Life of Apostle Paul – Conversion

Three accounts tell of Paul’s Damascus Road experience:  Acts 9:3-19;  Acts 22:6-21;  Acts 26:13-23 . The variations in details are accounted for by recognizing that each story is told to a different audience on a different occasion. Paul was traveling to Damascus to arrest Jewish people who had accepted Jesus as the Messiah. This was legally possible since… Continue reading Life of Apostle Paul – Conversion

Who were the Pharisees?

V0034553 Christ curses the Pharisees. Etching by F.A. Ludy after J.F. Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images images@wellcome.ac.uk http://wellcomeimages.org Christ curses the Pharisees. Etching by F.A. Ludy after J.F. Overbeck, 1843. 1843 By: Johann Friedrich Overbeckafter: Friedrich August LudyPublished: - Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Pharisees were one of the three main groups within Judaism in New Testament times, of which the Sadducees and the Essenes were the others. Pharisees were the most numerous, distinguished, and popular sect among the Jews; The three principal sects are supposed to have originated about 150 years before Christ, and nothing is said… Continue reading Who were the Pharisees?

What does it mean to commit adultery in your heart?

Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Here is Jesus’ second example of the new standard. The Law laid it down: You shall not commit adultery ( Exodus 20:14 ).… Continue reading What does it mean to commit adultery in your heart?

Who was Aristarchus in the Bible?

Aristar´kus ( Ἀρίσταρχος , Arı́starchos , “best ruler”) was one of those faithful companions of the apostle Paul who shared with him his labors and sufferings. His name repeatedly occurs in the Acts and Epistles ( Acts 19:29;  Acts 20:4;  Acts 27:2;  Colossians 4:10;  Philemon 1:24). He was a native of Thessalonica ( Acts 20:4; Acts 27:2 ), and became the… Continue reading Who was Aristarchus in the Bible?

What is the history and significance of Thessalonica in the Bible?

Thessalonica was the capital and most populous city in Macedonia in Paul’s time. Paul and Silas, in a.d. 58, came to Thessalonica from Philippi, which was 100 miles northeast during his second missionary journey. After Alexander the Great established the Greek Empire (fourth century BC), the Greeks built many magnificent cities. One of these was Thessalonica in… Continue reading What is the history and significance of Thessalonica in the Bible?

Who was Ehud in the Bible?

Ehud (Hebrew: אֵהוּד בֶּן־גֵּרָא,) is the second judge or judicial ruler of the Hebrews, who assassinated Eglon, and delivered them from the oppression which they had suffered for eighteen years under the Moabites. He is described as being left-handed and a member of the Tribe of Benjamin. His story was recorded in Judges 3:12-30;  Judges 4:1. His achievements are related… Continue reading Who was Ehud in the Bible?

Life of Apostle Paul – Early Influences

Paul’s original name was Saul. He was a full-blooded Jew, born in Tarsus in south-east Asia Minor ( Acts 9:11;  Acts 22:3;  Philippians 3:5). He inherited from birth the privilege of Roman citizenship ( Acts 16:37;  Acts 22:26-28), and he grew up to speak, read and write Greek and Hebrew fluently ( Acts 21:37;  Acts 21:40). The Greek influence in his education… Continue reading Life of Apostle Paul – Early Influences