Bible Stories

Art has a lot to do with religion. Most of the ‘art-works’ unearthed by archaeologists link in with some religious practice or other. Until recent times the church was the most important patron of the arts. Contemporary artists regularly discuss their work in ’spiritual’ terms. Read more

The New Testament also takes its starting-point in the confession and the commandment that God is one. Jesus himself repeats the opening words of the ‘Shema’; Paul writes to the Corinthians: ‘For us there is one God, from whom are all things and for whom we exist.’ James writes: You believe that God is one; you do well.’ The apostles time and again speak of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, the Father and Jesus are clearly distinguished. Yet the same writers say, with equal emphasis, that Jesus Christ himself is also God. Read more

The claim that God raised Jesus from the grave is so stupendous that no one could be expected to believe it without very strong evidence. Yet without the resurrection there would have been no gospel, no Christian faith, no church and no New Testament. There might, of course, have been a community of people who honored Jesus of Nazareth and tried to follow his teaching, but that would have been an entirely different thing. So the question is: does such evidence exist? Read more