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NASB | Galatians 6:17 ¶ From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Galatians 6:17 ¶ From now on let no one trouble me [by making it necessary for me to justify my authority as an apostle, and the absolute truth of the gospel], for I bear on my body the branding-marks of Jesus [the wounds, scars, and other outward evidence of persecutions--these testify to His ownership of me]. |
Bible Question: does anybody have an educated opinion about stigmata? NASB is only version I know with the word (brand) added |
Bible Answer: Offer it up: Stigmatas, Suffering and the Catholic Church -By Jackie Alnor (Posted March 2, 2003) The Roman Catholic Church is full of traditions that seem so bizarre to those raised Protestant. One of the hardest things for Bible-based Christians to understand is the concept of self-induced suffering. This is seen most often during the season of Lent, approaching Easter. EWTN, the Catholic television network, airs footage of processions of the Catholic faithful walking up cobblestone stairs on their knees until they are bloody. Also in the processions are monks with their backs bared who lash themselves with leather whips while keeping in step with the crowds who are following behind a liter carrying an ornate and decked out statue of Mary. In some extreme cases, men present themselves every Good Friday, particularly in the Philippines, to be literally nailed to wooden crosses while the crowds gather around and look upon them with awe and approval. Some of these self-afflicted sufferers come back year after year to compete with each other to see who can stay nailed to their cross the longest. A well-known monastic practice is the wearing of hair shirts designed to make a penitent monk very uncomfortable. The wearers of the burlap attire would take vows to not satisfy the urge to scratch even as the itching became unbearable. They were to offer it up to God for merit in heaven. Bible-believing Christians look at this and get sick to their stomachs. It is obvious to them that these activities have no spiritual merit whatsoever. The Bible backs up that assessment. The Apostle Paul wrote of the spirit of this sort of thing when he said: "These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence" (Col 2:23). Stigmata Origins Historically, these sorts of traditions came out of the monastic practices of the Middle Ages. The Franciscan order of monks were known for their vows of poverty, strict rules, and harsh treatment of their bodies. The founder St. Francis of Assisi is the first known person to ever have the ultimate in pain piety -- the stigmata. The Catholic Encyclopedia describes this paranormal phenomena this way: "Many ecstatics bear on hands, feet, side, or brow the marks of the Passion of Christ with corresponding and intense sufferings. These are called visible stigmata. Others only have the sufferings, without any outward marks, and these phenomena are called invisible stigmata." for more on this Stigmata you can read the entire article at: http://cultlink.com/CathAnswers/Stigmata.htm -khuck |