Clear Answers for Common Questions

During the early years of the Clinton administration, many citizens had developed a significant amount of admiration for the president himself. Following the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the subsequent impeachment proceedings, however, a number of those citizens became disillusioned. A hidden flaw in the president's personal character had been ...

The term "to extend an olive branch" means to make an offer of peace or reconciliation. This term has Biblical origins, coming from the section of the Old Testament that deals with the flood; the sign that the flood is over is an olive branch brought back to the ark ...

The Golden Rule is the idea that people should treat others in the same way that they themselves would like to be treated. It is often expressed as "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," which is one translation of a Biblical verse, Luke 6:31 ...

The eleventh hour is the last possible moment at which something can be done before problems or solutions might arise. The phrase, “at the eleventh” hour became popular in the 19th century, but was in use much earlier. It alludes specifically to the book of Matthew in the New Testament ...

Turn the other cheek is a biblical reference mentioned in the New Testament in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus enjoins his followers, “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” In the Sermon on the Plains ...

Derived from the Biblical story of Paul, the term "Damascus road conversion" is commonly used to refer to an abrupt about-face on a serious issue of religion, politics or philosophy. In this type of change, a single, dramatic event causes a person to become aligned with something he or ...

The term good Samaritan derives from the biblical passage in Luke 10:30/33 of the New Testament. It is a description of how a man who is attacked by thieves is helped by a Samaritan, who was not even a person of the Jewish faith. Several people ignore the ...

Hallelujah is an English interjection derived from a Hebrew phrase meaning “praise God” or “praise the Lord.” The alternate spelling alleluia is taken from the Latin form of the original Hebrew. For both Jews and Christians, the term is often used as a joyful expression of praise and thanksgiving to ...

To wish someone Godspeed is to ask for God's blessings on his or her endeavor, most notably a long journey or a risky but potentially rewarding venture. Some view godspeed as a more reverent alternative to "good luck," which arguably introduces chance and randomness into the mix, not divine ...

The question of when the Bible was written sparks a great deal of debate because of differing theology. Many believe that it is specifically the word of God, and thus, writing the Bible implies that humans had something to do with it, and might corrupt it. So, for example, much ...

The New Testament of the Bible was written in Greek because Greek was the linga franca, or common language, of the Roman Empire. As a result, the authors of wrote in Greek even when it wasn't the language they spoke, ensuring that their manuscripts could be widely read and ...

There were four primary languages spoken by people in Biblical times: Latin, Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew. The Old Testament of the Bible was originally written in Aramaic and Hebrew, and the New Testament was written in Greek. This mixture of languages reflects the origins of the varying people who contributed ...

Listing the top selling books of all times is a bit challenging. For example, some might list the top selling novels of all time, or include all types of writing as a book. Several reputable list makers, including Amazon, say that the two best selling books are The Bible and ...

The Old and New Testaments make up the Christian Bible, Christianity's set of holy scripture. The Bible details what Jews and Christians believe is their creator God's participation in human history. The first two-thirds of the Christian Bible is called the Old Testament. It contains all the ...

The four evangelists are the putative authors behind the Gospels, the sections of the New Testament which deal with the life and works of Christ. These Gospels were written anonymously around the time of Christ, with Christians later ascribing their authorship to Matthew the Evangelist, Mark the Evangelist, Luke the ...

Pontius Pilate was the Roman prefect, or governor, of Judea from 26 to 36 CE, best known for his appearance in the New Testament. He was officially responsible for condemning Jesus to crucifixion, though he "washed his hands" of the matter, passing blame onto the Jews. Little is known of ...

David and Goliath refers to the biblical story of the fight between the young David, not yet king, and Goliath, a Philistine warrior known for his gigantic proportions and feats on the battlefield. The story appears in the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament used by Christians and the Qu’ran ...

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures mentioned in the Biblical Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation, written by John of Patmos, is the most difficult book of the Bible, and there is much controversy over what exactly it is — literal or allegorical, a prophecy of the ...

Dorcas, also called Tabitha, is a woman described in the Book of Acts in the New Testament. She is significant because of her charitable nature, the fact that she was a disciple of Christ, and also because, through Peter’s faith, she is raised from the dead. Dorcas may be ...

Salome was the step-daughter of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee and Perea, around the turn of the first century CE. She appears in the New Testament in Matthew 14:6-8 and Mark 6:22, although she is not named. In the Bible, as in most scholarly literature ...

The Samaritans are a distinct ethnic and religious group found today mostly in Israel. The history and origins of the Samaritans are actually a bit difficult to pin down, as many of their writings have not survived to this day, but genetic evidence clearly indicates that they are descended from ...

The Nephilim (the singular form is Naphil), also called "Watchers," are a biblical antediluvian race said to be born from the "daughters of men" and the "Sons of God." A reference to them is made in Genesis 6:1-7. Nephilim is usually translated into "fallen ones." There is much ...

Aramaic is an ancient, Biblical language. It is one of the Semitic languages, which also includes Hebrew, Arabic, Ethiopic and the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian language of Akkadian. Aramaic is very similar to Hebrew. Scripts in Aramaic have been discovered that are nearly three thousand years old. The Assyrians used ...

Readers of the Bible's canonical New Testament encounter 4 accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus, a number of letters or epistles written primarily to early churches, and an apocalyptic revelation of Earth's final days. This is not to say those texts were the only ones in ...

According to the Book of Genesis, the first book in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, the Garden of Eden was created by God as a place for Adam and Eve, the first man and woman in Christian theology, to live. It is described as lying “in the East ...

The Tower of Babel is a structure referenced in Chapter 11 of the Book of Genesis in the Bible. Its story is often told as a parable to impart lessons such as humility and modesty. Sometimes it is also taken at literal value, and used to explain the presence of ...

The Ark of the Covenant is a vessel mentioned in the Old Testament that was used to carry the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. According to the Bible, the Ark was made by Moses at God's command after the Ten Commandments were revealed to him on Mount Sinai. Some ...

The Beatitudes are statements made by Jesus Christ, as recorded in part by the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Luke’s list of beatitudes is shorter, and he attributes the statements to the Sermon on the Plain. Matthew’s record is from the Sermon on the Mount and is a ...

The Lord’s Prayer, which is also known as Our Father or Pater noster, is one of the most well-known prayers in the Christian faith. The Lord’s Prayer appears in two different versions in the New Testament of the bible. It appears in both the Gospel of Matthew ...

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent as observed by many Christians. Lent is the forty days prior to Easter, and is a time to reflect on one’s sins, and on the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. For many Christians, particularly those in Protestant and Catholic households, Ash Wednesday ...

Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ, Jewish prophets foretold the earthly arrival of a Messiah who would deliver the Jews from their oppressors. This Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, an obscure village in Palestine. When a direct descendant of the Jewish king David, a carpenter named ...

Eucharist may refer to either the actual elements of the biblical Last Supper, or the modern Christian ritual which commemorates it. The word itself comes from the Greek word for "thanksgiving." Catholics and some Protestant denominations use "Eucharist" interchangeably with "Mass" to describe their Sunday morning Communion services. Other Protestant ...

Lent is a time in many Western Christian Churches that marks the 40 days prior to Easter. Actually, there are 46 days, but Sundays are not counted in the days. It is a time for many Christians to prepare for Easter and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, through prayer ...

Immutability is defined as something that cannot change. To be mutable means to be capable of change. Humans, for example, are mutable beings. In Christian theology, many use the word immutability to discuss the unchanging nature of God. This is specifically referenced to the biblical passage from Exodus 3:14 ...

When people mention a proverb, they usually mean one of three things:a succinct saying that conveys a basic truth about life and is in common use,a commonly referenced terse and clever bit of practical advice, ora statement of truth or advice from the Bible, including both the sayings ...

Since the beginning of time, humans have questioned their existence and many different theories concerning the physical world have been popularized. One such theory is the creation theory. It asserts that humans, as well as the rest of the natural world, were created by one or more supernatural beings or ...

A bain marie, also known as a double-boiler, is a type of pot used to heat substances to a controlled temperature. It is useful in applications in which overheating must be prevented to yield desirable results. The pot is used mainly in chemistry and cooking, particularly candymaking, but many ...

The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of documents found in caves along a plateau above the Dead Sea in Israel, called Qumran. There are over 850 documents found in 11 different caves. Many retell parts of the Old Testament and have been dated as scribed before 100 AD. A ...

King's cake or king cake is a pastry which is traditionally made to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas, specifically Twelfth Night and Epiphany. In the United States, king's cake has become particularly associated with New Orleans, where lavish king cake parties celebrate the cake and its culture ...

Frankincense gets much of its fame from the Biblical story in which the newborn baby Jesus receives gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Although many people are able to retell the story, surprisingly few are able to state what exactly this item is. Like myrrh, it is a dried tree ...

Myrrh is the dried resin of several Commiphora tree species. According to the New Testament of the Bible, it was one of the gifts given to Jesus Christ by the three wise men, and it is used in various religious rituals. This resin is a part of both ancient and ...

Job's tears are the grains of a tropical Asian grass, Coix lacryma-jobi. These grains have a number of uses, from foods to ornaments, and they appear to have been harvested and cultivated for thousands of years. Many Asian markets sell them in their grain sections for cooking. Beaders ...

Locusts are grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. Many people associate them with the Biblical plague of insects chronicled in Exodus, but modern-day locusts do a fair amount of damage as well. Fortunately for farmers, they will only swarm under certain conditions, and many of these insects live out peaceful ...

Jericho is a Palestinian city in the West Bank which is famous for being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, if not the oldest. Many people like to visit Jericho because it is rich in archaeological sites and Middle Eastern culture, and it is located near ...

In popular culture, "the dance of the seven veils" is believed to be the dance that Salome performed for her stepfather, Herod, as described in the Bible in Matthew 14:6-11 and Mark 6:21-28. In the Bible, the dance is not named, and this name first appeared ...

People of all faith traditions have used singing as part of their worship. The Christian faith in particular, has historically been linked with songs of praise, or hymns, to their God. These hymns are historically compiled into a hymnal. A hymnal is, obviously, a collection of hymns, but many also ...

Purgatory is a concept in Roman Catholic doctrine. It is a place where the soul is purified or purged of venial sin. According to Catholic scripture and catechism, souls spend time in purgatory after they die before being able to enter Heaven. Roman Catholic dogma is not specific on the ...

The term Apocrypha is used to describe texts that are of questionable authorship or authenticity. The term is most often used in the context of non-canonized Judeo-Christian scriptures which were excluded from the Bible. As a result, such Apocrypha texts are typically not recognized by the Roman Catholic ...

St. Jude is not as many think, Judas Iscariot. In fact, Christians have tried for many years to distinguish between the two, because like Judas, St. Jude was one of Christ’s apostles. He may be referred to as Thaddeus or Jude, son of James, to make this distinction clearer ...