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St. Andrew was one of Jesus’ closest disciples, but many people know little about him. The feast of St. Andrew is November 30th. Here are 11 things to know and share . . . 1) Who was St. Andrew? He was the brother of St. Peter, who was also known as Simon bar-Jonah. He and Andrew shared the same father, so the latter would have been known as Andrew bar-Jonah. Andrew is regularly mentioned after Simon Peter, which suggests that he was Peter’s younger brother. Like his brother Peter, and their partners James and John, Andrew was initially a fisherman...

There are many who are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth:

Four words on a previously unknown papyrus fragment provide the first evidence that some early Christians believed Jesus had been married, Harvard Professor Karen King told the 10th International Congress of Coptic Studies today. King, the Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, announced the existence of the ancient text at the congress’ meeting, held every four years and hosted this year by the Vatican’s Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum in Rome. The four words that appear on the fragment translate to “Jesus said to them, my wife.” The words, written in Coptic, a language of Egyptian Christians, are on a...

More than 125 years ago, the young Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was roiled by a tawdry affair of power-based predator adultery by elderly apostle Albert Carrington, who once named to the church hierarchy used his authority to seduce far younger women, including British converts barely out of their teens. Despite allegations stretching back a decade, Carrington escaped punishment until one of his mistresses confessed the sexual escapades to her new husband. At that point, his fall was swift. Historian Gary Bergera recounts the Carrington case in the Summer 2011 issue of Journal of Mormon History. (It’s the...

D'Andria said the structure of the tomb and the writings on it proved that it belonged to St. Philip the Apostle, who is recognized as a martyr in the history of ChristianityThe tomb of St. Philip the Apostle, one of the original 12 disciples of Christianity's central figure Jesus Christ, has been discovered during the ongoing excavations in Turkey's south-western province of Denizli. Italian professor Francesco D'Andria, the head of the excavation team at the Hierapolis ancient city in Denizli, told reporters on Tuesday that experts had reached the tomb of St. Philip whose name is mentioned in the Bible...

Stop and listen to the King , Just wait upon me and let your Lifesong sing , For I own your part in My Tapestry , But it is for Me to reveal and you to see , Every color each and every stroke , A painting " Alive " and as you receive it I then invoke ! My breath of virtue into your every day , So when you arise you come to me first and "say" , " What is it Oh Lord that you desire of me ? " , "Show me where I am the...

To see Cal Grondahl’s Currents cartoon that goes with this post, click hereThe diaries of the late LDS Church Apostle, Abraham H. Cannon, stretching from 1889 to the end of 1895, is interesting church history reading. Signature Book’s “Candid Insights of a Mormon Apostle,” edited by scholar Edward Leo Lyman, provides readers glimpses into the wary, sometimes turbulent LDS history between the Manifesto against polygamy, the church’s desperate efforts to avoid financial destruction due to polygamy, the dedication of the Salt Lake temple, the financial panic of 1893, and efforts toward statehood for Utah. Cannon, who had several wives, died...

About 1,000 gay rights activist have staged a silent protest outside the headquarters of the Mormon church in Salt Lake City. The demonstration Thursday night was a response to remarks from a church leader that homosexuality is an immoral condition that can and should be overcome. The remarks by Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were made Sunday during the 180th semiannual conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. Activists have called the remarks hurtful and say they ostracize gay Latter-day Saints. Dressed in black to symbolize the loss...

A Mormon apostle recently used a unique avenue to share a gospel message. Elder Quentin L. Cook, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Michael Otterson, managing director of the church public affairs department, both contributed a blog post to Patheos.com last week. Editors from the website, which is dedicated to religious and spiritual dialogue, asked The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to provide a written perspective on the future of Mormonism. Both responses are available at: http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Mormonism.html. Elder Cook's blog, titled "Partnering with Our Friends of Other Faiths," may likely be the first publicly posted blog...

Archaeologists have discovered evidence to support the theory that St Peter was imprisoned in an underground dungeon by Nero before being crucified. The Mamertine Prison, a dingy complex that now lies beneath a Renaissance church, has long been venerated as the place where the apostle was shackled before he was killed on the spot where the Vatican now stands. It has been a place of Christian worship since medieval times, but after months of excavations, Italian archaeologists have found frescoes and other evidence indicating that it was associated with St Peter in the seventh century. Dr Patrizia Fortini, of Rome's...

A lot of men have been called to be LDS apostles since Joseph Smith’s time. Today, an announcement of a new apostle is big news. In the early days of the LDS Church, many apostles became apostates. Some died, some were dropped over doctrinal disputes. An interesting footnote is the case of Lyman Royal Sherman, who lived and died without ever realizing that he had been called to be an apostle. It’s open for debate as to whether Sherman should be considered an apostle. A traditionalist would say no, since he was only called and never ordained. However it’s clear...

If you ask people who Saint Patrick was, you're likely to hear that he was an Irishman who chased the snakes out of Ireland. It may surprise you to learn that the real Saint Patrick was not actually Irish—yet his robust faith changed the Emerald Isle forever. Patrick was born in Roman Britain to a middle-class family in about A.D. 390. When Patrick was a teenager, marauding Irish raiders attacked his home. Patrick was captured, taken to Ireland, and sold to an Irish king, who put him to work as a shepherd. In his excellent book, How the Irish Saved...

A captivating and faithful word-for-word film retelling the Gospel of John. The movie is conveniently divided into parts to watch each day if you do not have the time to view it all at once.

This is broken up in a 3 parts, but I promise you it is amazing and will perhaps make your day. Apostle is a black preacher and he speaks the words we all want to hear. If you think part 1. is to slow, please go to P2, or p3. This guy brings the roof down Part 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fms7TT0vqnI Part 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNhwXo2O2D4 Part 3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx1CJld7iiI

On Paul, an Apostle of Christ "Love Is the True Wealth of Human Life" VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 10, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave at today's general audience, held in Paul VI Hall in the Vatican. The Pope arrived for the gathering by helicopter from the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, Last Wednesday I spoke about the great turning point in St. Paul's life after his encounter with the Risen Christ. Jesus entered his life and transformed him from persecutor into apostle. That...

JESUS THE CHRIST, by Apostle James E. Talmage is a doctrinal study on the life and ministry of Christ, and is considered by most Mormons as the authoritative treatise on Savior’s mission and message, compounding all scriptures in one on the various aspects of the life of our Redeemer. CHAPTER 16, THE CHOSEN TWELVE THEIR CALL AND ORDINATION The night preceding the morn on which the Twelve Apostles were called and ordained was spent by the Lord in solitary seclusion; He had "continued all night in prayer to God." Then, when day had come, and while many people were gathering...

Detail from The Martyrdom of St. Matthew by Caravaggio (The following is excerpted from Dom Prosper Guéranger's entry in The Liturgical Year for the 21 September, in Volume XIV of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.) "The name of Matthew signifies one who is given. He gave himself when, at the word of Jesus 'follow Me,' he rose up and followed Him; but far greater was the gift he received from God in return. The Most High, who looks down from heaven upon the low things of earth, loves to choose the...

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Excerpt - ROME (AP) - Vatican archaeologists have unearthed a sarcophagus believed to contain the remains of the Apostle Paul that had been buried beneath Rome's second largest basilica. The sarcophagus, which dates back to at least A.D. 390, has been the subject of an extended excavation that began in 2002 and was completed last month, the project's head said this week. ~ snip ~

On the Apostles Simon and Jude Thaddaeus "Our Identity Is Not to Be Toyed With" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 11, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address at this Wednesday's General Audience, dedicated to presenting the figure of the Apostles Simon the Cananaean and Jude called Thaddaeus. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today we take into consideration two of the Twelve Apostles: Simon the Cananaean and Jude called Thaddaeus (not to be confused with Judas Iscariot). We consider them together, not only because in the lists of the Twelve they are always mentioned next to one...