
Credit: Shaunconway/Wikipedia/Creative Commons 3.0
Buffy Bailey, who works as a nurse at a hospital in Lancaster, England, was out metal detecting with her husband in a field near Sheriff Hutton Castle in North Yorkshire when she discovered a small, solid-gold Bible near a footpath in the field.
According to the Daily Mail, the 1.5 cm (.69 of an inch) Bible weighs about 5 grams and is dated to the 15th century and is valued to be worth at least £100,000 (US$202,000).
During this period, it was illegal for anyone other than nobility to have gold on their person.
And since Sheriff Hutton Castle was once owned by King Richard III (1452-1485), historians believe the Bible probably belonged to a pregnant relative of King Richard as it is engraved with two saints connected with childbirth, Saint Margaret and St Leonard.
The Daily Mail adds that at this time between 40% and 60% of the women died giving birth to children.
The carvings are very similar to those on a gold pendant found near another castle belonging to King Richard, that had images of Saint Mary and other saints, leading historians to believe both were created by the same goldsmith.
This little Bible may also provide an explanation for a statement that the Apostle Paul made in his letter to Timothy, when he said that women will be saved through child bearing.
15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. (1 Timothy 2:15 ESV)
While some suggest that Paul was stating women should focus on maternal roles, others believe that Paul was addressing the same issue as the small gold Bible, the high death rates for women while giving birth.
The term teknogonía does not define the act of procreation, nor the process of motherhood, nor the raising of children. In this case, the determiner article “tes = the” evidences that Paul is not referring to physical salvation (preservation), but to the spiritual salvation brought about by the birth of Christ. Hence, this birth is THE BIRTH par excellence.
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