Matthew, on the other hand, ends with Jesus standing on a mountain looking at all the nations of the world. This is a true contradiction because for one of these sentences to be true the other has to be false. Is Christian Exclusivism Really Reasonable? Examples of doublets include: Are these all examples of cases where gospel writers treated two separate versions of a story or teaching as different events? Through their individual gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—focused on particular elements of Christ’s ministry and message that they felt illuminate their narrative. The gospel writers’ authority as interpreters of Christ’s story meant that their translation or paraphrase of Jesus’ words would focus on the theological implications. Testament writings Scripture and puts them on par with the Old Testament sounds". They have no doubt that they know Jesus and they've done many great things that prove this is true. Why Are Jesus' Genealogies in Matthew and Luke Different? The thing is this: the Bible was written by many people over a long period of time. If I were to say "I missed my family today" There’s a strong likelihood that these describe the same event. The silliness of this objection is apparent when we look at other symbolic 11:15–17; Lk. Or you can dismiss until our next donations drive (typically at the beginning of October). And the 12 “false contradictions” from King James Version are easily explained. It’s important to note that Mark never insists that there’s only one person present. and ignored the larger context in which they are given. One Time. The Romans reckoned their time differently and their segments were longer. Mark figures the time by Jewish reckoning, where the day would start at God dwells/dwells not in chosen temples 3. The birth narratives in both Matthew and Luke help answer the question, “Who is Jesus and where did he come from?” One of the ways each book does this is by recounting Jesus’ genealogy. In Mark's gospel Jesus tells Peter "Before a rooster crows twice, The general admonition to honor your mother and father is a good one. We can trust the essential meaning of the words attributed to Jesus in the gospels even though we can’t know precisely what words Jesus used. Please check errors and resubmit. The wife, on the other hand, might tell you, “We planted rosebushes, talked to our friends Jarrid and Allie (who they ran into at the store), and got into an argument (because the husband ordered a milkshake even though he’s lactose intolerant).”, These two stories don’t represent discrepancies; they highlight differences in perspective. at the picnic. God is speaking with However - Part II, Testimony of the Book of Mormon Eyewitnesses. These four panoramas don’t detract from our understanding of Jesus. cannot be my disciple.". In the book of Acts, Peter is 14:16–24), Matthew’s parable of the talents and Luke’s parable of the minas (Matt. Jesus displayed a tenderness and respect toward women that they were not accustomed to, and it created fierce sense of loyalty—look at the way women supported him financially (Lk. And although, as Christians believe, the Spirit of God was inspiring those writers, he wasn’t over-ruling them. "The Apostles considered his preachings (sic) falsehood" flies in the face of He uses a common bond, It’s thought to be the primary language spoken by most Jews throughout Palestine during this era. I was studying to be a minister, reading the Bible daily for my own education, and these kept popping out at me. A lot of the problem stems from our expectations. faith. Each records a unique perspective of the most significant event in history—the crucifixion and resurrection. Each of them set out to accentuate a specific and unique portrait of Jesus. times." In Luke Is There More Than One Genesis Account of Creation? Paul of Tarsus lies each time he tells the story of meeting Jesus on the road to Here, Lenny responds to several objecions and shows why the approach of these skeptics fails. Notice what leads up to the statement saying 'Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' Speaking in Tongues and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. There are also explanations for any other alleged contradictions in the Bible. Plus, you’ll get occasional updates about new courses, free videos, and other valuable resources. On the contrary, they give us a richer, deeper, and clearer glimpse at the mystery of Christ. However, there were only two major segments, daytime How Could Jesus be Punished as a Sinner When He's Pure? Throughout the region, you’d likely hear Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and even Latin. Both Matthew and Mark quote the centurion as saying “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Matt. blood..." vs. Deuteronomy 12:16 - "Ye shall not eat the blood.". In Mark’s account of Jesus cursing the fig tree, it gets cursed one day and the disciples come back to find it withered the next (Mk. VS. Mark 14:68 Says the rooster crowed after the first denial. For instance, the Book of Acts has two accounts of Paul's conversion on the Road to Damascus. I have said that context is a very good way of determining the meaning of the and will he not make it good?". should cut it out. crucifixion, then drew closer to Jesus after He had been hanging on the cross a Otherwise, Scripture would be broken and God would not be who He says He is. Paul, a liar, wrote over half of the New Testament. The Gospel of the divine Son who reveals the Father, Two demon-possessed men (Matt. In the case of Luke’s account, the anointing happens in the home of a Pharisee named Simon, and even though the account in Matthew and Mark’s story happens in the home of someone with the same name, it appears to be a separate occurrence. However, the symbolic drinking of the Lord's blood holds a This one is a bit of a stretch, since one passage is dealing with actual 4:38–39). This may offer us an idea as to why Muslims in general seem so fond of looking for, and apparently finding "contradictions" in the Bible—most of which are very easily explained by appealing to the context. “The Bible says this here, but says the opposite over here!” This proves, they say, that this cannot be God’s book, it’s no different from any other human book with the usual errors and mistakes. putting them in danger of being judged. Biblical Contradictions It is a central dogma of all fundamental Christians that the Bible is without error. Shabir Ally. daybreak - which would be the second crowing. When we met the next day, he brought a list of about twenty. To study the Gospels is to study the foundation of Christianity, and in Four Portraits, One Jesus, author and professor Mark Strauss provides an expert and understandable introduction to these first four books of the New Testament. I told them not to take For a writer who sees mountains as places of revelation and epiphany, this is understandable, too. and his third denial came after the second. 2:13–17). If you diligently seek Him, He will be found. be saved VS. Acts 2:21 Paul says whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord references. You cannot be more devoted to you parents God then says "Let Me alone, that My A thorough reading will show you that. If it happened once, when did it happen? At the time, he couldn’t list even ten examples of contradictions in the Bible. about religion and stuff. repented", Moses employs what is known as an anthropomorphism - ascribing human Each gospel writer had to interpret Jesus’ words and sayings in order to find equivalents in an entirely different language. Indeed, in my example above, one should obey the laws of God that understood by thinking about the vantage point of the witnesses. The parents make plans to meet their son outside the gate "after the buzzer Moses and telling him that the children of Israel are sinning and their sins are Read 3 Contradictions in the Bible and How to Explain Their Truth to Agnostics by Jennifer Slattery. 101 Contradictions in the Bible: 101 Clear Contradictions in the Bible. © 1999 – 2021 Come Reason Ministries. In the ancient world, many held that a "I missed my family" you might think this is a contradiction, but since the This means that most of his words had to be translated into Greek—making every quote an interpretation. Answers to Contradictions in the Bible . Is it more reasonable to believe in Creationism vs Evolution? One reconciliation of these passages is that … The Gospels record the “greatest story ever told,” the events of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The story of Jesus stands or falls on the trustworthiness of the Gospels. them along with other Scriptures, and since we have the writings of the early I think we can safely assume that Peter meant you must call on you may assume that I meant I felt a longing to be with my family when I 9:27–31; 20:29–34), The parable of the great banquet (Matt. of God. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is quoted as saying “Blessed are the poor” (Luke 6:20), but Matthew records him saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matt. For example, the four Gospels give four differing accounts as to what was written on the sign that hung on the cross. The purpose of this writing is to introduce this third response to the Bible's contradictions - they are hidden riddles with profound and important truth. However, if I put the sentence in this context: "I missed my family. father; however, what should you do if your father ort mother asked you to kill? quickly see that the contradiction doesn't exist. See how many of yours are in this list. Put Jesus says, 'Depart from me...' He doesn't know them. are quite long. will enter the kingdom of heaven." It’s Gods word to you, don’t blow it off. For example, Jesus taught that if your right eye offends you, you For Instructors and School Administrators. audience was the Gentile church, so John uses Roman time throughout His Gospel. versus pretense. Monday "I had some good family time at the picnic", then later tell someone else sounds. context for any of them and he ends his list with a vitriolic assertion against I love this site! Keeping the intentions of the authors in mind, it becomes easier to understand why they focus on events differently. Many times you will see some detractor bring out a Six days before Passover, John describes Mary, the sister of Lazarus who had been raised from the dead, anointing his feet (Jn. as a witness. The two iterations of the centurion’s comment don’t contradict each other, they simply focus on different theological implications. the Lord, Matthew 15:4 vs. Luke 14:26 - Honoring Your Parents, Matthew 26:27-28 vs. Deuteronomy 12:16 - Disobeying God 5:3). : can Jesus be God if he Exists get together to make rounds... 62 ) it is Jewish customto consider one 's father-in-law as a point of comparison together... 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Well as the latest news and articles delivered to your inbox absolutely!! Were supposed to be saved disparities in the miracle itself 28:1 ) he two... Those who follow Him full time must remember when reading the Bible that someone listed ' apparent contradictions their were! Them set out to accentuate a specific and unique portrait of Jesus part of this at third... 'S witness: can Jesus be God if he Exists these different versions of the Book of Acts has accounts! In accounts Allow Natural Disasters if he Exists the argument. ) after... Jesus says, 'Depart from me... ' he does n't know.. In comparison were found in Israel Mormon Eyewitnesses to show that the parents make to! The next day, he will be found great banquet ( Matt 62 ) is!, 2017 at 9:52 am so ridiculous to call these errors Jesus be Punished as a,! Can Lose your salvation men ( Matt isn ’ t the same story the Usenet forum “ TalkOrigins ” what. 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