1. Koine, or common, Greek was that version of the Greek language used throughout the Hellenized world. It differs somewhat from classical Greek.
2. The absence of non-Christian accounts of the life of Jesus of Nazareth cannot be understood as definitive evidence that there was never such a man, but rather that the historical Jesus did not attract serious attention from Roman authors during his lifetime. This is not surprising, particularly in light of the fact that there were so many apocalyptic religious movements during this period of Roman history.
3. If Matthew is correct, Jesus was born between 6 and 4 b.c. This is possible because those who established the Christian calendar, marking time into b.c. (before Christ) and a.d. (Anno Domini, in the year of our Lord), lived several hundred years after the time of Jesus and simply miscalculated the date by a few years. This calendar corresponds with what is called the Common Era (abbreviated c.e.). There is no year 0 in either system.
4. The translation of the Hebrew word almah has been a source of contention between Christians and Jews for years. In other contexts, the word nearly always means “young woman.” Matthew translates it with the Greek word parthenos, which always means “virgin.”
5. Isaiah 7:14. This quotation and those that follow are taken from The New Revised Standard Version Bible (New York: National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., 1989).
6. Acts 19:1–7.
7. Matthew 5:3–12.
8. Luke 10:30–35.
9. Matthew 5:38–41.
10. Matthew 15:11.
11. Matthew 5:17–19.
12. Mark 8:27–29.
13. Luke 22:17–20.
14. One of the lesser-known disciples was Simon the Zealot. See Luke 6:15.
15. The Second Vatican Council (1962–1964) issued a statement that said that although Jewish authorities had pressed for the death of Jesus, his execution cannot be charged against all Jews.
16. Luke 24:43.
17. Although fourteen of the New Testament books are traditionally attributed to Paul, most scholars agree that only seven of these were actually written by him. The others are likely written by others who used Paul's name as their pseudonym, a not uncommon practice at the time.
18. The admonitions of Paul to the church at Corinth indicate that the supper eaten by early Christians was not always sober or simple. See I Corinthians 11.
19. Matthew 16:16–19.
20. On several occasions, the New Testament lists women who served as deacons (see Romans 16:1). This may indicate that at least in the earliest days of the church, congregations were led by either women or men.
21. Martin E. Marty, A Short History of Christianity (New York: World Publishing Company, 1958), p. 75.
22. Indeed, some scholars, including sociologist Max Weber, have suggested that Calvin's teachings of worldly asceticism contributed to the development of the spirit of modern capitalism.
23. Although this was the traditional practice of the Roman Catholic Church during much of its history, the Vatican II encouraged the use of both bread and wine for the laity at the Eucharist.
24. In the modern Catholic Church, this sacrament is known as “Anointing of the Sick.” It is administered only to the seriously ill and dying.
25. After the Council of Trent closed in 1563, the Roman Catholic Church called no general council until the Vatican Council of 1869. This council dealt with the sensitive issue of papal infallibility. After much debate and controversy, the council declared as dogma that the pope was infallible when he spoke ex cathedra—that is, as the pastor of all Christians on the issues of faith and morals. Naturally, this dogma widened the gap between Catholics, on the one hand, and Orthodox and Protestant groups, on the other hand.
26. See Bruce Lawrence, Defenders of God, The Fundamentalist Revolt against the Modern World (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1989), 153–188.
27. The Church banned polygamy in 1890.
28. Desert News 1999–2000 Church Almanac, Salt Lake City; Desert News 1988, 111.