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Bible
Myths
by Hanna
How many children did Adam and
Eve have?
Many believe that Adam and Eve, the first man and woman
on Earth, had only two sons: Cain and Abel. But what is wrong with this
picture? Clearly, if Adam and Eve had only two sons, the population of the
Earth would have died off very quickly!
A reading of Genesis (5:4) refers to other children of
this famous couple. But how many other children? How many were boys and
how many were girls?
You may recall that Adam lived very long, about 930
years according to the Bible, so he could easily have had more than two
children. Jewish tradition actually teaches that Adam and Eve had a total
of 56 children: 33 boys and 23 girls. Now that is certainly a very big
family, and clearly sufficiently large to populate the Earth!
How many ribs does a man have
anyway?
A number of people believe that men have one fewer rib
than women. Could this be true? Well, medical doctors say no. This
mistaken belief comes from the traditional Christian message from the book
of Genesis 2: 21-22.
This part of the Genesis describes the creation of woman
from man. The Bible says that God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep.
Then, when Adam was asleep, God removed one of his ribs, and made a woman
from that rib. Therefore, Adam would have had one less rib than Eve.
There is no evidence to indicate that all men born from
Adam and Eve had one less rib.
The Mystery of Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene has been celebrated as a dedicated
disciple, as a prostitute who turned her life around for Christ, as a
symbol of someone who seeks forgiveness for her sins, and finally in the
modern cinema, as the possible bride of Christ. Which of these stories (if
any) are the true story of Mary
Magdalene?
Most certainly, Mary was one of Christ’s most
dedicated disciples. She remained sobbing outside of his tomb. She was one
of the first to see the risen Christ. Clearly, her presence was important
to Jesus, and to God, for her to have such an honour bestowed upon her.
She is a symbol of the repentant Christian. Christ cast
evil out of her body. She became saved in Christ. There is no evidence
that she was ever a prostitute. There is also no evidence that she was
married to Christ. When she saw the risen Christ, in amazement she shouted
out, “Rabboni”, which meant “my great teacher”. That is hardly
something that a wife would say to her husband if he suddenly rose from
the dead!
Information sources for this article:
(2008). Creation Tips: 6 Myths about the
Bible at http://www.users.bigpond.com/rdoolan/6_myths_bible.html
Liz Curtis Hicks, (2006). Mary Magdelene. Today’s Christian Woman at http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2006/mayjune/6.28.html;
Biography of Mary Magdelene at
http://www,answers.com
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