The Crucifixion and Resurrection Mess or just how contradictory can we make an account of the same events?

Question

Of all the contradictions and inconsistencies in the Bible, few make more of a mess of things than the four accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection as given in the four gospels.
Here we have a single narrative, told by four different authors, that is so contradictory that I've never seen an explanation of it. It will be interesting to see the fundamentalists untangle this mess. For the sake of brevity, we'll just pick up the story on that first Easter Sunday:
When the sun was coming up (MT 28:1) while it was still dark (JN 20:1), Mary Magdalene (JN 20:1) or Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (MT 28:1) or "the women" [note the plural] (LK 24:1) went to the tomb. There was an earthquake, and an angel came down and rolled the stone away (MT. 28:2) from the entrance of the tomb and sat on it, even though it had apparently already been rolled away when Mary Magdalene had got there (JN 20:1, MK 16:4, LK 24:2).

The reason for the visit was to anoint the body with spices (MK 16:1, LK 24:1) or just to look at the tomb (MT 28:1), take your pick.
When she or they, take your pick, arrived, she/they witnessed the earthquake and angel coming down from heaven (MT. 28:1), or they walked into the tomb to discover a young man dressed in white sitting on the right (MK 16:5) or two men in bright shining clothes (LK 24:4), take your pick.
At this point, John says that Mary had run back to fetch Peter and another disciple. The other gospel writers make no mention of Mary taking leave of the tomb to go back and get any of the men at this point.
If/when she/they returned, the angel (MK 15:6) or the angels (LK 24:5) is/are quoted by the gospel writers as having said one of three things. Either "He is not here, he is raised, just as he said." (MT 28:6) or "He is not here, he has been raised." (MK 15:6, LK 24:6) or "Woman, why are you crying?" (JN 20:13).

So the woman or women ran from the tomb to tell the disciples (MT 28:8) or they left, too terrified to say anything to anyone (MK 16:8), take your pick.
Mary Magdalene saw Jesus appear to her and decided he'd been resurrected (JN 20:14-18). Or the women, having left the tomb and thinking things over, were sure that Jesus' body had been stolen, so they tried to bribe the soldiers guarding the tomb to tell them where the body had been taken (MT 28:11-15).
I'm sorry, but at this point, the stories diverge so completely, it is not possible to correlate them any further. But that's OK, because by now, you get the point. There are just too many glaring inconsistencies here, most of which are mutually exclusive without some really implausible apologetics. So much so that it’s ludicrous to claim that the four accounts are all true. As you've seen, they can't possibly be.

If you want to get a real sense of the inconsistencies in the narrative of the four gospels, start with the trial of Jesus, and compare the accounts in the gospels side by side, reading the account of each incident in the narrative in each gospel before going on to the next incident in the narrative. It will quickly become obvious just how inconsistent the Bible really is.
As you do this, you'll come to realize just how imperfect this supposedly perfect document has to be. And as such, the reasonableness of one of the basic claims of the fundamentalist Christians, that of the inerrancy of the Bible, will evaporate like the dew on a summer morning.

Try to UNDERSTAND the underlying message. If the Gospel writers were all GOD INSPIRED as you claim, the Bible is GOD's Word, as you claim, then, have you heard of this Notion, "Failure Is Not An Option" ? Have you? That's the way it has to be, "Inconsistency Is Not An Option" if the Bible is Indeed God's Word !

Answer 1

1. Billy Graham" from America, Josh McDowell effuses in his book "THE RESURRECTION FACTOR", saying, "I WAS FORCED TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST IS EITHER ONE OF THE MOST WICKED, HEARTLESS, VICIOUS, HOAXES EVER FOISTED UPON THE MINDS OF MEN, OR IT IS THE MOST FANTASTIC FACT OF HISTORY.

Do Jews, Christians or Muslims massage dead bodies after 3 days?
It was Sunday morning, the FIRST day of the week, according to Hebrew calculations, with Saturday the Sabbath as the seventh, when Mary Magdalene alone (Mark 16:9 and John 20:1) visited the tomb of Jesus.
The question arises: "Why did she go there?" "TO ANOINT HIM", Mark 16:1 tells us. The Hebrew word for anoint is "masaha", which means to rub, to massage, to anoint. The second question is: "Do Jews massage dead bodies after 3 days?" The answer is "No!" "Do the Christians massage dead bodies after 3 days?" The answer is again, "No!" Do the Muslims (who are the nearest to the Jews in their ceremonial laws) massage dead bodies after 3 days? And the answer is again, "No!" Then why should a Jewess want to massage a dead, decaying body after 3 days? We know that within 3 hours rigor mortis sets in — the stiffening of the body after death. In 3 days time, the body would be fermenting from within — the body cells would be breaking up and decomposing. If anyone rubs such a decaying body, it will fall to pieces. Does the rubbing make sense? No! Mary Magdalene testifies that Jesus is ALIVE NOT CRUCIFIED. The disciples from Emma us testify that he is ALIVE NOT CRUCIFIED. It means Jesus pbuh was alive neither killed nor crucified. There was else who crucified.

Who was crucified when Jesus pbuh disguise himself supposing himself to be gardener?
"Woman, why wee pest thou? Whom seekest thou? — (HOLY BIBLE) John 20:15
"She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him". (Still John 20:15)
In the Book of Hebrews 9:27. It says: ". . . It is ordained unto all men ONCE to die, and after that the judgement." "For I am not yet ASCENDED unto my Father." (HOLY BIBLE) John 20:17 "And they (the disciples), when they heard that he was ALIVE, and had been seen by her (Mary Magdalene),they BELIEVED NOT."
(HOLY BIBLE) Mark 16:11"And it came to pass, as he sat EATING with them, he took bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to them"
(HOLY BIBLE) Luke 24:30
"And they went and told it unto the residue (of the disciples), NEITHER BELEIVED they them" (HOLY BIBLE) Mark 16:13

Jesus pbuh said “for a spirit has no flesh and bones”. Did it means Jesus pbuh never crucified?
"But they were terrified and affrighted and supposed that they had seen a spirit." (HOLY BIBLE) Luke 24:37
". . . THEY ALL FORSOOK HIM AND FLED." 2 (HOLY BIBLE) Mark 14:50
"Behold (have a look at) my hands and my feet, that it is I myself (I am the same fellow, man!): handle me and see; for A SPIRIT has no flesh and bones, as you see me have. . . And he showed them his hands and his feet." (HOLY BIBLE) Luke 24:39-40
"And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and feet." (HOLY BIBLE) Luke 24:40 Angels said that Jesus was ALIVE! (NOT CRUCIFIED)(Luke 24:23). Two men that stood by told the women "why seek ye the living among the dead?" That he is ALIVE! (NOT CRUCIFIED) (Luke 24:4-5). . Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing." (HOLY BIBLE) John 20:27 NOT CRUCIFIED.


Can spirits eat and drink? Is crucifixion a merely a myth? Is it crufiction?
he asks: "Have you here any meat', i.e. anything to eat? "And they gave him a piece of broiled fish and of a honeycomb, and he took it, and DID EAT before them." (HOLY BIBLE) Luke 24:41-43
"IF CHRIST HAD ONLY EATEN TO SHOW THAT HE COULD EAT, WHILE HE REALLY HAD NO NEED OF NOURISHMENT, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A PRETENCE — SOMETHING DOCETIC"



". . . An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign (miracle), and there shall no sign (miracle) be given to it, but the sign (miracle) of the prophet, Jonah." (HOLY BIBLE) Matthew 12:39

Answer 2

The gospels were based on the accounts of human beings who participated in the events. If the witness was literate It is likely that the accounts were written down shortly after they transpired. Non-literate witnesses would testify from memory. If I asked ten people to watch an event, and immediately interviewed each one separately about that event, I would end up with ten accounts that would vary somewhat in the details that were reported. Nonetheless someone reading those reports would recognize that they were describing the same event despite the fact that the exact times, numbers of people, and other details reported varied. What you read in the gospels are just such accounts, and the fact that there is some variance is actually proof of their genuineness. If someone had just made up the whole story and not based it on real events everything would match up perfectly, because it was completely artificial. Do not forget that the Holy Spirit guided the evangelists in their efforts, and that everything they wrote was intended by God to reach our minds and instruct us.

Answer 3

You need to first understand something:

History is not science!!!
Did you know that the most recent scrolls we(people of earth) have telling of the history of Alexander the Great are more than 300 years after his death, and still historians use it as accurate historical documentation. The fact that multiple accounts telling of the same exact event, but having differing minute details happen, only further proves the validity of the Gospel books.

Read, A CASE FOR FAITH, by Lee Strobel. He was a writer for a Chicago newspaper and actually investigated the whole story of Christianity. Really great book.

I think it'll answer a lot of your questions.

I hope that helps!

Answer 4

Hmmm....you mean the four all too human Christian writers had to agree on everything before they reported it? Like the media does not?

I guess you don't appreciate how the message was written back then. That a man's account meant more at that time. That writing was not mass produced and instantly made world wide. That was a slow process back then.

I guess what happened back then and the way people reported things is beyond our modern day comprehension to understand.

Answer 5

King Constantine really made a mess at the council at nicea in 324 AD, with his click of scribes who put fourth the message they wanted the Bible to read not what Jesuse actually came to teach. Though there is still much truth in the Bible so much is left to fend for ones spiritual life. For the original new Testament before king Constantine changed it. (it was easy to do back then because only the higher ups in the church and government had copies and women couldn't read. The original followers of Jesus hid a copy in a Buddhist temple (knowing Constantine wouldn't look there) Jeusus (Yesuah) was an Essene (they are an ancient Jewish sect and he followed those teachings) google gospelofthenazirenes.com The truth will set you free. Not hanging the innocent son of God on a cross for eternity for sins.Believing in Jesus means following his teachings. He takes someones past sins (when one accepts him) then they are expected to "Go and sin no more." Man said he died for our sins. Jesus didn't even die one the cross. He was in a mystic trance which great yogies can do by letting all teh life go out of their bodies appearing dead. In the cave he came out and went on preaching in other lands.

Answer 6

I would have been more surprised if every account was word for word the same. That would indicate a plan to make it so.

If you had ever been in law enforcement (as I am), you would know that if you have ten eye witnesses to a crime, you will get ten different testimonies as to what happened. That is human nature. The main point that needs to be remembered is the eventual outcome.

Answer 7

Haha! You're going to give them a brain aneurysm. They don't read the Gospels well. I used to be a Christian. These inconsistences are what happen when you make stuff up 20-50 years after the actual events (whatever they were) really happened. It's like when Paris Hylton and Nicole Richie try to make up a story...stupid people, stupid inconsistent story.

Answer 8

Thanks. I really enjoyed that.

Some christians say their bible is the perfect word of god, until someone points out some of the glaring contraditions, errors, inconsistencies, etc.

Answer 9

how odd,

back in my christian days, the "Layman's Parallel Bible was the BEE'S KNEES and people DID see this but we were told that when we were mature enough we could understand the real meaning of what seemed to be contradictions

yeah, I matured....and left

Answer 10

It's very simple to explain. In times of extreme grief, people see all sorts of strange things, often what they want to see, or whatever they need to try to make sense out of things.

Because of the grief, we cannot take any of these eyewitness accounts to be trustworthy.