Biblical contradictions?

Question

Here's just 3 examples...

In Matthew 27:46 we're told Jesus' last words are "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" but in Luke 23:46 they've changed to "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" and in John 19:30 they've changed again to "It is finished"

Did he die three times or were there triplets?

Was Joseph adopted because in Matthew 1:16 his father is Jacob but by Luke 3:23 it's changed to Heli?

And in Genesis 7:2 God instructs Noah to take 7 of all the clean beasts onto the ark but moments later in Genesis 7:8 he's loading his ark with just 2. Did Noah have a memory problem, was he drunk or something?

What's you opinion? Even better, can you explain the discrepancies?

Answer 1

no contradiction whatsoever
Let's take the lineage question error first. In Matthew it is speaking of the lineage of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
In Luke is recording Mary's lineage from her back to Adam. That is where your own understanding could not comprehend that it is truly speaking of the lineage of Joseph AND Mary, respectfully.

The comments from Christ on the cross are NOT contradictions either. He stated all three at different times prior to His death. Any one who has even watched the Life of Christ, the Greatest Story Ever Told... can see how they brought all three writings to the screen.

Good try, but no cigar man!

Answer 2

EASY!!!!

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In Matthew 27:46 we're told Jesus' last words are "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" but in Luke 23:46 they've changed to "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" and in John 19:30 they've changed again to "It is finished"
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Any cop will tell you if you have 10 eye witnesses, you will have 10 different stories. That's why forensic evidence is better than words.

Matthew was not there. He gleened his story from others.
John was there and was likely traumatized as he was just a boy at the time. He wrote his Gospel late in life when he was imprisoned on Patmos.
Luke was also not there. He got MOST of his information from the Blessed Mother, which is why his story includes the Nativity.

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Was Joseph adopted because in Matthew 1:16 his father is Jacob but by Luke 3:23 it's changed to Heli?
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Matthew was Hebrew. Luke was Greek. There is a very different understanding of Hebrew law here. Most likely Jacob died leaving his wife childless. So his brother Heli takes her. And Joseph is the result. While in the eyes of a Greek, Joseph is Heli's son - in the eyes of a Jew, Joseph is Jacob's son.

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And in Genesis 7:2 God instructs Noah to take 7 of all the clean beasts onto the ark but moments later in Genesis 7:8 he's loading his ark with just 2. Did Noah have a memory problem, was he drunk or something?
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You seem to be missing the inbetween. God is talking about two different kinds of animals. Of the "clean" animals - that is those approved under Levite law - take 7. Of the unclean, for instance - pigs - take only 2.


That was easy. Can you give me something difficult?

Answer 3

There are seven last "words" of Christ. The ones you mention are actually three different phrases uttered by Him while on the cross. Both Matthew and Mark record this phrase. Luke, if you read in the first chapter, collected first-hand witness reports of things that happened during the life of Jesus. Different people will see or perceive any event from a unique perspective (just like when police take witness statements--they are all different and provide a fuller picture of an event).

I have not found the scholar's opinion on the name change you are referring to. There are cases, as in Numbers 36, where a family name might change due to marriage laws, but there is no clear indication of the reason for the change you cited. It's not necessarily a contradiction.

As for Noah and the animals, all of the animals went in two-across (as opposed to 7 across). This wasn't a matter of the numbers of animals but of how they were boarded.

Answer 4

Matthew 27:46 does not say that those were Jesus' last words.

There is a series of "sayings from the Cross" that have been harmonized perfectly well, if you want to look them up.

The accounts from Luke and from John are from two different perspectives by two different groups of people. Did you ever hear one story told by a husband and a wife? They both will give the same account differently. Although the accounts do not match, neither do they contradict.

Triplets? Sad, sad sarcasm; and such a lack of faith!

As for the "discrepancy" in the names of Jospeh's father, why could the one not be his given name, and the other his family name? Or one a given name and the other a 'nick-name?'

As for Noah, the command was for 7 "clean" animals and 2 of the "unclean."

Really, this is petty.
Matthew 22:29
But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.

By contrast, the Gospel accounts of Jesus offer various historically verifiable evidences of their accuracy. The record is filled, for example, with historical persons, among them the Herodian kings of the time, Pontius Pilate, Tiberius and Augustus, Philip Tetrarch of Iturea. Detailed information can be verified for Judea, Galilee, Samaria, Syria, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Jerusalem (cf. Luke 1:26; 2:4; 3:1), as can times (Matt. 14:1–7; Luke 2:1–2; 3:1–2). The disciples of Jesus who wrote of him were real historical persons.

Answer 5

My, aren't you the cleaver one -- you discovered something that no one else has noticed for the last 2000 years. I suppose that we are all going to abandon our faith now that you stated the obvious with such an air of discovery.

Notice that Matthew, Mark & Luke all quote each other word for word in some places, so obviously they used each other as sources. If there are differences between the books, then common sense suggests that they did this on purpose, and there must be a literary or theological reason as to why. Common sense also suggests that most Bible study courses and Sunday School classes also discuss these differences and have common explanations that all Christians already know.

The most common explanation for Joseph being listed as the son of Heli in Luke is that Joseph is actually the son-in-law of Heli (Luke is tracing Mary's lineage, but in a male dominated society, Luke would have listed Joseph's name instead of Mary since Joseph was the head of household).

I could answer your other questions, but you could just as easily look up the answer yourself as I could, and I am tired of answering the exact same questions over and over again from jokers who are too uneducated to know how to use goggle, or the search function here on Y!A.

Answer 6

Imagine this. Take Aesops fables, Machiavelli's Prince, Encyclopedia Britanica 'G', an oral tale from a shaman in Surinam scribed by a christian missionary, and say 250 high school senior essays on Plato's republic, for good measure throw in Gray's Anatomy.

Now make it the charter of the US congress to take these various works and turn them into a comprehensive history of the world...give them more than 1800 years (for the new testament, 2200 for the old) to do it before most people can even read the various manifestations.

Provide them the ulitimate editing lattitude, including ditching (and burning) the 100 worst essays, and rewriting the other 150. Have them throw in some completely new and novel text while they are at it...don't hold back. Ask them to translate the dynamic creation into other languages, and for the first 1500 years, all copies they make must be handwritten.

Now back them with infallibility, the inability for any decision to be a mistake.

Then, just to cap it off, call it 'the word of God' ... that'll get em. And threaten them with eternal damnation in a firey place if they don't believe...better yet, burn em yourselves!!!!!!!!

Yes, there are some inconsistencies. The bible should not even be labeled a 'book'. An ancient, crafted, manipulated, edited, piece of propaganda, yes...a book, no.

Gimme a break, it is the 21st century, can't we move on please. Must my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandchildren also endure this ridiculous debate. Has anyone bothered to notice that the principle 'character' in this 'book' doesn't use scripture to teach and prescribe and guide and threaten...why do you?

Answer 7

They are easily explained. I will just explain the first.

Three different writers wrote three different accounts and none of them are contradictory.

Mat 27:46 ( "My God, my God" ) does not state that these were Jesus' final words.
John 19:30 ("It is finished") then says "and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost". John does not say Jesus did NOT say anything else, he simply gave an order to the events.
Luke 23:46 says Jesus cried with a loud voice and then said, "Father, into Thy hands..." "and having said thus, he gave up the ghost."

Order? "my God, my God". Then later just before he died "it is finished" (the loud voice of Luke 23:46). Then "Father, into Thy hands".

no contradiction.

the other two examples are easy to explain, too but I haven't the time. read your bible!! use some of the bible study aids available on the internet!

god bless

Answer 8

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 9

There are none, and the Bible is written in many parables which many do not understand. You must look at the hebrew and greek text too when trying to understand certain terms- And the gospels are all the same even though not worded exact, but these men who wrote them all were carried by the Holy Spirit, and some have more info than others of course....but each gospel holds the same truth and the same story of Jesus, because it is what happened. We get so much out of the gospels, and the Lord teaches us in each of them what we need to hear. And with Noah, there were clean and unclean animals. You need to not skip over scripture--this makes perfect sense-
Genesis 7:2
2 Take with you seven [a] of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate,

Answer 10

Think of the books of Matthew Luke John as three guys seeing the same event just describing it a different way. If you and I saw the same car accident we would both describe the same thing just with different details and in different words and in different ways--but yet the same account.

The two geneologies are different because one is Marys one is Josephs. Also Jaccob is Joseph's biological father and Eli was his father by marriage.

Lastly, the number contradictions are simple: take 7 clean animals for sacrifice as well as preservation. but take only 2 to carry on.