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Martyrdom of Polycarp
The work called “The Martyrdom of Polycarp,” is a story of martyrdom that is itself more historical fiction than historical account. That is not to say that Polycarp was not martyred. Rather it is to say that many of the details of the story are not accurate. In The Myth of Persecution, Dr. Candida Moss…
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John the Baptist’s Bones?
A recent press report indicates that some human bones have been dated to the 1st century. The bones were found in a bone box. Oddly, the bone box also contained some animal bones, and these bones were about 400 years older than the human bones. Who knows whose bones these are. The article reports: The…
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Biblical Evidence for the Veneration of Relics Ignored?
Previously, I discussed (and rebutted) the claim that the Scriptural discussion of the transport of Joseph’s bones from Egypt to Canaan was evidence of the veneration of relics in the Old Testament (link). Now, I turn to a second favorite passage that relic-venerators tend to appeal to, as allegedly supporting their position. That passage is…
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Two Interesting Posts on Relics
Erik, the Irish Calvinist, and Dr. James White, of Alpha & Omega Ministries, both have interesting posts today on the topic of relics. Erik’s post (link) focuses on the continued trade in relics, while Dr. White’s post (link) provides some additional comments addressing the fact that this is superstitious nonsense. While the articles focus on…
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Armstrong vs. Aquinas – Classifying Reformed Christians
As recently noted by the “Shrine for the Holy Whapping,” a Catholic blog, Aquinas quoted with approval, the following (link to source): “We believe that the bodies of the saints, above all the relics of the blessed martyrs, as being the members of Christ, should be venerated in all sincerity” and “If anyone holds a…