How do you deal with apparent contradictions in the Bible?

Question

React with glee! Yeah! This PROVES that the Bible is a pile of BUNK!

OR

There MUST be a reasonable explanation for this APPARENT contradiction...the Bible is God's revelation of His will to mankind and a little HONEST research with an open mind will unravel the "contradiction." The Bible is NOT a piece of $h1t!!!!!

Answer 1

Yes, there are contradictions. But they only serve to reinforce my belief that many errors crept into the documents during the translation and/or copying of manuscripts, which was all done by hand centuries ago (... consider all the translation errors that occur today in several modern texts... even with all the dictionaries, computers, and proofreaders). I have always believed that the Bible was true, but I have never believed it was perfect. God's word is perfect, but he leaves it up to imperfect men to write it down.

That being said, there have also been a few passages that used to trouble me. However, rather than give up and discredit the Bible, I did further research which helped me to understand things better, and my concerns were swept away.

Atheists love to take a Bible verse that appears illogical on the surface, and exploit it to suit their purposes. Much like saying a renowned scientific textbook is erroneous because it contains a few typos.

Answer 2

Wow - still not sure what you are pointing out as contradictions.

Did you know that the Bible is actually a collection of 66 Books (39 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament) written by over 40 authors, spreading across between 1,000 to a couple thousand of years or more. Also, the OT was written in Hebrew but the NT was probably more in Greek. The details I am sure you could probably find out from somewhere - maybe even in http://www.wikipedia.org or other online encyclopeadia.

Anyway I always find it fancinating that if you put all those staggering information together, its a wonder how there are a lot of "continuity" and historic facts presented in the depicted periods.Many of which still being uncovered even today.

So when you refer to a certain contradiction - you need to understand what aspect of the lanugage usage, historical fact and assumption, and research are you addressing towards.

Anyway thats my 2 cents worth.

Answer 3

Bible difficulties, or apparent Bible contradictions, exist. The opponents of Christianity often use them in their attempts to discredit Christianity. Sometimes these attacks undermine the faith of Christians who either don't understand the issues or don't have the resources to deal with them.

Opponents of Christianity will cite what they consider a Bible contradiction or difficulty by comparing one verse to another (or more) that seems to disagree with the first. In doing this, several verses are often referenced as being contradictory or problematic. Therefore, to make this section of CARM easy to use, it is arranged by verse for easy lookup. Since many of the same "difficulties" deal with one verse in opposition to another or even several others, I have listed all the verses addressed in the same answer. This makes the initial list look larger than it really is. For example, how many animals did Noah bring into the ark? Genesis 6:19-20 says two while Gen. 7:2-3 mentions seven. Therefore, both verses are listed and both links point to the same answer.

http://carm.org/introduction-bible-difficulties-and-bible-contradictions

If we read the Bible at face value, without a preconceived bias for finding errors, we will find it to be a coherent, consistent, and relatively easy-to-understand book. Yes, there are difficult passages. Yes, there are verses that appear to contradict each other. We must remember that the Bible was written by approximately 40 different authors over a period of around 1500 years. Each writer wrote with a different style, from a different perspective, to a different audience, for a different purpose. We should expect some minor differences. However, a difference is not a contradiction. It is only an error if there is absolutely no conceivable way the verses or passages can be reconciled. Even if an answer is not available right now, that does not mean an answer does not exist. Many have found a supposed error in the Bible in relation to history or geography only to find out that the Bible is correct once further archaeological evidence is discovered.

http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-errors.html

The Big Book of Bible Difficulties: Clear and Concise Answers from Genesis to Revelation
By: Norman L. Geisler, Thomas Howe
http://www.christianbook.com/difficulties-clear-concise-answers-genesis-revelation/norman-geisler/9780801071584/pd/071584?event=AFF&p=1011693&

Answer 4

There are many possibilities as to how to respond to these contradictions. In Jewish literature, ancient rabbis attempted to reconcile all differences, and/or interpreted the contradictions in ways that allowed new insights or laws to be created.

Modern biblical historians use theories that attempt to show that the Bible is composed of many different sets of writings (or documents) that were written at different periods of time. The contradictions, according to them, are simply different accounts taken from different literary sources.

Your decision on what you believe.

Answer 5

When you study the word of God you must first have on the anointing to understand. In other words it will all seem like Greek to the natural mind. God has to enhance the experience to get the Truth out of any passage of scripture. It must be rightly divided. to rightly divide is to separate the words into paragraph and question-marks and periods and commas, etc where they belong. It has to be read to you by God himself. He will show you how to rightly divide. It will all begin to make sense when read the way it is meant to be read. Sometimes it is written to you in the now moment. sometimes it is written about something in a historical way that is for your learning. Sometimes it is written for reproof and correction. When you study it should be for confirmation about things that God has already been speaking to your heart about or urging you to study. Read in the context that it is alive and for the person reading it. If you listen closely you can hear Gods voice reading it to you. So now you think I am really crazy huh? Good because this day is about over, and I am going to sleep, and when I wake up I will renew my mind in God's Word.
The original scrolls were all written in scroll script. It was just a page of words written one after the other so it had to be deciphered before it could be read.

Answer 6

When people bring this up, I generally ask them to name one. About 95% can't. Of the ones who can, about 90% bring up the same ones (the two deaths of Saul, how many people went to Christ's grave, etc) which aren't actually contradictions if one simply bothers to read them. Of the remainder, we usually have a pretty good discussion - but, if you're keeping track, that's only about 0.5% of the people who talk about this, so it doesn't actually come up all that often.

Answer 7

I could bet alot of money that there are absolutely NO contradictions in the Bible. WHY on earth would I believe in a religion like that? please e-mail me what kind of contradiction you think that you have found or heard.

Answer 8

Simple! Avoid the apparent contradictions! Be in your own wit!!!

Answer 9

I see hundreds of people state there are contradictions. I have yet to see someone state one.

Answer 10

The bible is like a buffet. You don't try to eat everything served, you try what looks good, and if you like it you go back for more.