Contradictions In The Holy Bible

Holy Bible

Theological doctrines:

     1. God is satisfied with his works
         Gen 1:31
        God is dissatisfied with his works. 
         Gen 6:6
     2. God dwells in chosen temples
         2 Chron 7:12,16
        God dwells not in temples
         Acts 7:48
     3. God dwells in light
         Tim 6:16
        God dwells in darkness
         1 Kings 8:12/ Ps 18:11/ Ps 97:2
     4. God is seen and heard
         Ex 33:23/ Ex 33:11/ Gen 3:9,10/ Gen 32:30/ Is 6:1/
          Ex 24:9-11
        God is invisible and cannot be heard
         John 1:18/ John 5:37/ Ex 33:20/ 1 Tim 6:16
     5. God is tired and rests
         Ex 31:17
        God is never tired and never rests
         Is 40:28
     6. God is everywhere present, sees and knows all things
         Prov 15:3/ Ps 139:7-10/ Job 34:22,21
        God is not everywhere present, neither sees nor knows all     
        things
         Gen 11:5/ Gen 18:20,21/ Gen 3:8
     7. God knows the hearts of men
         Acts 1:24/ Ps 139:2,3
        God tries men to find out what is in their heart
         Deut 13:3/ Deut 8:2/ Gen 22:12
     8. God is all powerful
         Jer 32:27/ Matt 19:26
       God is not all powerful
         Judg 1:19
     9. God is unchangeable
         James 1:17/ Mal 3:6/ Ezek 24:14/ Num 23:19
        God is changeable
         Gen 6:6/ Jonah 3:10/ 1 Sam 2:30,31/ 2 Kings 20:1,4,5,6/
          Ex 33:1,3,17,14
     10. God is just and impartial
          Ps 92:15/ Gen 18:25/ Deut 32:4/ Rom 2:11/ Ezek 18:25
         God is unjust and partial
          Gen 9:25/ Ex 20:5/ Rom 9:11-13/ Matt 13:12
     11. God is the author of evil
          Lam 3:38/ Jer 18:11/ Is 45:7/ Amos 3:6/ Ezek 20:25
         God is not the author of evil
          1 Cor 14:33/ Deut 32:4/ James 1:13
     12. God gives freely to those who ask
          James 1:5/ Luke 11:10
         God withholds his blessings and prevents men from receiving   
         them
          John 12:40/ Josh 11:20/ Is 63:17
     13. God is to be found by those who seek him
          Matt 7:8/ Prov 8:17
         God is not to be found by those who seek him
          Prov 1:28
     14. God is warlike
          Ex 15:3/ Is 51:15
         God is peaceful
          Rom 15:33/ 1 Cor 14:33
     15. God is cruel, unmerciful, destructive, and ferocious
          Jer 13:14/ Deut 7:16/ 1 Sam 15:2,3/ 1 Sam 6:19
         God is kind, merciful, and good
          James 5:11/ Lam 3:33/ 1 Chron 16:34/ Ezek 18:32/ Ps 145:9/ 
           1 Tim 2:4/ 1 John 4:16/ Ps 25:8
     16. God's anger is fierce and endures long
          Num 32:13/ Num 25:4/ Jer 17:4
         God's anger is slow and endures but for a minute
          Ps 103:8/ Ps 30:5
     17. God commands, approves of, and delights in burnt offerings,  
         sacrifices ,and holy days
          Ex 29:36/ Lev 23:27/ Ex 29:18/ Lev 1:9
         God disapproves of and has no pleasure in burnt offerings,   
         sacrifices, and holy days.
          Jer 7:22/ Jer 6:20/ Ps 50:13,4/ Is 1:13,11,12
     18. God accepts human sacrifices
          2 Sam 21:8,9,14/ Gen 22:2/ Judg 11:30-32,34,38,39
         God forbids human sacrifice
          Deut 12:30,31
     19. God tempts men
          Gen 22:1/ 2 Sam 24:1/ Jer 20:7/ Matt 6:13
         God tempts no man
          James 1:13
     20. God cannot lie
          Heb 6:18
         God lies by proxy; he sends forth lying spirits t deceive
          2 Thes 2:11/ 1 Kings 22:23/ Ezek 14:9
     21. Because of man's wickedness God destroys him
          Gen 6:5,7
         Because of man's wickedness God will not destroy him
          Gen 8:21
     22. God's attributes are revealed in his works.
          Rom 1:20
         God's attributes cannot be discovered
          Job 11:7/ Is 40:28
     23. There is but one God
          Deut 6:4
         There is a plurality of gods
          Gen 1:26/ Gen 3:22/ Gen 18:1-3/ 1 John 5:7
 

Moral Precepts:

     24. Robbery commanded
          Ex 3:21,22/ Ex 12:35,36
         Robbery forbidden
          Lev 19:13/ Ex 20:15
     25. Lying approved and sanctioned
          Josh 2:4-6/ James 2:25/ Ex 1:18-20/ 1 Kings 22:21,22
         Lying forbidden
          Ex 20:16/ Prov 12:22/ Rev 21:8
     26. Hatred to the Edomite sanctioned
          2 Kings 14:7,3
         Hatred to the Edomite forbidden
          Deut 23:7
     27. Killing commanded
          Ex 32:27
         Killing forbidden
          Ex 20:13
     28. The blood-shedder must die
          Gen 9:5,6
         The blood-shedder must not die
          Gen 4:15
     29. The making of images forbidden
           Ex 20:4
         The making of images commanded
          Ex 25:18,20
     30. Slavery and oppression ordained
          Gen 9:25/ Lev 25:45,46/ Joel 3:8
         Slavery and oppression forbidden
          Is 58:6/ Ex 22:21/ Ex 21:16/ Matt 23:10
     31. Improvidence enjoyed
          Matt 6:28,31,34/ Luke 6:30,35/ Luke 12:3
         Improvidence condemned
          1 Tim 5:8/ Prov 13:22
     32. Anger approved
          Eph 4:26
         Anger disapproved
          Eccl 7:9/ Prov 22:24/ James 1:20
     33. Good works to be seen of men
          Matt 5:16
         Good works not to be seen of men
          Matt 6:1
     34. Judging of others forbidden
          Matt 7:1,2
         Judging of others approved
          1 Cor 6:2-4/ 1 Cor 5:12
      35. Christ taught non-resistance
          Matt 5:39/ Matt 26:52
         Christ taught and practiced physical resistance
          Luke 22:36/ John 2:15
     36. Christ warned his followers not to fear being killed
          Luke 12:4
         Christ himself avoided the Jews for fear of being killed
          John 7:1
     37. Public prayer sanctioned
          1 Kings 8:22,54, 9:3
         Public prayer disapproved
          Matt 6:5,6
     38. Importunity in prayer commended
          Luke 18:5,7
         Importunity in prayer condemned
          Matt 6:7,8
     39. The wearing of long hair by men sanctioned
          Judg 13:5/ Num 6:5
         The wearing of long hair by men condemned
          1 Cor 11:14
     40. Circumcision instituted
          Gen 17:10
         Circumcision condemned
          Gal 5:2
     41. The Sabbath instituted
          Ex 20:8
         The Sabbath repudiated
          Is 1:13/ Rom 14:5/ Col 2:16
     42. The Sabbath instituted because God rested on the seventh day
          Ex 20:11
         The Sabbath instituted because God brought the Israelites    
         out of Egypt
          Deut 5:15
     43. No work to be done on the Sabbath under penalty of death
          Ex 31:15/ Num 15:32,36
         Jesus Christ broke the Sabbath and justified his disciples in 
         the same
          John 5:16/ Matt 12:1-3,5
     44. Baptism commanded
          Matt 28:19
         Baptism not commanded
          1 Cor 1:17,14
     45. Every kind of animal allowed for food.
          Gen 9:3/ 1 Cor 10:25/ Rom 14:14
         Certain kinds of animals prohibited for food.
          Deut 14:7,8
      46. Taking of oaths sanctioned
          Num 30:2/ Gen 21:23-24,31/ Gen 31:53/ Heb 6:13
         Taking of oaths forbidden
          Matt 5:34
     47. Marriage approved
          Gen 2:18/ Gen 1:28/ Matt 19:5/ Heb 13:4
         Marriage disapproved
          1 Cor 7:1/ 1 Cor 7:7,8
     48. Freedom of divorce permitted
          Deut 24:1/ Deut 21:10,11,14
         Divorce restricted
          Matt 5:32
     49. Adultery forbidden
          Ex 20:14/ Heb 13:4
         Adultery allowed
          Num 31:18/ Hos 1:2; 2:1-3
     50. Marriage or cohabitation with a sister denounced
          Deut 27:22/ Lev 20:17
         Abraham married his sister and God blessed the union
          Gen 20:11,12/ Gen 17:16
     51. A man may marry his brother's widow
          Deut 25:5
         A man may not marry his brother's widow
          Lev 20:21
     52. Hatred to kindred enjoined
          Luke 14:26
         Hatred to kindred condemned
          Eph 6:2/ Eph 5:25,29
     53. Intoxicating beverages recommended
          Prov 31:6,7/ 1 Tim 5:23/ Ps 104:15
         Intoxicating beverages discountenanced
          Prov 20:1/ Prov 23:31,32
     54. It is our duty to obey our rulers, who are God's ministers   
         and punish evil doers only
          Rom 13:1-3,6
         It is not our duty to obey rulers, who sometimes punish the  
         good and receive unto themselves damnation therefor
          Ex 1:17,20/ Dan 3:16,18/ Dan 6:9,7,10/ Acts 4:26,27/
           Mark 12:38,39,40/ Luke 23:11,24,33,35
     55. Women's rights denied
          Gen 3:16/ 1 Tim 2:12/ 1 Cor 14:34/ 1 Pet 3:6
         Women's rights affirmed
          Judg 4:4,14,15/ Judg 5:7/ Acts 2:18/ Acts 21:9
     56. Obedience to masters enjoined
          Col 3:22,23/ 1 Pet 2:18
         Obedience due to God only
          Matt 4:10/ 1 Cor 7:23/ Matt 23:10
     57. There is an unpardonable sin
          Mark 3:29
         There is not unpardonable sin
          Acts 13:39
 

Historical Facts:

     58. Man was created after the other animals
          Gen 1:25,26,27
         Man was created before the other animals
          Gen 2:18,19
     59. Seed time and harvest were never to cease
          Gen 8:22
         Seed time and harvest did cease for seven years
          Gen 41:54,56/ Gen 45:6
     60. God hardened Pharaoh's heart
          Ex 4:21/ Ed 9:12
         Pharaoh hardened his own heart
          Ex 8:15
     61. All the cattle and horses in Egypt died
          Ex 9:3,6/ 14:9
       All the horses of Egypt did not die
          Ex 14:9
     62. Moses feared Pharaoh
          Ex 2:14,15,23; 4:19
         Moses did not fear Pharaoh
          Heb 11:27
     63. There died of the plague twenty-four thousand
          Num 25:9
         There died of the plague but twenty-three thousand
          1 Cor 10:8
     64. John the Baptist was Elias
          Matt 11:14
         John the Baptist was not Elias
          John 1:21
     65. The father of Joseph, Mary's husband was Jacob
          Matt 1:16
         The father of Mary's husband was Heli
          Luke 3:23
     66. The father of Salah was Arphaxad
          Gen 11:12
         The father of Salah was Cainan
          Luke 3:35,36
     67. There were fourteen generations from Abraham to David
          Matt 1:17
         There were but thirteen generations from Abraham to David
          Matt 1:2-6
     68. There were fourteen generations from the Babylonian captivity
         to Christ.
          Matt 1:17
         There were but thirteen generations from the Babylonian      
         captivity to Christ
          Matt 1:12-16
     69. The infant Christ was taken into Egypt
          Matt 2:14,15,19,21,23
         The infant Christ was not taken into Egypt
          Luke 2:22, 39
     70. Christ was tempted in the wilderness
          Mark 1:12,13
         Christ was not tempted in the wilderness
          John 2:1,2
     71. Christ preached his first sermon on the mount
          Matt 5:1,2
         Christ preached his first sermon on the plain
          Luke 6:17,20
     72. John was in prison when Jesus went into Galilee
          Mark 1:14
         John was not in prison when Jesus went into Galilee
          John 1:43/ John 3:22-24
     73. Christ's disciples were commanded to go forth with a staff   
         and sandals
          Mark 6:8,9
         Christ's disciples were commanded to go forth with neither
         staffs nor sandals.
          Matt 10:9,10
     74. A woman of Canaan besought Jesus
          Matt 15:22
         It was a Greek woman who besought Him
          Mark 7:26
     75. Two blind men besought Jesus
          Matt 20:30
         Only one blind man besought Him
          Luke 18:35,38
     76. Christ was crucified at the third hour
          Mark 15:25
         Christ was not crucified until the sixth hour
          John 19:14,15
     77. The two thieves reviled Christ.
          Matt 27:44/ Mark 15:32
         Only one of the thieves reviled Christ
          Luke 23:39,40
     78. Satan entered into Judas while at supper
          John 13:27
         Satan entered into him before the supper
          Luke 22:3,4,7
     79. Judas committed suicide by hanging
          Matt 27:5
         Judas did not hang himself, but died another way
          Acts 1:18
     80. The potter's field was purchased by Judas
          Acts 1:18
         The potter's field was purchased by the Chief Priests
          Matt 27:6,7
     81. There was but one woman who came to the sepulchre
          John 20:1
         There were two women who came to the sepulchre
          Matt 28:1
     82. There were three women who came to the sepulchre
          Mark 16:1
         There were more than three women who came to the sepulchre
          Luke 24:10
     83. It was at sunrise when they came to the sepulchre
          Mark 16:2
        It was some time before sunrise when they came.
          John 20:1
     84. There were two angels seen by the women at the sepulchre, and
         they were standing up.
          Luke 24:4
         There was but one angel seen, and he was sitting down.
          Matt 28:2,5
     85. There were two angels seen within the sepulchre.
          John 20:11,12
         There was but one angel seen within the sepulchre
          Mark 16:5
     86. Christ was to be three days and three nights in the grave
          Matt 12:40
         Christ was but two days and two nights in the grave
          Mark 15:25,42,44,45,46; 16:9>
     87. Holy ghost bestowed at pentecost
          Acts 1:8,5
         Holy ghost bestowed before pentecost
          John 20:22
     88. The disciples were commanded immediately after the           
         resurrection to go into Galilee
          Matt 28:10
         The disciples were commanded immediately after the           
         resurrection to go tarry at Jerusalem
          Luke 24:49
     89. Jesus first appeared to the eleven disciples in a room at    
         Jerusalem
          Luke 24:33,36,37/ John 20:19
         Jesus first appeared to the eleven on a mountain in Galilee
          Matt 28:16,17
     90. Christ ascended from Mount Olivet
          Acts 1:9,12
         Christ ascended from Bethany
          Luke 24:50,51
     91. Paul's attendants heard the miraculous voice, and stood      
         speechless
          Acts 9:7
         Paul's attendants heard not the voice and were prostrate
          Acts 26:14
     92. Abraham departed to go into Canaan
          Gen 12:5
         Abraham went not knowing where
          Heb 11:8
     93. Abraham had two sons
          Gal 4:22
         Abraham had but one son
          Heb 11:17
     94. Keturah was Abraham's wife
          Gen 25:1
         Keturah was Abraham's concubine
          1 Chron 1:32
     95. Abraham begat a son when he was a hundred years old, by the  
         interposition of Providence
          Gen 21:2/ Rom 4:19/ Heb 11:12
         Abraham begat six children more after he was a hundred years 
         old without any interposition of providence
          Gen 25:1,2
     96. Jacob bought a sepulchre from Hamor
          Josh 24:32
         Abraham bought it of Hamor
          Acts 7:16
     97. God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his seed      
         forever
          Gen 13:14,15,17; 17:8
         Abraham and his seed never received the promised land
          Acts 7:5/ Heb 11:9,13
     98. Goliath was slain by Elhanan
          2 Sam 21:19 *note, was changed in translation to be        
           correct.  Original manuscript was incorrect>
         The brother of Goliath was slain by Elhanan
          1 Chron 20:5
     99. Ahaziah began to reign in the twelfth year of Joram
          2 Kings 8:25
         Ahaziah began to reign in the eleventh year of Joram
          2 Kings 9:29
     100. Michal had no child
           2 Sam 6:23
          Michal had five children
           2 Sam 21:8
     101. David was tempted by the Lord to number Israel
           2 Sam 24:1
          David was tempted by Satan to number the people
           1 Chron 21:1
     102. The number of fighting men of Israel was 800,000; and of    
          Judah 500,000
           2 Sam 24:9
          The number of fighting men of Israel was 1,100,000; and of  
          Judah 470,000
           1 Chron 21:5
     103. David sinned in numbering the people
           2 Sam 24:10
          David never sinned, except in the matter of Uriah
          1 Kings 15:5
     104. One of the penalties of David's sin was seven years of      
          famine.
           2 Sam 24:13
          It was not seven years, but three years of famine
           1 Chron 21:11,12
     105. David took seven hundred horsemen
           2 Sam 8:4
          David took seven thousand horsemen
           1 Chron 18:4
     106. David bought a threshing floor for fifty shekels of silver
           2 Sam 24:24
          David bought the threshing floor for six hundred shekels of 
          gold
           1 Chron 21:25
     107. David's throne was to endure forever.
           Ps 89:35-37
          David's throne was cast down
           Ps 89:44
 

Speculative Doctrines:

      108. Christ is equal with God
           John 10:30/ Phil 2:5
          Christ is not equal with God
           John 14:28/ Matt 24:36
     109. Jesus was all-powerful
           Matt 28:18/ John 3:35
          Jesus was not all-powerful
           Mark 6:5
     110. The law was superseded by the Christian dispensation
           Luke 16:16/ Eph 2:15/ Rom 7:6
          The law was not superseded by the Christian dispensation
           Matt 5:17-19
     111. Christ's mission was peace
           Luke 2:13,14
          Christ's mission was not peace
           Matt 10:34
     112. Christ received not testimony from man
           John 5:33,34
          Christ did receive testimony from man
           John 15:27
     113. Christ's witness of himself is true.
           John 8:18,14
          Christ's witness of himself is not true.
           John 5:31
     114. Christ laid down his life for his friends
           John 15:13/ John 10:11
          Christ laid down his life for his enemies
           Rom 5:10
     115. It was lawful for the Jews to put Christ to death
           John 19:7
          It was not lawful for the Jews to put Christ to death
           John 18:31
     116. Children are punished for the sins of the parents
           Ex 20:5
          Children are not punished for the sins of the parents
           Ezek 18:20
     117. Man is justified by faith alone
           Rom 3:20/ Gal 2:16/ Gal 3:11,12/ Rom 4:2
          Man is not justified by faith alone
           James 2:21,24/ Rom 2:13
     118. It is impossible to fall from grace
           John 10:28/ Rom 8:38,39
          It is possible to fall from grace
           Ezek 18:24/ Heb 6:4-6, 2 Pet 2:20,21
     119. No man is without sin
           1 Kings 8:46/ Prov 20:9/ Eccl 7:20/ Rom 3:10
         Christians are sinless
           1 John 3: 9,6,8
     120. There is to be a resurrection of the dead
           1 Cor 15:52/ Rev 20:12,13/ Luke 20:37/ 1 Cor 15:16
          There is to be no resurrection of the dead
           Job 7:9/ Eccl 9:5/ Is 26:14
     121. Reward and punishment to be bestowed in this world
           Prov 11:31
          Reward and punishment to be bestowed in the next world
           Rev 20:12/ Matt 16:27/ 2 Cor 5:10
     122. Annihilation the portion of all mankind
           Job 3: 11,13-17,19-22/ Eccl 9:5,10/ Eccl 3:19,20
          Endless misery the portion of all mankind
           Matt 25:46/ Rev 20:10,15/ Rev 14:11/ Dan 12:2
     123. The Earth is to be destroyed
           2 Pet 3:10/ Heb 1:11/ Rev 20:11
          The Earth is never to be destroyed
           Ps 104:5/ Eccl 1:4
     124. No evil shall happen to the godly
           Prov 12:21/ 1 Pet 3:13
          Evil does happen to the godly
           Heb 12:6/ Job 2:3,7
     125. Worldly good and prosperity are the lot of the godly
           Prov 12:21/ Ps 37:28,32,33,37/ Ps 1:1,3/ Gen 39:2/
            Job 42:12
          Worldly misery and destitution the lot of the godly
           Heb 11:37,38/ Rev 7:14/ 2 Tim 3:12/ Luke 21:17
     126. Worldly prosperity a reward of righteousness and a blessing
           Mark 10:29,30/ Ps 37:25/ Ps 112:1,3/ Job 22:23,24/
            Prov 15:6
          Worldly prosperity a curse and a bar to future reward
           Luke 6:20,24/ Matt 6:19,21/ Luke 16:22/ Matt 19:24/
            Luke 6:24
     127. The Christian yoke is easy
           Matt 11:28,29,30
          The Christian yoke is not easy
           John 16:33/ 2 Tim 3:12/ Heb 12:6,8
     128. The fruit of God's spirit is love and gentleness
           Gal 5:22
          The fruit of God's spirit is vengeance and fury
           Judg 15:14/ 1 Sam 18:10,11
     129. Longevity enjoyed by the wicked
           Job 21:7,8/ Ps 17:14/ Eccl 8:12/ Is 65:20
          Longevity denied to the wicked
           Eccl 8:13/ Ps 55:23/ Prov 10:27/ Job 36:14/ Eccl 7:17
     130. Poverty a blessing
           Luke 6:20,24/ Jams 2:5
          Riches a blessing
           Prov 10:15/ Job 22:23,24/ Job 42:12
          Neither poverty nor riches a blessing
           Prov 30:8,9
     131. Wisdom a source of enjoyment
           Prov 3:13,17
          Wisdom a source of vexation, grief and sorrow
           Eccl 1:17,18
     132. A good name is a blessing
           Eccl 7:1/ Prov 22:1
          A good name is a curse
           Luke 6:26
     133. Laughter commended
           Eccl 3:1,4/ Eccl 8:15
          Laughter condemned
           Luke 6:25/ Eccl 7:3,4
     134. The rod of correction a remedy for foolishness
           Prov 22:15
          There is no remedy for foolishness
           Prov 27:22
     135. A fool should be answered according to his folly
           Prov 26:5
       A fool should not be answered according to his folly
           Prov 26:4
     136. Temptation to be desired
           James 1:2
          Temptation not to be desired
           Matt 6:13
     137. Prophecy is sure
           2 Pet 1:19
          Prophecy is not sure
           Jer 18:7-10
     138. Man's life was to be one hundred and twenty years
           Gen 6:3/ Ps 90:10
          Man's life is but seventy years
           Ps 90:10
     139. The fear of man was to be upon every beast
           Gen 9:2
          The fear of man is not upon the lion
           Prov 30:30
     140. Miracles a proof of divine mission
           Matt 11:2-5/ John 3:2/ Ex 14:31
          Miracles not a proof of divine mission
           Ex 7:10-12/ Deut 13:1-3/ Luke 11:19
     141. Moses was a very meek man
            Num 12:3
          Moses was a very cruel man
           Num 31:15,17
     142. Elijah went up to heaven
           2 Kings 2:11
          None but Christ ever ascended into heaven
           John 3:13
     143. All scripture is inspired
           2 Tim 3:16
          Some scripture is not inspired
           1 Cor 7:6/ 1 Cor 7:12/ 2 Cor 11:17
 

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     Think not that I come to send peace on earth: I came not to send
     peace, but a sword.
     - Matthew 10:34

     ... all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
     - Matthew 26:52
 

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     For wrath killeth the foolish man...
     - Job 5:2

     ... let not the sun go down on your wrath.
     - Ephesians 4:26
 

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     And no man hath ascended up to heaven, even the Son of man which
     is in heaven.
     - John 3:13

     ... and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
     - 2 Kings 2:11
 

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     If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
     - John 5:31

     I am one that bear witness of myself...
     - John 8:18
     [Jesus was the speaker in both of these quotes]
    

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     A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children...
     - Proverbs 13:22

     Sell that ye have and give alms...
     - Luke 12:33
    

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     Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord... Wealth and riches
     shall be in his house...
     - Psalms 112:1-3

     It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than
     for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
     - Matthew 19:24
    

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     I and my father are one.
     - John 10:30

     ... I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
     - John 14:28
     [Jesus was the speaker in both of these quotes]
   

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     Thou shalt not kill
     - Exodus 20:13

     Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his
     side... and slay every man his brother...
     - Exodus 32:27
  

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     Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.
     - Exodus 20:8

     The new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot
     away with: it is iniquity.
     - Isaiah 3:22
   

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     Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness
     of anything that is in heaven... earth... [or] water.
     - Leviticus 26:11

     And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt
     thou make them.
     - Exodus 25:18
    

---

     For by grace are ye saved through faith... not of works.
     - Ephesians 2:8-9

     Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by
     faith only.
     - James 2:24
 

---

     God is not a man, that he should lie: neither the son of man,
     that he should repent.
     - Numbers 23:19

     And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his
     people.
     - Exodus 32:14
   

---

     ... the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall
     hear his voice, and come forth...
     - John 5:28-29

     As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth
     down to the grave shall come up no more.
     - Job 7:9
    

---

     ... thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth,
     hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for
     wound, stripe for stripe.
     - Exodus 21:23-25

     ... resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right
     cheek, turn to him the other also.
     - Matthew 5:39
   

---

     Honor thy father and mother.
     - Exodus 20:12

     If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother, and
     wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own
     life also, he cannot be my disciple.
     - Luke 14:26
  

---

     Lay not up for yourself treasures upon the earth...
     - Matthew 6:19

     In the house of the righteous is much treasure...
     - Proverbs 15:6
   

---

     I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
     - Genesis 32:30

     No man hath seen God at any time.
     - John 1:18
  

---

     The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father.
     - Ezekiel 18:20

     ... I the lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of
     the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth
     generation.
     - Exodus 20:5
    

---

     Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth
     understanding.
     - Proverbs 3:13

     For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth
     knowledge increaseth sorrow.
     - Ecclesiastes 1:18
   

---

     The Lord is good to all.
     - Psalm 145:6

     I make peace and create evil.  I the Lord do all these things.
     - Isaiah 45:7
    

---

     Whosoever shall say Thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire.
     - Matthew 5:22

     [Jesus said] Ye fools and blind.
     - Matthew 23:17
  

---

     For all have sinned.
     - Romans 3:23

     There was a man... whose name was Job; and that man was perfect
     and upright.
     - Job 1:1
  

---

     Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign.
     - 2 Kings 8:26

     Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign.
     - 2 Chronicles 22:2
   

---

     If a man vow a vow unto the Lord or swear an oath... he shall do
     according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
     - Numbers 30:2

     But I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven... nor by
     earth.
     - Matthew 5:34-35
 

---

     ... the earth abideth forever.
     - Ecclesiastes 1:4

     ... the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and
     the works that are therein shall be burned up.
     - 2 Peter 3:10
  

---

     ... for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger
     forever.
     - Jeremiah 3:12

     Ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn forever.
     - Jeremiah 17:4
    

---

     ... God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.
     - James 1:13

     And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt
     Abraham.
     - Genesis 22:1
    

---

     And God saw everything that he made, and behold it was very good.
     - Genesis 1:31

     And it repented the Lord that he had made man on earth, and it
     grieved him at his heart
     - Genesis 6:6
    

---

     For now have I chosen and sanctified this house that my name be
     there forever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there
     perpetually.
     - II Chronicles 7:16

     Howbeit the most high dwelleth not in temples made with hands.
     - Acts 7:48
    

---

     [God dwells] in the light which no man can approach unto.
     - I Timothy 6:16

     The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

     - I Kings 8:12
    

---

     And the Lord called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
     And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid.
     - Genesis 3:9,10

     Ye hath neither heard his voice, at any time, nor seen his shape.
     - John 5:37
    

---

     Then went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the
     elders of Israel.  And they saw the God of Israel... They saw
     God, and did eat and drink.
     - Exodus 24: 9-11

     Whom no man hath seen nor can see.
     - I Timothy 6:16
    

---

     With God all things are possible.
     - Matthew 29:26

     And the Lord was with Judah, and he drove out the inhabitants of
     the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the
     valley, because they had chariots of iron.
     - Judges 1:19
 

---

     God is not the author of confusion.
     - I Corinthians 24:33

     Out of the mouth of the most high proceedeth not evil and good?
     - Lamentations 3:38
   

---

     Those that seek me early shall find me.
     - Proverbs 8:17

     Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer; they shall
     seek me early, but shall not find me.
     - Proverbs 1:28
  

---

     On the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of
     atonement; it shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall
     afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the
     Lord.
     - Leviticus 23:27

     For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day
     that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt
     offering or sacrifices.
     - Jeremiah 7:22
  

---

     And the priest shall burn all on the altar to be a burnt
     sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the
     Lord.
     - Leviticus 1:9

     Your burnt offering are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet
     unto me.
     - Jeremiah 7:20
 

---

     God is not a man, that he should lie
     - Numbers 23:19

     And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the
     Lord have deceived that prophet.
     - Ezekiel 24:9
  

---

     There is none other God but one.
     - I Corinthians 8:4

     And God said, Let us make man in our image.
     - Genesis 1:26
 

---

     When ye go, ye shall not go empty; but every woman shall borrow
     of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels
     of silver and jewels of gold, and raiment; and ye shall put them
     on your sons and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the
     Egyptians.
     - Exodus 3:21,22

     Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, nether rob him.
     - Leviticus 19:13
    

---

     At the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of
     man.  Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.
     - Genesis 4:5,6

     And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should
     kill him.
     - Genesis 4:15
   

---

     Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not,
     neither do they spin... if God so clothe the grass of the
     field... shall he not much more clothe you?  Therefore, take no
     thought, saying what shall we eat?  or what shall we drink?  or
     wherewithal shall we be clothed?... Take, therefore, no thought
     for the morrow.
     - Matthew 6:28, 30-34

     But if any provideth not for his own, especially for those of his
     own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an
     infidel.
     - I Timothy 5:8
   

---

     Be ye angry and sin not.
     - Ephesians 4:26

     Be not hasty in they spirit to be angry; for anger resideth in
     the bosom of fools.
     - Ecclesiastes 7:9
    

---

     Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
     works.
     - Matthew 5:16

     Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of
     them.
     - Matthew 6:1
 

---

     And Solomon stood before the alter of the Lord, in the presence
     of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands
     toward heaven...
     - I Kings 7:22

     When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are; for
     they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners
     of the streets, that they may be seen of men...
     - Matthew 6:5
 

---

     And no razor shall come on his head; for the child shall be a
     Nazarite unto God from the womb.
     - Judges 8:5

     Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man hath long
     hair, it is a shame unto him?
     - I Corinthians 6:14
   

---

     Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
     - Exodus 20:8

     One man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every
     day alike.  Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
     - Romans 14:5
 

---

     For in the six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and
     all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the
     Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
     - Exodus 20:11

     And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and
     that the Lord thy God brought the out thence through a mighty
     hand and by a stretched-out arm; therefore the Lord thy God
     commanded the to keep the Sabbath day.
     - Deuteronomy 5:15
 

---

     There is nothing unclean of itself.
     - Romans 14:14

     Nevertheless, these shall ye not eat, of them that chew the cud or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel and the hare, and the coney; for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof, therefore they are unclean unto you.  And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass.
     - Deuteronomy 14:7,8
   

---

     Cursed is he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother.
     - Deuteronomy 27:22

     And Abraham said... She is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
     - Genesis 20:11,12
  

---

     If brethren dwell together, and one of them die and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger; her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife.
     - Deuteronomy 25:5

     If a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing... they shall be childless.
     - Leviticus 20:21
   

---

     He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness.
     - Mark 3:29

     And by him that believe are justified from all things.
     - Acts 13:39
   

---

     [John the Baptist] is Elias which was for to come.
     - Matthew 11:14

     And they asked him, what then? Art thou [John the Baptist] Elias?  And he saith, I am not.
     - John 1:21
  

---

     Now, after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee,
     preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.
     - Mark 1:14

     After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea... and John was also baptizing Enon... for John was not yet cast into prison.
     - John 3:22-24
 

---

     And it was in the third hour, and they crucified him.
     - Mark 25:3-4

     And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour; and he saith unto the Jews, behold your king... Shall I crucify your king?
     - John 19:14-15
    

---

     They gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall.
     - Matthew 27:34

     And they gave him to drink, wine mingled with myrrh.
     - Mark 15:23
     [Jesus was the thirsty chap in both verses.]
    

---

     And the men which journeyed with [Paul] stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
     - Acts 9:7

     And they that were with me [Paul] saw indeed the light and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
     - Acts 22:9
   

---

     Abraham had two sons; one by a bonds-maid, the other by a free woman.
     - Galatians 4:22

     By faith, Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac... his only begotten son.
     - Hebrews 11:17
  

---

     Therefore Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no child unto the day of her death.
     - II Samuel 6:23

     The five sons of Michal, the daughter of Saul.
     - II Samuel 21:8
    

---

     And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel.
     - II Samuel 24:1

     And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
     - I Chronicles 21:1
 

---

     All power is given unto [Jesus] in heaven and in earth.
     - Matthew 28:18

     And [Jesus] could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands on a few sick folk and healed them.
     - Mark 6:5
 

---

     There shall no evil happen to the just.
     - Proverbs 12:21

     Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
     - Hebrews 12:6

Marange Diamond Field: Zimbabwe Torture Camp Discovered

A torture camp run by Zimbabwe's security forces is operating in the country's rich Marange diamond fields, BBC Panorama has found.

The programme heard from recent victims who told of severe beatings and sexual assault.

The claims come as the European Union pushes to let some banned diamonds from the country led by President Robert Mugabe back onto world markets.

The Zimbabwean government has not responded to the BBC's findings.

In an internal document seen by the BBC, the EU said it was confident that two mines in the area now meet international standards and it wants diamonds from those areas to be immediately approved for export, which would partially lift a trade ban dating back to 2009.

The ban was imposed by the Kimberley Process (KP), the international organisation that polices diamonds, following reports of large-scale killings and abuse by Zimbabwe's security forces in the Marange diamond fields.

'Forty whips'

The main torture camp uncovered by the programme is known locally as "Diamond Base". Witnesses said it is a remote collection of military tents, with an outdoor razor wire enclosure where the prisoners are kept.

It is near an area known as Zengeni in Marange, said to be one of the world's most significant diamond fields. The camp is about one mile from the main Mbada mine that the EU wants to approve exports from.

The company that runs the mine is headed by a personal friend of President Mugabe. A second camp is located in nearby Muchena

"It is the place of torture where sometimes miners are unable to walk on account of the beatings," a victim who was released from the main camp in February told the BBC.

All the released prisoners the BBC spoke to requested anonymity.

"They beat us 40 whips in the morning, 40 in the afternoon and 40 in the evening," said the man, who still could not use one of his arms after the beatings and could barely walk.

"They used logs to beat me here, under my feet, as I lay on the ground. They also used stones to beat my ankles."

He and other former captives said men are held in the camp for several days at a time, before new prisoners come in.

Women are released more quickly, often after being raped, witnesses said.

"Even if someone dies there, the soldiers do not disclose, because they do not want it known," an officer in Zimbabwe's military told the BBC, again on condition of anonymity.

Witnesses said the camps have been operating for at least three years.

In Marange, the police and military recruit civilians to illegally dig for diamonds for them. Those workers are taken to the camps for punishment if they demand too large a share of the profits.

Civilians caught mining for themselves are also punished in the camps.

Dog maulings

A former member of a paramilitary police unit who worked in the main camp in late 2008 told the BBC that at the time he tortured prisoners by mock-drowning them and whipping them on their genitals.

He also said that dogs were methodically ordered by a handler to maul prisoners.

"They would handcuff the prisoner, they would unleash the dogs so that he can bite," he said. "There was a lot of screaming".

He said one woman was bitten on the breast by the dogs whilst he was working in the camp.

"I do not think she survived," he said.

Another witness the BBC spoke to said he was locked up in Muchena camp in 2008 after police set dogs on him.

He was recaptured in November 2010.

"Nothing has changed between 2008 and 2010... a lot of people are still being beaten or bitten by dogs."

'Pandering'

 

Marange diamonds were banned in 2009 by the KP, the international initiative of the diamond industry, national governments and non-governmental organisations that attempts to keep conflict or so-called "blood" diamonds out of the lucrative market. 

Representatives of the KP visited the area briefly in August 2010 and concluded that the situation in the diamond areas was still problematic but there had been significant progress.

The KP had previously requested that the Zimbabwean police secure the diamond area.

Witnesses told the BBC that it is Zimbabwe's police and military that run the torture camps.

Nick Westcott, spokesman for the Working Group on Monitoring of the KP, said of the BBC's discovery of the torture camps: "It is not something that has been notified to the Kimberley Process."

The EU's proposal to allow diamond sales from two key mines in Marange to resume is part of an attempt to broker a deal within the KP, which is in turmoil over the issue.

 In June, KP chairman Matieu Yamba formally announced that the export ban on the two key Marange mines was lifted with immediate effect. The EU, among others, did not accept his decision.

Now the EU's proposal, designed to break the deadlock, agrees with the partial lifting of the ban, but insists that international monitoring should continue throughout Marange.

 Panorama asked the Foreign Office to comment on the EU's position.

In a statement, Henry Bellingham MP, Minister for Africa, said: "It is only from these locations that we support exports, subject to ongoing monitoring. From all other Marange mines, the UK and the EU continue to strongly oppose the resumption of exports until independent, international experts deem them to comply with the KP."

Critics have said it is a weak proposal.

Annie Dunneback of the advocacy group Global Witness said of the EU proposal: "It is the latest in a series of deals that have cast aside the principle of exports for progress and pandered to the demands of the Zimbabwean government."

The Third Crusade

The second crusade was largely perceived as a failure and saw a shift of power to the Muslims. People quickly lost interest in further expeditions of this nature.

In 1146 Zengi was assassinated and his son, Nur al-Din, continued nibbling away at the Crusader states, taking Damascus in 1154 and was even acclaimed ‘king’ by the caliph in Baghdad at the time. He took Egypt shortly afterwards, a country vulnerable to the crusaders due to its isolation under the Fatimid dynasty and indeed the crusaders had made several attempts to invade the country.

After Nur al-Din's death the mantle of Islamic leadership fell on a Kurdish officer named Salah ed-Din, or Saladin as he is commonly known in the West. Saladin was arguably the greatest of Muslim generals, although by no means his undisputed successor, and possessed an appealing and admirable character. Using his Egyptian base he took control of Syria from his Zangid rivals and by the time he was poised to crush the crusader states, Saladin had acquired Damascus, Aleppo (1183) and Mayyafariqin (1185).

In 1187 Saladin caught the entire army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the mountain known as the Horns of Hattin, near the Sea of Galilee, and annihilated it. Within a few months he held the entire Kingdom except for the seaport of Tyre and a nearby castle.

Tyre was heavily defended, almost impregnable to Saladin. However, in hindsight, his failure to capture the city was a major strategic error which would put all his conquests in jeopardy in the years to come. But in the two years that followed the battle of the Horns of Hattin, he had taken over 50 crusader castles and the Christians had lost nearly all of the kingdom of Jerusalem.

The loss of Jerusalem on 2nd October 1187 and the crushing defeat of the Christian army at Hattin provoked a massive reaction in the West. Pope Urban III is said to have died of shock at the news. His successor, Gregory VIII issued a new call to arms on 29th October in that year, and once again the West came to the aid of the Crusader states by mounting the Third Crusade. Led by Richard of Poitou, King Philip II Augustus of France, and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa the following spring, it managed to recover much of the lost territory. William II of Sicily sent a fleet which helped relieve the remaining Christian outposts of Antioch, Tripoli and Tyre.

Emperor Frederick set out first at the head of a massive army. They marched across Europe and into Asia Minor where disaster struck. Frederick accidentally drowned when swimming in a river. Some of the army carried on, taking Frederick's body, pickled in vinegar, with them. But the German crusade was really over, the meagre remnants of his army reaching Acre in October 1190.

In July 1190 the English and French kings set out together and an advance guard was sent to Acre. Philip II sailed directly to Acre whilst Richard turned to wrest Cyprus from its Byzantine ruler Isaac Comnenus before landing at Acre on 8th June.

The crusaders continued by attacking Acre, taking the city in July 1191. Richard then moved south, with his army under constant attack from Saladin and his forces. Supported by a fleet offshore supplying his troops and with strict divisions of horsemen to defend against any attacks from land, they continued south and managed to drive away the Muslims at a site south of Rochetaillee, near Arsur.

Richard reached his first objective of Jaffa on 10th September 1191 and captured the city. Advances were made to within a few miles of Jerusalem. After Saladin attempted to retake Jaffa, a battle which was lost, a treaty was signed on 2nd September 1192, allowing Christians to retake control of the coast between Acre and Jaffa and the crusaders were allowed to visit the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Richard never reclaimed Jerusalem in the way he had obviously envisaged, but he had many victories along the way. Both Richard and the local barons agreed that unless the powerbase of Egypt was in friendly hands, Jerusalem could not be kept even if it could be captured.

In October 1192, after a period of illness, he sailed for home. But he was not to reach there easily. Some of his actions during the crusade had angered other rulers in Europe and he was captured and imprisoned by Leopold of Austria. He spent nearly two years in prison before a ransom was paid and he was able to return to England.

The Second Crusade, 1145 - 1148

After the success of the first crusade, many crusaders fulfilled their vows and completed the journey to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Many stayed though, building what is referred to as Outremer, old French for ‘across the sea’, known otherwise as the four Crusader States. However, the second crusade proved to be a fiasco; a long and arduous march across hostile lands, finishing with a demoralising withdrawal.

One of the new settlers’ main contributions to history was the formation of the military religious order, or "military order", in the early part of the twelfth century. These orders, a fusion of the monastic and knightly callings, were both a response to the desperate need for manpower in the East, and an example of the way the Church was attempting to tame and even monasticize the warrior class.

As the Muslims began to recover from disruptions caused by Turkish invasions, major Muslim leaders began to emerge. They wished to reunite the Islamic world under one ruler and quickly realised that one option to gain prestige as an Islamic ruler was to win conflicts against the Christian Franks. Through this, the Islamic Counter-Crusade arose, a form of Jihad which roughly parallels the Christian doctrine of Holy War.

On Christmas Eve 1144, the Muslim ruler of Aleppo, Imad al-Din Zangi captured Edessa, the oldest crusader state, which had been in Latin hands since 1098. The West reacted strongly to this news and in December the following year, the then pope, Eugenius III, called for a new crusade. His letter outlining the request gave details of spiritual and material privileges to be offered to the crusaders. The immediate response to this was muted however Eugenius reissued his request on 1st March 1146 and a more concerted recruitment effort began.

Eugenius’ main contribution was to appoint St Bernard of Clairvaux as the main crusader preacher. He was a leading spiritual figure of his time and was later canonised. He appealed directly to individual hopes of salvation and was no stranger to knights’ spiritual and martial aspirations, having encouraged the idea of Templars as knights dedicated to serving God. For Bernard, the second crusade was more than just a military operation; it was the perfect opportunity for personal and collective redemption.

There were two main forces bound for the East; the French under Louis VII and the Germans under Conrad III. They moved closely across Europe, reaching Constantinople in the autumn of 1147. Many crusaders sailed directly to the Holy Land, including groups of French and Italians. With large armies on Byzantine territory, it seemed that the crusaders were poised to attempt their original objective: the recapture of the city of Edessa.

The German crusaders divided when they reached Asia Minor, the non-combatant pilgrims moving off to the Holy Land under Conrad’s half-brother, Otto of Freising. Conrad himself led an army into battle with the Turks near Dorylaeum in October 1147 but was heavily defeated. He then fell ill and returned to Constantinople. The remnants of his army joined the French who were already suffering from heavy losses following a battle at Mt Cadmus by Turks in January 1148. However, the newly established Templars rallied around and imposed strict discipline and they reached Adalia, a city at the edge of the Byzantine empire and close to the borders of the Seljuk Turks. Disaster struck again when the Byzantine fleet to take them to Syria was insufficient in size and Louis had to abandon his original plan of taking Edessa, leaving behind many of his army who later died trying to reach Tarsus en route to Edessa.

With Conrad III returning to the cause in spring of 1148, the main crusader parties had assembled in Palestine. At a council at Acre on 24th June 1148, the crusaders agreed to attack Damascus together, with Louis still vowing to liberate Jerusalem. The assault was launched in late July and led by King Baldwin III. It was to be a disastrous attempt with heavy losses. The crusaders captured the orchards to the south west of the city but then moved after encountering heavy resistance to the east of the city walls, where the defences seemed less formidable. The area was open and waterless though. The crusaders were harried by Arab cavalry and faced local forces from the north, forcing them to make an ignominious withdrawal. The mutual recriminations that ensued soured relations between the west and the crusader states for many years to come.

St. Lawrence of Rome and The Holy Grail

Few martyrs in the church are as famous as the glorious St. Lawrence, in whose praises the most illustrious among the Orthodox fathers of the West have exerted their eloquence, and whose triumph the whole church joins in a body to honor with universal joy and devotion. St. Lawrence was born in Spain of  225 AD, at Osca, a town in Aragon, near the foot of the Pyrenees. As a youth he was sent to Saragoza to complete his studies. It was there that he first encountered the future Bishop Sixtus, who was a Greek and a teacher in the most renowned center of learning at the time. Between master and disciple a communion of life and friendship grew. In time, Sixtus and Lawrence joined a migratory wave from Spain to Rome. When Sixtus was elevated to patriarch in 257, he ordained Lawrence deacon, and though Lawrence was still young, appointed him the first among the seven deacons who served in the patriarchal church; therefore he is called archdeacon of Rome. This was a position of great trust, which included the care of the treasury and riches of the church, and the distribution of alms among the poor.

The Emperor Valerian, in 257, published his edicts against the church, which he foolishly thought he was able to destroy, not knowing it to be the work of the Almighty. His hope was that by cutting off the shepherds he might disperse the flock, so he commanded all bishops, priests, and deacons to be put to death without delay. The holy patriarch Sixtus was apprehended the following year. St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, preserved an account of the death of St. Sixtus in one of his letters. Commenting on the situation of great uncertainty and unease in which the church found herself because of increasing hostility towards Christians, he notes: “The Emperor Valerian has consigned to the Senate a decree by which he has determined that all Bishops, Priests and Deacons will be immediately put to death. . . . I communicate to you that Sixtus suffered martyrdom on August 6th together with four Deacons while they were in a cemetery. The Roman authorities have established a norm according to which all Christians who have been denounced must be executed and their goods confiscated by the Imperial treasury.” The cemetery to which the holy St. Cyprian alludes is that of St. Callixtus. Sixtus was captured there while celebrating the Divine Liturgy. He was buried in the same cemetery after his martyrdom.

Basilica of St. Lawrence

As Sixtus was led to execution, his deacon Lawrence, who followed him weeping and judging himself ill-treated because he was not to die with him, said to him, “Father, where are you going without your son? To where are you going, O holy priest, without your deacon? Never before did you desire to offer sacrifice without me, your servant. In what way have I displeased you? Have you found me wanting to my duty? Try me now, and see, whether you chose an unfit servant for dispensing the blood of the Lord.” Lawrence could not without holy envy behold his bishop going to martyrdom, and himself left behind. From the love of God and an earnest longing to be with Christ, he condemned liberty and life, and thought of no other honor but that of suffering for his Lord. Therefore he regarded the world as nothing, and accounted it his happiness to leave it, that he might come to the enjoyment of his God. For this reason he grieved to see himself still free, was desirous to be in chains, and was impatient for torture.

The holy patriarch, at the sight of his grief, was moved to tenderness and compassion, and comforting him, he answered, “I do not leave you, my son. We are spared on account of our weakness and old age. But a greater trial and a more glorious victory are reserved for you, who are

stout and in the vigor of youth. You will follow me in three days.” He then commanded Lawrence immediately to distribute among the poor the treasure of the church which was committed to his care, lest the poor should be robbed of their care if it should fall into the hands of their persecutors.

Lawrence was full of joy, hearing that he should so soon be called to God, and set out immediately to seek all the poor widows and orphans, and distribute among them all the money of the church; he even sold the sacred vessels to increase the sum, employing it all in like manner. The prefect of Rome soon sent for Lawrence and said to him, “Christians often complain that we treat you with cruelty;

but no tortures are

thought of here; I only

inquire mildly after your

charge. I am informed that

your priests offer their

divine sacrifices in vessels

of gold, that the sacred

blood is received in silver

cups, and that in your

evening services you have

candles fitted in golden

candlesticks. Bring to me

these concealed treasures;

the prince has need of them

for the maintenance of his

troops. I am told that,

according to your doctrine, you must render to Caesar the things that belong to him. I do not think that your God causes money to be coined; he brought none into the world with him; he only brought words. Give us therefore the money, and be rich in words.” Lawrence replied, without showing any concern, “The church is indeed rich, nor has the emperor any treasure equal to what it possesses. I will show you its treasures; but allow me a little time to set everything in order, and to make an inventory.” The prefect did not understand of what treasure Lawrence spoke, but imagining he possessed much hidden wealth, was satisfied with this answer and granted him three days.

During this interval, Lawrence went all over the city, seeking out in every street the poor who were supported by the church, and with whom no other was so well acquainted. On the third day he gathered together a great number of them before the church and placed them in rows, the decrepit, the blind, the lame, the maimed, the lepers, orphans, widows, and virgins; then he went to the prefect, invited him to come and see the treasure of the church, and conducted him to the place. The prefect, astonished to see such a number of poor wretches, who made a horrid sight, turned to the holy deacon with looks full of disorder and threatenings, and asked him what all this meant, and where the treasures were which he had promised to show him. Lawrence answered, “What are you displeased at? The gold that you so eagerly desire is a vile metal, and serves to incite men to all manner of crimes. The light of heaven is the true gold, which these poor objects enjoy. Their bodily weakness and sufferings are the source of their patience and virtue; vices and passions are the real diseases by which the great ones of the world are often most truly miserable and despicable. Behold in these poor persons the treasures which I promised to show you; to which I will add pearls and precious stones, those widows and consecrated virgins, which are the church’s crown, by which it is pleasing to Christ; it has no other riches; make use then of them for the advantage of Rome, of the emperor, and yourself.” In this way he exhorted him to redeem his sins by sincere repentance and almsgiving, and showed him where the church placed its treasure. However, the earthly-minded man was far from forming so noble an idea of what he saw, the sight of which offended his carnal eyes, and he cried out in a flight of rage, “Do you mock me? Is it in this way that the sacred crests of the Roman power are insulted? I know that you desire to die; that is your frenzy and vanity: but you shall not die immediately, as you imagine. I will protract your tortures, that your death may be the more bitter as it shall be slower. You shall die by inches.” Then he caused a great gridiron to be made ready and live coals to be thrown under it, that the martyr might be slowly burnt. Lawrence was stripped, stretched out, and bound with chains upon this iron bed, which broiled his flesh little by little. To the Christians watching, his face appeared to be as that of the newly baptized, surrounded with a beautiful extraordinary light, and his broiled body to emit a sweet, pleasant smell. The martyr felt none of the torments of the persecutor, so vehement was his desire of possessing Christ, and while his body broiled in the material flames, the fire of divine love, which was far more active within his breast, made him to disregard the pain. Having the law of God before his eyes, he esteemed his torments to be refreshment and a comfort. Such was the tranquility and peace of mind which he enjoyed amidst his torments that having suffered a long time, he turned to the judge and said to him, with a cheerful and smiling countenance, “Let my body be now turned; one side is broiled enough.” When, by the prefect’s order, the executioner had turned him, he said, “It is cooked enough, you may now eat.”

The prefect insulted him in return, but the martyr continued in earnest prayer, with sighs and tears imploring the divine mercy with his last breath for the conversion of the ungodly. The saint having finished his prayer, and completed his holy offering, lifting up his eyes towards heaven, he gave up his spirit. Several senators who were present at his death were so powerfully moved by his tender and heroic fortitude and piety that they became Christians upon the spot. These noblemen took up the martyr’s body on their shoulders and gave it an honorable burial in the Veran field, near the road to Tibur, on the 10th of August, in 258. It is known that he was buried in the cemetery of Cyriaca in agro Verano on the Via Tiburtina. St. Lawrence’s death was the death of idolatry in Rome, which, from that time, began more significantly to decline. From the moment of his burial, the faithful venerate his tomb with great devotion and fervor, commending themselves in all their needs to his patronage. An incredible number of miracles have been worked through the intercession of St. Lawrence. From the third century, the feast of St. Lawrence has been kept faithfully. Within fifty years of his martyrdom, the Christian emperor Constantine had a patriarchal church built over his tomb, on the road to Tibur; one of five churches where the patriarch of Rome celebrated regularly, the site now known as the church of St. Lawrence-outside-the-Walls. By the fifth century, the church had established his feast with a vigil, a weeklong after-feast and leave-taking. By the sixth century, the feast of St. Lawrence was one of the most celebrated Orthodox feasts throughout Western Europe. For centuries the Perseid meteor shower coinciding with his feast has been referred to as the ‘Tears of St. Lawrence.” The holy martyrdom of St. Lawrence and the power of his intercession on our behalf is hailed and testified to in the writings of St. Gregory of Tours, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Leo, St. Fulgentius, St. Optatus, Eusebius, and the fourth-century Orthodox poet Prudentius. The San Lorenzo Valley (Santa Cruz County, California) received the name of this great Orthodox saint from the Portola Expedition on October 17, 1769. St. Lawrence Orthodox Church, Felton, California, celebrates his feast on the Sunday nearest August 10 (Old Calendar).

Prayer to our Patron Saint

O saint of God, Lawrence, deacon martyr, pray to God for me, for my home and my family. --Amen.

Pray to God for me, O Saint Lawrence, well-pleasing to God, for I readily recommend myself to you, who are the speedy helper and intercessor for my soul. --Amen.

Miracles of St.Lawrence

Early on, the life and miracles of St. Lawrence were collected in a work titled, The Acts of St. Lawrence, which is now lost. The earliest existing documentation of miracles associated with St. Lawrence is found in the writings of St. Gregory of Tours (538–594). Miracles that occurred during St. Gregory’s lifetime include: “A priest named Fr. Sanctulus was rebuilding a church of St. Lawrence, which had been attacked and burnt, and hired many workmen to accomplish the job. At one point during the construction, he found himself with nothing to feed them. He prayed to St. Lawrence for help, and looking in his basket he found a fresh, white loaf of bread, it seemed to him too small to feed the workmen, but in faith he began to serve it to the men. While he broke the bread, it so multiplied that that his workmen fed from it for ten days. “Once a certain priest was repairing the church of St. Lawrence, and one of the essential beams was found to be too short for its span, therefore the priest prayed to St. Lawrence asking that the saint who had seen to the well-being of the poor would help him in his poverty of good lumber. And the beam grew in length so suddenly and significantly that it had to be cut for it was too long. The priest took the remainder, parted it into many pieces which he distributed among the faithful and by venerating the wood many were healed.” The holy Bishop Fortunatus of Poitiers (530–600), a contemporary of  St. Gregory, a poet and the hymnographer who wrote the services for St. Martin of Tours, witnessed a man suffering greatly with a toothache who only touched this wood and was instantly healed. 

On the Feast of St. Lawrence

by St. Leo the Great, Patriarch of Rome

On the 10^th of August celebrate the Feast Day of St. Lawrence. While the height of all virtues, dearly-beloved, and the fullness of all righteousness is born of that love by which God and one’s neighbor is loved, surely in none is this love found more conspicuous and brighter than in the blessed martyrs; they who are near to our Lord Jesus, who died for all men, by the imitation of His love in their suffering. For although that Love, by which the Lord has redeemed us, cannot be equaled by the effort of any man (because it is one thing that a man who is doomed to die one day should die for a righteous man, and another that One who is free from the debt of sin should lay down His life for the wicked), yet the martyrs also have done great service to all men, in that the Lord who gave them boldness, has used it to show that the penalty of death and the pain of the Cross need not be terrible to any of His followers, but might be imitated by many of them. No model is more useful in teaching God’s people than that of the martyrs. Eloquence may make intercession easy, reasoning may effectually persuade; but examples are stronger than words, and there is more teaching in practice than in precept. And how gloriously strong in this most excellent manner of doctrine that the blessed martyr Lawrence is, whose memory we commemorate today. Even his persecutors were able to feel his faith, when they found that his wondrous courage, born principally of love for Christ, not only did not yield itself, but also strengthened others by the example of his endurance. For when the fury of the gentile rulers was raging against Christ’s most chosen members, and attacked those especially who were of priestly rank, the wicked persecutor’s wrath was vented on Lawrence the deacon, who was preeminent not only in the performance of the sacred rites, but also in the management of the church’s property, promising himself double spoil from one man’s capture: for if he forced him to surrender the sacred treasures, he would also drive him out of his true religion. And so this man, so greedy of money and such a foe to the truth, arms himself with a double weapon: with avarice to plunder the gold, and with impiety to capture Christ.

St. Leo the Great, Patriarch of Rome

Therefore he demands of Lawrence, the guileless guardian of the sanctuary, that the church’s wealth on which his greedy mind was set should be brought to him. But the holy deacon showed him where he had them stored, by pointing to the many troops of poor saints, in the feeding and clothing of whom he had a store of riches which he could not lose, and which were entirely safe for they had been spent on a holy cause. The baffled plunderer, therefore, frets, and blazing out into hatred of a religion, which had put riches to such a use, determines to pillage a still greater treasure, the deacon’s faith in Christ, with which he was rich, since he could find no material hoard of money in his possession. He orders Lawrence to renounce Christ, and prepares to ply the deacon’s stout courage with frightful tortures: and, when the threats elicit nothing, fiercer follow. His limbs, torn and mangled by many cutting blows, are commanded to be broiled upon the fire in an iron framework, which was of itself already hot enough to burn him, and on which his limbs were turned from time to time, to make the torment fiercer, and the death more lingering. Yet you gain nothing, you prevail not at all, O savage cruelty! His mortal frame is released from your devices, and, when Lawrence departs to heaven, you are vanquished. The flame of Christ’s love could not be overcome by your flames and the fire which burnt outside was less keen than that which blazed within his heart. You did but serve the martyr in your rage, O persecutor: you did but swell his reward by adding to his pain. For what did your cunning devise, which did not contribute to the conqueror’s glory, when even the instruments of torture were counted as part of the triumph? Let us rejoice, then, dearly-beloved, with spiritual joy, and make our boast over the happy end of this illustrious man in the Lord, who is “wonderful in His saints,” in whom He has given us a support and an example, and has so spread abroad His glory throughout the world, that, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the brightness of His deacon’s light shines, and Rome has become as famous in Lawrence as Jerusalem was ennobled by Stephen. By his prayer and intercession we trust at all times to be assisted; that, because all, as the Apostle says, “who wish to live godly in Christ, suffer persecution,” we may be strengthened with the spirit of love, and be fortified to overcome all temptations by the perseverance of steadfast faith.  --Amen.

St. Laurence and The Holy Grail

Lawrence was born in Huesca, Spain which is located in what is now known as Northern Aragon. Lawrence spent most of his life in Huesca and recieved religious guidance from local priests and deacons. Until he was brought to Rome by Pope Sixtus II, who at the time was the Archdeacon of Rome. When Sixtus was ordained Bishop of Rome, Pope, Lawrence was ordained a deacon in 257. Sixtus then stationed him as the first Archivist of the Catholic Church.

And under his job he had to take care of the holiest chalice known to Christians everywhere, he was given the Holy Grail so he could keep it far away for the Persecution of Christians under Valerian was starting to heat up. Lawrence sent the Chalice away to Huesca with a letter to his parents to give it to a Monk who was a friend of Lawrence and the family. The Chalice was taken to the monastery where it remained hidden for centuries, and many believe that the Chalice is now in the Cathedral of Valencia.

In the persecutions under Valerian in 258 A.D., numerous priests and deacons were put to death, while Christians belonging to the nobility or the Roman Senate were deprived of their goods and exiled. Pope Sixtus II was one of the first victims of this persecution, being beheaded on August 6. A legend cited by St Ambrose of Milan says that Lawrence met the Pope on his way to his execution, where he is reported to have said, "Where are you going, my dear father, without your son? Where are you hurrying off to, holy priest, without your deacon? Before you never mounted the altar of sacrifice without your servant, and now you wish to do it without me?" The Pope is reported to have prophesied that "after three days you will follow me".

After the death of Sixtus, the prefect of Rome demanded that Lawrence turn over the riches of the Church. Ambrose is the earliest source for the tale that Lawrence asked for three days to gather together the wealth. Lawrence worked swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the poor as possible, so as to prevent its being seized by the prefect. On the third day, at the head of a small delegation, he presented himself to the prefect, and when ordered to give up the treasures of the Church, he presented the poor, the crippled, the blind and the suffering, and said that these were the true treasures of the Church. One account records him declaring to the prefect, "The Church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor." This act of defiance led directly to his martyrdom. Lawrence is said to have been martyred on a gridiron as a part of Valerian's persecution. During his torture Lawrence cried out "This side’s done, turn me over and have a bite."

The Valencia Chalice

The other surviving Holy Chalice vessel is the santo cáliz, an agate cup in the Cathedral of Valencia. It is preserved in a chapel consecrated to it, where it still attracts the faithful on pilgrimage.

The piece is a hemispherical cup made of dark red agate which is mounted by means of a knobbed stem and two curved handles onto a base made from an inverted cup of chalcedony. The agate cup is about 9 centimeters/ 3.5 inches in diameter and the total height, including base, is about 17 centimeters/ 7 inches high. The agate cup, without the base, fits a description by Saint Jerome. The lower part has Arabic inscriptions.
After an inspection in 1960, the Spanish archaeologist Antonio Beltrán asserted that the cup was produced in a Palestinian or Egyptian workshop between the 4th century BC and the 1st century AD. The surface has not been dated by microscopic scanning to assess recrystallization.

The Chalice of Valencia comes complete with a certificate of authenticity, an inventory list on vellum, said to date from AD 262, that accompanied a lost letter of which details state-sponsored Roman persecution of Christians that forces the church to split up its treasury and hide it with members, specifically the deacon Saint Lawrence. It goes on to enumerate all precious items. The physical properties of the Holy Chalice are described and it is stated the vessel had been used to celebrate Mass by the early Popes succeeding Saint Peter.

The first explicit inventory reference to the present Chalice of Valencia dates from 1134, an inventory of the treasury of the monastery of San Juan de la Peña drawn up by Don Carreras Ramírez, Canon of Zaragoza, December 14, 1134: "En un arca de marfil está el Cáliz en que Cristo N. Señor consagró su sangre, el cual envió S. Lorenzo a su patria, Huesca". According to the wording of this document, the Chalice is described as the vessel in which "Christ Our Lord consecrated his blood".

Reference to the chalice is made in 1399, when it was given by the monastery of San Juan de la Peña to king Martin I of Aragon in exchange for a gold cup. By the end of the century a provenance for the chalice can be detected, by which Saint Peter had brought it to Rome.

Pope John Paul II himself celebrated mass with the Holy Chalice in Valencia in November 1982, causing some uproar both in skeptic circles and in the circles that hoped he would say accipiens et hunc praeclarum Calicem ("this most famous chalice") in lieu of the ordinary words of the Mass taken from Matthew 26:27). For some people, the authenticity of the Chalice of Valencia failed to receive papal blessing.

In July 2006, at the closing Mass of the 5th World Meeting of Families in Valencia, Pope Benedict XVI also celebrated with the Holy Chalice, on this occasion saying "this most famous chalice", words in the Roman Canon said to have been used for the first popes until 4th century in Rome, and supporting in this way the tradition of the Holy Chalice of Valencia. This artifact has seemingly never been accredited with any supernatural powers, which legend apparently confines to other relics such as the Holy Grail, the Holy Lance and the True Cross.

In Saint Laurence and the Holy Grail, Janice Bennett gives an account of the chalice's history, carried on Saint Peter's journey to Rome, entrusted by Pope Sixtus II to Saint Lawrence in the third century, sent to Huesca in Spain when the Hispanic saint was martyred on a gridiron during the Valerian persecution in Rome in AD 258, sent to the Pyrenees for safekeeping, where it passed from monastery to monastery, in accordance with all the claims to former possession of the Chalice, and venerated by the monks of the Monastery of San Juan de la Peña. Emerging there into the light of history, the monastery's agate cup was acquired by King Martin I of Aragon in 1399 who kept it at Zaragoza. After his death, King Alfonso V of Aragón brought it to Valencia, where it has remained.

Bennett presents as historical evidence a 6th-century manuscript Latin Vita written by Donato, an Augustinian monk who founded a monastery in the area of Valencia, which contains circumstantial details of the life of Saint Laurence and details surrounding the transfer of the Chalice to Spain. The original manuscript does not exist, but a 17th-century Spanish translation entitled "Life and Martyrdom of the Glorious Spaniard St. Laurence" is in a monastery in Valencia. The main source for the life of St. Laurence, the poem Peristephanon by the 5th-century poet Prudentius, does not mention the Chalice that was later said to have passed through his hands.

In 1960 the Spanish archeologist Antonio Beltrán studied the Chalice and concluded: "Archeology supports and definitively confirms the historical authenticity". "Everyone in Spain believes it is the cup," Bennett said to a reporter from the Denver Catholic Register. "You can see it every day that the chapel is open."