By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The phrase ‘the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life’ is associated with the New Testament, and specifically with the writings of St Paul. But what does St Paul mean when he declares that ‘the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life’? What letter, and why does it kill?
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Many of the phrases we use in everyday English speech come from the Bible. Even ahead of the works of Shakespeare, the Bible has probably given us more useful expressions and quotations. Indeed, we use quotations from the Bible often without realising we’re quoting it: how many times have people used the phrases ‘apple of my eye’, ‘a man after my own heart’, ‘feet of clay’, or ‘put the words in someone’s mouth’ without realising they’re quoting the proverbial Good Book?
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The Battle of Jericho was the first battle fought by the Israelites during the course of their conquest of Canaan. Joshua leads the people of Israel in an attack on the ancient walled city, bringing the colossal walls of Jericho down with the sound of trumpets, according to the Book of Joshua from the Old Testament.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The book known variously as the Song of Solomon, the Song of Songs, and Solomon’s Song is something of an oddity in the Bible, in that it is an unabashed description of romantic and erotic love between a man and a woman. Despite its common title, however, Solomon didn’t write it, and many scholars now believe that parts of the Song of Songs were actually written by a female author.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The Bible contains many well-known stories, but how much do we know about them? And what are the best Bible stories everyone should know? Many people, even those raised in countries where Sunday school and religious assemblies are a mainstay of many children’s education, may find they’ve misremembered, or got the wrong impression about, some of the iconic tales from the Old and New Testament.