Questions tagged [origin]
Questions about the origins of beliefs, concepts, and terminology
55
questions
19
votes
5
answers
12k
views
What is the origin of the idea that Michael is Jesus?
I recently came across the idea of identifying the angel Michael as Jesus. I'm surprised I hadn't heard it before. Wikipedia documents it as common to Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses. I'...
22
votes
2
answers
5k
views
What is the origin of the moral-civil-ceremonial distinction of the Old Testament law?
This distinction is often called tripartite division of the law.
I ran across this series of blog posts, which considers the division of the law into "moral", "civil", and "ceremonial" parts:
...
15
votes
2
answers
4k
views
What is the source of the belief that the deceased become angels?
An associate wrote an open letter (email) of condolence to a friend who'd lost a child. The letter stated that that deceased was now an angel in heaven with wings. What is the ultimate source of this ...
20
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How old is old earth creationism?
The answers to What is the biblical evidence for an old Earth? say that biblical arguments for old Earth creationism are based on the ambiguous words used for describing lengths of time in Genesis.
...
10
votes
1
answer
880
views
What is the origin of the term Prima Scriptura and the background against which it was defined?
Prima Scriptura is the doctrine that
canonized scripture is "first" or "above all" other sources of divine revelation. Implicitly, this view acknowledges that, besides canonical scripture, there ...
21
votes
1
answer
766
views
When in the development of trinitarian doctrine was the word "persons" first applied to God?
In the Bible, the word "persons" is not used in reference to God, nor are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit called "persons."
When, in early Christian writings and creeds, was the word "persons" (...
13
votes
4
answers
18k
views
Adam and Eve Clothed in Light Before the Fall - Origin of this belief?
I've stumbled multiple times across the claim that Adam and Eve were clothed in light before the fall, and afterward they saw their nakedess not merely as a new form of enlightenment ("Suddenly I feel ...
12
votes
2
answers
24k
views
What is the origin of the story that James had knees as hard as a camel's, because of his praying?
I'm reading John Pollock's "The Apostle - A Life Of Paul" and, at page 85 of the 1969 print, he states that
James was a man of such devotion that long praying had made his knees as hard as camel's,...
11
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Where does the belief that the Earth is relatively young (6000 years) come from?
Some christians believe the Earth is only 6000 to 12,000 years old. Where does this age originate from?
11
votes
2
answers
4k
views
What is the earliest explicit mention of infant baptism?
The Bible describes several adults being baptized (notably Jesus and the Ethiopian eunuch that Phillip baptized). And while it mentions many others being baptized, it doesn't explicitly mention ...
8
votes
2
answers
5k
views
When did Christianity originate?
How long has Christianity been around? Not how or why -- just when did it start:
As a religion?
As a name?
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What do Protestants say was the source for the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary?
Not counting Martin Luther, who appears to have believed in the doctrine of the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, what do other Protestants think is the source and reason for Catholic adherence to the ...
4
votes
2
answers
263
views
What is the basis for the belief "It is possible to have free-will and be incapable of sinning, but it is not possible to be created in that state"?
Some Christians believe that "It is possible to have free-will and at the same time be incapable of sinning, but it is not possible to be created in that state".
For example, in my recently ...
24
votes
2
answers
8k
views
From where does the doctrine that there is no time in heaven originate?
I'm quite familiar with the fact that God himself is outside of time, this is very easy to show through scripture.
However it seems to be an increasingly popular conception that there is no time in ...
22
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Swear to tell the truth 'so help me God'?
I know that in court if you don't believe in God you are allowed to simply give an "Affirmation" instead of an Oath. But what I want to know is why any Christian would swear an Oath to tell the truth "...