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Christianity Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [bible]

Questions about the history, composition and canon of the Bible. Don't use this tag for beliefs and practices in the Bible.

Use this tag for questions about the history, composition and canon of the Bible.

Don't use this tag for questions about:

  • Specific books of the Bible - use a tag for that specific book instead
  • The basis of a beliefs and practices - use a tag for the belief or practice, along with the tag

You can also use the and tags for questions relating to only those parts of the Bible, and the and tags for questions about books outside the main scriptural canon.

664 questions
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In what countries is it illegal to own a Bible (the most banned book in the world)?

It is my understanding that in many countries of the world, it is illegal to print or own a copy of the Bible. Is there any compilation of which countries have banned the Bible? As an aside, if you know of any other widely banned books, I'd be…
Narnian
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Where do the names of books of Bible come from?

Where does the name of each book come from? (I am not a Christian and this should be treated like a novice question.)
B Faley
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How do I track the history of changes to a given verse's actual text? How do I discover it's "lineage"?

Has there been a project that traces the genealogy of each verse of the scripture? I.e., for each verse, it traces back through all the documents it was translated from, the default translations at the time, ... all the way back to historically…
user1694
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When was the New Testament divided into sentences and paragraphs?

I know that the New Testament was given chapter numberings around 1227 AD, and verse numberings in 1555 (Source). But apparently, the earliest manuscripts didn't have punctuation, spaces, or paragraphs either. They were just an unbroken string of…
lars
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How are verses referenced?

How are Bible verses referenced? For example what is the meaning of: Revelation 21:5 (NIV)? Are there any other methods to reference a verse? (I am not a Christian and this should be treated like a novice question.)
B Faley
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Profanity in entertainment?

Many comedians nowadays rely on the use of profanity to enhance their comedy. This is also present in movies and television (although limited). I know the bible says not to let "unwholesome talk" come out of our mouths, but does it say anything of…
user92
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Is the Bible an inexhaustible source?

"I have heard many pastors on online and in sermons make the statement that the bible is inexhaustible. I am trying to wrap my mind around that. Isn't it a finite book. can't you know what it says completely? I would love for it to be inexhaustible…
Joleolsen
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How should Christians act toward non-Christians?

How should Christians act toward non-Christians? One example I have found is 2 Corinthians 6:14 [KJV]. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath…
CiscoIPPhone
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Why is the Bible so short?

The Old Testament checks in at about 580,000 - 590,000 words (depending on the translation), and the New Testament has about 180,000. That means the 66 distinct books combined have a total of about 770,000 words. For purposes of comparison, the…
Affable Geek
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What is stopping Christians from having just one doctrine/interpretation?

As far as I know, there is only one God, one Jesus, and one Holy Spirit, and they are ONE. But, what we have here is dozens of different doctrines (I'm not sure if "doctrine" is the right word for this). Catholics, Protestants, Mormons etc. And, the…
Sufendy
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How often are books quoted outside of their own book?

I am trying to put an estimation together of how much of the bible we have today. I know that there are multiple books missing from the bible. 1 Chr 29:29 Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of…
atherises
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Genesis 19. 8 Why should he protect strangers above protect his daughters?

Possible Duplicate: Why was Lot “let off the hook” for offering his daughters to be raped? I was interested in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, cause I remembered at it as I heard it in my youth. There is a part where Lot said that the people…
Tartori
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Why didn't God omit non-essential information from the Bible?

In the Bible you'll find passages like - Exodus 37 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.[a] 2 He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold …
Monika Michael
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How many Christians have actually read the whole Bible?

I have many times heard the claim that only very few people who identify themselves as Christians have actually read all or most of the Bible. Have there been any studies to approximate the percentage of Christians who have read the Bible? I have…
hammar
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Any mentions of Environmental protection in Bible?

Is there any practical references about environmental protection as well as protection of earth? Whether Jesus mentioned about any of these topics somewhere?
MoonMind
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