This summer has been great if you follow sports: tennis championships, end-of-season tournaments, soccer’s European Championship, and Copa America – all leading up to the most global event of all, the Olympics.

The Olympic Games began as a religious celebration in ancient Greece, with competitions to honor their gods. However, the Olympics declined once the Roman Empire replaced Greek power in the Mediterranean; the final blow came from the Christian Emperor Theodosius I, who saw the Games as a stage for paganism. At the end of the 19th century, the modern iteration of the Games began – minus religion. This time, they were secular, with flags and patriotism replacing religious worship. However, religion is still easy to see at the Games today, including right on the athletes’ bodies.

At the Summer Games, in particular, lots of skin is on display, and many athletes use it as a testament to faith. There’s Anthony Davis – usually playing for the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers – with a cross and praying hands across his forearm. Fellow basketball pro Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics has a collection of religious tattoos, including “God’s will” and “Proverbs 3:5-6” across his back. Still, according to the Bible, didn’t God reject tattoos? The answer isn’t so simple. The first problem in exploring the history of tattoos, religious or not, is what to call them.

Before the European explorers voyaged to the Pacific in the 18th century – where they encountered Maori facial tattooing, known as “ta moko” – there was no specific word for tattoos in Western languages. Latin, Greek and their derivatives used words that can have many meanings, such as “mark” or “letter.” When the word “tattoo” appears in English versions of Jewish and Christian scriptures, it is more of an interpretation than an exact translation. Regardless of what you call body modifications, the Hebrew Scriptures suggest that the people of Israel initially despised them, including tattoos and ear and nose piercings. In Leviticus 19:28, God prohibits mourners from funeral rites that involve self-mutilation to honor the dead – the Bible’s only explicit prohibition of tattoos.

More broadly, this rule appears amid a list of forbidden activities meant to differentiate the Jews from other groups of people and their gods. In some cultures of the ancient Middle East, tattoos had a religious meaning, such as being used in fertility and funeral rites. The author of Leviticus seems to be saying, “If what you want is God’s protection, do not get haircuts, shaves or tattoos.” Tattoos were not uncommon during the early days of Christianity. The Roman Empire used them to brand some enslaved people and convicts, including persecuted Christians. There is no prohibition on tattoos in the New Testament. Around A.D. 50, St. Paul wrote, “Let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.” While most biblical scholars accept the text as a metaphor for Paul’s suffering for Christ, some think it refers to the tattoo of a cross.

Paul is “reversing” the power of the tattoo: transforming something degrading into a sign of membership and pride. Not all tattoos have such significance, but for many, ink is a way to communicate what is sacred to them – another item to look for while enjoying the Olympics.