Question 150: Was Mary, the mother of Yeshua, from the tribe of Judah?

Answer:

It is not proved, except inferentially. The Jews, in constructing their genealogical tables, reckoned wholly by males. Some of the best modern authorities however, observing all the rules followed by the Hebrews in genealogies, have reached the conclusion that in Zorobabel the lines of Solomon and Nathan unite and that Joseph and Mary are therefore of the same tribe and family, being both descendants of David in the line of Solomon and that both have in them the blood of Nathan. David's son, Joseph, has descent from Abiud (Matthew 1:13) and Mary from Rhesa (Luke 3:27), sons of Zorobabel. The genealogies of Matthew and Luke are parts of one perfect whole; the former bearing the descent of Mary and Joseph from Solomon - the latter the descent of both from Nathan.

Question 149: Who was Lydia?

Answer:

She is mentioned in Acts 16:15 and was a resident of Thyatira, a city celebrated for its purple dyes. She seems to have been a business woman, engaged in the sale of dyed goods and she evidently had an extensive establishment, as she was able to accommodate the missionary party. She was a proselyte to the Jewish faith, but became a believer under Paul's ministry.

Question 148: How long did Lazarus live after being raised from the dead?

Answer:

There are no authoritative data on the subject. An old tradition, mentioned by Epiphanies, says that Lazarus was thirty years old when restored from death and that he lived thirty years thereafter. Still another tradition declares that he travelled to Southern Europe, accompanied by Mary and Martha and preached the Gospel in Marseilles.

Question 147: Who were the Karaites or Readers?

Answer:

They were a small remnant of the Sadducees, "the Protestants of Judaism," formed into a sect by Anan-ben-Daniel in the eighth century. They rejected the rabbinical traditions and the Talmud and accepted the Scriptures alone. The origin of their name is uncertain. Some of the sect exists in the Crimea, Poland and Turkey.

Frequently asked questions and answers:

Question 146: Was it a whale that swallowed Jonah?

Answer:

Nowhere in the book of Jonah are we told that the fish that swallowed Jonah was a whale. In Matthew 12:40 the word "whale" is used in the King James Version, but the revised version gives "sea monster" in the margin. There is absolute proof that sea monsters large enough to swallow a man have been found in the Mediterranean and other seas.

Question 145: What is known of the early life of the author of the Epistle of James?

Answer:

Nothing authoritative. He was probably brought up with Yeshua and the other children in the Nazareth home. It is believed that he did not become a follower of Moshiach until after the resurrection. Moshiach seems to have appeared especially to him and as Paul mentions the fact (1 Corinthians 15:7) we may presume it was generally known, though it is not related in any of the Gospels. James was a strict Jew before becoming a believer and was highly esteemed among the Jews for his piety. It looks as though he never quite shook off his Jewish ideas (Galatians 2:12) and his epistle shows that he could not cordially endorse Paul's way of stating the Gospel.

Question 144: Who were the Herodians?

Answer:

The Herodians were a class of Jews in the time of Moshiach, who were partisans of Herod, either of a political or religious sort or both. It appears that when the ecclesiastical authorities of Judea held a council against the Saviour, they associated with themselves the Herodians and sent an embassy to Yeshua designing to trap Him in His speech. As tetrarch of Galilee, Herod Antipas was the ruler of the province which was Yeshua' home and the Jews doubtless argued that Herod would be pleased if they could convict Yeshua of being a rival claimant to the crown. The Pharisees were a Jewish sect who held rigidly aloof from other sects, claimed to be free from every kind of impurity and united to keep the Mosaic Laws, to which they gave the closest study. They were frequently denounced by our Saviour for their self-righteousness and their assumption of superior piety.

Question 143: Who were the Sadducees?

Answer:

The Sadducees were a sect of free-thinkers, differing greatly from the Pharisees on many points. They rejected the oral law and the prophets and only accepted the Pentateuch and Josephus says they denied the resurrection from the dead.

Question 142: Who were the Pharisees?

Answer:

The Pharisees were a Jewish sect deriving their name from a word which means "separate" or "distinct" They were disciples of the Jewish sages, who held themselves aloof and claimed to keep rigidly the Mosaic laws of purity. They had many religious observances and believed in a future life of rewards and punishments.

Frequently asked questions and answers:

Question 141: Who were the Gentiles?

Answer:

Gentiles, which mean simply "peoples," was a term applied indiscriminately by the Jews to all other nations than themselves. After a time, it acquired a hostile meaning, as the Jews gradually drew themselves apart as a "holy nation." The term is used of "Galilee of the Gentiles," where some five nations other than the Jews were represented; the "Court of the Gentiles" outside the Temple area; the "isles of the Gentiles," etc.