Top 10 Misconceptions about the Bible
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The most popular religion in the World is Christianity. In fact it counts the greatest number of worshipers in the world. However, it still falls prey to many misconceptions. Similar to other holy books, such as the Quran, this in turn leads people to have misconceptions about the Bible. In fact, the Bible has become one of the most controversial books as well as one of the most banned books in history. One of the most obvious reasons for the misconceptions regarding the Christian religion and Christ for that matter is that except for being the dominant religion on Earth it is also the most divided one. A countless number of sects divide Christianity. Furthermore, each of them claims to represent the only one and true dogma. It is needless to say, that each of the Christian sects interprets the Bible from a different point of view. This ultimately leads to mistakes, misconceptions, and confusion.
Despite this, all of the sects agree upon some fundamental parts but still, it is shocking to see that people have a distorted image even for these parts. The main cause for this problem is the insufficient to a non-existent study of the Holy Bible by modern Christians. That is the clearest indication that the Christian dogma is inevitable to be seen as something distant and unknown to the eyes of its followers.
#10: Adam and Eve’s Fruit
One of the greatest misconceptions about the Bible is that the first people created did not eat an apple. In fact, the book of Genesis never mentions the fruit’s name. The book only uses the name “The Fruit of The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”. This misconception is most probably due to the translation from Middle English. Back then, the word “apple” refered to all the fruits and nuts, except for berries. Thus, with the passing of the centuries, the word for the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge transformed into the world “apple”.[1]Book of Genesis Chapter 2
#9: The Devilish Serpent
The well-known serpent tempted Eve in order to taste the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. However, the book of Genesis never uses the name “Satan”. Instead, he is called “the serpent that was more subtle than any of the beasts of the Earth which Lord God had made.” It is in a translation of Isaiah that the term “Lucifer” is used. The Bible does not call Satan Lucifer.[2]The serpent’s craft. The fall of our first parents. Their punishment. The promise of a Redeemer.
#8: Noah’s Ark
One of the popular misconceptions about the Bible dictates that all the animals went in couples in the Ark, is wrong. In reality, all “clean” animals went in groups of seven, and the “unclean” went in groups of two. Also, according to the Jewish law there are far more “clean” animals than “unclean”. Therefore, using some simple deduction, the animals in the Ark were mostly likely in groups of seven.[3]Noe with his family go into the ark. The deluge overflows the earth.
#7: The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments are very important to the daily lives of so many people. As such, one would expect that they would have a clear idea of their definition. Despite all that, most people are very wrong in their understanding of the Ten Commandments.
In reality, in the Hebrew Bible the Ten Commandments appear twice, once in the book of Exodus, and once in the book of Deuteronomy. The Torah calls them “the ten words”, “the ten sayings”, “the ten matters”, and “the ten verses”. King Tennes version of the Bible, refers to them as the ten commandments, thus most English versions, use the word “commandments”.
Despite all that, the passages in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, contain not 10 but 14 or 15 statements. The various Christian sects around the world, tend to combine some of the verses together in order to result to the final number 10.[4]The ten commandments.
#6: The Immaculate Conception
Another really interesting misconception is in regards to the Immaculate Conception. Despite the popular belief, this does not refer to the conception of Jesus to be without sin, but to His mother’s conception, Mary’s to be without sin. According to the dominant belief in Christianity, that when people are born, they already have inherited original sin from Adam and Eve. Additionally, in the teachings of the Catholic Church, Mary was born without sin. Thus the term “Immaculate Conception” is about her.
Christian dogma states that the conception of Mary is without stain in her mother’s womb, and from the beginning of her existence, she was filled with divine grace.[5]The conception of John the Baptist, and of Christ. The visitation and canticle of the Blessed Virgin. The birth of the Baptist and the canticle of Zachary.
#5: The Three Kings
Everyone has heard the tale of the Three Kings in the Christian Carol. Despite that, this is one of the most popular misconceptions about the Bible which never refers to them as kings. In fact, the story does not refer to them as a group of three. The number of gifts is the only reference to the number three.[6]DRBO.org – Douay-Rheims Bible + Challoner Notes
#4: Emperor Constantine and the Bible
One of the common misconceptions about the Bible that many Christians believe to be true is that Emperor Constantine defined the canon of the New Testament at the first Ecumenical Council of Nikaea in 325 AD. More specifically, the Ecumenical council of Nicaea does not mention at all the Biblical Canon. Also, it is worth to note, that Emperor Constantine had no voting power at all in the Ecumenical Council. He was only present as an observer.[7]CSUN – THE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, NICAEA A.D. 325
#3: Changing Text
According to common misconceptions about the Bible, the Bible has been changed several times through the millennia. Each time in order to suit the ideologies and the interests of the various editors. The truth though is a lot different. There are only a handful of textual alterations. Most of these are mainly errors, due to poor translations, and bad spelling of words or names. That is the scientific view of Bart D. Ehrman, who is a New Testament textual critic.
There was only an official removal of a number of books in the 16th century. Other than that the full canon of the Bible is the same now, as it was in the 2nd century. In fact, with regards to the originality of the Bible through the ages, one could easily compare the Vulgate (5th century) with the Douay Rheims – Challones (18th century) which is the official English version of the Catholic Bible.[8]The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales gives its approval to the publication of Biblia Sacra juxta Vulgatam Clementinam. Published with approbation. CBCEW, 9th January 2006.
#2: Mary Magdalene’s Profession
One of the common misconceptions about the Bible deals with Mary Magdalene. There isn’t any reference in the Bible that describes Mary Magdalene’s profession as a prostitute. In reality, the Bible only references her twice. At the resurrection of Jesus, the Bible mentions her. Additionally, the Bible also mentions her in another passage where seven demons supposedly possessed her.[9]DRBO.org – Douay-Rheims Bible + Challoner Notes
#1: The Date of Birth of Jesus
Contrary to the popular belief, the Gospels do not state the exact date of birth of Jesus. Scholars assume that the year of birth was between 6 BC and 4 BC. However, the historical evidence is too vague to provide a clear date. Two methods can help estimate the date. The first one analyzes references to historical events that the Gospel of Luke mentions. The second one works backward on the events since the start of the ministry of Jesus.
None of the gospels provide any exact dates for the birth of Jesus because they focus on the theological elements. They do not focus on historical chronologies. However, we know that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great. During his reign, he ordered to kill all boys up to 2 years old. This would put Jesus at 2 years old or younger at the time.
It can be inferred that the month that Jesus was born was in the summer or fall. By taking into account that shepherds would likely be in the fields, the month of birth is deducted to be in mid-September to late October. One of the greatest misconceptions about the Bible is that that Jesus was born in December. Instead, he was most likely conceived at the time.[10]Mercer Dictionary of the Bible by Watson E. Mills, Edgar V. McKnight and Roger A. Bullard 2001 ISBN 0-86554-373-9 page 142
Saturnalia, the pagan Roman feast for Saturn, is the main reason that the celebration of Christmas is in December and on its specific date.
Conclusion
The cases mentioned above, are merely the most dominant misconceptions regarding the Bible. We could mention many other misunderstood cases in the Bible. However, this list only includes the most shocking ones. If someone studies the Bible carefully, it is certain that he will find a lot more parts that he thought was completely different. This practice should definitely alert Christians and the Church, and make them understand that unless they make drastic changes in the teaching of theology and Christianity for that matter, it is inevitable that the next generations of Christians are going to have really distorted views about the Bible, and it is going to make them regard it as a completely different and distant religion.
Of course, this is no reason to despair. It is just a clear indication that changes should be implemented, in order to protect the dogma of the religion at its core. It is clear that this change is completely within our reach, and can easily be revisited with little effort.
The earliest historical source that states December 25th as the date of birth of Jesus is by Hippolytus of Rome. He made this record at the beginning of the 3rd century. He based it on the assumption that the conception of Jesus took place at the Spring equinox on the 25th of March. After nine months from the date of the conception, the festivities were arranged for Jesus’s birth.
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