? Please
explain the reasons why we should
believe in the impostor-false-Messiah-Jesus?
Chapter #4: Family members of Jesus
Jesus publicly admitted that none from family members of Jesus believed
that Jesus is the Messiah.
20 And he rolled up the scroll
and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in
the synagogue were fixed on him.
21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been
fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that
were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?”
23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb,
‘“Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum,
do here in your hometown as well.’”
24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in
his hometown.
53 And when Jesus had finished
these parables, he went away from there,
54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so
that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this
wisdom and these mighty works?
55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And
are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all
these things?”
57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet
is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.”
58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
1 He went away from there and
came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.
2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who
heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these
things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done
by his hands?
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and
Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And
they took offense at him.
4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except
in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”
5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands
on a few sick people and healed them.
6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.
Bible. Mark 6:1-6
Jesus publicly declared that he does not recognize his own mother as
mother, and he does not recognize his own siblings as siblings, because
they do not attend lectures of Jesus and they do not believe in Jesus
(Mark 3:31-35).
It is important to note that there is no greater insult for a mother
than telling your own mother that you do not recognize her as your
mother.
Jesus totally ignored and did not communicate with his siblings, and
even with his own mother.
20 Then he went home, and the
crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat.
21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for
they
were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
<...>
31 And his mother and his
brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him.
32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your
mother and your brothers[c] are outside, seeking you.”
33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my
mother and my brothers!
35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and
mother.”
[c] Mark 3:32 Other manuscripts add and your sisters
48 And when his parents saw him,
they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you
treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in
great distress.”
49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know
that I must be in my Father's house?”
50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.
Bible. Luke 2:48-50
Moreover, Jesus forbid his disciples to communicate with their family
members, if these family members do not believe in the teachings of
Jesus.
26 “If anyone comes to me and
does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and
brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my
disciple.
51 Do you think that I have come
to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three
against two and two against three.
53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father,
mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law
against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Bible. Luke 12:51-53
When Jesus was crucified on the cross, Mary, the mother of Jesus, came
to the cross (John 19:26).
Jesus, even hanging on the cross, insultingly called his mother “a
woman” instead of “my beloved mother” (John 19:26).
Therefore, Mary, the mother of Jesus, stood silently near the cross for
a while and then went home.
When Jesus died, neither Jesus’ mother Mary, nor his siblings, nor any
of Jesus’ family members took care to get the dead body of Jesus, and
none of Jesus’ family members even came to visit the dead Jesus.
A completely alien man, a religious adept named Joseph of Arimathea,
buried the body of Jesus.
However, it is obvious that when a man dies, his closest family member
should take care of the funeral.
Because Bible clearly states that the mother of Jesus came to the
cross, it is obvious that the mother knew perfectly where Jesus was
located and that he was crucified.
Therefore, it is impossible to elude claiming allegedly that mother of
Jesus was sick or she did not know that Jesus was crucified, and
therefore she did not come to the funeral of Jesus.
The mother of Jesus knew very well that Jesus was crucified and that
Jesus died, and she knew perfectly where the dead body of Jesus was
located, however mother of Jesus did not even lift a finger to take
care of the funeral of Jesus.
It is important to note that when a man begins to spread his faith, at
first he begins to spread his faith to his closest family members, and
only later goes to strangers.
It is obvious that Jesus was not able to deceive any of the members of
his family – none from family members of Jesus believed that Jesus is
the Messiah.
When God killed false prophet Jesus, none from family members of Jesus
came to the funeral of Jesus, even mother Mary did not come to the
funeral.
25 but standing by the cross of
Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved
standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”
27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that
hour the disciple took her to his own home.
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to
fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of
the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,”
and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would
not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high
day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that
they might be taken away.
32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the
other who had been crucified with him.
33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they
did not break his legs.
34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once
there came out blood and water.
35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows
that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe.
36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled:
“Not one of his bones will be broken.”
37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they
have pierced.”
38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of
Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might
take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came
and took away his body.
39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came
bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in
weight.
40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the
spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in
the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was
close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
45 Now from the sixth hour there
was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying,
“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?”
47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling
Elijah.”
48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour
wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.
49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to
save him.”
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his
spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to
bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had
fallen asleep were raised,
53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into
the holy city and appeared to many.
54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over
Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with
awe and said, “Truly this was the Son[i] of God!”
55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who
had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him,
56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and
Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named
Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus.
58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate
ordered it to be given to him.
59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud
60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock.
And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.
61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the
tomb.
33 And when the sixth hour had
come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi,
lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?”
35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling
Elijah.”
36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed
and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah
will come to take him down.”
37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.
38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way
he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
40 There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were
Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses,
and Salome.
41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and
there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that
is, the day before the Sabbath,
43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was
also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to
Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And
summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead.
45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted
the corpse to Joseph.
46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped
him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of
the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
39 One of the criminals who were
hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself
and us!”
40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you
are under the same sentence of condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our
deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me
in paradise.”
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the
whole land until the ninth hour,
45 while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn
in two.
46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your
hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God,
saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!”
48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they
saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.
49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from
Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of
Arimathea.
He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man,
51 who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was
looking for the kingdom of God.
52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid
him
in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.
54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.
55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the
tomb and how his body was laid.
56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath
they rested according to the commandment.
Bible. Luke
23:39-56
The apostle Judas surrendered Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, which
in today’s money is equivalent to 200 dollars, which is a small
symbolic sum, which means that Judas did not become a billionaire and
did not become rich. This means that it is not all about money; Judas
would have surrendered Jesus absolutely free. The fact is that the
apostle Judas did not believe that Jesus is the Messiah. The apostle
Judas went everywhere with Jesus, Judas saw all the miracles Jesus
performed, but Judas did not believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
14 Then one of the twelve, whose
name was Judas Iscariot, went to the
chief priests
15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?”
And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.
16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.
3 Then when Judas, his betrayer,
saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back
the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,
Thirty pieces of silver was the
price for which Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, according to an account
in the Gospel of Matthew 26:15 in the New Testament.
<...>
The word used in Matthew 26:15 (ἀργύρια, argyria) simply means "silver
coins," and scholars disagree on the type of coins that would have been
used. Donald Wiseman suggests two possibilities. They could have been
tetradrachms of Tyre, usually referred to as Tyrian shekels (14 grams
of 94% silver), or staters from Antioch (15 grams of 75% silver), which
bore the head of Augustus. Alternatively, they could have been
Ptolemaic tetradrachms (13.5 ± 1 g of 25% silver). There are 31.1035
grams per troy ounce. At spot valuation of $17.06/oz (the closing price
on Monday, December 12, 2016), 30 "pieces of silver" would be worth
between $185 and $216 in present-day value (USD).
Type
Purity
Weight (g)
Actual Silver Weight (g)
ASW of 30 coins (ozt)
Silver Value ($20)
Tyrian shekels
94%
14
13.16
12.69
$253.89
Antioch Staters
75%
15
11.25
10.85
$217.04
Ptolemaic tetradrachms
25%
13.5
3.375
3.26
$65.11
Athenian Tetradrachm
95%
17.2
16.34
15.76
$315.24
The Tyrian shekel weighed four Athenian drachmas, about 14 grams, more
than earlier 11-gram Israeli shekels, but was regarded as the
equivalent for religious duties at that time. Because Roman coinage was
only 80% silver, the purer (94% or more) Tyrian shekels were required
to pay the temple tax in Jerusalem. The money changers referenced in
the New Testament Gospels (Matt. 21:12 and parallels) exchanged Tyrian
shekels for common Roman currency.
The 5th century BC Athenian tetradrachm ("four drachmae") coin was
perhaps the most widely used coin in the Greek world before the time of
Alexander the Great (along with the Corinthian stater). It featured the
helmeted profile bust of Athena on the obverse (front) and an owl on
the reverse (back). In daily use they were called γλαῦκες glaukes
(owls), hence the proverb Γλαῦκ’ Ἀθήναζε, 'an owl to Athens', referring
to something that was in plentiful supply, like 'coals to Newcastle'.
The reverse is featured on the national side of the modern Greek 1 euro
coin. Drachmae were minted on different weight standards at different
Greek mints. The standard that came to be most commonly used was the
Athenian or Attic one, which weighed a little over 4.3 grams. A drachma
was approximately a day's pay for a skilled laborer. So 30 pieces of
silver (30 tetradrachm), at four drachmas each, would roughly be
comparable to four months' (120 days) wages.
Wikipedia
Question #4: Please explain the reasons why we should believe
in Jesus if none from family members of Jesus believed that he is the
Messiah? None from family members of Jesus believed in Jesus – are they
all burning in hell now?
Chapter #5: Moral values of the Church headed by the apostles
of Jesus
Jesus told to his apostles that they must heal people and they must
not take any money.
2 The names of the twelve
apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his
brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James
the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the
Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans,
6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give
without pay. 9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper
for your belts,
10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for
the laborer deserves his food.
Bible. Matthew 10:2-10
However let’s look more closely how apostles behave after the
crucifiction
of Jesus.
Apostle Paul maims a man by making him blind (Acts 13:9-10).
9 But Saul, who was also called
Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness,
full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the
straight paths of the Lord?
11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be
blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and
darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by
the hand.
Bible. Acts 13:9-10
Apostle Peter together with other apostles extort money and property
from the people and kill people who do not give all their money (Acts
4:32-37; 5:1-11).
The extortions and killings done by apostles spread great fear and
terror upon the whole population (Acts 5:11).
32 Now the full number of those
who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of
the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in
common.
33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners
of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold
35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as
any had need.
36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which
means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus,
37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it
at the apostles' feet.
1 But a man named Ananias, with
his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
2 and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the
proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles'
feet.
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to
the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of
the land?
4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it
was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have
contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”
5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last.
And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried
him.
7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing
what had happened.
8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so
much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.”
9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to
test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried
your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”
10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When
the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and
buried her beside her husband.
11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of
these things.
Extortion (also called
shakedown, outwresting, and exaction) is a criminal offense of
obtaining money, property, or services from a person, entity, or
institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes
euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by
organized crime groups. The actual obtainment of money or property is
not required to commit the offense. Making a threat of violence which
refers to a requirement of a payment of money or property to halt
future violence is sufficient to commit the offense. Exaction refers
not only to extortion or the unlawful demanding and obtaining of
something through force, but additionally, in its formal definition,
means the infliction of something such as pain and suffering or making
somebody endure something unpleasant.
Extortion is distinguished from robbery. In robbery, whether armed or
not, the offender takes property from the victim by the immediate use
of force or fear that force will be immediately used (as in the classic
line, "Your money or your life.") Extortion, which is not limited to
the taking of property, involves the verbal or written instillation of
fear that something will happen to the victim if they do not comply
with the extortionist's will. Another key distinction is that extortion
always involves a verbal or written threat, whereas robbery does not.
In United States federal law, extortion can be committed with or
without the use of force and with or without the use of a weapon.
In blackmail, which always involves extortion, the extortionist
threatens to reveal information about a victim or their family members
that is potentially embarrassing, socially damaging, or incriminating
unless a demand for money, property, or services is met.
The term extortion is often used metaphorically to refer to usury or to
price-gouging, though neither is legally considered extortion. It is
also often used loosely to refer to everyday situations where one
person feels indebted against their will, to another, in order to
receive an essential service or avoid legal consequences.
Neither extortion nor blackmail require a threat of a criminal act,
such as violence, merely a threat used to elicit actions, money, or
property from the object of the extortion. Such threats include the
filing of reports (true or not) of criminal behavior to the police,
revelation of damaging facts (such as pictures of the object of the
extortion in a compromising position), etc.
In the international community,
terrorism has no legally binding, criminal law definition. Common
definitions of terrorism refer only to those violent acts that are
intended to create fear (terror); are perpetrated for a religious,
political, or ideological goal; and deliberately target or disregard
the safety of non-combatants (e.g., neutral military personnel or
civilians).
Wikipedia
In modern totalitarian cults the adepts are maimed and killed in the
name of the Holy Spirit and the money is extorted from the adepts. New
Testament describes how apostles Paul and Peter maimed people and
extorted money and property from the people and killed people who do
not give all their money (Acts
13:9-11 and Acts
4:32-37; 5:1-11)
and these extortions and killings were done in the name of the Holy
spirit.
The People's Temple of the
Disciples of Christ, commonly shortened to Peoples Temple, was a New
Religious Movement founded in 1955 by Jim Jones. By the mid-1970s it
included over a dozen locations in California including its
headquarters in San Francisco.
It is best known for the events of November 18, 1978, in Guyana, in
which 920 people died at the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project
(informally, and now commonly, called "Jonestown") and nearby airstrip
at Port Kaituma, and Georgetown in an organized mass murder/suicide.
The mass suicide and killings at Jonestown resulted in the greatest
single loss of American civilian life in a deliberate act prior to the
events of September 11, 2001. Casualties at the airstrip included,
among others, US Congressman Leo Ryan.
Wikipedia
Question #5: What are the moral values of organization which
terrorize and kill people and
which extort money and property from a people through coercion?
Chapter #6: Expropriation of the donkey
We will remind the verse of the entry of Christ into Jerusalem.
14 And Jesus found a young
donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on
a donkey's colt!”
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when
Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been
written about him and had been done to him.
27 But as for these enemies of
mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and
slaughter them before me.’”
28 And when he had said these
things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is
called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,
30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you
will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and
bring it here.
31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this:
‘The Lord has need of it.’”
32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told
them.
33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are
you untying the colt?”
34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”
35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt,
they set Jesus on it.
36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.
37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of
Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise
God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,
38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
1 Now when they drew near to
Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus
sent two disciples,
2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately
you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring
them to me.
3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’
and he will send them at once.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of
burden.’”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks,
and he sat on them.
1 Now when they drew near to
Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent
two of his disciples
2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and
immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one
has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.
3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has
need of it and will send it back here immediately.’”
4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the
street, and they untied it.
5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing,
untying the colt?”
6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.
7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and
he sat on it.
Bible. Mark 11:1-7
Let’s analyze in more detail the verse of the entry of Christ into
Jerusalem and the donkey.
Let’s call a spade a spade.
Jesus tells his disciples to steal the donkey (“find a colt tied
<...> Untie it and bring it here”). The donkey is tied, and
that
means that this donkey has an owner, this donkey belongs to someone,
this donkey is someone’s property.
Jesus did not tell his disciples “ask the owner to the sell/lent/give
away his donkey.” If the owner was asked, maybe the owner would gladly
agree to sell/lend/give away his donkey – however before taking the
donkey you must ask the owner if he agrees to sell/lend/give away his
donkey, mustn’t you?
However, Jesus did not ask the owner about his donkey; Jesus ordered
his disciples to steal the donkey (“find a colt tied
<...> Untie it and bring it here”).
Jesus also specifies the needed “technical specifications” of the
donkey which the disciples of Jesus need to steal – the one “on
which
no one has ever yet sat.”
This is similar to scenario, as if we would ask the thief of cars:
“you’ve got to steal a car of such and such a model/brand, of such and
such a color, of such and such technical specification.”
The disciples of Jesus are well aware that the theft of a donkey is
bad/unacceptable act, so Jesus gives them the further instructions in
the case if people standing nearby will witness the theft of the
donkey: “If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say
this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” Jesus instructs his disciples
that if
they will fail to steal the donkey imperceptibly, then they must simply
expropriate/confiscate the donkey (i.e. they must take the donkey
without the owner’s permission). And Jesus provides an additional
explanation that the reason for the confiscation is: “The Lord has
need
of it.”
In the exact same way, during the communist revolution, the Bolsheviks
expropriated/confiscated the grain/wagons/plows/donkeys/cows/horses/etc
from the farmers – the Bolsheviks explained the
expropriation/confiscation very simply: “the donkey is needed by
Lenin/revolution/communism/etc”, and Bolsheviks took the donkey without
the owner’s permission.
The process of expropriation
"occurs when a public agency (for example, the provincial government
and its agencies, regional districts, municipalities, school boards,
post-secondary insuitutions and utilities) takes private property for a
purpose deemed to be in the public interest". Unlike eminent domain,
expropriation may also refer to the taking of private property by a
private entity authorized by a government to take property in certain
situations.
The term appears as "expropriation of expropriators (ruling classes)"
in Marxist theory, and also as the slogan "Loot the looters!" ("грабь
награбленное"), which was very popular during the Russian October
Revolution. The term is also used to describe nationalization campaigns
by communist states, such as dekulakization and collectivization in the
USSR. This also took place later on in the forced flight and Expulsion
of the Germans after World War Two mandated by the Potsdam Agreement,
as well as the Greek Genocide, Armenian Genocide and Assyrian Genocide
perpetrated by the Young Turks government and late Ottoman Empire in
modern day Turkey.
One example of expropriation occurred between the United States and
Mexico in 1938 when the Mexican President signed an order that
expropriated almost all of the foreign oil companies operating in
Mexico. This initially turned out to have great negative consequences
on the Mexican economy when their oil exports were boycotted by major
oil companies, decreasing exports dramatically, but later on the
economic benefits of this move became apparent, with the new national
oil company PEMEX being an important contributor to the Mexican
Miracle, and other countries soon followed with oil nationalisation
carried out in much of Latin America and the developing world.
Due to political risks that are involved when countries engage in
international business it is important to understand the expropriation
risks and laws within each of the countries that business is conducted
in in order to protect your rights as an investor in that country.
Eminent domain (United States,
the Philippines), compulsory purchase (United Kingdom, New Zealand,
Ireland), resumption (Hong Kong), resumption/compulsory acquisition
(Australia), or expropriation (South Africa, Canada) is the power of a
state or a national government to take private property for public use.
However, it can be legislatively delegated by the state to
municipalities, government subdivisions, or even to private persons or
corporations, when they are authorized to exercise the functions of
public character.
The property may be taken either for government use or by delegation to
third parties, who will devote it to public or civic use or, in some
cases, to economic development. The most common uses of property taken
by eminent domain are for government buildings and other facilities,
public utilities, highways, and railroads. However, it may also be
taken for reasons of public safety, as in the case of Centralia,
Pennsylvania. Some jurisdictions require that the condemnor make an
offer to purchase the subject property, before resorting to the use of
eminent domain.
Wikipedia
We will remind that Jesus Christ is God. Why the God would need the
donkey? Jesus can walk on his foot, just like all other people (as for
example, Jesus’ disciples were walking on their foot). Jesus wanted to
portray that supposedly he fulfils the biblical prophecy which said
that the Messiah will arrive into Jerusalem riding on a donkey – this
prophecy was the reason why Jesus desperately needed to get the donkey
in order to force people into believing that he is the Messiah
described in the biblical prophecy.
Again, we will remind that Jesus is God, so, if Jesus needs the donkey,
then he can create the donkey out of thin air, because he is the God,
and God can easily create the donkey out of thin air. However, Jesus
decides to expropriate/confiscate the donkey without asking owner’s
permission. Maybe this donkey belongs to some very poor peasant, thus
by taking away his donkey, the peasant will die of hunger, because the
donkey is his sole asset. However Jesus does not care that the donkey
has the owner, and Jesus commands his disciples to
expropriate/confiscated the donkey. The disciples obeyed to that
command of Jesus, and during the theft of the donkey the nearby people
saw the theft and asked “Why are you untying it?”, however the
disciples simply expropriated/confiscated the donkey as Jesus commanded
to do.
Christians claim that Jesus Christ is the example of goodness;
Christians say that we should all behave the same as Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ with his behavior has showed us an example and taught us
how to live and how to behave – do you agree with this or not?
The verses provided above from the New Testament (in four Gospels)
describes that Jesus commanded his disciples to expropriate/confiscate
the donkey. Jesus teaches us that you can not steal, however Jesus
himself steals the donkey.
Question #6: Please explain what we can learn from the group of
people who are engaged in hijacking of vehicles? (in those days, a
donkey was a vehicle equivalent to a car).
36 He said to them, “But now let
the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let
the one who has no sword sell his cloak and
buy one.
37 For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he
was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has
its fulfillment.”
38 And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to
them, “It is enough.”
Bible. Luke
22:36-38
Jesus explained to his apostles exactly why the swords are needed.
27 But as for these enemies
of mine, who did not want me to
reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”
28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to
Jerusalem.
Bible. Luke
22:27-28
The apostles of Jesus used the swords against the opponents of
Jesus, exactly as Jesus had instructed them to do.
1 When Jesus had spoken these
words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where
there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.
2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met
there with his disciples.
3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from
the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and
torches and weapons.
4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and
said to them, “Whom do you seek?”
5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am
he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.
6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the
ground.
7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of
Nazareth.”
8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let
these men go.”
9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you
gave me I have lost not one.”
10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it
and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The
servant's name was Malchus.)
11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not
drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
47 While he was still speaking,
Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords
and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss
is the man; seize him.”
49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he
kissed him.
50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came
up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.
51 And behold, one of those who were with
Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant
of the high priest and cut off his ear.
52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all
who take the sword will perish by the sword.
53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once
send me more than twelve legions of angels?
54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”
55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against
a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in
the temple teaching, and you did not seize me.
56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets
might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Bible. Matthew 26:47-56
Here is the sword of Saint Peter with which Peter had struck the
servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
The Sword of Saint Peter
(Polish: Miecz świętego Piotra) is allegedly the sword with which the
Apostle Peter cut off the ear of the high priest's servant at the time
of Jesus' arrest in Gethsemane.
The sword is wide-tipped, similar in shape to a dussack or machete. It
currently resides in the Poznań Archdiocesan Museum.
An exact copy of the sword, made by Bogdan Puchalski, is displayed on
the wall of the Poznań Archcathedral Basilica.
<...>
Description
The blade was made from a single piece of iron with an added small
cross-guard
Total length: 70.2-centimetre (27.6 in), it was probably 1-centimetre
(0.4 in) or 2-centimetre (0.8 in) longer, but the tip of the sword was
destroyed by corrosion
Maximal width, at the tip: 9.4-centimetre (3.7 in)
There is a hole 10.3-centimetre (4.1 in) from the end of the hilt,
which is 0.4-centimetre (0.2 in) in diameter
Sword in Archdiocesan Museum
Wikipedia
It is important to note that Roman law forbade carrying of swords
(and any other weapons) for residents of occupied countries, the
violators of this law were subjected to the death penalty by
crucifixion. Carrying of swords (and any other weapons) was allowed
only to Roman citizens, and even the Sanhedrin temple guards were armed
only with wooden sticks and had no metallic weapons whatsoever.
Abstract
In debating the meaning of Jesus’ arrest and death at Jerusalem,
scholars have paid too little attention to normal Roman practices of
dealing with persons found armed in public in Rome or other cities
under their control. Moreover, the idea that only one or two of Jesus’
disciples were armed has been accepted uncritically in spite of the
probability that more or all of them were armed. This article
highlights the significance of Jesus’ disciples being armed when he was
arrested just outside the walls of Jerusalem, linking that fact with
other details from the sources, such as Jesus’ opposition to the
temple, the presence of Samaritans among his early followers, the
absence of lamb at the last supper, and the fact that he was executed
by the Romans as a ‘social rebel’. Jesus led his followers, armed, to
Jerusalem to participate in a heavenly-earthly battle to overthrow the
Romans and their high-priestly client rulers of Judea.
Jesus in Jerusalem: Armed and
Not Dangerous. Journal for the Study of the New Testament September.
2014 vol. 37 no. 1 3-24
By Dale B. Martin. Yale University, USA.
Jesus may have been crucified
because his followers were carrying weapons, according to a scholarly
analysis of New Testament books.
Dale Martin, a professor of religious studies at Yale University, says
that this aspect of stories about Jesus, as told in the gospels, has
received too little attention, but could alone explain Jesus’s
execution and also show that the man from Nazareth was not the pacifist
he’s usually made out to be.
The biblical books of Mark and Luke both state that at least one (and
probably two or more) of Jesus’s followers was carrying a sword when
Jesus was arrested shortly after the Last Supper, at the time of the
Jewish festival of Passover. One disciple, Simon Peter, even used his
sword to cut off the ear of one of those arresting Jesus, according to
the Gospel of John.
This militant behavior almost certainly wouldn’t have been tolerated by
the Romans, led by the prefect Pontius Pilate, Martin tells Newsweek.
For example, historical documents show that it was illegal at the time
to walk about armed in Rome and in some other Roman cities. Although no
legal records survive from Jerusalem, it stands to reason, based on a
knowledge of Roman history, that the region’s rulers would have frowned
upon the carrying of swords, and especially wouldn’t have tolerated an
armed band of Jews roaming the city during Passover, an often turbulent
festival, Martin says.
“Just as you could be arrested in Rome for even having a dagger, if
Jesus’s followers were armed, that would be reason enough to crucify
him,” says Martin, whose analysis was published this month in the
Journal for the Study of the New Testament.
Jesus Was Crucified Because
Disciples Were Armed, Bible Analysis Suggests
By Douglas Main. Newsweek. September 18, 2014
Question #7: How do you call people who carry weapons
banned by the law?
Chapter #8: The Commandment of God “You shall not murder” and
commandment of Moses to kill brothers, companions and neighbors
On Mount Sinai Moses received The Ten Commandments, and one of
Commandments was “You shall not murder”. However, immediately after
Moses went down from Mount Sinai, Moses immediately commanded that
people must kill their brothers, companions and neighbors.
15
Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets
of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides;
on the front and on the back they were written.
16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of
God, engraved on the tablets.
<...>
19 And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the
dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his
hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
<...>
25 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had
let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies),
26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the
Lord's side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.
27 And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your
sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate
throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion
and his neighbor.’”
28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that
day about three thousand men of the people fell.
29 And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the
Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he
might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”
2 “I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a
carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 You shall not bow down to them or
serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth
generation of those who hate me,
6 but showing steadfast love to
thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the
Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you
shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male
servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner
who is within your gates.
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all
that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in
the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your
neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox,
or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”
Bible. Exodus 20:2-17
Question #8: Was it good or evil when people obeyed the
commandment of Moses and killed their brothers, companions and
neighbors? Imagine that you are among the Israelites led by Moses, and
Moses commands you personally to kill your own
mother/father/brothers/sisters. Would you obey the order of Moses?
Would you kill your own mother/father/brothers by order of Moses?
Chapter #9: Paul the Apostle
Gospel of Matthew lists twelve names of apostles of Jesus.
2 The names of the twelve
apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his
brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James
the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Bible. Matthew 10:2-4
However the name “Paul” is not present in this list.
How and when Paul had become the apostle? Let’s have a closer look what
Paul
himself tells about that in New Testament.
In Acts of New Testament Paul tells us his biography where Paul
presents himself as a fierce Pharisee.
6 Now when Paul perceived that
one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the
council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son
of Pharisees. It is with
respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on
trial.”
1 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You
have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his
hand and made his defense:
2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I
am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the
Jews,
3 especially because you are familiar with all the customs and
controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me
patiently.
4 “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my
own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews.
5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that
according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a
Pharisee.
The Pharisees (/ˈfærəˌsiːz/)
were at various times a political party, a social movement, and a
school of thought in the Holy Land during the Second Temple period,
beginning under the Hasmonean dynasty (140–37 BCE) in the wake of the
Maccabean Revolt. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE,
Pharisaic beliefs became the liturgical and ritualistic basis for
Rabbinic Judaism (commonly known as simply Judaism).
Wikipedia
Pharisees were the main target and the main enemies of Jesus.
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds
and to his disciples,
2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat,
3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do.
For they preach, but do not practice.
4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's
shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their
finger.
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their
phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the
synagogues
7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you
are all brothers.
<...>
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the
kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves
nor allow those who would enter to go in.
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across
sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a
proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple,
it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is
bound by his oath.’
17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that
has made the gold sacred?
18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if
anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his
oath.’
19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that
makes the gift sacred?
20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells
in it.
22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him
who sits upon it.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint
and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the
law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done,
without neglecting the others.
24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the
outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and
self-indulgence.
26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the
cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
38 And in his teaching he said,
“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like
greetings in the marketplaces
39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at
feasts,
40 who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They
will receive the greater condemnation.”
Bible. Mark 12:38-40
Pharisee Saul-Paul himself tells that he had been prosecuting and
killing the followers of Jesus, as for example Pharisee Saul-Paul was
involved in killing of the first martyr of Christianity Stephen.
The Stoning of Stephen
54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground
their teeth at him.
55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory
of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God.”
57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and
rushed together at him.
58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses
laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.”
60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do
not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell
asleep.
1And Saul approved of his
execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the
church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions
of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.
3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he
dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
2 And when they heard that he
was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more
quiet. And he said:
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city,
educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the
law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day.
4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison
both men and women,
5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me
witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed
toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in
bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
<...>
19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after
another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.
20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself
was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those
who killed him.’
1 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You
have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his
hand and made his defense:
2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I
am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the
Jews,
3 especially because you are familiar with all the customs and
controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me
patiently.
4 “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my
own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews.
5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that
according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a
Pharisee.
6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made
by God to our fathers,
7 to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship
night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king!
8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?
9 “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing
the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints
in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when
they were put to death I cast my vote against them.
11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make
them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even
to foreign cities.
Bible. Acts 26:1-11
When Jesus was alive Pharisee Saul-Paul had never met living Jesus. How
did Pharisee Saul-Paul meet Jesus? Let’s have a closer look what
Pharisee
Saul-Paul himself tells.
1 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You
have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his
hand and made his defense:
2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I
am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the
Jews,
3 especially because you are familiar with all the customs and
controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me
patiently.
4 “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my
own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews.
5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that
according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a
Pharisee.
6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made
by God to our fathers,
7 to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship
night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king!
8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?
9 “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing
the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints
in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when
they were put to death I cast my vote against them.
11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make
them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even
to foreign cities.
12 “In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and
commission of the chief priests.
13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter
than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me.
14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to
me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It
is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom
you are persecuting.
16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for
this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in
which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,
17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am
sending you
18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and
from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of
sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
19 “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly
vision,
20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and
throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they
should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their
repentance.
21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill
me.
22 To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand
here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the
prophets and Moses said would come to pass:
23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise
from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the
Gentiles.”
Bible. Acts 26:1-23
Pharisee Saul-Paul while ridding toward Damascus to kill the followers
of Jesus suddenly grasps that the most effective method to deal with
enemies is not to physically exterminate the enemies, but to overtake
the steering wheel of the camp of Jesus followers and thus enemies will
be no longer enemies, but instead they will serve you even being
unaware of that. However how can you accomplish the overtake of the
steering wheel of the camp of Jesus followers?
Pharisee Saul-Paul grasps genius idea: Saul-Paul proclaims that Jesus
has appointed Saul-Paul as an apostle. Below is the short resume to
clarify the concept.
The fiercest enemy of Jesus, the murderer, zealous persecutor of
followers of Jesus, Pharisee Saul-Paul while ridding to kill followers
of Jesus suddenly proclaims that in his vision he saw Jesus and Jesus
appointed him as an apostle.
It is important to note that while Jesus was alive, Jesus had never
mentioned the name “Saul-Paul” and Jesus had never mentioned even a
single word that after the death of Jesus he would send any apostles or
prophets to the world.
There is no document which would prove that Jesus would ever appoint
Saul-Paul as an apostle.
The fiercest enemy of Jesus proclaimed himself as an apostle.
In other words, Saul-Paul is a self-proclaimed apostle.
Question #9: How much we can trust the writings which were
written by Pharisee Saul-Paul the worst enemy of Jesus who proclaimed
himself apostle?
Chapter #10: Gospels of the New Testament
New Testament consists of four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Luke and Mark had never seen living Jesus, the gospels of Luke and Mark
were written based on the narrations of Pharisee Saul-Paul, who himself
had never seen living Jesus too. Luke and Mark were the disciples of
Pharisee Saul-Paul.
Unlike Luke and Mark, Matthew and John were the true apostles of Jesus.
Matthew and John accompanied Jesus in his travels while Jesus was
alive. Which means that gospels of Matthew and John are much more
reliable source of information than gospels of Luke and Mark.
The first appointed (by Jesus) apostle was Andrew (a.k.a. “the
First-called Andrew”).
18 While walking by the Sea of
Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew
his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of
Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father,
mending their nets, and he called them.
22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
16 Passing alongside the Sea of
Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net
into the sea, for they were fishermen.
17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become
fishers of men.”
18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and
John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.
Andrew the Apostle (Greek:
Ἀνδρέας, Andreas; from the early 1st century – mid to late 1st century
AD), also known as Saint Andrew and called in the Orthodox tradition
Prōtoklētos (Πρωτόκλητος) or the First-called, was a Christian Apostle
and the brother of Saint Peter.
Wikipedia
Apostle Andrew and other true apostles of Jesus wrote gospels.
However the gospel of Andrew and gospels of other apostles are not
present in the New Testament. Why these gospels are not present in New
Testament? Because of the simple reason – Christian Church declared
that these gospels are apocrypha.
Let’s raise a simple question: who has better knowledge about the
teachings of Jesus – “the First-called Andrew”, who was together with
Jesus from the very first day, or Luke/Mark, who has not seen Jesus
alive?
Jesus had twelve apostles. Every
apostle wrote his gospel. Thus it should be eleven gospels (twelve
apostles minus apostle Jude), however New Testament contains only two
gospels written by true apostles of Jesus.
The Decree of Pope Gelasius on
Canonical and Noncanonical Books (A.D. 496)
Decretum Gelasianum: De Libris Recipiendis et Non Recipiendis
Migne: PL 59.157-164
CONCILIORUM SUB GELASIO HABITORUM RELATIO.
CONCILIUM ROMANUM I.
Quo a septuaginta episcopis libri sacri et authentici ab apocryphis
sunt discreti, sub Gelasio, anno Domini 494 Asterio atque Praesidio
consulibus.
<...>
V.
Notitia librorum apocryphorum qui non recipiuntur.
In primis Ariminensem synodum a Constantio Caesare Constantini Augusti
filio congregatam, mediante Tauro praefecto [al. praetorio] ex tunc et
nunc et usque in aeternum confitemur esse damnatam.
Item Itinerarium nomine Petri apostoli, quod appellatur sancti
Clementis libri [decem, al. novem], octo, apocryphum. Actus nomine Andreae apostoli,
apocryphi. Actus nomine Thomae apostoli, libri 10
apocryphi. Actus nomine Petri apostoli, apocryphi. Actus nomine Philippi apostoli,
apocryphi.
Evangelium nomine Thaddaei, apocryphum.
Evangelium nomine Matthiae, apocryphum.
Evangelium nomine Petri apostoli, apocryphum.
Evangelium nomine Jacobi Minoris, apocryphum.
Evangelium nomine Barnabae, apocryphum.
Evangelium [al. Evangelia] nomine Thomae quo [al. quibus] utuntur
Manichaei, apocryphum [al. apocr.]. Evangelium [al. Evangelia] nomine
Bartholomaei apostoli, apocryphum [al. apocrypha].
Evangelium nomine Andreae apostoli, apocryphum.
Evangelia quae falsavit Lucianus, apocrypha.
Liber de infantia Salvatoris, apocryphus.
Evangelia quae falsavit Esitius [al. Hesychius et Isicius], apocrypha.
Liber de Nativitate [al. Infantia] Salvatoris, et de Maria et
obstetrice [al. addit. ejus], apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Pastoris, apocryphus.
Libri omnes quos fecit Leucius [al. Lucius] discipulus diaboli,
apocryphi.
Liber qui appellatur Fundamentum, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Thesaurus, apocryphus.
Liber de filiabus Adae geneseos, apocryphus.
Centimetrum de Christo, Virgilianis compaginatum versibus, apocryphum.
Liber qui appellatur Actus Teclae et Pauli apostoli, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Nepotis, apocryphus.
Liber Proverbiorum qui ab haereticis conscriptus et sancti Sixti [al.
Xysti] nomine praenotatus est, apocryphus.
Revelatio quae appellatur Pauli apostoli, apocrypha. Revelatio quae appellatur Thomae
apostoli, apocrypha.
Revelatio quae appellatur S. Stephani, apocrypha.
Liber qui appellatur Transitus, id est Assumptio sanctae Mariae,
apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Poenitentia Adae, apocryphus.
Liber Ogiae nomine gigantis, qui ab haereticis cum dracone post
diluvium pugnasse fingitur, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Testamentum Job, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Poenitentia Origenis, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Poenitentia sancti Cypriani, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Poenitentia Jamnae et Mambrae, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Sortes sanctorum apostolorum, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Laus [al. Lusus] apostolorum, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Canones apostolorum, apocryphus.
Liber Physiologus, qui ab haereticis conscriptus est, et B. Ambrosii
nomine signatus [al. praenotatus], apocryphus.
Historia Eusebii Pamphili, apocrypha.
Opuscula Tertulliani, apocrypha.
Opuscula Lactantii [al. Firmiani], apocrypha.
Opuscula Africani, apocrypha.
Opuscula Postumiani et Galli, apocrypha.
Opuscula Montani, Priscillae et Maximillae, apocrypha.
Opuscula omnia Fausti Manichaei, apocrypha.
Opuscula Commodiani, apocrypha.
Opuscula alterius Clementis Alexandrini, apocrypha.
Opuscula Tatii [al. Tharsi seu Tascii] Cypriani, apocrypha.
Opuscula Arnobii, apocrypha.
Opuscula Tychonii, apocrypha.
Opuscula Cassiani [al. Cassionis] presbyteri Galliarum, apocrypha.
Opuscula Victorini Pictaviensis [al. Petabionensis], apocrypha.
Opuscula Fausti Regensis Galliarum, apocrypha.
Opuscula Frumentii Caeci, apocrypha.
Epistola Jesu ad Abagarum [al. Abgarum] regem, apocrypha.
Epistola Abagari [al. Abgari] ad Jesum, apocrypha.
Passio Quirici [al. Cyrici] et Julitae, apocrypha.
Passio Georgii, apocrypha.
Scriptura quae appellatur contradictio [al. interdictio] Salomonis,
apocrypha.
Phylacteria omnia, quae non angelorum (ut illi confingunt), sed
daemonum magis arte [al. nominibus] conscripta sunt, apocrypha.
<...>
CONCILIUM ROMANUM SIVE DECRETUM De libris recipiendis et non
recipiendis a Gelasio papa cum episcopis anno circiter 496 habitum.
Christian Resources
Question #10: Why gospels written by true apostles of Jesus
were
declared as apocrypha? Why instead of gospels written by true apostles
of Jesus the New Testament contains writings written by the worst enemy
of Jesus Pharisee Saul-Paul and Saul-Paul’s disciples (Luke and Mark)?
Chapter #11: Instructions of Jesus Christ
Christ had never mentioned that after his death, he will send any
apostle; Christ had never mentioned the name of Saul-Paul. The Pharisee
Paul, the most vicious enemy of Christ, had declared himself as the
apostle.
According to the Pharisee Paul, after Christ’s death, Christ allegedly
began to do everything on the contrary than during his lifetime. When
Christ was alive, he had never maimed people and he had healed them,
but after the Christ’s death, Christ allegedly began to maim and
frighten people. As for example, in the verse of Acts 9:3-9
Christ had made Paul blind, after Christ’s death the apostles Paul and
Peter
are terrorizing people, extorting money from people, and killing and
maiming people (Acts
13:9-11 and Acts
4:32-37; 5:1-11)
and so on.
3 Now as he went on his way, he
approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.
4 And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul,
Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you
are persecuting.
6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the
voice but seeing no one.
8 Saul rose from the ground, and although
his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and
brought him into Damascus.
9 And for three days he was without sight,
and neither ate nor drank.
Bible. Acts 9:3-9
Question #11: Did Christ ever mention that after his death, he
will do everything on the contrary than during his lifetime? Did Christ
ever mention that after his death he was planning to maim and kill
people?
Chapter #12: Who are the Nazarenes and who are the Christians
When Christ was alive, his followers and disciples did not call
themselves “Christians”, they called themselves “Nazarenes”. This name
arose because Jesus was born in the town of Nazareth.
Nazarene is a title applied to
Jesus, who, according to the New Testament, grew up in Nazareth, a town
in Galilee, now in northern Israel. The word is used to translate two
related terms that appear in the Greek New Testament: Nazarēnos
(Nazarene) and Nazōraios (Nazorean). The phrases traditionally rendered
as "Jesus of Nazareth" can also be translated as "Jesus the Nazarene"
or "Jesus the Nazorean", and the title "Nazarene" may have a religious
significance instead of denoting a place of origin. Both Nazarene and
Nazorean are irregular in Greek and the additional vowel in Nazorean
complicates any derivation from Nazareth.
The Gospel of Matthew explains that the title Nazarene is derived from
the prophecy "He will be called a Nazorean", but this has no obvious
Old Testament source. Some scholars argue that it refers to a passage
in the Book of Isaiah, with "Nazarene" a Greek reading of the Hebrew
ne·tser (branch), understood as a messianic title. Others point to a
passage in the Book of Judges which refers to Samson as a Nazirite, a
word that is just one letter off from Nazarene in Greek.
The Greek New Testament uses "Nazarene" six times (Mark, Luke), while
"Nazorean" is used 13 times (Matthew, Mark in some manuscripts, Luke,
John, Acts). In the Book of Acts, "Nazorean" is used to refer to a
follower of Jesus, i.e. a Christian, rather than an inhabitant of a
town. "Notzrim" is the modern Hebrew word for Christians (No·tsri,
נוֹצְרִי) and one of two words commonly used to mean "Christian" in
Syriac (Nasrani) and Arabic (Naṣrānī, نصراني).
Wikipedia
Please open all four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and try to
find the word “Christian” in these gospels. None of the Gospels contain
the word “Christian” because when Christ was alive, his disciples and
followers were called “Nazarenes”.
4 Then Jesus, knowing all that
would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”
5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am
he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.
6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the
ground.
7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let
these men go.”
18 There they crucified him, and
with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.
19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read,
“Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the
Jews.”
20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus
was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in
Latin, and in Greek.
21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The
King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’”
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
19 But when Herod died, behold,
an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of
Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.”
21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land
of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of
his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a
dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee.
23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was
spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
5 For we have found this man a
plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world
and is a ringleader of the sect of the
Nazarenes.
Bible. Acts 24:5
After Christ’s death the Pharisee Saul-Paul specially coined a new
name “Christians” in order it would seem that the teaching released by
Pharisee Saul-Paul supposedly is the same as that of Christ's teaching.
25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to
look for Saul,
26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole
year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in
Antioch the disciples were first called
Christians.
Christian is a person who
adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on
the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the
Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament. "Christian"
derives from the Greek word Christ, a translation of the Hebrew term
Messiah.<...>
The Greek word (christianos) — meaning "follower of Christ" — comes
from
(christos) — meaning "anointed one" — with an adjectival ending
borrowed
from Latin to denote adhering to, or even belonging to, as in slave
ownership.<...>
The first recorded use of the term (or its cognates in other languages)
is in the New Testament, in Acts 11:26, which states "...in Antioch the
disciples were first called Christians." The second mention of the term
follows in Acts 26:28, where Herod Agrippa II replies to Paul the
Apostle, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to
be a Christian?" The third and final New Testament reference to the
term is in 1 Peter 4:16, which exhorts believers, "...if you suffer as
a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name."
Wikipedia
Here is the summary in order to make it more understandable. The
disciples/followers of Christ were called “Nazarenes”. And the
disciples/followers of the Pharisee Saul-Paul were called “Christians”.
Nazarenes and Christians are totally unrelated to each other. The
Pharisee Saul-Paul fiercely persecuted and killed Nazarenes, and after
the death of Christ, he declared himself as the apostle of Christ, he
took in his hands the steering wheel of the camp of the followers of
Christ and he totally altered the teaching of Christ.
The Gospels of Christ's real apostles were declared apocryphal.
Instead of the Gospels of the real apostles of Christ, the New
Testament contains the writings of the most vicious enemies of Christ –
the Pharisee Saul-Paul and his disciples (Luke, Mark).
The Church led by the disciples of the killer of Nazarenes, the
imposter “apostle”
Pharisee Saul-Paul, flooded with the blood all Europe while spreading
the teaching of the Pharisee Saul-Paul.
The “Good fruit” of Pharisee Saul-Paul’s teaching was such that, for
example, when Kievan Rus' was
baptized, 9 million people were killed from the 12 million population
of Kievan Rus'. The Christians killed all people who did not want to
accept the teaching of the Pharisee the killer of Nazarenes the
self-proclaimed “apostle” Saul-Paul.
Question #12: How much of the Holy Spirit and how much of
Satan-Spirit is contained in the teaching of the Pharisee the killer of
Nazarenes the self-proclaimed “apostle” Saul-Paul?
Chapter #13: Depictions of Jesus
A short scenario for contemplation.
Let’s suppose that your father was robbed by some mobsters and your
father was killed and hanged on a tree branch. After this event, you
had made a small statuette of the “hanged father” and during your whole
lifetime you are wearing the necklace with this statuette in order “to
honor” your father.
Question #13: How do you think: the depiction of the “hanged
father”: 1) would honor the father, or 2) would honor his killers?
If there really was a desire to pay a tribute to Christ, then Christ
would be portrayed healthy and powerful, radiating joy and victorious.
Let’s look more closely how the depiction of Christ had changed over
time. In early Christianity heirs of Pharisee Saul-Paul did not dare to
depict and impose the image of tortured and killed Christ. In early
Christianity Christ was depicted only alive and healthy, full of
energy, glowing and with a book in his hand. Below are some examples of
the pictures, which show how Christ was portrayed in early Christianity.
The oldest surviving panel icon of Christ Pantocrator, encaustic on
panel, c. 6th century, showing the appearance of Jesus that is still
immediately recognised today.
Christ as Emperor, wearing military dress, and crushing the serpent
representing Satan. "I am the way and the truth and the life" (John
14:6) reads the inscription. Ravenna, after 500
11th-century Christ Pantocrator with the halo in a cross form, used
throughout the Middle Ages. Characteristically, he is portrayed as
similar in features and skin tone to the culture of the artist.
Wikipedia
The image of Christ killed on the cross is a desecration and
disrespect of Christ. In early Christianity the caricatures of Christ
hanging on the cross were drawn only for the purposes of the
desecration of Christ.
Engraving of a crucified donkey believed to be an early anti-Christian
graffito, it reads: "Alexamenos worships [his] god."
Wikipedia
After a few hundred years after the death of Christ the followers of
Pharisee Saul-Paul decided not to be penny wise and imposed the image
of tortured and killed Christ (on the cross) to the Christians; and the
image which glorifies the victory of the Jews over Christ was made de
facto standard for the Christians. Christians, without even
understanding, venerate the image of the murdered Christ and thus
glorify the victory of the Jews over Christ.
Chapter #14: Context of the New Testament
In the debates about Christianity, the Christians very often accuse the
opponents that the opponents allegedly had taken out of context the
quote of the Bible. So let's look more closely at the context of the
Bible.
We will remind that the Pharisee Saul-Paul and other apostles were
Jews, so in order to be able to understand the context of the New
Testament as a whole, you need to know and understand the Judaism
– do you agree with that or not?
Question #14: How well do you know Judaism? What are the basic
dogmas of Judaism? For what purpose the God Yahweh/Jehovah had created
the non-Jews?
Chapter #15: The Second Commandment of God
Let’s study the Bible more carefully and let’s see what the Second
Commandment of God is. The Ten Commandments given to Moses by God
Yahweh/Jehovah are mentioned in the Old Testament even twice (Exodus
20:2-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21). God's Second Commandment is: “You shall
not make for yourself a carved image ... You shall not bow down to them
or serve them”:
The Ten Commandments, also known
as the Decalogue, are a set of commandments which the Bible describes
as being given to the Israelites by God at biblical Mount Sinai. The
Ten Commandments appear twice in the Hebrew Bible, first at Exodus
20:1-17, and then at Deuteronomy 5:4-21. According to the story in
Exodus, God inscribed them on two stone tablets, which he gave to
Moses. Modern scholarship has found likely influences in Hittite and
Mesopotamian laws and treaties, but is divided over exactly when the
Ten Commandments were written and who wrote them. According to New
Testament writers, the Ten Commandments are clearly attributed to
Moses. John
7:19, Mark
7:10, Ephesians
6:2.
2 “I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a
carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or
serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth
generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to
thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the
Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you
shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male
servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner
who is within your gates.
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all
that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in
the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your
neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox,
or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”
6 “‘I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
7 “‘You shall have no other gods before me. 8 “‘You shall not make for yourself a
carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or
that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 9 You shall not bow down to them or
serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing steadfast love to
thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 “‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the
Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
12 “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God
commanded you.
13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you
shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male
servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of
your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your
male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and
the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an
outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the
Sabbath day.
16 “‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded
you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in
the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
17 “‘You shall not murder.
18 “‘And you shall not commit adultery.
19 “‘And you shall not steal.
20 “‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
21 “‘And you shall not covet your neighbor's wife. And you shall not
desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his
female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your
neighbor's.’
1 Hear the word that the Lord
speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be
dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed
at them,
3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is
cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
4 They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and
nails so that it cannot move.
5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot
speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid
of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.”
Bible. Jeremiah 10:1-5
The Bible clearly says that the veneration of the Cross (i.e. idol)
is the idolatry which violates the Second Commandment of God. The Bible
clearly says that the veneration of images (e.g. icons) is the idolatry
which violates the Second Commandment of God.
The Second Commandment of God is excluded from the Catholic Catechism,
and the Tenth Commandment of God is divided into two parts in order
that nobody would notice that one commandment is missing.
Section Two: The Ten Commandments
<...>
A Traditional Catechetical Formula
1. I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me. 2. You shall not take the name of the
LORD your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the LORD'S Day.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church. Part Three: Life in Christ. Section Two: The Ten Commandments
Question #15: Why does the Catholic Catechism tampered with the
commandments of God? Please explain in detail how the veneration of the
cross (violation of the Second Commandment of God) leads to the
salvation?
Chapter #16: Cancellation of the Second Commandment of God
Catholics provide us a very thorough and very detailed description of
the hell.
In 1486 the Holy Inquisition published the book “Hammer of the Witches”
(Latin: “Malleus Maleficarum”). In this book all levels of the hell are
described very detailed, the book describes which devils live on what
level of the hell, the book lists the names of all the devils and
describes which devil stands to which pot (with boiling sulfur or with
boiling water, etc.).
At the same time, the Catholic Church is unable to provide us any
detailed description of the heaven/paradise – all the data about the
heaven/paradise is limited to a few abstract, vague and indeterminate
sentences.
And this leads to very simple conclusion: all Catholics go only into
the hell, and no Catholic has ever been in the heaven/paradise. This is
due to simple reason – if at least one Catholic would had been in the
paradise, then Catholic Church would be able to provide us a detailed
description of the paradise.
The Malleus Maleficarum
(commonly rendered into English as "Hammer of [the] Witches"; Der
Hexenhammer in German) is a treatise on the prosecution of witches,
written in 1486 by Heinrich Kramer, a German Catholic clergyman. The
book was first published in Speyer, Germany, in 1487. Jacob Sprenger is
also often attributed as an author, but some scholars now believe that
he became associated with the Malleus Maleficarum largely as a result
of Kramer's wish to lend his book as much official authority as
possible. Both purported writers of the work were Dominican clergy, and
the work came about as “the result of a peculiarly Dominican encounter
between learned and folk traditions, an encounter determined in part by
the demands of inquisitorial office, and in part by the requirements of
effective preaching and pastoral care.” In 1490, three years after its
publication, the Catholic Church condemned the Malleus Maleficarum,
although it was later used by royal courts during the Renaissance, and
contributed to the increasingly brutal prosecution of witchcraft during
the 16th and 17th centuries.
Kramer wrote the Malleus shortly after being expelled from Innsbruck by
the local bishop after a failed attempt to conduct his own witchcraft
prosecution. Kramer's purpose in writing the book was to explain his
own views on witchcraft, systematically refute arguments claiming that
witchcraft does not exist, discredit those who expressed skepticism
about its reality, claim that those who practised witchcraft were more
often women than men, and to convince magistrates to use Kramer's
recommended procedures for finding and convicting witches.
Title page of an edition dated 1669
Author(s)
Heinrich Kramer and,
credited but under modern academic dispute, Jacob Sprenger
Date
1486
Date of issue
1487
External links Malleus
Maleficarum – Online version of Latin text and scanned pages of
Malleus Maleficarum published in 1580. Malleus
Maleficarum – Online and downloadable scan of original Latin
edition of 1490. English
translation
Wikipedia
We will remind that the order of the numbering of the Commandments
of God corresponds to the importance/priority of the Commandments. The
first Commandment is the most important, the second Commandment is less
important than the first, but more important than all the other
Commandments; the third Commandment is less important than the second,
but more important than all the others. This is due to very important
reason. If life circumstances of a man force a man to violate one of
the Commandments of God, and if the man is forced to violate the
Commandments, then such man must choose to violate the Commandment
whose numbering number is bigger.
As for example, if a man is forced to choose between which Commandment
of God to violate: the first Commandment or the fifth Commandment, then
he must fulfill the first Commandment, and he can violate the fifth
Commandment. It is important to note that the second Commandment is
above the rest of Commandments (do not kill, do not steal, etc.), which
means that if a man is forced to choose between the worshiping of
idols/icons (the violation of the second Commandment) and the
Commandment “do not kill/do not steal, etc.”, then such man must choose
to go and kill/steal/etc instead of worshiping idols/icons.
These are the Commandments of God Yahweh/Jehovah and such is the order
of the execution of the Commandments; however Catholics have no clue
about that.
There are more than 41 thousand of Christian denominations and many
of them are well aware of the second Commandment of God and obey it. As
for example, the Second Commandment of God is obeyed by Baptists and
many other Christian denominations. Idols and icons of Christ are
venerated only by the Catholics, Orthodoxes and several other
denominations. All other Christians obey the second Commandment of God,
because God Yahweh/Jehovah has never canceled the Ten Commandments.
You can be obedient to all nine Commandments, but it is enough to
violate just one Commandment, and your soul will go to the hell, which
is confirmed in the writings of Catholics themselves.
Question #16: Please show a place in the Bible that describes
that God Yahweh/Jehovah had canceled his Second Commandment.
Chapter #17: Horns of Moses and the infallibility of the Pope
Papal infallibility is a dogma
of the Catholic Church that states that, in virtue of the promise of
Jesus to Peter, the Pope is preserved from the possibility of error
"When, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all
Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, he defines a
doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church."
This doctrine was defined dogmatically in the First Vatican Council of
1869–1870, but had been defended before that, existing already in
medieval theology and being the majority opinion at the time of the
Counter-Reformation.
According to Catholic theology, there are several concepts important to
the understanding of infallible, divine revelation: Sacred Scripture,
Sacred Tradition, and the Sacred Magisterium. The infallible teachings
of the Pope are part of the Sacred Magisterium, which also consists of
ecumenical councils and the "...ordinary and universal magisterium." In
Catholic theology, papal infallibility is one of the channels of the
infallibility of the Church. The infallible teachings of the Pope must
be based on, or at least not contradict, Sacred Tradition or Sacred
Scripture.
The doctrine of infallibility relies on one of the cornerstones of
Catholic dogma: that of petrine supremacy of the pope, and his
authority as the ruling agent who decides what is accepted as formal
beliefs in the Roman Catholic Church. The use of this power is referred
to as speaking ex cathedra.
Wikipedia
Let’s investigate more closely how much qualified in the text of
the Bible are the Popes (and the Vatican). The qualification in the
text of the Bible of the Popes is very well illustrated by the fact
that when Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to build his tomb
and Michelangelo carried out that order, the tomb of Julius II depicts
the Biblical figure Moses with horns on his head. It is important to
note that Michelangelo’s work on making the tomb was vigilantly
supervised by the Pope.
The Moses (c. 1513–1515) is a
sculpture by the Italian High Renaissance artist Michelangelo
Buonarroti, housed in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome.
Commissioned in 1505 by Pope Julius II for his tomb, it depicts the
Biblical figure Moses with horns on his head, based on a description in
the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible used at that time.
Commissioning and design history
Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to build his tomb in 1505 and
it was finally completed in 1545; Julius II died in 1513. The initial
design by Michelangelo was massive and called for over 40 statues. The
statue of Moses would have been placed on a tier about 3.74 meters
high, opposite a figure of St. Paul. In the final design, the statue of
Moses sits in the center of the bottom tier.
<...>
Horns
The statue has what are commonly accepted to be two horns on its head.
The depiction of a horned Moses stems from the description of Moses'
face as "cornuta" ("horned") in the Latin Vulgate translation of the
passage from Exodus in which Moses returns to the people after
receiving the commandments for the second time. The Douay-Rheims Bible
translates the Vulgate as, "And when Moses came down from the mount
Sinai, he held the two tables of the testimony, and he knew not that
his face was horned from the conversation of the Lord." This was
Jerome's effort to faithfully translate the difficult, original Hebrew
Masoretic text, which uses the term, karan (based on the root, keren,
which often means "horn"); the term is now interpreted to mean
"shining" or "emitting rays" (somewhat like a horn). Although some
historians believe that Jerome made an outright error, Jerome himself
appears to have seen keren as a metaphor for "glorified", based on
other commentaries he wrote, including one on Ezekiel, where he wrote
that Moses' face had "become 'glorified', or as it says in the Hebrew,
'horned'." The Greek Septuagint, which Jerome also had available,
translated the verse as "Moses knew not that the appearance of the skin
of his face was glorified." In general medieval theologians and
scholars understood that Jerome had intended to express a glorification
of Moses' face, by his use of the Latin word for "horned." The
understanding that the original Hebrew was difficult and was not likely
to literally mean "horns" persisted into and through the Renaissance.
Although Jerome completed the Vulgate in the late 3rd century, the
first known applications of the literal language of the Vulgate in art
are found in an English illustrated book written in the vernacular,
that was created around 1050: the Aelfric Paraphrase of the Pentateuch
and Joshua. For the next 150 years or so, evidence for further images
of a horned Moses is sparse. Afterwards, such images proliferated and
can be found, for example, in the stained glass windows at the Chartres
Cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle, and Notre Dame, even as Moses continued to
be depicted many times without horns. In the 16th century, the
prevalence of depictions of a horned Moses steeply diminished.
In Christian art of the Middle Ages, Moses is depicted wearing horns
and without them; sometimes in glory, as a prophet and precursor of
Jesus, but also in negative contexts, especially with regard to Pauline
contrasts between faith and law - the iconography was not black and
white. However, starting in the 11th and 12th centuries, the social
position of Jews, and their depictions in Christian art, became
increasingly negative and reached a low point as the Middle Ages ended.
Jews became identified with the devil, and were commonly depicted in an
evil light, with horns, a libelous stereotype that exists to this day.
Hence many people today interpret the horns on Michelangelo's statue
only in a negative light, a situation that was not true in
Michelangelo's day.
A book published in 2008 advanced a theory that the "horns" on
Michelangelo's statue were never meant to be seen and that it is wrong
to interpret them as horns: "[The statue] never had horns. The artist
had planned Moses as a masterpiece not only of sculpture, but also of
special optical effects worthy of any Hollywood movie. For this reason,
the piece had to be elevated and facing straight forward, looking in
the direction of the front door of the basilica. The two protrusions on
the head would have been invisible to the viewer looking up from the
floor below — the only thing that would have been seen was the light
reflected off of them." This interpretation has been contested.
Artist: Michelangelo
Year: c. 1513 – 1515
Type: Marble
Dimensions: 235 cm (92.5 in)
Location: San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome
The Tomb of Pope Julius II is a
sculptural and architectural ensemble by Michelangelo and his
assistants, originally commissioned in 1505 but not completed until
1545 on a much reduced scale. Originally intended for St. Peter's
Basilica, the tomb was instead placed in the church of San Pietro in
Vincoli on the Esquiline in Rome after the pope's death. This church
was patronised by the della Rovere family from which Julius came, and
he had been titular cardinal there.
The tomb of Julius II, with Michelangelo's statues of Rachel and Leah
on the left and the right of his Moses.
Wikipedia
We will remind that the Catholic Church had translated all the Holy
Scriptures into Latin, because the original Holy Scriptures were in
Hebrew and Greek. The translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew into
Latin was carried out by Saint Jerome (Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus).
Saint Jerome was so illiterate that when he was translating the Hebrew
Torah into Latin, he mistakenly translated the text about Moses, and in
the Latin translation he wrote that Moses had horns.
Saint Jerome (/dʒəˈroʊm/; Latin:
Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; Greek: Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος;
c. 347 – 30 September 420) was a Latin Christian priest, confessor,
theologian and historian, who also became a Doctor of the Church. He
was the son of Eusebius, born at Stridon, a village of Italian
influence on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia. He is best known for
his translation of most of the Bible into Latin (the translation that
became known as the Vulgate), and his commentaries on the Gospels. His
list of writings is extensive. Known as the “protégé” of Pope Damasus
I, who died in December of 384, Jerome became well known for outlining
the type of lifestyle that was acceptable for Christians living in
cosmopolitan centers like Rome. In many cases, he focused his attention
to the lives of women and identified how a woman devoted to Jesus
Christ should live her life. This concentration stemmed from his close
patron relationships with several prominent female ascetics who were
members of affluent Roman “senatorial families”.
He is recognised as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern
Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Church, and the Church of England
(Anglican Communion). Jerome is commemorated on 30 September with a
memorial.
Wikipedia
It is important to note that Saint Jerome’s translation into Latin
called “Vulgate” is still valid as the official text of the Bible of
the Catholic Church. Since this translation was (and still is) the
official text of the Bible, recognized by the Vatican, the Catholics in
their works refer to this Jerome’s text.
Michelangelo's statue of
Moses depicted with horns is still considered one of the greatest
masterpieces. Actually Moses was the father of the Christian religion;
without Moses there would be no Christianity as such.
Depictions of Moses with horns is an insult and mockery of Moses, it
would be difficult to come up with something more insulting. However
the tomb of Pope Julius II depicts Moses with horns.
Furthermore, Moses is depicted with horns on all paintings with
Christian themes, in icons, in Bible editions, in works on theology,
etc. Moreover, many Christian theologians have written big treatises in
which they had discussed the horns of Moses – what size, what color
were the horns of Moses, etc.
And this entire circus is caused by one reason – Jerome due his
illiteracy had mistakenly translated the Hebrew Torah.
Question #17: How can we rely on the works of the Pope and the
Vatican about the Bible when, according to Popes, Moses had horns? And
by the way, if Moses supposedly had horns, maybe Christ had the horns
too? And maybe all the other saints had the horns too?
Chapter #18: Rising from the dead
Christians claim that Jesus resurrected from the dead and this
proves the divinity. However Jesus resurrected from the coma stage, not
from the dead. The word “coma” is never mentioned in Bible despite the
fact that many people were experiencing coma stage in biblical times.
The word “coma” was hardly used in the known literature up to the
middle of the 17th century. The people who surrounded Jesus did not
know about coma stage and at these times all people in coma stage were
considered as dead. Simply nearby Jesus there were no qualified persons
to diagnose the coma stage, so the coma stage was misdiagnosed as the
death. Resurrection from the coma stage is not a miracle at all.
Thousands of people around the world resurrect from the coma stage
every day.
The term ‘coma’, from the Greek
koma, meaning deep sleep, had already been used in the Hippocratic
corpus (Epidemica) and later by Galen (second century AD).
Subsequently, it was hardly used in the known literature up to the
middle of the 17th century. The term is found again in Thomas Willis’
(1621–75) influential De anima brutorum (1672), where lethargy
(pathological sleep, which he localized in the outer cortex), ‘coma’
(heavy sleeping), carus (deprivation of the senses) and apoplexy (into
which carus could turn and which he localized in the white matter) are
mentioned, the sequence indicating increasingly deeper forms of
unresponsiveness. The term carus is also derived from Greek, where it
can be found in the roots of several words meaning soporific or sleepy.
It can still be found in the root of the term carotid’. Thomas Sydenham
(1624–89) mentioned the term ‘coma’ in several cases of fever
(Sydenham, 1685). Partly due to the methodology we applied, apoplexy
and stroke are causes often encountered. Trauma has always been known
as a cause and an example is found in Tulp’s Observationes Medicae
(Tulp, 1641). Before the 19th century, physical examination, next to
bservation, was largely confined to palpating the pulse and to
inspection of urine, faeces, sputum and pus (Bynum and Porter, 1994).
In this period, observations on arousal to sensory stimuli (shouting,
pinching, applying stimuli to the nostrils), movements and breathing
were described. Johann Jakob Wepfer (1620–95) mentioned a full and
strong pulse that became weak, small and frequent (Wepfer, 1932).
Historical study of coma:
looking back through medical and neurological texts. Peter J. Koehler1
and Eelco F. M.Wijdicks. Brain (2008), 131,
p. 877-889
In medicine, a coma (from the
Greek koma, meaning deep sleep) is a state of unconsciousness, lasting
more than six hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to
respond normally to painful stimuli, light, sound, lacks a normal
sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. <...>
Diagnostic steps
When an unconscious patient enters a hospital, the hospital utilizes a
series of diagnostic steps to identify the cause of unconsciousness.
According to Young, the following steps should be taken when dealing
with a patient possibly in a coma:
1. Perform a general examination and medical history check
2. Make sure patient is in an actual comatose state and is not
mistaken for locked-in state (patient will either be able to
voluntarily move his eyes or blink) or psychogenic unresponsiveness
(caloric stimulation of the vestibular apparatus will result in slow
deviation of eyes towards the stimulation followed by rapid correction
to mid-line; this response can't be voluntarily suppressed: therefore,
if the patient doesn't have this response, then psychogenic coma can be
ruled out as a differential)
3. Find the site of the brain that may be causing coma (i.e. brain
stem, back of brain…) and assess the severity of the coma with the
Glasgow coma scale
4. Take blood work to see if drugs were involved or if it was a result
of hypoventilation/hyperventilation
5. Check for levels of “serum glucose, calcium, sodium, potassium,
magnesium, phosphate, urea, and creatinine”
6. Perform brain scans to observe any abnormal brain functioning using
either CT or MRI scans
7. Continue to monitor brain waves and identify seizures of patient
using EEGs
Wikipedia
A lot of Christians do not agree that Jesus was in a coma – these
Christians claim that the heart of Jesus was pierced with a spear, and
no one can survive after the piercing of the heart, only God can
survive the piercing of the heart. It should be noted that in the
biblical text there is no mention that the heart of Jesus was pierced.
The biblical text mentions only that one side of Jesus was pierced
(John 19:34), however the “side” does not mean the “heart”.
34 But one of the soldiers
pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and
water.
Bible. John 19:34
Due to the lack of medical knowledge the Christians naively believe
that the pierced heart of Jesus somehow proves his divinity, Christians
naively believe that no mortal could survive after his heart was
pierced. However, this is not true. There are many documented cases
when people have successfully survived after their heart was pierced,
and this fact refutes the claim of Christians that the pierced heart
supposedly proves the divinity. Mortal men can survive after the
piercing of the heart; the divinity is not required for the survival.
And by the way, it is interesting to note that in many churches on the
statues of Jesus the wound of puncture is depicted on the wrong side –
the wound from the spear is on the right side of Jesus and not on the
left, which is contrary to the assertions of Christians that Jesus was
pierced in the heart.
Boy Survives After Being Spiked
Through Heart : Medicine: Surgeon calls his survival 'one in a
billion.' The child asked to play Nintendo after awakening from surgery. By Arthur H. Rotstein
Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, May 19, 1991
Miraculous recovery for man with
knife in heart By Sumitra Deb Roy, TNN
The Times of India, Jan 16, 2011
Question #18: We will remind that voodoo priests can resurrect
the dead – there are many documented cases of that. This means that the
resurrection of Christ from the dead is not proof of divinity, isn’t it?
Chapter #19: Becoming God after the vote
We will remind that in the year 325 “The First Council of Nicaea”
was convened in the city of Bithynia in Nicaea (İznik city in modern
Turkey). The First Council of Nicaea voted and Jesus Christ was
declared as God by the majority of votes cast (318 votes were cast
“for”, and 2 votes were cast “against”). Those who voted “against” were
expelled and excommunicated. Thus, in the year 325 (i.e., after about
300 years after his death) Jesus Christ became God. While Christ was
alive and 300 years after his death – Christ was not God, however in
the year 325 Christ became God.
The First Council of Nicaea
(/naɪˈsiːə/; Greek: Νίκαια [ˈni:kaɪja]) was a council of Christian
bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine
I in AD 325. This first ecumenical council was the first effort to
attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of
Christendom. It was presided by Hosius of Corduba, a bishop from the
West.
Its main accomplishments were settlement of the Christological issue of
the nature of the Son of God and his relationship to God the Father,
the construction of the first part of the Creed of Nicaea, establishing
uniform observance of the date of Easter, and promulgation of early
canon law.
Wikipedia
Christians claim that “Christ died for all”, “Christ died for
everyone's sins”.
Question #19: Was it really necessary to “die for all”? As for
example, Christ could “had been born for all” – please prove using
logical arguments that “being born for all” is a worse scenario than
“dying for all.” Or Christ could “had drunk wine for all” – please
prove using logical arguments that that “to drink wine for all” is a
worse scenario than the “to die for all”. Christ is God, so any act of
God can count as an act “for all”, isn’t?
Chapter #20: Holy Trinity before the birth of Christ
One of the most important Christian dogma is the Holy Trinity (God the
Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit).
The Christian doctrine of the
Trinity (from Latin trinitas "triad", from trinus "threefold") defines
God as three consubstantial persons, expressions, or hypostases: the
Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit; "one God in three
persons". The three persons are distinct, yet are one "substance,
essence or nature". In this context, a "nature" is what one is, while a
"person" is who one is.
Wikipedia
Question #20: Did the Holy Trinity exist before the birth of
Christ or not? Maybe at that time instead of the Holy Trinity there was
Holy Dyad? Or how it was?
Chapter #21: Monotheism vs. Trinity
Christians claim that the Christian religion is monotheistic, however
at the same time, Christians venerate the Holy Trinity.
According to Christian doctrine, monotheism is the formula:
“God in three persons” == monotheism.
According to the Christians, this formula is allegedly a very logical
monotheistic formula – do you agree with this or not?
Monotheism is defined by the
Encyclopædia Britannica as belief in the existence of one god or in the
oneness of God. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church gives a
more restricted definition: "belief in one personal and transcendent
God", as opposed to polytheism and pantheism.
Wikipedia
Question #21: For what purpose, and why do you need to combine
“God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit” in one pile
(Trinity)? Why they can not simply exist separately? Why does this list
of Trinity do not contain the Virgin Mary, the angels, archangels,
demons, Satan/Lucifer and all the other biblical characters? Why do
these biblical characters do not deserve the honor of being included in
this list?
We will remind that the other monotheistic (based on the Bible)
religions (Islam and Judaism) categorically deny and do not recognize
the “Trinity”. Judaism and Islam claim that Christianity is a
polytheistic religion because of the following reasons:
1) Christians worship the Trinity;
2) in addition to all this, the Christians venerate the Virgin Mary;
3) in addition to all this, Christians revere many different Christian
saints.
At the same time, Muslims worship only one God and no one else. Allah
is the same biblical God Yahweh/Jehovah, just the name is different.
The Quran states that if you worship the Trinity then after your death
the God will send you to the hell.
Judaism and Islam also claim that Christianity is idolatry because
Christians worship the cross, icons, various statues, etc., and all
these things violate the Second Commandment of God.
4:171 O People of the Book! Do
not exceed the bounds in your religion, and do not attribute anything
to Allah except the truth. The Messiah,
Jesus son of Mary, was only an apostle of Allah, and His Word
that He cast toward Mary and a spirit from Him. So have faith in Allah
and His apostles, and do not say, ‘[God is]
a trinity.’ Relinquish [such a creed]! That is better for you.
Allah is but the One God. He is far too immaculate to have any son. To
Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth,
and Allah suffices as trustee.
5:72 They are certainly
faithless who say, ‘Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary.’ But the Messiah
had said, ‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.
Indeed whoever ascribes partners to Allah, Allah shall forbid him
[entry into] paradise, and his refuge shall be the Fire, and the
wrongdoers will not have any helpers.’
5:73 They are certainly faithless
who say,
‘Allah is the third [person] of a trinity,’ while there is no god
except the One God. If they do not relinquish what they say, there
shall befall the faithless among them a painful punishment.
5:75 The
Messiah, son of Mary, is but an
apostle.
Certainly [other] apostles have passed before him, and his mother was a
truthful one. Both of them would eat food. Look how We clarify the
signs for them, and yet, look, how they go astray!
Al-Quran. Online Quranic Project
Chapter #22: What is the difference between the “soul” and the
“spirit”
Because the Christian Church publicly states that it “will save our
souls”, it is very important to find out the answers to the following
questions:
1) What is the definition of “soul”? What is the “soul”?
2) What is the definition of “spirit”? What is the “spirit”?
3) What is the difference between the “soul” and the “spirit”? Please
provide the exact list of differences between the “soul” and the
“spirit”.
4) Do animals have souls?
5) Do angels have souls?
6) Do demons have souls?
7) We will remind that millions of people around the world have
reported that they have seen and have met the extraterrestrials. It is
important to note that aliens are flying very technologically advanced
flying saucers, which means that aliens are smarter than humans
(because humans are unable to build such machines); and if the aliens
are smarter than humans, then how can they not have a soul? The aliens
should have the souls, shouldn’t they? And if the aliens have souls,
then how do their souls differ from the souls of humans?
Let’s have a closer look at what is written about the “soul” in the
Catholic Catechism.
363 In Sacred Scripture the
term "soul" often refers to human life
or the entire human person.230
But "soul" also refers to the innermost aspect of man, that which is of
greatest value in him,231 that by which he is most
especially in God's image: "soul" signifies
the spiritual principle in man.
<...>
365 The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider
the soul to be the "form" of the body:234
i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter
becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two
natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.
366 The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately
by God - it is not "produced" by the parents - and also that it is
immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body at death,
and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection.235
367 Sometimes the soul is distinguished from
the spirit:
St. Paul for instance prays that God may sanctify his people "wholly",
with "spirit and soul and body" kept sound and blameless at the Lord's
coming.236 The Church teaches that this distinction does not
introduce a duality into the soul.237
"Spirit" signifies that from creation man is ordered to a supernatural
end and that his soul can gratuitously be raised beyond all it deserves
to communion with God.238
368 The spiritual tradition of the Church also emphasizes the heart, in
the biblical sense of the depths of one's being, where the person
decides for or against God.239 230 Cf. Mt 16:25-26; Jn
15:13; Acts 2:41.
231 Cf. Mt 10:28; 26:38; Jn 12:27; 2 Macc 6:30.
232 Cf. 1 Cor 6:19-20; 15:44-45.
233 GS 14 § 1; cf. Dan 3:57-80.
234 Cf. Council of Vienne (1312): DS 902.
235 Cf. Pius XII, Humani Generis: DS 3896; Paul VI, CPG § 8; Lateran
Council V (1513): DS 1440.
236 1 Thess 5:23.
237 Cf. Council of Constantinople IV (870): DS 657.
238 Cf. Vatican Council I, Dei Filius: DS 3005; GS 22 § 5; Humani
Generis: DS 3891.
239 Cf. Jer 31:33; Deut 6:5; 29:3; Isa 29:13; Ezek 36:26; Mt 6:21; Lk
8:15; Rom 5:5.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church. Part
One: The Profession
of Faith. Section Two: The Profession of the Christian Faith. Chapter
One: I
Believe in God the Father. Article I: “I Believe in God the Father
Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth”. Paragraph 6. Man
After reading the text of the Catechism, we see that one time “the
soul is a human life”, the second time “the soul is entire human
person”, the third time “the soul is a spiritual principle”, for the
fourth time “the soul is the form of the body”, etc. It is important to
note that the “life”, “person”, “spiritual principle” and “form of the
body” are completely different objects. “Person” is not the same as
“life” and “spiritual principle”, and so on. The authors of the
Catechism mixed all these unrelated objects into one chaotic mess which
clearly indicates the disorder of logical thinking.
According to the authors of the Catechism, “sometimes the soul and
spirit are different things” and sometimes are not. As we can clearly
see, there is a total chaos and mess in the heads of the authors of the
Catechism because the authors themselves do not understand “what, where
and how”.
The text of the Catechism does not contain a clear,
unambiguous definition of what is the “soul” and what is the “spirit”,
and the most importantly – it does not explain what are the differences
between the “soul” and the “spirit”, which means that the text of the
Catechism is meaningless transfusion from a sieve.
Question #22: How the Christian Church will save our souls, if
the Christian Church does not have a clue about what the “soul” is?
Chapter #23: The list of saints and getting into the Heaven
Christians claim that all people, who are listed in the list of saints,
have passed into the Heaven.
It is important to note that different Christian denominations have
different lists of saints, and those lists are different from each
other.
List of saints
This article is about Christian saints after AD 450. <...>
This is an incomplete list of Christian saints in alphabetical order by
Christian name, but, where known and given, a surname, location, or
personal attribute (included as part of the name) may affect the
ordering.
One list says there are 810 canonized Roman Catholic saints (who have
been through the formal institutional process of canonization),
although some give numbers in the thousands. (Pope John Paul II alone
canonized 110 individuals, plus many group canonizations such as 110
martyr saints of China, 103 Korean martyrs, 117 Vietnamese martyrs,
Mexican Martyrs, Spanish martyrs and French revolutionary martyrs.)
Among the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Communions, the
numbers may be even higher, since there is no fixed process of
"canonization" and each individual jurisdiction within the two Orthodox
communions independently maintains parallel lists of saints that have
only partial overlap. Note that 78 popes are considered saints.
The Anglican Communion have only ever canonized one saint—King Charles
I of England (see Society of King Charles the Martyr). However, it
recognizes pre-Reformation saints, as does the United Methodist Church.
Persons who have led lives of celebrated sanctity or missionary zeal
are included in the Calendar of the Prayer Book "without thereby
enrolling or commending such persons as saints of the Church".
Similarly, any individuals commemorated in the Lutheran calendar of
saints will be listed as well.
Wikipedia contains calendars of saints for particular denominations,
listed by the day of the year on which they are traditionally
venerated, as well as a chronological list of saints and blesseds,
listed by their date of death.
Christian saints since AD 450
Saint
Date of birth
Date of death
Date of canonization
Anglican
Oriental Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox
Roman Catholic
total
Abadiu of Antinoe
4th century
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Abakuh
Unknown
Yes
Yes
2
Abamun of Tarnut
372
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Saint Phoenix
4th century
Yes
1
Abaskhayroun
3rd century
Yes
1
Abban of Magheranoidhe
c. 570
Yes
1
Abban of New Ross
7th century
0
Abban the Hermit
5th century
Yes
1
Abbo of Fleury
945
1004
Yes
1
Abdas of Susa
5th century
0
Abel of Reims
764
0
Saint Abib
5th century
Yes
1
Abo of Tiflis
786
Yes
1
Abraham the Coptic
360
Yes
1
Abraham of Rostov
1073-1077
Yes
1
Abraham of Scetes
399
Yes
1
Abraham of Smolensk
1222
Yes
1
Abraam Bishop of Faiyum
1829
1914
Yes
1
Abraham the Syrian
978
Yes
1
Abuna Aregawi
6th century
0
Abundius
469
0
Acacius of Amida
425
Yes
1
Acca of Hexham
742?
Yes
Yes
2
Achilleus Kewanuka
1869
1886
0
Adalbert of Prague
956
997
Yes
1
Adalgar
909
Yes
1
Adalgott
1165
Yes
1
Adamo Abate
1060 to 1070
Yes
1
Adelaide of Italy
931
999
Yes
1
Adelaide, Abbess of Vilich
970
1015
Yes
1
Adelin (Adelhelm) of Séez
c. 910
Yes
1
Pope Adeodatus I
618
Yes
Yes
2
Adomnán
624
704
Yes
1
Pope Adrian III
885
Yes
1
Afan
6th century
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Pope Agapitus I
536
Yes
Yes
2
Agapetus of Pechersk
11th century
Yes
1
Agatha of Sicily
3rd century
0
Agatho of Alexandria
677
Yes
1
Pope Agatho
681
Yes
Yes
2
Agnes
1253
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Agnes
1211
1282
Yes
1
Aidan
651
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Alban
disputed: 22 Jun 209, c.
251 or 304
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Alberic
1108
Yes
1
Alberic of Utrecht
784
Yes
1
Alberto Hurtado
22 Jan 1901
18 Aug 1952
23 Oct 2005
Yes
1
Albertus Magnus
1200
1280
Yes
1
Alda
c. 1309
Yes
1
Alcuin
804
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Pope Alexander of Alexandria
328
Yes
1
Alexandra of Hesse
1872
1918
Yes
1
Alexei of Russia
1904
1918
Yes
1
Alexis Falconieri
1200
1310
Yes
1
Alexis of Wilkes-Barre
1853
1909
Yes
1
Alice of Schaerbeek
1204
1250
Yes
1
Alypius the Stylite
522
640
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Alipy of the Caves
11th-12th century
Yes
1
Aloysius Gonzaga
1568
1591
Yes
1
Alphege
953
1012
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Alphonsa Muttathupandathu
1910
1946
Yes
1
Amand
675
Yes
1
Ambrose of Alexandria
250
Yes
1
Saint Ammon
357
Yes
1
Amphilochius of Pochayiv
27 Nov 1894
1 Jan 1971
Yes
1
Anastasius of Alexandria
616
Yes
1
Andronicus of Alexandria
622
Yes
1
Pope Anianus
82
Yes
1
Anastasia of Russia
1901
1918
Yes
1
Anastasius Sinaita
post 700
Yes
Yes
2
André Bessette
9 Aug 1845
6 Jan 1937
17 Oct 2010
Yes
1
Andrei the Iconographer
c. 1430
Yes
1
Andrew Bobola
1591
1657
Yes
1
Andrew of Constantinople
936
Yes
1
Andrew of Crete
8th century
Yes
Yes
2
Andrew Dung-Lac
1795
1839
Yes
1
Angela Merici
1474
1540
Yes
1
Anna
1st century
Yes
1
Anne Line
1563
1601
Yes
1
Anselm of Canterbury
1109
Yes
Yes
2
Ansgar
865
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Anthony the Great
356
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Anthony of Kiev
1073
Yes
1
Anthony of Padua
1231
Yes
1
Anthony Galvão
1739
1822
Yes
1
Anthony Mary Claret
1807
1870
Yes
1
Antoine Daniel
1648
Yes
1
Saint Aphrodisius
65
Yes
Yes
2
Saint Apollo
5th century
Yes
1
Apollonia
249
Yes
1
Saint Apollos
1st century
Yes
1
Saint Aprax
4th century
Yes
1
Arnold Janssen
1909
Yes
1
Arnulf of Metz
640
Yes
1
Athanasius of Alexandria
373
Yes
1
Augustine of Canterbury
604
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Avitus of Vienne
523
Yes
1
Avilius of Alexandria
95
Yes
1
Baldred of Tyninghame
757
Yes
Yes
2
Barbatus of Benevento
682
Yes
Yes
2
Saint Barsanuphius
540
Yes
1
Basil the Great
379
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Basil the Fool for Christ
1552 or 1557
Yes
1
Basil of Ostrog
1671
Yes
1
Beatrix d'Este
1262
Yes
1
The Venerable Bede
735
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello
1791
1858
Yes
1
Benedict of Aniane
747
Yes
Yes
2
Benedict of Nursia
543
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Benedict of Jesus
1934
Yes
1
Pope Benedict II
685
Yes
Yes
2
Benedict the Moor
1589
Yes
1
Benedict Joseph Labre
1783
Yes
1
Berlinda of Meerbeke
702
Yes
1
Bernadette Soubirous
7 Jan 1844
16 Apr 1879
1933
Yes
1
Bernard of Clairvaux
1153
Yes
Yes
2
Bernard Due Van Vo
1838
Yes
1
Bernard of Menthon
1008
Yes
1
Bernardo Tolomei
1348
Yes
1
Bernardino of Siena
1444
Yes
1
Birinus
649
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Bonaventure of Bagnoregio
1274
Yes
1
Boniface
754
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Pope Boniface IV
608
Yes
Yes
2
Boris I
2 May 907
Yes
1
Saint Botolph
680
Yes
Yes
2
Brendan of Birr
c. 573
Yes
Yes
2
Brendan the Navigator
c. 578
Yes
Yes
2
Bridget of Sweden
23 Jul 1373
Yes4
Yes
2
Brigid of Kildare
525
Yes4
Yes
Yes
3
Brioc
6th century
Yes
1
Bruno of Cologne
1101
Yes
1
Bruno of Querfurt
1009
Yes
Yes
2
Bruno of Segni
1123
Yes
1
Budoc of Dol
7th century
Yes
Yes
2
Caesarius of Arles
542
Yes
1
Cajetan
1547
Yes
1
Camillus de Lellis
1614
Yes
1
Saint Candidus
287
Yes
1
Canute IV of Denmark
1086
Yes
1
Carantoc
6th century
Yes
Yes
2
Casimir
1484
Yes
1
Catald
c. 8th century
Yes
1
Catherine the Great
305
Yes
1
Catherine of Bologna
1463
Yes
1
Catherine of Genoa
1510
Yes
1
Catherine Laboure
c. 1806
Yes
1
Catherine of Ricci
1590
Yes
1
Catherine of Siena
1380
Yes
Yes
2
Catherine of Vadstena
1381
Yes
1
Cedd
664
Yes
Yes
2
Celadion of Alexandria
166
Yes
1
Celestine V
1296
Yes
1
Cettin
5th century
Yes
1
Chad of Mercia
672
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Charbel
1898
Yes
1
Saint Charles de Chattilon
1319
1364
IV
Yes
1
Charles I of England
1649
Yes
1
Charles of Mount Argus
1821
1893
Yes
1
Christopher
c. 251
Yes
Yes
2
Christina the Astonishing
1224
Yes
1
Chrysanthus
283
Yes
1
Ciarán of Clonmacnoise
546
Yes
Yes
2
Ciarán of Saighir
c. 530
Yes
1
Clare of Assisi
1253
Yes
Yes
2
Clare of Montefalco
1308
Yes
1
Claudus Corrius II
1253
Yes
Yes
2
Clement of Alexandria
215
Yes
1
Clement of Ohrid
17 Jul 960
Yes
1
Saint Cleopatra
327
Yes
1
Clodoald
c. 560
Yes
1
Clotilde
545
Yes
1
Colette
1447
Yes
1
Columba
597
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
4
Columbanus
615
Yes
Yes
2
Comgall
597 or 602
Yes
Yes
2
Congar
520
Yes
Yes
2
Conrad of Parzham
1894
Yes
1
Conrad of Piacenza
1351
Yes
1
Constantine of Murom
1129
Yes
1
Pope Cosmas
730
Yes
1
Pope Cosmas II
858
Yes
1
Pope Cosmas III
933
Yes
1
Cosmas of Maiuma
8th century
Yes
Yes
2
Cristóbal Magallanes Jara
1869
1927
Yes
1
Cunigunde of Luxemburg
1033
Yes
1
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne
687
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Cuthbert Mayne
1577
Yes
1
Cynllo
6th century
Yes
Yes
2
Cyriacus the Anchorite
557
Yes
1
Cyrus the Coptic
304
Yes
1
Cyril, teacher of the Slavs
869
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Pope Cyril I the Pillar of Faith
444
Yes
1
Pope Cyril II
1092
Yes
1
Pope Cyril III
1243
Yes
1
Pope Cyril IV
1861
Yes
1
Pope Cyril V
1927
Yes
1
Pope Cyril VI the Great
8 Aug 1902
9 Mar 1971
Yes
1
King Dagobert II
679
Yes
1
Damian of Alexandria
4th century
Yes
1
Damien of Molokai
18 Apr 1889
Yes
1
Saint Dasya
3rd century
Yes
1
Saint Daydara
4th century
Yes
1
Daniel Comboni
1881
Yes
1
Danilo II
14th century
Yes
1
David (Dewi) of Wales
c. 589
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
David Lewis
1679
Yes
1
Declan
5th century
Yes
Yes
2
Pope Demetrius
232
Yes
1
Saint Demiana the Great
302
Yes
1
Desiderius of Fontenelle
c. 700
Yes
1
Desiderius of Vienne
607
Yes
1
Deusdedit of Canterbury
664
Yes
Yes
2
Didier (Desiderius) of Cahors
655
Yes
1
Didymus the Blind
398
Yes
Yes
2
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
1945
Yes
1
Dimitry of Rostov
1651
1709
Yes
1
Pope Dioscorus
454
Yes
1
Dionysius of Alexandria
250
Yes
1
Saint Doherty
579
Yes
Yes
2
Dominic de Guzman
1221
Yes
Yes
2
Dominic de la Calzada
1109
Yes
1
Dominic Loricatus
1060
Yes
1
Dominic Savio
1857
Yes
1
Dorothea of Alexandria
320
Yes
1
Dorotheus of Gaza
6th-7th century
Yes
Yes
2
Douai Martyrs
c. 1568-1668
Yes
1
Drogo of Sebourg
1105
Yes
1
Dunstan
988
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Dymphna
7th century
Yes
Yes
2
Eanflæd
704
Yes
1
Eanswythe of Kent
640
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Edburga of Bicester
7th century
Yes
Yes
2
Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet
8th century
Yes
1
Edith Stein
1891
1942
Yes
1
Editha
961
15 Sep 984
Yes
Yes
2
Edmund Arrowsmith
1628
Yes
1
Edmund Campion
1581
Yes
1
Edmund of East Anglia
869
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Edward the Confessor
1066
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Edward the Martyr
978 or 979
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Edwin of Northumbria
633
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Egbert of Northumbria
729
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Eligius
659 or 660
Yes
Yes
2
Elisabeth of Hungary
1231
Yes
Yes
2
Elizabeth of Portugal
1336
Yes
1
Elizabeth of Russia
1864
1918
Yes
1
Elizabeth Ann Seton
1821
Yes
1
Emeric of Hungary
1031
Yes
1
Emma of Lesum
1308
Yes
1
Emma of Ludger
1050
Yes
Yes
2
Emmeram of Regensburg
652
Yes
1
Emmelia
375
Yes
1
Enda of Aran
530
Yes
1
Engelbert of Cologne
1225
Yes
1
Erbin
5th century
Yes
1
Erentrude
710
Yes
1
Ermengol
1035
Yes
1
Ermenilda of Ely
700 or 703
Yes
1
Æthelberht of Kent
616
Yes
Yes
2
Etheldreda of Ely
679
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Pope Eugene I
657
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Eugene de Mazenod
1861
Yes
1
Eulogius of Alexandria
608
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Eulogius of Córdoba
859
Yes
1
Pope Eumenes
141
Yes
1
Euphemia
303
0
Euphrosyne of Alexandria
5th century
Yes
1
Euphrosyne of Polatsk
1173
Yes
Yes
2
Eustochia Smeralda Calafato
1485
Yes
1
Euthymius the Great
473
Yes
Yes
2
Eysteinn Erlendsson
1188
Yes
1
Fachanan
c. 600
Yes
1
Faro
675
Yes
1
Faustina
25 Aug 1905
5 Oct 1938
30 Apr 2000
Yes
1
Saint Faustus
250
Yes
1
Feichin
c. 660
Yes
Yes
2
Saint Felix
286
Yes
1
Pope Felix III
492
Yes
Yes
2
Pope Felix IV
530
Yes
Yes
2
Ferdinand III of Castile
1252
Yes
1
Ferréol of Uzès
581
Yes
Yes
2
Fiacre
670?
Yes
1
Fidelis of Sigmarengen
1622
Yes
1
Filan
Unknown
Yes
Yes
2
Finbarr
620
Yes
Yes
2
Florentina
c. 612
Yes
1
Franca Visalta
1218
Yes
1
Francesca
0
Frances Cabrini
1850
1917
Yes
1
Frances of Rome
1440
Yes
1
Francis of Assisi
1226
Yes
Yes
2
Francis Caracciolo
1608
Yes
1
Francis of Paola
1507
Yes
1
Francis de Sales
1622
Yes
Yes
2
Francis Xavier
1552
Yes4
Yes
2
Frei Galvão
1739
1822
Yes
1
Frideswide
c. 735
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
4
Fructuosus of Braga
665
Yes
1
Fulgentius of Cartagena
7th century
Yes
1
Pope Gabriel I
921
Yes
1
Pope Gabriel II
1145
Yes
1
Pope Gabriel III
1270
Yes
1
Pope Gabriel IV
1478
Yes
1
Pope Gabriel V
1427
Yes
1
Pope Gabriel VI
1475
Yes
1
Pope Gabriel VII
1569
Yes
1
Pope Gabriel VIII
1603
Yes
1
Gaetano Errico
1860
Yes
1
Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows
1862
Yes
1
Gal I, Bishop of Clermont
c. 553
Yes
1
Gall
c. 646
Yes
Yes
2
Saint Gallicanus
363
Yes
1
Gaspar del Bufalo
1837
Yes
1
Gaudentius of Ossero
1044
Yes
Yes
2
Pope Gelasius I
492
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Pope Gelasius II
c. 1058
29 Jan 1119
Yes
1
Gelert
7th century
Yes
Yes
2
Gemma Galgani
1878
1903
Yes
1
Genesius of Clermont
c. 662
Yes
1
Genevieve
512
Yes
Yes
2
Saint George the Great
303
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
George Preca
12 Feb 1880
26 Jul 1962
3 Jun 2007
Yes
1
St. George El Mozahem
969
Yes
1
Gerasimus of Jordan
5th century
Yes
Yes
2
Gerard of Lunel
1298
Yes
1
Saint Gereon
304
Yes
1
Gerulfus
740
c. 740
Yes
1
Gianna Beretta Molla
4 Oct 1922
28 Apr 1962
16 May 2004
Yes
1
Ghislain
680
Yes
1
Saint Gilbert of Sempringham
1083
Yes
1
Gilbert de Moravia
1245
Yes
1
Gilbert of Meaux
1015
Yes
1
Giovanni da Capistrano
1456
Yes
1
Goar of Aquitaine
6 Jul 649
Yes
1
Godric of Finchale
1170
Yes
1
Gonsalo Garcia
1597
Yes
1
Godehard (Gotthard) of Hildesheim
1038
Yes
Yes
2
Gratus of Aosta
c. 470
Yes
1
Gregorio Barbarigo
1697
Yes
1
Gregory Palamas
1359
Yes
Yes6
1.5
Gregory of Tours
594
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Pope Gregory I
604
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Pope Gregory II
669
11 Feb 731
Yes
Yes
2
Pope Gregory III
28 Nov 741
Yes
Yes
2
Pope Gregory VII
c. 1020
25 May 1085
Yes
1
Grellan
5th century
Yes
1
Gunther of Bohemia
1045
Yes
1
Saint Guinefort
13th century
0
Hallvard Vebjørnsson
1043
Yes
1
Hedwig of Andechs
1243
Yes
1
Helena of Constantinople
330
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Helena of Skövde
1160(?)
Yes
1
Helier
555
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
1024
Yes
1
Herman of Valaam
10th-15th century
Yes
1
Herman of Alaska
1837
Yes
1
Hervé
556
Yes
1
Pope Hilarius
468
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Hilda of Whitby
680
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Hildebrand
1085
Yes
1
Hildegard of Bingen
1179
Yes
Yes
2
Pope Hormisdas
523
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Hubertus
727
Yes
Yes
2
Hugh of Lincoln
1200
Yes
Yes
2
Hyacinth
1257
Yes
1
Hyacintha Mariscotti
1640
Yes
1
Ioann of Russia
1886
1918
Yes
1
Illuminata
320
0
Ignatius Loyola
1556
Yes4
Yes
2
Innocent of Alaska
1879
Yes
1
Innocencio of Mary Immaculate
1934
Yes
1
Ignatius of Laconi
1781
Yes
1
Igor of Russia
1894
1918
Yes
1
Irene of Lesvos
1463
Yes
1
Isaac Jogues
1646
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Isaac of Nineveh
700
Yes
1
Isabel of France
1270
Yes
1
Isfrid of Ratzeburg
1204
Yes
1
Isidore of Seville
c. 560
4 Apr 636
1598
Yes
1
Isidore the Laborer
1130
Yes
1
Íte of Killeedy
570
Yes
Yes
2
Ivo of Kermartin
1303
Yes
1
Jacobo Kyushei Tomonaga
1633
Yes
1
Jadwiga of Poland
1399
Yes
1
James of the Marches
1476
Yes
1
Jean Vianney
1859
Yes
1
Jean de Brebeuf
1649
Yes
1
Joan of Arc
1412
1431
Yes
1
Joaquina Vedruna de Mas
1854
Yes
1
Job of Pochayiv
1651
Yes
1
Pope John I
526
Yes
Yes
2
Pope John XXIII
25 Nov 1881
3 Jun 1963
27 Apr 2014
Yes
1
John Baptist de La Salle
1719
Yes
1
John Bosco
1888
Yes
1
John Cantius
1473
Yes
1
John Climacus
606
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
John of the Cross
1591
Yes
Yes
2
John of Damascus
749
Yes4
Yes
Yes
Yes
4
John Fisher
1535
Yes
1
John Macias
1645
Yes
1
John Maron
707
Yes
1
John of Matha
1213
Yes
1
John of Nepomuk
1393
Yes
1
John Neumann
1860
Yes
1
John Ogilvie
1615
Yes
1
Pope John Paul II
18 May 1920
2 Apr 2005
27 Apr 2014
Yes
1
John Rigby
1600
Yes
1
John of Shanghai and San Francisco
4 Jun 1896
2 Jul 1966
Yes
1
John of Tobolsk
1715
Yes
1
John Vianney
1859
Yes
1
Josaphat Kuntsevych
1623
Yes
1
Josemaría Escrivá
9 Jan 1902
26 Jun 1975
6 Oct 2002
Yes
1
Józef Bilczewski
1923
Yes
1
Joseph Freinademetz
15 Apr 1852
28 Jan 1908
5 Oct 2003
Yes
1
Joseph of Cupertino
1663
Yes
1
Joseph Marchand
1835
Yes
1
Joseph Pignatelli
1811
Yes
1
Joseph Vaz
21 Apr 1651
16 Jan 1711
14 Jan 2015
Yes
1
Josephine Bakhita
1947
Yes
1
Josse (Judoc)
c. 668
Yes
Yes
2
Juan Diego
1548
Yes
1
Judoc (Josse)
c. 668
Yes
Yes
2
Juliana of Lazarevo
1604
Yes
1
Juliana of Nicomedia
~304
Yes
Yes
2
Julian of Norwich
c. 1416
Yes
Yes
2
Juliana Falconieri
1270
Yes
1
Juliana of Cornillon
1193
Yes
1
Julie Billiart
1816
Yes
1
Justin de Jacobis
1800
Yes
1
Jutta of Kulmsee
1260
Yes
1
Kassia
867
Yes
1
Katharine Drexel
26 Nov 1858
3 Mar 1955
1 Oct 2000
Yes
1
Kea
early 6th century
Yes
Yes
2
Kessog
520
Yes
Yes
2
Kevin of Glendalough
618
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
4
Kinga of Poland
1292
Yes
1
Kirill of Beloozero
1427
Yes
1
Konstantin of Russia
1891
1918
Yes
1
Ladislaus of Hungary
1095
Yes
1
Lambert of Maastricht
700
Yes
1
Laura of Cordoba
864
Yes
1
Laura of Saint Catherine of Siena
26 May 1874
21 Oct 1949
12 May 2013
Yes
1
Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert
1818
Yes
1
Lawrence
258
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Lazar of Serbia
1389
Yes
1
Leander of Seville
600 or 601
Yes
1
Leo the Great
461
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Pope Leo II
28 Jun 683
Yes
Yes
2
Pope Leo III
12 Jun 816
Yes
Yes
2
Pope Leo IV
855
Yes
Yes
2
Pope Leo IX
21 Jun 1002
19 Apr 1054
Yes
1
Leodegar of Autun
679
Yes
Yes
2
Leopold Mandic
1942
Yes
1
Lidwina of Schiedam
1433
Yes
1
Livinus of Ghent
657
Yes
1
Lorcán Ua Tuathail
1180
Yes
1
Lorenzo Ruiz
1637
Yes
1
Louis
1270
Yes
1
Louise de Marillac
1660
Yes
1
Lucy Yi Zhenmei
1862
Yes
1
Lucy of Syracuse
304
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Ludolph of Ratzeburg
1250
Yes
1
Luke the Evangelist
84
Yes
1
Lupus of Sens
623
Yes
1
Lutgardis
1246
Yes
1
Machar
6th century
Yes
Yes
2
Magdalen of Canossa
1835
Yes
1
Magdalene of Nagasaki
1634
Yes
1
Malachy
1148
Yes
1
Malo
621
Yes
1
Marcellin Champagnat
1840
Yes
1
Marcouf
588
Yes
1
Margaret the Barefooted
1395
Yes
1
Margaret Clitherow
1586
Yes
1
Margaret of Cortona
1297
Yes
1
Margaret of Hungary
1242
1271
1943
Yes
1
Margaret of Scotland (Queen)
1093
Yes
Yes
2
Margaret Ward
1588
Yes
1
Marguerite D'Youville
1771
Yes
1
Marguerite Marie Alacoque
1690
Yes
1
Maria Bernarda Bütler
1848
1924
Yes
1
Maria Crocifissa di Rosa
1855
Yes
1
Maria Goretti
1902
Yes
1
Maria Domenica Mazzarello
1881
Yes
1
Maria of Russia
1899
1918
Yes
1
Marianita de Jésus
1645
Yes
1
Marie-Eugénie de Jésus
1898
Yes
1
Mark of Ephesus
1444
Yes
1
Martin de Porres
1639
Yes
1
Pope Martin I
655
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Martyr Saints of China
1648-1930
Yes
1
Martyrs of Thailand
1940
Yes
1
Mary of the Gael
525
Yes
Yes
2
Mary MacKillop
1909
17 Oct 2010
Yes
1
Matthew I of Alexandria
1408
Yes
1
Maurontius of Douai
c. 700
Yes
1
Maximillian Kolbe
1941
Yes
Yes
2
Maximus of Turin
465
Yes
Yes
2
Maximus the Confessor
662
Yes
Yes
2
Maximus the Greek
1556
Yes
1
Methodius equal to the Apostles, teacher of the Slavs
885
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Michael Dinh-Hy Ho
1857
Yes
1
Michael de Sanctis
1625
Yes
1
Miguel Febres Cordero
1910
Yes
1
Milburga of Wenlock
715
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Modwen
7th century
0
Moninne
518
Yes
Yes
2
Mother Maria
1945
Yes
Yes
2
Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran
1869
Yes
1
Naum of Preslav
23 Dec 910
Yes
1
Nectan of Hartland
c. 510
Yes
Yes
2
Neot
c. 870
Yes
Yes
2
Nicephorus of Constantinople
828
Yes
Yes
2
Pope Nicholas I
867
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Nicholas of Flüe
1487
Yes
1
Nicholas of Japan
1912
Yes
1
Nicholas of Lesvos
1463
Yes
1
Tsar Nicholas II
1868
1918
Yes
1
Nikola Tavelic
1391
Yes
1
Nikolai of Žica
4 Jan 1881
18 Mar 1956
24 May 2003
Yes
1
Nil Sorsky
1508
Yes
1
Nilus the Younger
1005
Yes
Yes
2
Nimattullah Kassab Al-Hardini
1858
Yes
1
Noël Chabanel
1649
Yes
1
Norbert of Xanten
1134
Yes
1
Nothelm of Canterbury
739
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Nuno de Santa Maria Álvares Pereira
1431
Yes
1
Odile
720
Yes
Yes
2
Odo of Cluny
942
Yes
Yes
2
Olaf II of Norway
1030
Yes
1
Olga of Kiev
11 Jul 969
Yes
1
Olga of Russia
1895
1918
Yes
1
Opportuna of Montreuil
770
Yes
1
Oswald of Northumbria
642
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Osyth
653
Yes
Yes
2
Ouen (Dado)
686
Yes
Yes
2
Oliver Plunkett
1681
0
Paraskeva the Younger
11th century
Yes
1
Pope Paschal I
824
Yes
Yes
2
Paschal Baylon
1592
Yes
1
Patrick
493
None
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
4
Pope Paul I
28 Jun 767
Yes
Yes
2
Paul Chong Hasang
1839
Yes
1
Paul Miki
1597
Yes
1
Paul of the Cross
1775
Yes
1
Paulina of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus
1942
Yes
1
Paulinus of York
584
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Pavel of Taganrog
1879
Yes
1
Pedro Calungsod
1672
Yes
1
Peregrine Laziosi
1345
Yes
1
Peter the Aleut
c. 1815
Yes
1
Peter Canisius
1597
Yes
1
Peter of Capitolias
715
Yes
Yes
2
Peter Chanel
1841
Yes
1
Peter Claver
1654
Yes
1
Peter Julian Eymard
1868
Yes
1
Petroc
564
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Petrus Canisius
1597
Yes
1
Philip of Agira
c. 5th century
Yes
Yes
2
Philip Benizi de Damiani
1285
Yes
1
Philothei
1589
Yes
1
Photios of Constantinople
893
Yes
1
Pierre Borie
1838
Yes
1
Pio of Pietrelcina
25 May 1887
23 Sep 1968
16 Jun 2002
Yes
1
Piran
6th century
Yes
Yes
2
Pope Pius I
154
Yes
1
Pope Pius V
17 Jan 1504
1 May 1572
Yes
1
Pius X
1914
Yes
1
Praejectus
676
Yes
Yes
2
Prætextatus (Bishop of Rouen)
586
Yes
1
Pyr
6th century
Yes
1
Quinidius
579
Yes
1
Quintian
c. 525
Yes
1
Rabanus Maurus
856
Yes
1
Rainerius
c. 1160
Yes
1
Ralph Sherwin
1550
1581
1970
Yes
1
Raphael of Lesvos
1463
Yes
1
Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès
1914
Yes
1
Raphael Kalinowski
1907
Yes
1
Raphael of Brooklyn
1915
Yes
1
Raymond of Penafort
1275
Yes
1
Remigius of Reims (or Remy, Remi)
533
Yes
Yes
2
Remigius of Rouen
771
Yes
1
René Goupil
1642
Yes
1
Richard of Chichester
1253
Yes
Yes
2
Rictrude
688
Yes
1
Rimbert of Turholt
888
Yes
1
Rita of Cascia
1457
Yes
1
Robert Bellarmine
1621
Yes
1
Roch
1376
Yes
Yes
2
Roger of Cannae
1129
Yes
1
Rognvald Kali Kolsson
1158
Yes
1
Romuald
1027
Yes
Yes
2
Roque González de Santa Cruz
1628
Yes
1
Rosalia
1166
Yes
1
Rose of Lima
1617
Yes
1
Rose Venerini
1728
Yes
1
Sabbas the Sanctified
531/532
Yes
Yes
2
Sadalberga
665
Yes
1
Saethryth
7th century
Yes
1
Salonius
5th century
Yes
1
Salvius
c. 580
Yes
1
Samson of Dol
6th century
Yes
1
Sava of Serbia
1236
Yes
Yes
2
Scholastica
543
Yes
Yes
2
Seaxburh of Ely
c. 699
Yes
1
Seraphina
1253
Yes
1
Seraphim of Sarov
1833
Yes
1
Sergei of Russia
1869
1918
Yes
1
Pope Sergius I
701
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Sergius of Valaam
10th-14th century
Yes
1
Sergius of Radonezh
1392
Yes
1
Severinus of Noricum
482
Yes
1
Sharbel Makhluf
1898
Yes
1
Sigeberht of East Anglia
634
Yes
1
Pope Silverius
537
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Simeon Mirotocivi
1199
Yes
1
Simeon Stylites
459
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Simon the Tanner
late 10th century
Yes
1
Pope Simplicius
483
Yes
Yes
2
Sophia of Slutsk
1612
Yes
1
Sophronius of Jerusalem
638
Yes
1
Stephen of Hungary
1038
Yes (from 2000)
Yes
2
Stephen of Piperi
1697
Yes
1
Stylianos of Paphlagonia
c. 6th or 7th century
Yes
1
Swithun of Winchester
862
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Symeon Metaphrastes
10th century
Yes
Yes
2
Symeon the New Theologian
1022
Yes
1
Pope Symmachus
514
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Tekle Haymanot
c. 1313
Yes
1
Tarasios of Constantinople
806
Yes
Yes
2
Tathan
c. 6th century
0
Tatiana of Russia
1897
1918
Yes
1
Teresa of Avila
1582
Yes
Yes
2
Teresa de los Andes
1900
1920
Yes
1
Théodore Guérin
2 Oct 1798
14 May 1856
15 Oct 2006
Yes
1
Theodore Romzha
14 Apr 1911
31 Oct 1947
Yes
1
Theodore the Studite
826
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Theodosius of Kiev
1000 to 1100
Yes
1
Theophan the Recluse
1894
Yes
1
Theophanes the Confessor
810s
Yes
Yes
2
Therese
1873
1897
Yes
1
Thomas Aquinas
1274
Yes
Yes
2
Thomas Becket
1170
Yes
Yes
2
Thomas More
1535
Yes4
Yes
2
Thorlak Thorhallsson (Þorlákur Þórhallsson)
23 Dec 1193
Yes
1
Tikhon of Moscow
1925
Yes
1
Turibius of Mongrovejo
1606
Yes
1
Tydfil
c. 480
Yes
Yes
2
Ubald
1160
Yes
1
Ulrich of Augsburg
973
Yes
Yes
2
Urbicius
c. 805
Yes
1
Ursicinus of Saint-Ursanne
625
Yes
1
Ursmar
713
Yes
1
Ursula Ledóchowska
1865
1939
Yes
1
Varghese Payyappilly Palakkappilly
5 Oct 1929
Yes
1
Varvara Yakovleva
1918
Yes7
0.5
Venantius Fortunatus
c. 600 or 609
Yes
1
Veranus of Cavaillon (Véran)
590
Yes
1
Veronica of Milan
13 Jan 1497
Yes
1
Vicelinus
1154
Yes
1
Vicente Liem de la Paz
1773
Yes
1
Vincent Ferrer
1419
Yes
1
Vincent de Paul
1660
Yes
Yes
2
Vergilius of Salzburg
784
Yes
1
Virginia Centurione Bracelli
1651
Yes
1
Pope Vitalian
672
Yes
Yes
2
Vietnamese Martyrs
from 1533 to present
Yes
1
Vitalis of Assisi
1370
Yes
1
Vitonus
525
Yes
1
Vladimir of Kiev
1015
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Vladimir Paley
1896
1918
Yes
1
Waningus
683
Yes
1
Wenceslaus
935
Yes
1
Werburgh
699
Yes
Yes
2
Wiborada
926
Yes
1
Wilfrid of Ripon
709
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Willehad of Bremen
789
Yes
Yes
2
William of Perth
1201
Yes
1
William of York
1154
Yes
1
Willibrord
739
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
4
Wolfeius
c. 11th century
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
4
Wolfgang of Regensburg
994
Yes
Yes
2
Wolfhelm of Brauweiler
1091
Yes
1
Wulfram of Sens
703
Yes
Yes
2
Xenia the Righteous of Rome
5th century
Yes
1
Xenia of Saint Petersburg
c. 1803
Yes
0.5
Xenophon of Robika
1262
Yes
1
Yaropolk Izyaslavich
1087
Yes
1
Yegor Chekryakovsky
1928
Yes
1
Yrieix
591
Yes
Yes
2
Pope Zachary
752
Yes
Yes
2
Zdislava Berka
1252
Yes
1
Zita
1272
Yes
1
Zofia Szydlowiecka
1551
Yes
1
Zosimas of Palestine
560
Yes
Yes
2
Zygmunt Gorazdowski
1920
Yes
1
Question #23: Which “list of saints” the God uses to let
people pass into the Heaven – does the God use Orthodox list, Catholic
list, Anglican list, Coptic list, or which “list of saints” the God
uses?
Chapter #24: The relics and the commandments of God
The God said very clearly in the Bible that you can not touch the dead
people, or the parts of the dead people, bones, etc.
11 “Whoever
touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days.
12 He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the
seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the
third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean.
13 Whoever touches a dead person, the body
of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the
tabernacle of the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from
Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall
be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.
14 “This is the law when someone dies in a tent: everyone who comes
into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven
days.
15 And every open vessel that has no cover fastened on it is unclean.
16 Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a
sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a grave, shall
be unclean seven days.
17 For the unclean they shall take some ashes of the burnt sin
offering, and fresh[a] water shall be added in a vessel.
18 Then a clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water and
sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons
who were there and on whoever touched the
bone, or the slain or the dead or the grave.
19 And the clean person shall sprinkle it on the unclean on the third
day and on the seventh day. Thus on the seventh day he shall cleanse
him, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and at
evening he shall be clean.
20 “If the man who is unclean does not
cleanse himself, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the
assembly, since he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord.
Because the water for impurity has not been thrown on him, he is
unclean.
1 And the
Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron,
and say to them, No one shall make himself
unclean for the dead among his people,
2 except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son,
his daughter, his brother,
3 or his virgin sister (who is near to him because she has had no
husband; for her he may make himself unclean).
4 He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and
so profane himself.
10 “The priest who is chief
among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who
has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not let the hair of
his head hang loose nor tear his clothes.
11 He shall not go in to any dead bodies nor
make himself unclean, even for his father or for his mother.
Bible. Leviticus 21:10-11
However, the Christians do not obey the God's commandments and
worship and touch so-called “holy relics” – corpses, parts of dead
bodies, bones, etc.
In religion, a relic usually
consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of
the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a
tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Shamanism, and many other religions.
Relic derives from the Latin reliquiae, meaning "remains," and a form
of the Latin verb relinquere, to "leave behind, or abandon." A
reliquary is a shrine that houses one or more religious relics.
Wikipedia
Question #24: What will be the punishment of God for the
people who violate the commandment of God not to touch dead bodies,
parts of dead bodies, bones and so on?
Chapter #25: The crosier and the instructions of Jesus
Jesus told his disciples not to acquire any crosier/staff.
1 And he called to him his
twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast
them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.
2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is
called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and
John his brother;
3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James
the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the
Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans,
6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You
received without paying; give without pay.
9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper
for your belts,
10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff,
for the laborer deserves his food.
Bible. От Matthew 10:1-10
However, Christian prelates have acquired a bunch of crosiers and go
everywhere with them.
A crosier (also known as a
crozier, paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized
staff carried by high-ranking Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox,
Anglican, and some Lutheran, United Methodist and Pentecostal prelates.
Other typical insignia of many of these prelates are the mitre, the
pectoral cross, and the episcopal ring.
Official use
The crosier is the symbol of the governing office of abishop or Apostle.
<...>
Papal usage
A crosier was also carried on some occasions by the pope, beginning in
the early days of the church. This practice was gradually phased out
and had disappeared by the time of Pope Innocent III's pontificate in
the thirteenth century. In the Middle Ages, popes carried a
three-barred cross (one more bar than on those carried before
archbishops in processions), in the same manner as other bishops
carried a crosier. This was in turn phased out, but Pope Paul VI
introduced the modern papal pastoral staff in 1965, which instead of a
cross or a triple-cross depicts a modern rendition of the crucified
Christ, whose arms are fixed to a crossbar that is curved somewhat in
the manner of an Eastern Catholic crosier. John Paul I and John Paul II
carried this same pastoral staff, as did Benedict XVI at the beginning
of his papacy. Benedict XVI later carried more traditionally wrought
staffs or ferulae, the first one from the pontificate of Pope Pius IX,
then a second one newly made in 2009. Pope Francis continued to carry
the new crosier of Benedict XVI, but has also carried the crosier of
Paul VI, alternating the use of both crosiers.
Pope John Paul II holding the Papal ferula on 5 October 1997
Western crosier of Archbishop Heinrich of Finstingen, 1260–1286
Wikipedia
Question #25: What will be the punishment of God for the
Christian prelates who do not obey the instructions of Jesus not to
acquire any crosier/staff?
Chapter #26: Holy Water
Christians believe that Holy Water helps and heals.
Let’s check the documentary facts – is this really so?
1 Solomon made a marriage
alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh's daughter and
brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his
own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem.
2 The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no
house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.
3 Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father,
only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.
4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the
great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on
that altar.
5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God
said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your
servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness,
in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have
kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to
sit on his throne this day.
7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of
David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to
go out or come in.
8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen,
a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.
9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your
people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to
govern this your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.
11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not
asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but
have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right,
12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a
wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and
none like you shall arise after you.
13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so
that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.
14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my
commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your
days.”
15 And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to
Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and
offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for
all his servants.
Bible. 1 Kings 3:1-15
And then we ask the religious adept the following question.
After God gave the wisdom to Solomon, and Solomon was already the
wisest of all men, the wise Solomon immediately began to build temples
to other gods and the wise Solomon began to worship other gods.
1 Now King Solomon loved many
foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite,
Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,
2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of
Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall
they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their
gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his
wives turned away his heart.
4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after
other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God,
as was the heart of David his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians,
and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not
wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done.
7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab,
and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east
of Jerusalem.
8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and
sacrificed to their gods.
9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had
turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him
twice
10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not
go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded.
11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your
practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have
commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it
to your servant.
12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days,
but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one
tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of
Jerusalem that I have chosen.”
Bible. 1 Kings 11:1-13
Question #27: Was Solomon behaving wisely when he built temples
to other gods and worshiped other gods?
Chapter #28: XXXXXX
Question #28:
Chapter #29: XXXXXX
Question #29:
Chapter #30: XXXXXX
Question #30:
.... to be continued … the text being prepared ....
