Questions tagged [christianity]
For questions about stories and myths of the religion based around Jesus Christ, the son of the Christian God.
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Who did Adam and Eve's son Cain marry?
According to Christian mythology, Adam and Eve were the first people created. So their children were living alone in the world.
In Genesis 4:16-17 it says that Cain left Eden and went towards the ...
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Why did God prefer Abel's offering to Cain's?
In the Old Testament, God accepts Abel's offering but rejects Cain's:
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an ...
user62
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Who commands the Heavenly Host in combat?
According to the bible, Heaven is defended by an army of good angels known as the Heavenly Host. For example, Christian mythology from the Book of Revelation states that the Heavenly Host will take ...
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Where does the story of selling one's soul to the devil first occur in Christian myth?
Many people have been said to have soul their soul to Satan. Musicians such as Robert Johnson and Niccolò Paganini are said to have sold their soul for their musical virtuosity. Faust provides ...
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What is the importance of the number seven in mythology and religion?
Similar question
Why is 12 such a holy number?
7 is one of the most important number in history. It would be hard to ignore :
The seven days of the week
The seven deadly sins
The lucky 7
The seven ...
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Why is Lucifer three-faced?
In Canto XXXIV Lucifer is presented as a winged giant with three faces:
Oh, what a wonder it appeared to me
when I perceived three faces on his head.
The first, in front, was red in color.
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Did myths involving Loki influence Christian myths?
There is a lot of influence from non-Christian myths on Christian myths. There are numerous examples of syncretism, especially revolving around the various saints and what they might have done. ...
user93
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Any examples of dying and resurrecting gods that exist only in heaven, not earth?
In recent years proponents of the Christ-myth theory (e.g., Earl Doherty in his writings) have begun to argue that St. Paul in his epistles was setting forth the view that Christ was wholly divine and ...
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According to the Vulgate Cycle, can the Holy Grail ever re-appear in Britain?
As written on timelessmyths.com's page on the Vulgate Cycle,
The Quest of the Holy Grail introduced the new Grail hero: Galahad, the son of Lancelot and Elaine, daughter of King Pelles. Galahad with ...
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Is Satan a seraph or a cherub?
Satan was once an angel, but was expelled from heaven because of his pride.
What type of angel is he now? A seraph, a cherub, or something else?
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What are the punishments for the seven deadly sins?
In the first season of the TV show Slasher the antagonist is killing people he judges are guilty of the seven deadly sins. Each murder is different, supposedly reflecting the specific punishment the ...
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When did the Cross of Saint Peter start being used as a Satanic symbol?
Reading the Wikipedia article it seems unclear to me when the Cross of Saint Peter first became associated with Satanism. What is the earliest occurrence of the upside down cross being used as a ...
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How does the Devil come to be horned?
One of the most popular depictions of the Christian Devil is having horns. From whence does this derive?
altarpiece by Michael Pacher depicting the Devil with Saint Wolfgang, Bishop of Regensburg
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Why does Dante spend so much time in Malebolge?
Dante spends thirteen cantos in Malebolge, the eighth circle of Hell. This is a lot longer than he spends with any other circle.
Why do the sinners in this circle get so much of his attention?
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Are the Nephilim the demi-gods of the bible?
The Nephilim were not aliens, angels, “Watchers,” or rock monsters; they were literal, physical beings produced from the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men.
When man began to ...
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How does the Christian Hell come to be called Hell? Is it related to the Norse Hel?
In the Greek New Testament, Hell is referred to by three names, two Greek (Hades, Tartarus) and one Hebrew (Gehenna). But in English, it becomes Hell.
This is related to the Old Norse hellir, and ...
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Why is easter called 'easter'?
The Christian feast of 'easter' is based on the ancient Yewish religious feast (their main one), is widely spread and was linked to remember the 'Passion of Christ'. Recall that 'Christianity' started ...
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What are the "beasts of the earth" in the fourth seal of Revelation?
When the fourth seal is opened, Death and Hell will kill "a fourth part of the earth" (KJ21):
6:8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed ...
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Who are those that Cain refers to in Chapter 4:14?
In Genesis, chapter 4, it says
14 "Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
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Are there Christian influences in the Dionysiaca?
Two works by Nonnus of Panopolis survive to this day:
The Dionysiaca, an epic poem about the life of Dionysus,
The Paraphrase of John, a rewording of the Gospel of John.
This is a rare example of ...
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What is the legend of the Knight Tondalo?
I was recently reading Martin Luther's commentary on the Sermon on the Mount (English translation by Charles A. Hay, 1892) and I was intrigued by a reference to "the legend of the Knight Tondalo".
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Are the four Horsemen more powerful than the Devil?
The Four Horsemen are the ones who will bring the apocalypse. Are they under the command of the devil? Are they more powerful than the devil?
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If an angel can fall, can a demon rise?
My understanding is that archangel Lucifer was cast out of Heaven was because he refused to accept the humans and that was a sin in God's eyes. This tells us that angels can be bad.
From what I'm ...
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How did Christianity come to equate the place of punishment and the place of demons?
In Hinduism, the cosmology works roughly like this: there's Earth; there are worlds above the Earth called Swargas where you go as a reward for good deeds; there are worlds under the Earth called ...
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Traditional beliefs regarding guardians of burial grounds
Many years ago (the mid-1980s) someone described to me a belief that a Christian burial ground was guarded by the spirit of the most recently interred body. For this reason, when a burial ground was ...
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Did Ragnarök influence the Apocalypse of John?
In my younger days I was convinced the story of Ragnarök was influenced by the New Testament's Armageddon. As I started to learn about the existence of pagan ideas in Christianity, I began to wonder ...
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What was Jesus's original name?
It seems that the name of Jesus is mentioned in the Bible under a few different names. Hence the curiosity to know what His real name was when he walked on earth.
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Was the alleged Christian influence of Norse Mythology primarily due to Snorri Sturluson's writings?
Since Snorri himself was a Christian, and his works are some of the most popular sources for Norse Mythology, is he to blame for the modern "Christianized" interpretation of Norse gods and beliefs?
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Did Greeks and Romans allow for belief in only some of their gods?
Did Greeks and Romans believe in all their gods, or was it permissible to believe in some of them only (e.g., only in Diana, Jupiter, Apollo, Mercury, etc.)?
{It seems it was permissible to believe ...
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What is the origin of the legend that Jesus visited what are now Cornwall and Somerset in England?
A legend holds that Jesus visited several places in what are now Cornwall and Somerset in England. What is the origin of this legend?
user1618
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What is the connection between Asherah and the custom of Christmas Trees?
Has there been any serious studies into the relationship between the Asherah tree and the Christmas trees, with the possibility of the former being the source of the latter?
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Who are the twenty four elders in Revelation?
From Revelation 4 (KJ21):
4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats; and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment, and they had on their heads ...
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Who is the woman "clothed with the sun" in Revelation?
From Revelation 12 (KJ21):
1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.
2 And she, being with ...
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Who are the seven kings mentioned in the book of Revelation?
From Revelation 17 (KJ21):
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other has not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
11 And the beast that was, ...
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Where does the idea that Satan rules hell come from?
This article on the history of the Devil suggests Dante was the first who portrayed Satan as ruler of hell:
The idea that the Devil governs hell may have come from the poem by Dante Alighieri, The ...
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Who/what is Lilith?
So I was playing The Binding of Isaac the other day, and there's this character called Lilith.
Now I have good reason to believe that this is mythological. For one thing, all of the characters are ...
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Where do Easter eggs come from?
In Christian cultures, many people give Easter eggs as presents at Easter. They can be painted chicken's eggs, or they can be chocolate. What are the origins of this practice as a Christian tradition?
user1618
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Female representations of Satan
Most folkloric representations of the Devil seem to be male. For example, (female) witches were sometimes imagined to have had carnal knowledge of Satan. In most folktales about the devil, said entity ...
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What is the oldest known religious song/chant?
In most branches of Christianity, there are choirs, solo song or even Christian rockbands. I remember reading that in the case of Christianity most people where illiterate when they started making ...
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Why did Christians, who take a huge part of their Bible from Jews, not have to follow the same rules as Jews?
As I'm sure all of you know, the Old Testament is the Hebrew bible. Why then do Christians not follow the same rules as the Jews? When Christianity was attracting attention, Paul said that Jews who ...
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What do the four living creatures represent?
From Revelation 4 (KJ21):
6 and before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four living beings full of eyes in front ...
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Why are Dido and Cleopatra in the second circle of Hell?
Dante places Cleopatra and Dido in the second circle of Hell, on account of their lust.
However, both queens took their own lives. Shouldn't they be placed in the seventh circle, with the other ...
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Who are the two witnesses in Revelation?
From Revelation 11 (KJ21):
3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.”
4 These are the two olive trees ...
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Who or what are the seven spirits of God in Revelation?
The "seven spirits [of God]" are mentioned multiple times in Revelation (KJ21):
1:4 John, To the seven churches in Asia: Grace be unto you and peace from Him who is, and who was, and who is ...
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Who says Abraxas is a prince of hell?
I asked a previous question about Abraxas here, briefly talking about what he is and asking how the number 365 relates to him in so many ways.
A few days later, I was talking to someone who happened ...
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Who is the old man in the Coptic Apocalypse of Paul?
In the Coptic Apocalypse of Paul, Paul meets an "old man" in seventh heaven1:
Then we went up to the seventh heaven, and I saw an old man [...] light and whose garment was white. His throne, which ...
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What is the mythological significance/symbolism of oxen?
There was a question on Lit regarding Thomas Hardy's poem "The Oxen".
The poem features heavily Christian symbolism. It is set on Christmas Eve, features a manger (a "strawy pen"), and vocabulary ...
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Reference texts for Christian mythos
I was wondering if anyone on here has a good reference for Christian mythos in the way of specific characters/Christian mythological creatures, i.e. Nephilim and Seraphim? Anything having to do with ...
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Are vampires vulnerable to crucifixes because of the crucifixion of Jesus?
I wanted to know if the legends of vampires being vulnerable to a crucifix or a cross exist because of what happened to Jesus. Is this so?
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What is the Ogdoad in the Coptic Apocalypse of Paul?
At the end of the Coptic Apocalypse of Paul, Paul enters the Ogdoad, where he sees the twelve apostles1:
And then the heaven opened and we went up to the Ogdoad. And I saw the twelve apostles. ...
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