Category Archives: Religion

New Bible Fragment Found (P.Oxy 5575) – Gospel of Thomas from the 2nd Century.

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A new fragment of the Bible has been discovered. 2nd century – Gospel of Thomas. Found in an archeological dig known as an ancient trash dump in el-Bahnasa, Egypt. Unique among all known manuscripts as it is the first known occurrence of papyri material written on for the Bible, pre-dates Mark and Mathew. “Requires a major re-assessment for the composition of Gospel of Thomas”

Drawing of Jesus teaching in the synagogue by Gustave Doré (1832–1883). Illustration by Peter Gurry.

What’s the Big Deal about a New Papyrus with Sayings of Jesus?

A second-century date for a new Greek fragment with gospel material makes it unique among papyri.

Article from: September 13, 2023

On august 31st, the Egypt Exploration Society published the latest volume (LXXXVII) in its long-running series on the Oxyrhynchus Papyri (volume 1 appeared in 1898). The volume presents many interesting papyri, including a collection of short biographies of eminent Romans and a fragment of the book of Revelation. Thanks to an article in the Daily Beast, however, the spotlight has fallen on a small fragment (about 1.3ʺ wide × 3.6ʺ high) that contains sayings of Jesus in a form similar to the gospels of Matthew, Luke, and Thomas.

Why is this such a big deal? Let’s find out.

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Missing Verses in Modern Bibles – Explanation

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Missing Verses in Modern Translations

Matthew 17:21

KJV: Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Reason: The verse closely resembles Mark 9:29, but it is lacking in Matthew in א (original handwriting), B, θ, some Italic & Syriac & Coptic & Ethiopic manuscripts. It is, however, found in this place in some Greek mss not quite so ancient – C, D, K, L – as well as some other mss of the ancient versions. It is believed to have been assimilated from Mark.[13]

Matthew 18:11

KJV: For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

Reason: This verse is lacking in א,B,L (original handwriting), θ, ƒ1, ƒ13, some old Italic & Syriac & Coptic & Georgian mss, and such ancient sources as the Apostolic Canons, Eusebius, Jerome, and others. It is found in some other sources, not quite so ancient, such as D,K,W,X, and the Latin Vulgate. It is not found in any manuscript before the 5th century.[14] According to Bruce Metzger, “There can be little doubt that the words … are spurious here, being omitted by the earliest witnesses representing several textual types… [This verse was] manifestly borrowed by copyists from Luke 19:10.”[15]

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In China, they’re closing churches, jailing pastors – and even rewriting scripture

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[From The Guardian] China’s Communist party is intensifying religious persecution as Christianity’s popularity grows. A new state translation of the Bible will establish a ‘correct understanding’ of the text

Wang Yi, pastor of the Early Rain church, who was arrested and detained three months ago, along with his wife.

In late October, the pastor of one of China’s best-known underground churches asked this of his congregation: had they successfully spread the gospel throughout their city? “If tomorrow morning the Early Rain Covenant Church suddenly disappeared from the city of Chengdu, if each of us vanished into thin air, would this city be any different? Would anyone miss us?” said Wang Yi, leaning over his pulpit and pausing to let the question weigh on his audience. “I don’t know.”

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Asia- Hotbed of Christian Persecution

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See article on Congressional Statement of 2018 here.

Nearly 140 million Christians suffered high levels of hostility in Asia last year, a region the report describes as ‘the new hotbed of persecution’

Experts say China seems to be forcing Christians into ‘the North Korean model – weak, small and invisible in the deep underground’

Nearly 140 million Christians suffered high levels of persecution in Asia last year, according to a new report, which described the situation facing the faith in China as the worst since the Cultural Revolution.

The annual Open Doors World Watch List, released on Wednesday, said Asia is “the new hotbed of persecution for Christians”.

It noted a sharp increase in the persecution of Christians in Asia over the past five years – but with a dramatic spike in 2018, driven by the likes of a rise in Hindu ultra-nationalism in India, radical Islamism in Indonesia and tougher religious regulations in China.

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