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In the biblical stories of barren women, maternity is further complicated in order to heighten the drama of the arrival of the promised son, emphasizing the divine role in conception and birth. In the case of the patriarchal stories in Genesis, the matriarchs’ barrenness emphasizes that it is God who disrupts continuity, in the transition from one generation to the next, and then selects the true heir to the covenant… There are six barren women in the Bible: three of the four matriarchs (Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel) in Genesis; Hannah, mother of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1-2); the anonymous...

It is a dogma of the Catholic faith that the Blessed Virgin Mary was not only a virgin when she conceived and bore Jesus but that she remained a virgin ever after. Most Protestant Christians today deny this – but do they know that many of their early leaders believed it? Here are 5 examples of major Protestant leaders who rejected huge swaths of Catholic dogma, but – you may surprised to learn – defended the perpetual virginity of Mary: 1) Martin Luther is usually considered to be the person who sparked the Protestant Reformation. He rejected core Catholic dogmas...

Anchored by its immortal lead single, ‘Police & Thieves’ provided a fortuitous career reinvention for roots reggae legend, Junior Murvin.By the time Junior Murvin released his debut album, Police & Thieves, the lead single had already become the sound of political unrest. The song blared out of sound systems and bars on a hot August day in London during the Notting Hill Carnival in 1976, where tensions between Black Caribbean youth and white police officers boiled over into a full-blown riot, and 160 people were hospitalized. There were conflicting reports about how the violence began – supposedly the arrest...

Question: If Jesus ascended to heaven 40 after being risen from the dead, where was he all this time Answer: Jesus spent his post-Resurrection period on earth ministering to his apostles and other disciples. This can be seen in various biblical accounts, including John 20—21, Luke 24, Matthew 28, Mark 16, and Acts 1. The 40-day formation period between the Resurrection and Ascension inspired the Church to use this period for new Catholics, who typically come into the Church at Easter, to deepen their formation. It’s called Mystagogy, which typically extends the RCIA period until Pentecost. Jesus reigns with the...

When most people hear "Easter," they think of a single Sunday filled with lilies, hymns, and maybe a few chocolate eggs. But in the Church's liturgical calendar, Easter is far more than just a day—it's a whole season. In fact, Easter lasts for 50 days! That’s right—Easter is a season, not just a Sunday. Easter Sunday kicks off a 50-day celebration known as Eastertide or the Great Fifty Days, which runs from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. This season is meant to be a joyful, ongoing reflection on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and what it means for the world....

This will not be a full series review, just a note to say I finished season one and it was fantastic. GREAT characters, including Samuel played by the great actor Stephen Lang ("Pickett" in "Gettysburg") and Oded Fehr (one of the protectors of the tomb in "The Mummy"). Michael Iskander is fantastic as David, who, almost alone among his family is willing to take the prophet's word. Ali Sulieman plays a deteriorating king, looking more and more like Biden with every episode. True to the Bible. I give it an A.

O.J. Simpson’s bible, which was gifted to him by Kim Kardashian's father Robert Kardashian Sr, has been sold for an astounding amount. Just weeks after the late NFL star's estate turned down the 44-year-old reality star's $15,000 offer to buy it, the family heirloom officially sold at auction for $65,800 — or $80,276 with its buyer's premium, according to its listing on Goldin Auctions' website. The item received 49 bids total, 14 of which came on Sunday, March 30, the final day to make an offer. At this time, the identity of the winning bidder remains unknown, according to TMZ....

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The location of a chest believed to contain the Ten Commandments has long been a mystery, but CIA documents claims the Ark of the Covenant has been found.

To some longtime Bay Area residents, El Cerrito is just another bedroom community — the type of suburb with little to distinguish it beyond two BART stations, a large stock of midcentury modern homes and a relatively low crime rate. But in a metro area with one of the nation’s highest percentages of LGBTQ adults, few towns are more queer-friendly than this idyllic burg of about 25,000 just north of Berkeley. At a time when President Donald Trump is waging a culture war on LGBTQ rights, especially those of transgender people, El Cerrito has become a trailblazer in local queer...

American culture these days is awash with stories of succession (the Murdoch empire), family drama (the Kennedys) and power (President Donald Trump on social media donning a kingly crown). Now comes a biblical tale to rival today’s news cycle — the coming-of-age story of King David — an “underdog” who comes to rule over the “House of David.” The show’s creators, Christian filmmakers Jon Gunn and Jon Erwin, attribute the success of the series — which has become the No. 2 most-watched on Prime Video since the eight-episode season premiered on Feb. 27 — to the lessons King David’s story...

Holy Bible sales are soaring in the UK with publishers crediting the rising spirituality of Gen Z as driving the revival of interest embracing the ancient text in an increasingly unstable world. The Times reports there was an increase of 87 percent between 2019 and 2024 — from £2.69 million to £5.02 million — over five years, according to figures compiled by SPCK Group, the Christian publishers, using transaction information from Nielsen Book Data.

I wrote an article just last week about how House of David, the series with zero social media chatter, is quickly become a big hit for Amazon Prime Video, dipping into the seldom-tapped well of biblical adaptations, at least on streaming services. When I touched on it last, I remarked that it was only behind Reacher and Invincible on Amazon Prime Video’s Top 10 list, and there was no doubt it would stay there (which would still be extremely impressive). Now? The House of David has actually moved up to #2, which has knocked down Invincible, and its perfect, 100%-scored...

Titus 2:10 "Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things." Philippians 1:27 "Only let your conversation (Or, conduct) be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel:" 1 Thessalonians 5:22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil." 1 Peter 4:14-15 "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit...

Numbers 6:25-26 "The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: (26) The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." John 1:18 "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." Hebrews 1:3 "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" 2...

Numbers 6:24-27 "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: (25) The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: (26) The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (27) And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them." Proverbs 10:22 "The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." Psalm 5:12 "For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." Psalm 121:1-8 "I WILL lift up mine eyes unto the hills,...

Genesis 22:14 "And Abraham call the name of that place Jehovah-jireh (That is, The LORD will see): as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD (Mount Moriah according to 2 Chronicles 3:1) it shall be seen." Genesis 22:8 "And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together." Isaiah 59:1-2 "BEHOLD, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: (2) But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins...

The Moutier-Grandval Bible, an illustrated ninth-century masterpiece considered one of the finest manuscripts in the world, is back in Switzerland, where it miraculously survived the ages in impeccable condition... The priceless Bible was produced in Tours in France in around 830-840, before making its way to Moutier-Grandval Abbey, in the mountainous Jura region in northwestern Switzerland. Now in the care of the British Library, the 22-kilogramme (50-pound) manuscript is being loaned for three months to the Jura Museum of Art and History in the region's tiny capital Delemont. It is only the second time it has been loaned from London,...

1 Timothy 6:17-19 "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches (Or, the uncertainty of riches), but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; (18) That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; (Or, sociable) (19) Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." Deuteronomy 8:11-14,18 "Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his...

Isaiah 38:17 "Behold, for peace I had great bitterness(Or, on my peace came great bitterness): but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back." Micah 7:18-19 "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. (19) He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the...