Questions tagged [religious-history]
Questions related to the history of world religions in general, extant or extinct, or related to the specific history of a given religion.
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What one-word academic term captures the meaning of Babylonian King Subsitution?
This might be too domain-specific for the English Language SE community, so we can try to resolve this on History SE.
History of religion scholars have developed a parlance for rituals taking place in ...
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What is the significance and customs of the "7 days" of mourning? (Genesis 50:10)
I asked this question on the Biblical Hermeneutics site and they recommended I ask it here:
The Bible says in Genesis 50:10-11
10 Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the
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When did the Orthodox Church ban cousin marriage?
Or if they inherited it from earlier sources, such as byzantine law or the pre-schism church, when did that ban start?
I know that the Justinian code didn't ban cousin marriage, and that the later ...
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Are there historical cults/sects who venerated Judas?
In the (HBO) Max series, 30 Coins (30 Monedas in Spanish), the antagonists are part of the Cult of Judas. This cult believed that because Jesus was sent to Earth to die for our sins, Judas's betrayal ...
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Did Newton comment on Islam?
On wikipedia's entry on Isaac Newton it says:
In Newton's eyes, worshipping Christ as God was idolatry, to him the fundamental sin.
which is very similar to the Islamic attitude towards Jesus, ...
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What is the dating of the earliest manuscript of the Book of Arda Wiraz?
The Arda Wiraz is a Zoroastrian text that tells the story of a spiritual journey undertook by Wiraz. Wiki summarises the story as this:
Wirāz is chosen for his piety to undertake a journey to the ...
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Where can we read/find the "Naqsh e Rajab" inscription of the Magian Priest Kartir?
In the Encyclopaedia Iranica entry on the Arda Wiraz, it mentions:
...The narrative of Wīrāz is not unique. Parallels are found in more precisely dated sources—the legend of Zoroaster recorded in ...
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When and how did the concept of posthumous reward and punishment enter ancient Judaism?
Throughout the Jewish Bible / Christian Old Testament, it's pretty consistently expressed that all people have the same fate after death - although the nature of that fate is sometimes seems to be ...
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Do we know of pagan creation myths that had a creation week?
Is the creation week an introduction by Abrahamic religions, or are there other known religions that also have, as part of their creation myths, a creation week (not necessarily of 7 days)?
I've ...
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What is the oldest continuously circulating story that survived until 1890’s? [closed]
What is the oldest continuously circulating story (specifically prior 13th century BCE) that survived until 1890’s? (eg myths/histories etc)
I am specifically looking for a myth/story/history that ...
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How could nonconformist Protestants be buried in graveyards controlled by the established Church before 1880?
Further to my question here, I am attempting to continue to research the wider family of the individual memorialised by a gravestone in St Bridget's Church, near Cockermouth. This church, and the ...
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How were expelled ministers "witnessed" during the Great Ejection of 1662?
While investigating the local history of a meeting house in the town of Cockermouth, in Cumbria, England, I came across a reference to a "Brief Memoir of the Late Isaac Brown, Esq. of Cockermouth,...
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Why is it necessary to list conflicting causes for the emergence Buddhism and Jainism?
The emergence of Buddhism and Jainism in 6th Century BC is seen as the result of the following causes (as given in R.S. Sharma's Ancient India):
Reaction by Kshatriyas
The development of new ...
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Was Yahweh one of the Moloch Gods?
In the Complete works of Swami Vivekananda, he says
In Babylonian or Greek mythologies we find one god struggling upwards,
and he assumes a position and remains there, while the other gods die
out. ...
user58967
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What religions were persecuted and disappeared (between 1000 BCE – 1 CE)? [closed]
R Gottlieb wrote in his book called "Reason to Believe" on page 66 that many cultures were persecuted between 1000 BCE – 1 CE, and none survived. As far as I'm aware, he does not provide any ...
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Are there historic references to sorcerers and their scrolls?
According to 'Acts 19:19' (of the Christian bible):
A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the ...
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Besides the Hebrews, were there any other ancient cults that used salt in animal sacrifices?
The Hebrew Bible (Leviticus 2:13) stipulates that all animal sacrifices must have salt. I was wondering if we find such a phenomenon of requiring salt in the cultic rituals of any other society in ...
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What was the earliest legitimate ancient Satanist sect / cult?
According to this recount of Satanism, the belief system is a modern phenomenon. The only confirmed "Satanic Church" wasn't formed until the 1960s.
I suppose we can concede that part of this ...
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Was Christianity always the #1 religion since it started, or were there others? [closed]
Christianity seems like it was a huge success in spreading. I have looked around in the old and new testament, (a small hint there) and I have done some research in Wikipedia, but barely anything.
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Did people in the area the Virgin Mary is said to have lived wear headdresses at the time?
⁹I'm an artist trying to figure out what Mary really would have looked like supposing she was a real middle eastern Jewish person, because I know nothing about the type of cultural dress or ethnic ...
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What did Robespierre think of Huguenots?
I've been reading up recently about the Huguenots ("French Protestants" could be synonym) and how they lived, and this question intrigues me- Did Maximilien Robespierre have anything to say ...
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What was the state of the Congo in 1959?
I'm reading the Poisonwood Bible. It is about a missionary family, the Prices, who in 1959 move from the U.S. state of Georgia to the village of Kilanga in the Belgian Congo.
I really have no idea ...
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Was garlic an Egyptian deity, based on Pliny the Elder's "Natural History" (Book XIX, Ch 32)?
What historical evidence can validate Pliny the Elder's "Natural History" (Book XIX, Chapter 32) claim that - Egyptians worshiped garlic as a deity ?
"Garlic and onions are invoked by ...
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Are there historical examples of non-Christian martyrs who were persecuted and killed because they claimed to be firsthand eyewitnesses of a miracle?
In the context of Christianity, the obvious examples are the apostles, who claimed to have been firsthand eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Jesus (with the exception of the apostle Paul, who didn't ...
user46818
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Were lay people ever forbidden to read the Bible in the Christian world?
I'm interested in all the historical accounts, if any, where the Bible was forbidden/censured to be read, by order of secular powers in the Christian world, i.e. mainly Roman Empire or the Byzantine ...
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How did the Church of England view the local legend and festivities surrounding Gog and Magog?
From multiple sources I've read of legends regarding one or two giants, Gogmagog or Gog and Magog. It appears in Irish and English folklore, as well as other regional tales.
Gogmagog was a legendary ...
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To what extent did the Jewish tradition of debate influence the development of Classical Liberalism in Europe?
Judaism has a long tradition of valuing debate. My sense is that it is somewhat singular in this regard. Certainly there is debate within Islam or Christianity, but if I understand correctly, Judaism ...
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How widespread was the observance of the Jewish Sabbath among Christians during Early Christianity (A.D. 30–324)?
Question
How widespread was the observance of the Jewish Sabbath among Christians during Early Christianity (A.D. 30–324)?
Further Details
As a reminder, the Jewish Sabbath is defined as:
[...] the ...
user46818
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Can history shed any light on the "secret arts" of the Egyptian magicians who turned their staffs into serpents as claimed by Exodus 7:11-12?
The biblical story of Exodus 7:11-12 talks about the alleged existence of some "secret arts" that the magicians of Egypt made use of to accomplish the feat of turning staffs into serpents:
...
user46818
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What is the historical origin of the Jewish Sabbath?
The Jewish Sabbath is presented in the Old Testament:
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord ...
user46818
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Is Rama Setu a historical proof of Ramayana?
Can Rama Setu be a historical proof of Ramayana?
Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu,[b] is a chain of limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, off the south-eastern coast of ...
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Did religious names catch on before or after the use of last names?
Last names are interesting. Once upon a time, people had only first names, until growing populations and ostentatious royals started a trend of including a second name, most commonly either patronymic ...
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Did Argentine President Juan Peron grant free access to the radio, the press and two soccer stadiums to a preacher called Tommy Hicks in 1954?
The title is a summary of claims I've read from several informal sources. For example, this site claims:
It was in this environment that Tommy Hicks was welcomed into the presidential office. After ...
user46818
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What social response could be expected in the Roman world after a temple collapsed?
I've been reading Ritual Landscapes of South-East Britain (2008, David Rudling). In a chapter on the Wanborough, Surrey Temple complex the author discusses how one temple was built in the late first ...
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What did the Greeks call their gods while under Roman rule? [closed]
I read this question and it made me think. The Romans "inherited" the Greek gods, they just gave them new names, but what happened in actual Greece after the Roman conquest of Greece? Did ...
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Was there a religious revival in Uganda in the late 1980s and 1990s with pervasive impacts on society and the presidency?
I recently asked a related question on Skeptics.SE, but I haven't received answers (probably because history is not an area of expertise over there). But here I'm interested in the broader context: is ...
user46818
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Is there any historical evidence that suggest that Zoroastrianism is older than Judaism or vice versa?
So from what I remember reading around Zoroastrianism is or seems to be older than Judaism not only older, but the former seems to have influenced the latter. However while talking to a friend today ...
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What are the origins and history of shaking, trembling, jerking, contorting, collapsing, fainting and similar manifestations in Christianity?
I'm interested in learning about the origins and evolution throughout Church history of manifestations such as shaking, trembling, jerking, contorting, collapsing or fainting attributed to the Holy ...
user46818
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What group is identified by the term "Egyptians" in the Flushing Remonstrance?
I am reading about the Flushing Remonstrance and its significance in the history of freedom of religion in the United States. An article by the Social Science Research Council indicates it was ...
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Have historians attempted to reconstruct the polytheistic Semitic pantheon, dividing it into sub pantheons?
Historians reconstruct pantheons to better understand their role in society (see below for examples of reconstruction as a historical method). Has there been any attempt to apply this historical ...
user41617
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Who were the first leaders of the Yahwistic sect?
From reading the Bible and from studying from various lectures I have tried to synthesize who was or who were the first leader/s of the Yahwistic sect (Yahwism) in ancient Israel (the allegedly ...
user41617
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Was Yahweh a god in a possible Edomite Pantheon?
I understand from the Bible, from the Wikipedia articles Yahweh and Yahwism and from lectures of various scholars that polytheism was practiced by at least some religious leaders, priests, kings and ...
user41617
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How often would monks leave their monasteries in the Middle Ages?
I have been reading about medieval monasteries, and I recently read that monks could sometimes act as village priests. This confused me as I had read that monks couldn't leave their monasteries. Was ...
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Why did Oliver Cromwell ban Christmas in 1644? [closed]
I am aware of the religious conflicts between Catholics and Protestants during and after the reign of King Henry VIII, but can't imagine why Cromwell would ban Christmas. I read this in an article ...
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Was Haile Selassie the world's only involuntary messiah?
History is full of supposed Messiahs and Saviors who founded religious movements and/or identified themselves as saviors (e.g. Joseph Smith and Raël). (By contrast, some messiahs were only venerated ...
user18968
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Which Catholic priests were given diplomatic missions?
Fernández de San Vicente was a high-ranking priest appointed by Mexico's government for a diplomatic mission to the Californias in 1822. Despite being nominally in the same country¸ the isolation of ...
user18968
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How many people died in the British Isles from religious persecution between 1532 and 1791?
The English Reformation was "a series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church". It involved the ...
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Did ancient Romans have a religion that involved a "fish hat"?
This question is related to the Mesopotamian god "Dagon" and how he may have been represented in ancient Rome.
According to some sources, gods and goddesses that were worshiped in ancient Mesopotamia ...
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Is the Western Wall the only remaining portion of the Second Temple?
I saw a travel blog post recently that claimed that the Western Wall is the only remaining portion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. At first, I thought this was just a mistake on the part of the ...
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Is there a global foot race among religions on the most beautiful churches and when did this start historically?
When you visit multicultural and -national big cities, it often becomes apparent to me how churches of different religions seem to compete on beautiness, height, materials used like gold or colourful ...
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