Question:
Dear Greg,
I
have four questions:
1.
I am interested in doing some research on the Bible by myself and not
through
any
denomination or church. I want to
read a Bible that is non-denominational and not swayed by any certain
philosophy, so I’m thinking the King James Version would be the best to get.
What do you think? I’m not sure.
2.
I have been recently reading my daughter’s Children’s Bible. It is pretty
interesting.
Informative but not judgmental, etc.
Anyway, it said that Jesus had brothers and sisters.
I had never heard this before, but this only makes sense to me.
Mary and Joseph--man and wife. Could
you direct me to a passage in the Bible that proves this?
3.
This Children’s Bible also mentioned that the book of James was written
by
one
of Jesus’ relatives (a half brother or cousin, I forget).
Anyway, that this
“James” was related to Jesus somehow. Again,
something I never heard.
4.
I was just told that some now think that Mary Magdalene was not a
prostitute.
Anywhere I can find where it says that she was?
Thanks
a lot!
Kelly
Answer: Dear Kelly,
1.
We at PTM very much understand your desire to study the Bible free of
denominational
dogma and interpretation. Our media
ministry is based upon that premise. Therefore,
we suggest that you consider enrolling in our Bible study/devotional
(“Experiencing the Word—A Daily Devotional Journey Through the Bible”).
It is a work of 43 volumes that will take you through every chapter of
the Bible, at your own pace. We
will send you the first volume on the book of Matthew free of charge so that you
can get an idea of the format, etc. If
you would like that volume, please forward a mailing address/post office box,
etc.
If
you decide not to pursue our Bible study/devotional, at the very least we would
recommend a good study Bible. We
make available two versions, both on their own, as well as for use with
“Experiencing”. We order these
in bulk, so we offer them at a great price.
But you can purchase either on your own as well.
Both of these Bibles are called “Study Bibles”—giving helpful
background, information, charts, etc. as you study the Bible.
The first is the Life Application Study Bible—the #1 best-selling study
Bible in the U.S. This Bible is published by Zondervan and uses the New
International Version. The second
study Bible is the Nelson Study Bible, based upon the New King James Version.
We advertise these Bibles in “Experiencing”, so if you ask for your
free copy of the volume on Matthew you will see more information there.
2.
This question is a good example of why you need a non-denominational
study of
the Bible. In this case the
Catholic Church has traditionally taught that Jesus did not have brothers and
sisters, but passages like Matthew 12:46 and 47, Matthew 13 verses 55 and 56,
John 7:3,5, Acts 1:14 and 1 Corinthians 9:5 all mention his physical siblings.
3.
While not every scholar agrees, the majority opinion is that the book of
James
was
written by Jesus’ brother named James (see Galatians 1:19 for one reference as
well as Acts 15 for another). This
issue is a little involved as there are several men named James mentioned in the
New Testament, and it can be an involved study. I will not take the time for details here.
4.
The profession of Mary is also debated.
There are several women who were
former
prostitutes mentioned in the Gospels, and there are clear indications about
their past (the most well-known episode being the “sinful woman” of Luke
7:36-50, though most scholars do not believe this unnamed woman is Mary
Magdalene). Again, like James,
there are several Marys, including the Lord’s mother, mentioned in the New
Testament and it takes some study to identify each.
Mary Magdalene is mentioned in Luke 8:2 as well as in Matthew 27:55 and
56 (same incident recorded in Luke 24:10).
Hope
this helps and let us know if we can send you a free volume of Matthew.
In
Christ,
Greg
Albrecht