Contradictions in the Bible
Faithful Brother in Christ
I've seen the vid. It's not easily dismissed. I'll respond properly in the morning.
1 the Bible claims to be God-breathed, inspired. But it does not claim to be in errant or infallible.
2 there are discrepancies in various accounts, and they can't just be swept away. Its pretty much impossible to harmonise the 4 accounts of the resurrection for example.
3 none of this means your faith is in vain
1 the Bible claims to be God-breathed, inspired. But it does not claim to be in errant or infallible.
2 there are discrepancies in various accounts, and they can't just be swept away. Its pretty much impossible to harmonise the 4 accounts of the resurrection for example.
3 none of this means your faith is in vain
Faithful Brother in Christ
Unpacking this lot is a pretty big task. I think a good place to start is to question what we've been taught about the Bible. I grew up being told that it's the makers manual for life. That's simply not true. The Bible isn't an instruction book, it's an immensely rich and complex collection of history, poetry, law, drama and letters.
There is a core story and message - about how Jesus reestablished his reign over a rebellious world - but it unfolds gradually and from multiple perspectives.
The four gospel writers have different aims in their accounts of Jesus' life. None of them are out to write straight history - they present a portrait of Jesus Christ and they arrange their material to suit that purpose. So John puts the clearing of the Temple right at the beginning of Jesus ministry, while the others have it in the last days of his life. The reason for the discrepancy is literary. John probably did not share modern ideas of what makes good historical writing.
It's a question of imposing modern ideals on ancient writing.
I know that doesn't clear up all the problems by a long shot, but I hope it's a decent place to start.
There is a core story and message - about how Jesus reestablished his reign over a rebellious world - but it unfolds gradually and from multiple perspectives.
The four gospel writers have different aims in their accounts of Jesus' life. None of them are out to write straight history - they present a portrait of Jesus Christ and they arrange their material to suit that purpose. So John puts the clearing of the Temple right at the beginning of Jesus ministry, while the others have it in the last days of his life. The reason for the discrepancy is literary. John probably did not share modern ideas of what makes good historical writing.
It's a question of imposing modern ideals on ancient writing.
I know that doesn't clear up all the problems by a long shot, but I hope it's a decent place to start.
Faithful Brother in Christ
Member
Its part of our flawed human condition that we seek perfection in my opinion....perfection in everything but the person we see in the mirror. In the movie 'Inherit The Wind' (about the Scopes Monkey Trial) there's a scene with Rachel who is the fiancee of the accused confronting the wife of Fundamentalist Prosecuting Attorney Mathew Harrison Brady (William Jennings Bryant in real life)....Rachel has been skewered on the stand with information she had revealed in what she believed to be confidence....and she is there to confront Brady to tell him what she really thinks of him.....she's says something like "I taught my students that Mathew Harrison Brady was a saint, next to God Himself, but if he was good he wouldn't have done what he did today...he is evil". Brady's wife admonishes Rachel with words that go something like...."You see my husband as a saint, and so everything he says and does must be good....then you see him as a devil, so everthing he says and does must be mad. My husband is neither a devil nor a saint, he's just a man and sometimes he makes mistakes".
I believe the Bible is the revealed world of God, that it is God inspired....but it is wrought of human hands and humans are flawed. I do allow however that our weakened human condition requires some to view it as perfect
, and to defend that point of view. There's nothing wrong with that as I see it....but I do see it used as ammunition by others to tarnish all the amazing truths that are revealed.
I checked youtube but I couldn't find the exact scene I referenced....however here's the scene immediately afterward when Rachel leaves and Brady talks to his wife:
I believe the Bible is the revealed world of God, that it is God inspired....but it is wrought of human hands and humans are flawed. I do allow however that our weakened human condition requires some to view it as perfect
I checked youtube but I couldn't find the exact scene I referenced....however here's the scene immediately afterward when Rachel leaves and Brady talks to his wife:
Active
I haven’t looked at the video but there are various reasons for the contradictions:
1) human error when one text is passed down over generations
2) human tampering with original texts that lead to contradictions after translation
3) language errors in translation due to language differences
Like I’ve said in the other thread about NIV, it is a long-standing fact that Scriptures were altered by wicked men. Not all the translators authorised to translate the Bible are filled with the Spirit of God.
The original authors are truly inspired of God and they themselves did not make the error, it was men afterwards who failed to handle the original texts with proper care.
1) human error when one text is passed down over generations
2) human tampering with original texts that lead to contradictions after translation
3) language errors in translation due to language differences
Like I’ve said in the other thread about NIV, it is a long-standing fact that Scriptures were altered by wicked men. Not all the translators authorised to translate the Bible are filled with the Spirit of God.
The original authors are truly inspired of God and they themselves did not make the error, it was men afterwards who failed to handle the original texts with proper care.
Active
One thing that has to be taken into consideration is the context. Each passage has it's own context. If people take the passages out, of context as they often do, it's easy to make it appear that there are contradictions.