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1000 articles found for “The Apostle John”
Sapphira
[People]Sapphira was a member of the early church in Jerusalem who appears in Acts 5. With her husband Ananias, she kept back part of the price of a piece of land while pretending that they had given it all, and she died in the presence of Peter.
Acts 2:44–45
[Bible Verses]A passage recording that, after Pentecost, the believers were together, had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods to distribute them to all as every man had need. It is often idealized as a portrait of the early church community, but interpreters have debated whether it sets a norm the church today should follow and how it relates to socialist thought.
Aristarchus
[People]Aristarchus was an early Christian from Thessalonica in Macedonia who accompanied Paul on his missionary travels and on his voyage to Rome. In Colossians, Paul calls this co-worker his "fellowprisoner."
Didache
[History]The Didache, meaning "the Teaching (of the Twelve Apostles)," is an early church document generally thought to have been written in the late first or early second century. It contains instructions on baptism, the Eucharist, fasting, prayer, and church offices.
Cyril and Methodius
[History]Cyril and Methodius were ninth-century missionary brothers from Thessalonica in the Byzantine Empire. They introduced worship in the Slavic language in Great Moravia and created the Glagolitic alphabet, earning them the title "Apostles to the Slavs."
2 Corinthians 11
[Bible]2 Corinthians 11 is the chapter in which Paul defends his apostleship against the false apostles who had entered the Corinthian church, boasting of himself "as a fool." He lists the hardships he has endured and declares that he will glory in his infirmities.
Fivefold Ministry
[Doctrine & Theology]The fivefold ministry is a collective term for the five offices named in Ephesians 4:11: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Denominations and theological traditions differ on whether these offices continue today.
Luke 6
[Bible]Luke 6 records two Sabbath controversies and the choosing of the twelve apostles, followed by the so-called Sermon on the Plain, which consists of blessings and woes, love for enemies, the command not to judge, and the parable of the house built on a rock.
Seven Deacons
[Bible]The Seven Deacons were seven men chosen by the early church in Jerusalem to ensure the fair distribution of relief to those in need. They included Stephen and Philip, and their appointment is commonly regarded as the origin of the office of deacon.
Ethiopian Eunuch
[People]The Ethiopian eunuch is the treasury official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who appears in Acts 8. After Philip the evangelist explained a passage from Isaiah to him and proclaimed the gospel of Jesus, he was baptized.
Luke 24
[Bible]Luke 24 is the final chapter of the Gospel of Luke. It recounts the women's discovery of the empty tomb, Jesus' appearance to two travelers on the road to Emmaus, his appearance to the eleven apostles, in which he opens the Scriptures to them and appoints them as witnesses, and his departure as he blesses them near Bethany.
Gospel of Thomas
[History]The Gospel of Thomas is an ancient document containing a collection of 114 sayings of Jesus. Its complete Coptic text was discovered in 1945 at Nag Hammadi, Egypt. It is not included in the biblical canon.
Hebraic Jews
[Bible]Hebraic Jews, called "the Hebrews" in Acts 6:1, were Jewish believers in the early Jerusalem church who were distinguished from the Hellenistic Jews. They are generally understood to have come mainly from Palestine and to have spoken Aramaic or Hebrew.
2 Corinthians 12:7–10
[Bible Verses]In this passage Paul confesses that he was given a "thorn in the flesh" to keep him from pride. He prayed three times for its removal but received the answer "My grace is sufficient for thee." The passage is frequently cited as a key text on suffering and weakness, and interpreters disagree about the identity of the thorn and its bearing on the question of healing.
2 Corinthians 12:2–4
[Bible Verses]In this passage Paul recounts, in the third person, an experience from fourteen years earlier in which he was caught up to the "third heaven" and into paradise, where he heard "unspeakable words." It is frequently discussed in connection with Paul's visionary experience, the meaning of heaven and paradise, and whether it can serve as a basis for testimonies of visiting heaven.
The Seventy Disciples
[Bible]The Seventy Disciples were a group of disciples whom Jesus Christ appointed in addition to the Twelve and sent ahead of him, two by two, into every city and place he was about to visit. They appear only in Luke 10. Some manuscripts and translations give their number as seventy-two.
Sending of the Seventy
[Bible]The Sending of the Seventy is an event in which Jesus appointed seventy others, apart from the Twelve, and sent them two by two ahead of him into every town he intended to visit. It is recorded only in Luke 10.
2 Corinthians 12:9
[Bible Verses]In this verse the Lord answers Paul, who had prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh to be removed: "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." It is a classic text on grace amid suffering and weakness, and it is also cited in discussions of divine healing and answered prayer.
1 Corinthians 12:28
[Bible Verses]A verse in which Paul lists the offices and gifts that God has set in the church, beginning with apostles, prophets, and teachers. It is frequently cited in discussions of whether spiritual gifts continue today, the ranking of church offices, the basis of Presbyterian church order, and modern claims to apostleship.
The Sabbath and the Lord's Day
[Controversies]A discussion of whether Christians should observe the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath or the first-day (Sunday) Lord's Day, and whether the Lord's Day should be kept in the manner of the Old Testament Sabbath.