Are There Gospel Contradictions?
Are There Gospel Contradictions?
Donald R. Fox
Mel Gibson’s movie Passion of Christ brought about much interest in the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There have been television specials concerning Jesus Christ and the crucifixion before and since, too. So-called biblical scholars have been featured to give an explanation, a commentary on the Gospels during these specials.
Almost without exception the Bible scholars used in these specials are very liberal concerning the Word of God. The television hosts and such Bible commentators often respond in a matter of fact manner that there are contradictions in the Gospel accounts. Just because someone states in an unchallenged manner that there are contradictions in the Gospels, does not mean that there are, in fact, contradictions in God’s Word!
Many of us have in our libraries works such as The Harmony of the Gospels. We suggest two classics should be studied before one buy’s into this “contradiction” charge: A Harmony of the Gospels by A. T. Robertson and The Testimony of the Evangelists by Simon Greenleaf.
John William McGarvey wrote on July 30, 1898, “In the testimony of witnesses before a court, nothing is more common than for apparent contradictions to arise between credible witnesses or between different statements of the same witness. In all such cases, it is considered entirely logical and legitimate for counsel to show that on some reasonable hypothesis the statements can be harmonized” (John William McGarvey, Biblical Criticism 303).
These television specials with their Bible scholars give a slanted and prejudiced view of the Word of God. They always go unchallenged with no discussion or debate concerning their pronouncements. Would these liberal Bible scholars defend their views on a polemic platform in an honorable debate? I think not!
Contradictions in the Gospels, “No!” The Gospels are in harmony with each other! “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:2-3).
[Editor’s Note: The value of eyewitness testimony from multiple persons is that collectively they piece together the complete picture of an event. Rather than variances comprising contradictions, they each clarify the overview of an incident. For instance, imagine four witnesses at an automobile wreck in the intersection of two highways. If each witness viewed the accident from a different street corner, naturally as they reported what they saw from their respective vantages, they would describe it a little differently. Their various testimonies would do two things: verify each other’s accounts and provide details either not seen or simply not mentioned by one or more other observers. In human scenarios, multiple witnesses do something else, too. They help to invalidate accidental or unintentional discrepancies in a witness’ testimony. However, this last circumstance does not apply to divinely inspired writers of Bible books.
Donald R. Fox
Mel Gibson’s movie Passion of Christ brought about much interest in the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There have been television specials concerning Jesus Christ and the crucifixion before and since, too. So-called biblical scholars have been featured to give an explanation, a commentary on the Gospels during these specials.
Almost without exception the Bible scholars used in these specials are very liberal concerning the Word of God. The television hosts and such Bible commentators often respond in a matter of fact manner that there are contradictions in the Gospel accounts. Just because someone states in an unchallenged manner that there are contradictions in the Gospels, does not mean that there are, in fact, contradictions in God’s Word!
Many of us have in our libraries works such as The Harmony of the Gospels. We suggest two classics should be studied before one buy’s into this “contradiction” charge: A Harmony of the Gospels by A. T. Robertson and The Testimony of the Evangelists by Simon Greenleaf.
John William McGarvey wrote on July 30, 1898, “In the testimony of witnesses before a court, nothing is more common than for apparent contradictions to arise between credible witnesses or between different statements of the same witness. In all such cases, it is considered entirely logical and legitimate for counsel to show that on some reasonable hypothesis the statements can be harmonized” (John William McGarvey, Biblical Criticism 303).
These television specials with their Bible scholars give a slanted and prejudiced view of the Word of God. They always go unchallenged with no discussion or debate concerning their pronouncements. Would these liberal Bible scholars defend their views on a polemic platform in an honorable debate? I think not!
Contradictions in the Gospels, “No!” The Gospels are in harmony with each other! “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:2-3).
[Editor’s Note: The value of eyewitness testimony from multiple persons is that collectively they piece together the complete picture of an event. Rather than variances comprising contradictions, they each clarify the overview of an incident. For instance, imagine four witnesses at an automobile wreck in the intersection of two highways. If each witness viewed the accident from a different street corner, naturally as they reported what they saw from their respective vantages, they would describe it a little differently. Their various testimonies would do two things: verify each other’s accounts and provide details either not seen or simply not mentioned by one or more other observers. In human scenarios, multiple witnesses do something else, too. They help to invalidate accidental or unintentional discrepancies in a witness’ testimony. However, this last circumstance does not apply to divinely inspired writers of Bible books.
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