Five things you didn't know about The Bible
The Devil is only described once…
…and that is as a snake. In all the books of the Bible, he never appears as the red skinned, horned figure we know him as today.
In fact, most of the elements of the modern Satan have appeared from various artistic interpretations or classical mythology. His iconic pitch fork? It started life as a bident, inspired by the weaponry of the Grecian Gods.
His modern horns and goat legs stem from Pagan imagery and the close affiliation with animals.
Angels are not as angelic as you think…
...in fact, they are more likely to incinerate you or blind you than play the harp. Spirits, rather than actual physical entities, angels could take the form of a person or be completely invisible. They can be men with polished metal arms or pure white light. They are immortal, always appear as adults and can act as protectors or executioners of the sinful.
The point is, angels were not meant to be cuddly. They were meant to be at best awe-inspiring, and at worst some of the most terrifying entities you could ever face. In fact, you are probably more familiar with a particular set of angels than any other because of horror cinema: demons, those which turned away from God and followed Lucifer – who, incidentally, also started life as an angel of the Lord.
Bear that in mind the next time you see a cutesy greetings card. Also, angels all appear in male form.
A certain set of Bibles once encouraged sinful behaviour…
…after an awkward mistake at the printers. In 1631, the royal printers in London made a blunder in the Ten Commandments: “Thou Shalt Commit Adultery”.
One year, some broken marriages and a £300 fine (or £43,586 in modern currency) later, all the available versions of this so called ‘Wicked Bible’ were ordered to be cancelled and destroyed. Today, you can still find one of these naughty versions to read in the New York Public Library and touring the UK in various different museum exhibitions.
Adam and Eve weren’t sent out of the Garden of Eden for eating from the tree of knowledge…
…instead, they were sent out to stop them from eating from the tree of life. In Genesis 3:22-23, the Bible reads: “And he said: Behold Adam, is become as one of us, knowing good and evil: now, therefore, lest perhaps he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever. [23] And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken.”
Of course, Adam still had his knuckles rapped a bit for being greedy with one tree, but their removal from the garden wasn’t a punishment for it. Rather, it was a preventative measure to stop him making an even bigger mistake – becoming immortal, a trait which God didn’t really want to start dishing out to his fresh "sinful" creations.
The Bible took 1,600 years to write…
…with roughly forty different authors all contributing to the finished work. There are a total of 199 chapters across the books of the Harry Potter series. 1,189 chapters complete the 66 books of The Bible. That’s 990 more than J.K Rowling used in all seven of her books.
If you are wondering how they managed to write so much and not repeat themselves, rest easy. They didn’t. The 19th chapter of 2 Kings and the 37th chapter of Isaiah are almost word for word the same.
…and that is as a snake. In all the books of the Bible, he never appears as the red skinned, horned figure we know him as today.
In fact, most of the elements of the modern Satan have appeared from various artistic interpretations or classical mythology. His iconic pitch fork? It started life as a bident, inspired by the weaponry of the Grecian Gods.
His modern horns and goat legs stem from Pagan imagery and the close affiliation with animals.
Angels are not as angelic as you think…
...in fact, they are more likely to incinerate you or blind you than play the harp. Spirits, rather than actual physical entities, angels could take the form of a person or be completely invisible. They can be men with polished metal arms or pure white light. They are immortal, always appear as adults and can act as protectors or executioners of the sinful.
The point is, angels were not meant to be cuddly. They were meant to be at best awe-inspiring, and at worst some of the most terrifying entities you could ever face. In fact, you are probably more familiar with a particular set of angels than any other because of horror cinema: demons, those which turned away from God and followed Lucifer – who, incidentally, also started life as an angel of the Lord.
Bear that in mind the next time you see a cutesy greetings card. Also, angels all appear in male form.
A certain set of Bibles once encouraged sinful behaviour…
…after an awkward mistake at the printers. In 1631, the royal printers in London made a blunder in the Ten Commandments: “Thou Shalt Commit Adultery”.
One year, some broken marriages and a £300 fine (or £43,586 in modern currency) later, all the available versions of this so called ‘Wicked Bible’ were ordered to be cancelled and destroyed. Today, you can still find one of these naughty versions to read in the New York Public Library and touring the UK in various different museum exhibitions.
Adam and Eve weren’t sent out of the Garden of Eden for eating from the tree of knowledge…
…instead, they were sent out to stop them from eating from the tree of life. In Genesis 3:22-23, the Bible reads: “And he said: Behold Adam, is become as one of us, knowing good and evil: now, therefore, lest perhaps he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever. [23] And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken.”
Of course, Adam still had his knuckles rapped a bit for being greedy with one tree, but their removal from the garden wasn’t a punishment for it. Rather, it was a preventative measure to stop him making an even bigger mistake – becoming immortal, a trait which God didn’t really want to start dishing out to his fresh "sinful" creations.
The Bible took 1,600 years to write…
…with roughly forty different authors all contributing to the finished work. There are a total of 199 chapters across the books of the Harry Potter series. 1,189 chapters complete the 66 books of The Bible. That’s 990 more than J.K Rowling used in all seven of her books.
If you are wondering how they managed to write so much and not repeat themselves, rest easy. They didn’t. The 19th chapter of 2 Kings and the 37th chapter of Isaiah are almost word for word the same.
