Hairdo's and Don'ts in the Bible

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There is nothing in the NT to suggest that Joseph of Arimathea was related to Jesus at all. Jesus himself, of course, says at one juncture that he has nowhere to lay his head, and when asked his judgment on paying taxes to Caesar, he does not even have a coin to examine so he can discuss the matter. The evidence we have certainly suggests that Jesus was poor by any culture's standards.

What is the role of a prophetess specifically? How do you claim this calling upon your life?

The role of the prophetess, like the role of the prophet in the Bible, was to be God's mouthpiece. Sometimes this involved simply proclaiming a revelation you had received from God (see 1 Corinthians 11 and 14). Sometimes it involved offering up an exhortation to God's people or making a wise judgment, based on some revelation from God. See Judges 4-5 about Deborah.

In regard to claiming such a calling in your life, you must first have been called by God to do this and accordingly granted the gift of prophecy, as recognized and attested in the faith community. It's not a matter of simply going out and claiming to be a prophetess. There must be fruit and evidence in your life that you has been gifted in this way.

The doctrine of sola scriptura (or "the Bible alone") is the sole and only authority in Protestantism. Where is this foundation of all of the Protestant beliefs given to us by a revelation from God? How do we infallibly know that this doctrine is true? If it is true, where in the Bible is it taught, and where was it taught by the apostles?

This is an excellent question. Second Timothy 3:16 focuses on the fact that all the Old Testament scriptures are inspired by God and thus are truthful. There was, of course, not yet a New Testament canon during the NT era itself; the books were still being written. But the principles of holding a very high view of scripture, and basing your life on God's word as the final authority, are clearly present in texts like Psalms 119. It is because of such texts, and also because of the ecumenical church counsels in the fourth century A.D.--which said these 27 books are our NT canon--that the Protestant churches have held up the notion of sola scriptura: of scripture alone being the final arbiter of truth.

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