Does the Bible contradict itself?

by exwhyzee 35 Replies latest jw experiences

exwhyzee

Our old JW Friend who is about to shun us says,there's nothing in the Bible that contradicts itself?
Can anyone think of certain scriptures that could prove otherwise?
cantleave

Are you baptised? Are you still calling yourself a brother or sister? If you are not baptised, DF'd or DA'd then 1 Corinthians 5 v 11 doesn't apply as it specifically applies to those calling themselves "Brothers".
11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.
Also are you practicing any of the "sins" in the above scripture? If not, again it doesn't apply.
cantleave

The same logic applies to Romans 16:17.
cantleave

In fact they have a responsibility to try and restore you as stated in Galations 6:1
EntirelyPossible

Uh, yeah. The gospels, how many people God killed because David took a census, whether or not punishment for sins will be passed on to children, whether or not someone has seen God, etc.
iarts

1 John 4:8 'god is love'
versus
the Hebrew scriptures
bohm

what he mean is properly: "I can find some guy who can come up with an interpretation which explain away the contradiction". Judas death is a good example of a contradiction, but you cant win against that sentiment.
Finkelstein

Does the Bible contradict itself ?

1.Who incited David to count the fighting men of Israel?
(a) God did (2 Samuel 24: 1)
(b) Satan did (I Chronicles 2 1:1)
2.In that count how many fighting men were found in Israel?
(a) Eight hundred thousand (2 Samuel 24:9)
(b) One million, one hundred thousand (IChronicles 21:5)
3. How many fighting men were found in Judah?
(a) Five hundred thousand (2 Samuel 24:9)
(b) Four hundred and seventy thousand (I Chronicles 21:5)
4.God sent his prophet to threaten David with how many years of famine?
(a) Seven (2 Samuel 24:13)
(b) Three (I Chronicles 21:12)
5.How old was Ahaziah when he began to rule over Jerusalem?
(a) Twenty-two (2 Kings 8:26)
(b) Forty-two (2 Chronicles 22:2)
6.How old was Jehoiachin when he became king of Jerusalem?
(a) Eighteen (2 Kings 24:8)
(b) Eight (2 Chronicles 36:9)
7.How long did he rule over Jerusalem?
(a) Three months (2 Kings 24:8)
(b) Three months and ten days (2 Chronicles 36:9)
8.The chief of the mighty men of David lifted up his spear and killed how many men at one time?
(a) Eight hundred (2 Samuel 23:8)
(b) Three hundred (I Chronicles 11: 11)
9.When did David bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem? Before defeating the Philistines or after?
(a) After (2 Samuel 5 and 6)
(b) Before (I Chronicles 13 and 14)
10.How many pairs of clean animals did God tell Noah to take into the Ark?
(a) Two (Genesis 6:19, 20)
(b) Seven (Genesis 7:2). But despite this last instruction only two pairs went into the ark (Genesis 7:8-9)
11.When David defeated the King of Zobah, how many horsemen did he capture?
(a) One thousand and seven hundred (2 Samuel 8:4)
(b) Seven thousand (I Chronicles 18:4)
12.How many stalls for horses did Solomon have?
(a) Forty thousand (I Kings 4:26)
(b) Four thousand (2 chronicles 9:25)
13.In what year of King Asa's reign did Baasha, King of Israel die?
(a) Twenty-sixth year (I Kings 15:33 - 16:8)
(b) Still alive in the thirty-sixth year (2 Chronicles 16:1)
14.How many overseers did Solomon appoint for the work of building the temple?
(a) Three thousand six hundred (2 Chronicles 2:2)
(b) Three thousand three hundred (I Kings 5:16)
15.Solomon built a facility containing how many baths?
(a) Two thousand (1 Kings 7:26)
(b) Over three thousand (2 Chronicles 4:5)
16.Of the Israelites who were freed from the Babylonian captivity, how many were the children of
Pahrath-Moab?
(a) Two thousand eight hundred and twelve (Ezra 2:6)
(b) Two thousand eight hundred and eighteen (Nehemiah 7:11)
17.How many were the children of Zattu?
(a) Nine hundred and forty-five (Ezra 2:8)
(b) Eight hundred and forty-five (Nehemiah 7:13)
18.How many were the children of Azgad?
(a) One thousand two hundred and twenty-two (Ezra 2:12)
(b) Two thousand three hundred and twenty-two (Nehemiah 7:17)
19.How many were the children of Adin?
(a) Four hundred and fifty-four (Ezra 2:15)
(b) Six hundred and fifty-five (Nehemiah 7:20)
20.How many were the children of Hashum?
(a) Two hundred and twenty-three (Ezra 2:19)
(b) Three hundred and twenty-eight (Nehemiah 7:22)
21.How many were the children of Bethel and Ai?
(a) Two hundred and twenty-three (Ezra 2:28)
(b) One hundred and twenty-three (Nehemiah 7:32)
22.Ezra 2:64 and Nehemiah 7:66 agree that the total number of the whole assembly was 42,360. Yet the
numbers do not add up to anything close. The totals obtained from each book is as follows:
(a) 29,818 (Ezra)
(b) 31,089 (Nehemiah)
23.How many singers accompanied the assembly?
(a) Two hundred (Ezra 2:65)
(b) Two hundred and forty-five (Nehemiah 7:67)
24.What was the name of King Abijah's mother?
(a) Michaiah, daughter of Uriel of Gibeah (2 Chronicles 13:2)
(b) Maachah, daughter of Absalom (2 Chronicles 11:20) But Absalom had only one daughter whose name
was Tamar (2 Samuel 14:27)
25.Did Joshua and the Israelites capture Jerusalem?
(a) Yes (Joshua 10:23, 40)
(b) No (Joshua 15:63)
26.Who was the father of Joseph, husband of Mary?
(a) Jacob (Matthew 1:16)
(b) Hell (Luke 3:23)
27.Jesus descended from which son of David?
(a) Solomon (Matthew 1:6)
(b) Nathan (Luke3: 31)
28.Who was the father of Shealtiel?
(a) Jechoniah (Matthew 1:12)
(b) Neri' (Luke 3:27)
29.Which son of Zerubbabel was an ancestor of Jesus Christ?
(a) Abiud (Matthew 1: 13)
(b) Rhesa (Luke 3:27) but the seven sons of Zerubbabel are as follows: i. Meshullam, ii. Hananiah, iii.
Hashubah, iv. Ohel, v. Berechiah, vi. Hasadiah, viii. Jushabhesed (I Chronicles 3:19, 20). The names
Abiud and Rhesa do not fit in anyway.
30.Who was the father of Uzziah?
(a) Joram (Matthew 1:8)
(b) Amaziah (2 Chronicles 26:1)
31.Who as the father of Jechoniah?
(a) Josiah (Matthew 1:11)
(b) Jeholakim (I Chronicles 3:16)
32.How many generations were there from the Babylonian exile until Christ?
(a) Matthew says fourteen (Matthew 1:17)
(b) But a careful count of the generations reveals only thirteen (see Matthew 1: 12-16)
33.Who was the father of Shelah?
(a) Cainan (Luke 3:35-36)
(b) Arphaxad (Genesis II: 12)
34.Was John the Baptist Elijah who was to come?
(a) Yes (Matthew II: 14, 17:10-13)
(b) No (John 1:19-21)
35.Would Jesus inherit David's throne?
(a) Yes. So said the angel (Luke 1:32)
(b) No, since he is a descendant of Jehoiakim (see Matthew 1: I 1, I Chronicles 3:16). And Jehoiakim was
cursed by God so that none of his descendants can sit upon David's throne (Jeremiah 36:30)
36.Jesus rode into Jerusalem on how many animals?
(a) One - a colt (Mark 11:7; cf Luke 19:3 5). "And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their
garments on it; and he sat upon it."
(b) Two - a colt and an *** (Matthew 21:7). "They brought the *** and the colt and put their garments
on them and he sat thereon."
37.How did Simon Peter find out that Jesus was the Christ?
(a) By a revelation from heaven (Matthew 16:17)
(b) His brother Andrew told him (John 1:41)
38.Where did Jesus first meet Simon Peter and Andrew?
(a) By the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:18-22)
(b) On the banks of river Jordan (John 1:42). After that, Jesus decided to go to Galilee (John 1:43)
39.When Jesus met Jairus was Jairus' daughter already dead?
(a) Yes. Matthew 9:18 quotes him as saying, "My daughter has just died."
(b) No. Mark 5:23 quotes him as saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death."
40.Did Jesus allow his disciples to keep a staff on their journey?
(a) Yes (Mark6: 8)
(b) No (Matthew 10:9; Luke 9:3)
41.Did Herod think that Jesus was John the Baptist?
(a) Yes (Matthew 14:2; Mark 6:16)
(b) No (Luke 9:9)
42.Did John the Baptist recognize Jesus before his baptism?
(a) Yes (Matthew 3:13-14)
(b) No (John 1:32,33)
43.Did John the Baptist recognize Jesus after his baptism?
(a) Yes (John 1:32, 33)
(b) No (Matthew 11:2)
44.According to the Gospel of John, what did Jesus say about bearing his own witness?
(a) "If I bear witness to myself, my testimony is not true" (John 5:3 1)
(b) "Even if I do bear witness to myself, my testimony is true" (John 8:14)
45.When Jesus entered Jerusalem did he cleanse the temple that same day?
(a) Yes (Matthew 21:12)
(b) No. He went into the temple and looked around, but since it was very late he did nothing. Instead, he
went to Bethany to spend the night and returned the next morning to cleanse the temple (Mark I 1:1-
17).
46.The Gospels say that Jesus cursed a fig tree. Did the tree wither at once?
(a) Yes. (Matthew 21:19)
(b) No. It withered overnight (Mark II: 20)
47.Did Judas kiss Jesus?
(a) Yes (Matthew 26:48-50)
(b) No. Judas could not get close enough to Jesus to kiss him (John 18:3-12)
48.What did Jesus say about Peter's denial?
(a) "The cock will not crow till you have denied me three times" (John 13:38).
(b) "Before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times" (Mark 14:30). When the cock crowed
once, the three denials were not yet complete (see Mark 14:72). Therefore prediction (a) failed.
49.Did Jesus bear his own cross?
(a) Yes (John 19:17)
(b) No (Matthew 27:31-32)
50.Did Jesus die before the curtain of the temple was torn?
(a) Yes (Matthew27: 50-5 1;MarklS: 37-38)
(b) No. After the curtain was torn, then Jesus crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into thy hands I
commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last (Luke 23:45-46)
51.Did Jesus say anything secretly?
(a) No. "I have said nothing secretly" (John 18:20)
(b) Yes. "He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained
everything" (Mark 4:34). The disciples asked him "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He said, "To
you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given"
(Matthew 13: 1 0-11)
52.Where was Jesus at the sixth hour on the day of the crucifixion?
(a) On the cross (Mark 15:23)
(b) In Pilate's court (John 19:14)
53.The gospels say that two thieves were crucified along with Jesus. Did both thieves mock Jesus?
(a) Yes (Mark 15:32)
(b) No. One of them mocked Jesus, the other defended Jesus (Luke 23:43)
54.Did Jesus ascend to Paradise the same day of the crucifixion?
(a) Yes. He said to the thief who defended him, "Today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43)
(b) No. He said to Mary Magdelene two days later, "I have not yet ascended to the Father" (John 20:17)
55.When Paul was on the road to Damascus he saw a light and heard a voice. Did those who were with
him hear the voice?
(a) Yes (Acts9: 7)
(b) No (Acts22: 9)
56.When Paul saw the light he fell to the ground. Did his traveling companions also fall to the ground?
(a) Yes (Acts 26:14)
(b) No (Acts 9:7)
57.Did the voice spell out on the spot what Paul's duties were to be?
(a) Yes (Acts 26:16-18)
(b) No. The voice commanded Paul to go into the city of Damascus and there he will be told what he
must do. (Acts9: 7; 22: 10)
58.When the Israelites dwelt in Shittin they committed adultery with the daughters of Moab. God struck
them with a plague. How many people died in that plague?
(a) Twenty-four thousand (Numbers 25:1 and 9)
(b) Twenty-three thousand (I Corinthians 10:8)
59.How many members of the house of Jacob came to Egypt?
(a) Seventy souls (Genesis 4&27)
(b) Seventy-five souls (Acts 7:14)
60.What did Judas do with the blood money he received for betraying Jesus?
(a) He bought a field (Acts 1: 18)
(b) He threw all of it into the temple and went away. The priests could not put the blood money into the
temple treasury, so they used it to buy a field to bury strangers (Matthew 27:5)
61.How did Judas die?
(a) After he threw the money into the temple he went away and hanged himself (Matthew 27:5)
(b) After he bought the field with the price of his evil deed he fell headlong and burst open in the middle
and all his bowels gushed out (Acts 1:18)
62.Why is the field called "Field of Blood"?
(a) Because the priests bought it with the blood money (Matthew 27:8)
(b) Because of the bloody death of Judas therein (Acts 1:19)
63.Who is a ransom for whom?
(a) "The Son of Man came...to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). "Christ Jesus who gave
himself as a ransom for all... "(I Timothy 2:5-6)
(b) "The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, and the faithless for the upright" (Proverbs 21:18)
64.Is the Law of Moses useful?
(a) Yes. "All scripture is... profitable..." (2 Timothy 3:16)
(b) No. " . . . A former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness... "(Hebrews
7:18)
65.What was the exact wording on the cross?
(a) "This is Jesus the King of the Jews" (Matthew 27:37)
(b) "The King of the Jews" (Mark 15:26)
(c) "This is the King of the Jews" (Luke 23:38)
(d) "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" (John 19:19)
66.Did Herod want to kill John the Baptist?
(a) Yes (Matthew 14:5)
(b) No. It was Herodias, the wife of Herod who wanted to kill him. But Herod knew that he was a
righteous man and kept him safe (Mark 6:20)
67.Who was the tenth disciple of Jesus in the list of twelve?
(a) Thaddaeus (Matthew 10: 1-4; Mark 3:13 -19)
(b) Judas son of James is the corresponding name in Luke's gospel (Luke 6:12-16)
68.Jesus saw a man sit at the tax collector's office and called him to be his disciple. What was his name?
(a) Matthew (Matthew 9:9)
(b) Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27)
69.Was Jesus crucified on the daytime before the Passover meal or the daytime after?
(a) After (Mark 14:12-17)
(b) Before. Before the feast of the Passover (John 1) Judas went out at night (John 13:30). The other
disciples thought he was going out to buy supplies to prepare for the Passover meal (John 13:29). When
Jesus was arrested, the Jews did not enter Pilate's judgment hail because they wanted to stay clean to
eat the Passover (John 18:28). When the judgment was pronounced against Jesus, it was about the sixth
hour on the day of Preparation for the Passover (John 19:14)
70.Did Jesus pray to The Father to prevent the crucifixion?
(a) Yes. (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42)
(b) No. (John 12:27)
71.In the gospels which say that Jesus prayed to avoid the cross, how many times did 'he move away
from his disciples to pray?
(a) Three (Matthew 26:36-46 and Mark 14:32-42)
(b) One. No opening is left for another two times. (Luke 22:39-46)
72.Matthew and Mark agree that Jesus went away and prayed three times. What were the words of the
second prayer?
(a) Mark does not give the words but he says that the words were the same as the first prayer (Mark
14:3 9)
(b) Matthew gives us the words, and we can see that they are not the same as in the first (Matthew
26:42)
73.What did the centurion say when Jesus dies?
(a) "Certainly this man was innocent" (Luke 23:47)
(b) "Truly this man was the Son of God" (Mark 15:39)
74.When Jesus said "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me? " in what language did he speak?
(a) Hebrew: the words are "Eloi, Eloi…"(Matthew 27:46)
(b) Aramaic: the words are "Eloi, Eloi... "(Mark 15:34)
75.According to the gospels, what were the last words of Jesus before he died?
(a) "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" (Luke 23:46)
(b) "It is finished" (John 19:30).
76.When Jesus entered Capernaum he healed the slave of a centurion. Did the centurion come personally
to request Jesus for this?
(a) Yes (Matthew 8:5)
(b) No. He sent some elders of the Jews and his friends (Luke 7:3,6)
77. (a) Adam was told that if and when he eats the forbidden fruit he would die the same day (Genesis
2:17)
(b) Adam ate the fruit and went on to live to a ripe old age of 930 years (Genesis 5:5)
78. (a) God decided that the life span of humans will be limited to 120 years (Genesis 6:3)
(b) Many people born after that lived longer than 120. Arpachshad lived 438 years. His son Shelah lived
433 years. His son Eber lived 464 years, etc. (Genesis 11:12-16)
79.Apart from Jesus did anyone else ascend to heaven?
(a) No (John 3:13)
(b) Yes. "And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Kings 2:11)
80.Who was high priest when David went into the house of God and ate the consecrated bread?
(a) Abiathar (Mark 2:26)
(b) Ahimelech, the father of Abiathar (I Samuel 1:1; 22:20)
81.Was Jesus' body wrapped in spices before burial in accordance with Jewish burial customs?
(a) Yes and his female disciples witnessed his burial (John 19:39-40)
(b) No. Jesus was simply wrapped in a linen shroud. Then the women bought and prepared spices "so
that they may go and anoint him [Jesus)" (Mark 16: 1)
82.When did the women buy the spices?
(a) After "the Sabbath was past" (Mark 16:1)
(b) Before the Sabbath. The women "prepared spices and ointments." Then, "on the Sabbath they rested
according to the commandment" (Luke 23:55 to 24:1)
83.At what time of day did the women visit the tomb?
(a) "Toward the dawn" (Matthew 28: 1)
(b) "When the sun had risen" (Mark 16:2)
84.What was the purpose for which the women went to the tomb?
(a) To anoint Jesus' body with spices (Mark 16: 1; Luke 23:55 to 24: 1)
(b) To see the tomb. Nothing about spices here (Matthew 28: 1)
(c) For no specified reason. In this gospel the wrapping with spices had been done before the Sabbath
(John 20: 1)
85.A large stone was placed at the entrance of the tomb. Where was the stone when the women arrived?
(a) They saw that the stone was "Rolled back" (Mark 16:4) They found the stone "rolled away from the
tomb" (Luke 24:2) They saw that "the stone had been taken away from the tomb" (John 20:1)
(b) As the women approached, an angel descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and conversed
with the women. Matthew made the women witness the spectacular rolling away of the stone (Matthew
28:1-6)
86.Did anyone tell the women what happened to Jesus' body?
(a) Yes. "A young man in a white robe" (Mark 16:5). "Two men ... in dazzling apparel" later described as
angels (Luke 24:4 and 24:23). An angel - the one who rolled back the stone (Matthew 16:2). In each
case the women were told that Jesus had risen from the dead (Matthew 28:7; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:5
footnote)
(b) No. Mary met no one and returned saying, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not
know where they have laid him" (John 20:2)
87.When did Mary Magdelene first meet the resurrected Jesus? And how did she react?
(a) Mary and the other women met Jesus on their way back from their first and only visit to the tomb.
They took hold of his feet and worshipped him (Matthew 28:9)
(b) On her second visit to the tomb Mary met Jesus just outside the tomb. When she saw Jesus she did
not recognize him. She mistook him for the gardener. She still thinks that Jesus' body is laid to rest
somewhere and she demands to know where. But when Jesus said her name she at once recognized him
and called him "Teacher." Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me..." (John 20:11 to 17)
88.What was Jesus' instruction for his disciples?
(a) "Tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me" (Matthew 2 8: 10)
(b) "Go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and
your God" (John 20:17)
89.When did the disciples return to Galilee?
(a) Immediately, because when they saw Jesus in Galilee "some doubted" (Matthew 28:17). This period
of uncertainty should not persist
(b) After at least 40 days. That evening the disciples were still in Jerusalem (Luke 24:3 3). Jesus
appeared to them there and told them, stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high"
(Luke 24:49). He was appearing to them "during forty days" (Acts 1:3), and "charged them not to depart
from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise ... "(Acts 1:4)
90.To whom did the Midianites sell Joseph?
(a) "To the Ishmaelites" (Genesis 37:28)
(b) "To Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh" (Genesis 37:36)
91.Who brought Joseph to Egypt?
(a) The Ishmaelites bought Joseph and then "took Joseph to Egypt" (Genesis 37:28)
(b) "The Midianites had sold him in Egypt" (Genesis 37:36)
(c) Joseph said to his brothers "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt" (Genesis 45:4)
92.Does God change his mind?
(a) Yes. "The word of the Lord came to Samuel: "I repent that I have made Saul King..." (I Samuel 15:10
to 11)
(b) No. God "will not lie or repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent" (I Samuel 15:29)
(c) Yes. "And the Lord repented that he had made Saul King over Israel" (I Samuel 15:35). Notice that
the above three quotes are all from the same chapter of the same book! In addition, the Bible shows that
God repented on several other occasions:
i. "The Lord was sorry that he made man" (Genesis 6:6)
"I am sorry that I have made them" (Genesis 6:7)
ii. "And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people" (Exodus 32:14).
iii. (Lots of other such references).
93.The Bible says that for each miracle Moses and Aaron demonstrated the magicians did the same by
their secret arts. Then comes the following feat:
(a) Moses and Aaron converted all the available water into blood (Exodus 7:20-21)
(b) The magicians did the same (Exodus 7:22). This is impossible, since there would have been no water
left to convert into blood.
94.Who killed Goliath?
(a) David (I Samuel 17:23, 50)
(b) Elhanan (2 Samuel 21:19)
95.Who killed Saul?
(a) "Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.... Thus Saul died... (I Samuel 31:4-6)
(b) An Amalekite slew him (2 Samuel 1:1- 16)
96.Does every man sin?
(a) Yes. "There is no man who does not sin" (I Kings 8:46; see also 2 Chronicles 6:36; Proverbs 20:9;
Ecclesiastes 7:20; and I John 1:810)
(b) No. True Christians cannot possibly sin, because they are the children of God. "Every one who
believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. (I John 5:1). "We should be called children of God; and
so we are" (I John 3: 1). "He who loves is born of God" (I John 4:7). "No one born of God commits sin;
for God's nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God" (I John 3:9). But, then
again, Yes! "If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (I John 1:8)
97.Who will bear whose burden?
(a) "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2)
(b) "Each man will have to bear his own load" (Galatians 6:5)
98.How many disciples did Jesus appear to after his resurrection?
(a) Twelve (I Corinthians 15:5)
(b) Eleven (Matthew 27:3-5 and Acts 1:9-26, see also Matthew 28:16; Mark 16:14 footnote; Luke 24:9;
Luke 24:3 3)
99.Where was Jesus three days after his baptism?
(a) After his baptism, "the spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the
wilderness forty days ... (Mark 1:12-13)
(b) Next day after the baptism, Jesus selected two disciples. Second day: Jesus went to Galilee - two
more disciples. Third day: Jesus was at a wedding feast in Cana in Galilee (see John 1:35; 1:43; 2:1-11)
100.Was baby Jesus' life threatened in Jerusalem?
(a) Yes, so Joseph fled with him to Egypt and stayed there until Herod died (Matthew 2:13 23)
(b) No. The family fled nowhere. They calmly presented the child at the Jerusalem temple according to
the Jewish customs and returned to Galilee (Luke 2:21-40)
101.When Jesus walked on water how did the disciples respond?
(a) They worshipped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God" (Matthew 14:33)
(b) "They were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were
hardened" (Mark 6:51-52)
Leolaia

The Bible doesn't present one single belief system or theological perspective; its an anthology of different books written at different times under different historical and social circumstances. Much like the Norton Anthology of American Literature. What is that book's teaching on the issue of individualism when you scan through the book's essays and short stories that touch on that issue?
4 - Individualism
a) The Norton Anthology of American Literature teaches that individualism is a fundamental American right above all others.
b) The Norton Anthology of American Literature teaches that individualism must be kept in balance with the needs of society as a whole.
c) The Norton Anthology of American Literature teaches that individualism is egotistical and without moral grounding.
d) The Norton Anthology of American Literature is confused.
One could choose (d) but it isn't that the anthology is confused; its that it is heterogeneous. Same goes for the Bible on any "contradiction".
This was posted recently in a Huffington Post blog. This is how Bible scholars actually approach the Bible:

The Hebrew Bible is not a book. It was not produced by a single author in one time and place. It is a small library of books composed and edited over nearly a millennium by people responding to a wide range of issues and historical circumstances. Because it is not a book (the name "Bible" derives from the plural Greek form ta biblia, meaning "the books") it does not have a uniform style or message.

From narrative texts to legal texts, from cultic instruction to erotic love poetry, this library contains works of diverse genres each of which sounds its own distinctive note in the symphony of reflection that we call the Bible. As is true of any collection of books by different authors in different centuries, the books in this collection contradict one another. Indeed, they sometimes contradict themselves because multiple strands of tradition were woven together in the creation of some of the books. The compiler of Genesis placed, side by side, two creation stories that differ dramatically in vocabulary, literary style and detail (who is created first -- humans or animals?). A few chapters later, two flood stories are interwoven into a single story despite their many contradictions and tensions (does Noah really take the animals on board two by two?). Proverbs extols wisdom, but Ecclesiastes scoffs at its folly and urges existential pleasure. Deuteronomy harps on God's retributive justice, but Job arrives at the bittersweet conclusion that despite the lack of divine justice (in this world or any other), we are not excused from the thankless and perhaps ultimately meaningless task of moral living. That such dissonant voices were preserved in the canon of the Bible, their tensions and contradictions unresolved, says something important about the conception of canon in antiquity. Ancient readers viewed this anthology as a collection of culturally significant writings worthy of preservation without the expectation or requirement that they agree with one another. Just as an attempt to impose harmony and consistency on the short stories collected in the Norton Anthology of English Literature would do great violence to those stories, any attempt to impose harmony and consistency on the diverse books collected in the Bible -- to extract a single message or truth -- does great violence to those books.
I believe Narkissos in this forum has distilled this matter to its essence in this comment:

Does your library contradict itself?

It certainly does and is expected to.

However this is a rather odd question to ask about a library.

Does the Bible contradict itself? It only seems a valid question to ask about the Bible (ta biblia, plural) because of the usual religious presuppositions about this collection of texts. Once those suppositions are dropped there is nothing surprising or wrong in the "contradictions".
There's nothing wrong with the Bible being an anthology of different works expressing different points of view. "Contradiction" is too judgmental a word and is borne out of a misplaced concept of unity of scripture. I feel that the Bible's diversity should be embraced and celebrated. It makes it a certainly richer book. The presupposition of inerrancy privileges harmonistic interpretations (aimed at resolving problematic "contradictions") over readings that deal with what a given text says in context and imho this results in an artificiality that is not present in the text itself. Such an approach would miss out on inner-biblical criticism and exegesis (that is, reinterpretation and disagreement within the Bible itself) and thus sets aside that "richness".
Here is what Narkissos also notes about that harmonistic interpretation:
One effect of this harmonising perspective on Biblical intertextuality is the creation of a paratext which then screens out the texts themselves. You cannot harmonise text A with text B without generating a (strictly unscriptural) paratext C which then remains in your mind as "what 'the Bible' actually says". Then you cannot read either A or B without superimposing C on them. (An easy example of that is the scenario gathered from Matthew's and Luke's alternative and complete Nativity stories, neither of which is read anymore for its own sake: what stays in mind is Luke's Nazareth + census + journey + manger + shepherds + Matthew's Magi + Egypt). As a result, you find that most unscholarly "Bible apologists" vs. "Bible critics" debates focus on a commonly admitted paratext (what "the Bible" supposedly "says") rather than on any particular text.
I know you were looking for just examples exwhyzee, but I hope this gets more to the issues involved in how one looks at the Bible.
Terry

I like to use the following example.
Babe Ruth Baseball cards value
A 1914 Babe Ruth rookie baseball card - just the tenth card of its kind to be discovered - which sold at auction in April. for about $270,000. The card was produced by the Baltimore Sun Newspaper. The second most valuable baseball card behind only the 1909 M206 Honus Wagner tobacco card (which recently sold at auction for $2.35 million).

There are a large variety of baseball cards made for Babe Ruth. From the 1916 Sporting News M101 to the modern day Topps baseball cards that sell as low as a dollar. Not to mention the many reprints. prices will vary. Graded cards will sell at a significant price higher.

Most noted Babe Ruth cards include 1916 Sporting News M101 graded Near Mint 7 by PSA, sold for an $82,250. and the Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey baseball card #53 sold for $38,187.50 graded. Most Babe Ruth cards with high value are from the 1930's gum cards sets. A Ruth 1933 Goudey baseball
From the early 1900's until recently bubble gum companies included Baseball cards with their product. For a penny you got both gum and the vital statistics of your favorite baseball hero. Sometimes newspaper companies would also manufacture such cards. Newspaper sold for a nickel. Tobacco companies included baseball cards as a boost for sales to baseball fans.
Today, those cards are worth thousands of dollars.
Unless you are a person who understands how collector's attribute value to such things it may well seem crazy.
1.The Bubble Gum company never decided to create something eventually valued at $1000. It was never a thought to consider.
2.The majority of baseball card collectors simply loved baseball and liked collecting them.
3.The cost of 1 penny reflected the mindset of the times.
Now using the above as an analogy I want to talk about the individual writings that make up the assembled tome we refer to as THE BIBLE.
1.The persons who created writing (which ended up as part of this bible) never gave a second's thought to their work as HOLY WRITING.
2.The people who read these writings would not have thought the actual manuscript itself would be worth preserving. Maybe worth copying or paraphrasing and passing on. But, beyond that? Nada.
3.The EVENTUAL value placed on these various works gradually took on a change of attitude by readers.
4.At a certain point in time--out of the thousands and thousands of such writings--certain ones acquired a real following of appreciators.
5.Like the baseball cards a gradual increase in status reached a Tipping Point. The copied works themselves were looked upon as so valuable they achieved a "cult" status of HOLY.
Since these various writings were not available to the same people at the same time (oral traditions being the means of communicating among the masses) there was no way to maintain any sense of CONSISTENCY as a whole.
We could say that a legend has grown up surrounding the Bible. It is like an original Babe Ruth baseball card.
The Legend attached to the bible is more serious than any legends about Babe Ruth pointing to where he'd deliver his home run.
For one thing, the folk legend tells us that ALL the bible writers were specially galvanized by holy spirit as they were writing!
Seondly, the legend implies that when you are reading the words in the bible you are virtually reading God's thoughts.
Finally, the legend insists there is a story being told harmonious with factual Truth.
What we can be certain of is that the very fact NOT ONE SINGLE ORIGINAL autograph manuscript was preserved, conserved, venerated or held even by the church itself as a holy relic....proves there was no SENSE of holiness for a long long time.
Is there a difference between a copy of the original 1909 M206 Honus Wagner tobacco card and the ACTUAL card that sold for 2.35 million?
YES!
Now, we all know why because we're not stupid.
Since all we have remaining of those bible writings are copies which themselves were also copies (which again were copies of copies) and so on-----can't we ask a similar analagous question?
We PROJECT value ONTO things. It is strictly an emotional consideration.
The bible is only as valuable as your BELIEF goes deeper and deeper into the LEGEND.
Otherwise, it is about as valuable as a photo copy of an old baseball card.
Do not expect such an assemly of copied word of mouth stories to be internally consistent or even true factually.
It is a product of ancient times and cannot meet the standards of life or death vital information.
If you want to project "holiness" on to it---go ahead. But, understand you are like the person who projected a value of 2.35 million dollars onto an old, tiny, fading piece of cardboard with baseball statistics on it!!
Stop and think!

Does the Bible contradict itself?

Does the Bible contradict itself ?

Babe Ruth Baseball cards value

Share this