ARE THERE CONTRADICTIONS IN THE GOSPELS? To resolve supposed contradictions in the Bible, let’s consider how the four Gospels record the words that Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, ordered to be placed above Jesus’ head at His crucifixion. Matthew 27:37 reads, “This is Jesus the king of the Jews.” Mark 15:26 says, “the king of the Jews.” Luke 23:38 reads, “This is the king of the Jews.” John 19:19 states, “Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews.” At first glance it might appear none of the authors copied the words on the sign properly. But, when we read each account, we find every one adds a bit more information to the rest. From John we find that Pilate composed the message. From Luke we have additional information as to why these words are different: The inscription was originally written in three languages, Greek, Latin and Hebrew (Luke 23:38). So the variation of the wordings logically would have to do with the three languages used as well as the different point of view of each biographer, stressing slightly different aspects of Christ’s life and ministry. Adding up the wording of the different accounts, we see that the complete message recorded by the signs was “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews.” None of the Gospel accounts contradicts the others; they complement each other to provide increased understanding. A helpful tool for studying Christ’s life and ministry is A.T. Robertson’s A HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS, which provides all four Gospel accounts side by side in chronological order. Other seeming contradictions in the Bible are related to times and dates. One example of this is that Israel used both a civil and a sacred calendar. The civil year began in the autumn with the month of Tishri, while the sacred year began in the spring with the month of Nisan or Abib. When two writers seem to disagree regarding the timing of a particular event, the seeming discrepancy can be clarified by ascertaining which of the two calendars they are using. In another matter of timing, John 19:14 seems to disagree with Matthew 27:45. John described events that occurred before the crucifixion and says that they took place at about the “sixth hour.” Matthew agrees with Mark 15:33 and Luke 23:44 when he says darkness covered the land after the crucifixion from the sixth to the ninth hours. Is there a real discrepancy between these accounts? No! The answer lies in the fact that the Jewish state was then under Roman control and John used the Roman reckoning of time, which began at midnight. The “sixth hour” in John’s reckoning was 6:00 in the morning. However, the Jewish method of timekeeping started from that time of the morning, counting it as the first hour of the day. So the sixth hour of the day according to Jewish reckoning was noon. The crucifixion occurred between the sixth and ninth hours of the day—Jewish time. Thus, the four Gospel accounts do not contradict; instead they complement each other. Knowledge is power, Muslims don’t believe everything your apologists or Mullahs tell you, question everything and research everything, your Imam or Christians will not stand by your side on judgement day when you’re questioned about the wrong path you chose after have been fooled by other men, Muhammad or your Imam.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 16:00:00 +0000
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