The "Inerrancy" of the Bible - (1).
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Hi there everyone. Just wondered if you Bible believers
out there would just like to glance through these.......
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God creates animals and then man - Gen 1:25-26
God creates man and then the animals - Gen 2:18-19
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Arpachshad's son was Shelah - Gen 11:12
Arpachshad's grandson was Shelah - Luke 3:35-36
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Noah takes 7 pairs of each type of animal onto the ark
- Gen 7:2-3
Noah takes one pair of animal onto the ark - Gen 6:19
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Terah's lifespan.
Acts 7:4 states Terah was dead when Abraham left Haran.
According to Gen 11:26, Terah was 70 when Abraham was
born and Abraham was 75 when he left Haran. Therefore
he lived 70 years (ie. his age when Abraham was born)
plus 75 years (Abraham's age when he left Haran -
Terah was dead at this time according to Acts 7:4) -
145 years in total. However, Gen 11:32 states he lived
205 years.
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God promises Abraham the land of Canaan to live in -
Gen 17:8
God did not allow Abraham to live in the promised land
- Acts 7:5, Heb 11:8,9,13
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Jacob's offspring in Egypt totalled 70 - Gen 46:26-27,
Ex 1:5
Jacob's offspring in Egypt totalled 75 - Acts 7:14
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Jacob was buried in a cave in Machpelah's field that
was bought from Ephron the Hittite - Gen 50:13
Jacob was buried in a tomb at Shechem bought from the
sons of Hamor - Acts 7:15-16
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The Hebrews dwelt in Egypt for 430 years - Ex 2:40
The Hebrews dwelt in Egypt for 400 years - Acts 7:6
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God's plague kills 23,000 - Num 25:9
God's plague kills 24,000 - 1 Cor 10:8
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The Hebrews' journeying - Mount Hor (where Aaron dies),
Zalmonah, Punon - Num 33:37,38,41,42
The Hebrews' journeying - Beeroth Benejaakan, Moserah
(where Aaron dies), Gudgodah, Jotbathah - Deut 10:6,7
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God forbids killing - Ex 20:13
God commands killing - Ex 32:27
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Solomon's reign.
Acts 13:16-22 numbers the years from when the Hebrews
left Egypt to David beginning his reign as 40
(Wilderness) + 450 (Judges) + 40 (Saul) = 530 years.
According to 1 Chron 29:27, David reigned 40 years, so
Solomon became king (when David died) 530 + 40 years
(of David's reign) = 570 years. However, 1 Kings 6:1
states Solomon's 4th year of rule (when he began the
Temple building) was 480 years after the Hebrews left
Egypt, ie. he began his rule 476 years after the
Hebrews left. In sum, there is a contradiction of 94
years.
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Saul inquired of God, but God did not answer him - 1
Sam 28:6
Saul died because he did not seek guidance from God - 1
Chron 10:13,14
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Jesse had seven children - 1 Sam 16:10-13
Jesse had eight children - 1 Chron 2:13-15
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David slays Goliath - 1 Sam 17:4,7,50
Elhanan slays Goliath - 2 Sam 21:19
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Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, Amaziah
his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son - 1 Chron
3:11,12
Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of
Jotham - Matt 1:8,9
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Asa removes the high places - places - 2 Chron 14:2
Asa did not remove the high places - 1 Kings 15:11-14
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Uzzah dies at the threshing-floor of Nacon - 2 Samuel
6:6
Uzzah dies at the threshing-floor of Chidon - 1 Chron
13:9
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David takes 1700 horsemen - 2 Sam 8:4
David takes 7000 horsemen - 1 Chron 18:4
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David destroys 700 chariots - 2 Sam 10:18
David destroys 7000 chariots - 1 Chron 19:18
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Satan incites David to number the people - 1 Chron 21:1
God incites David to number the people - 2 Sam 24:1
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Joab's numbering of the army. 1,100,00 soldiers in
Israel; 470,000 soldiers in Judah - 1 Chron 21:5
Joab's numbering of the army. 800,000 soldiers in
Israel; 500,000 in Judah - 2 Sam 24:9
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David buys the land for the altar from Ornan for 600
shekels of gold - 1 Chron 21:24-25
David buys the land for the altar from Araunah for 50
shekels - 2 Sam 24:24
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Solomon had 4,000 stalls and 12,000 horsemen - 2 Chron
9:25
Solomon had 40,000 stalls and 12,000 horsemen - 1 Kings
4:26
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The Temple pillars were 18 cubits - 1 Kings 7:15
The Temple pillars were 35 cubits - 2 Chron 3:15
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The molten sea held 2000 baths - 1 Kings 7:23,26
The molten sea held 3000 baths - 2 Chron 4:2,5
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The importance of wisdom - Proverbs 4:7
The unimportance of wisdom - 1 Cor 1:19
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The joy of wisdom - Proverbs 3:13-15
The misery of wisdom - Ecc 1:18
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How the righteous suffer like the wicked - Ecc 9:2,
Isaiah 57:1
How the righteous flourish - Psalm 92:12-13
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No ills befall the righteous - Proverbs 12:21
How the righteous suffer - Job 12:4,6, Hebrews 11:35-37
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The wicked will die prematurely and will suffer -
Psalm 55:23, Proverbs 10:27, Job 18:5,11,18,19
The wicked lifespan is long and they enjoy life - Psalm
73:3-5,12, Job 21:7-9
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Man is to be holy - Leviticus 11:44, 19:2, 20:7
Only God is holy - Revelation 15:4
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Drinking alcohol is acceptable - Deuteronomy 14:26,
John 2:7-11, 1 Timothy 5:23
Drinking alcohol is not acceptable - Proverbs 20:1,
23:31-34, Hosea 20:1
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Jehoiachin was 8 years old when he began his reign - 2
Chron 36:9
Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he began his reign - 2
Kings 24:8
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The captain takes 5 men of the king's council - 2 Kings
25:19
The captain takes 7 men of the king's council -
Jeremiah 52:25
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Baasha dies and his son Ela begins his reign over
Israel - this was in the 26th year of king Asa of Judah
- 1 Kings 16:6,8
In the 36th year of Asa's reign, Baasha attacks Judah 2
Chron 16:1
NB. 2 Chron has Baasha still fighting 10 years after 1
Kings says he died!
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The infancy narratives.
According to Luke 2:21-39, Jesus is taken to the
Jerusalem Temple eight days after he is born; the
family then go up to Nazareth. In Matthew 2:14-23,
after being born the family flee in Egypt and stay
there until Herod dies; even on returning, they avoid
Judea and go up to Nazareth.
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Jesus began ministry after John the Baptist is
imprisoned - Mark 1:14,15,17.
Jesus's began ministry whilst John was free and before
imprisoned - John 1:28-29, 3:25-30
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Jesus baptised - John 3:22
Jesus did not baptise - John 4:2
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The exorcism of Legion - being 2 men - Matt 8:28
The exorcism of Legion - being 1 man - Mark 5:1,2
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The healing on leaving Jericho was 1 blind man - Mark
10:46,47
The healing on leaving Jericho was 2 blind men - Matt
20:29,30
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No one has ascended into heaven before Jesus - John
3:13
Elijah ascended into heaven - 2 Kings 2:11
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Respect for parents taught - Exodus 20:12, Leviticus
19:3, Deuteronomy 5:16, Ephesians 6:1-2
Disrespect and rejection of parents taught - Matt 8:21-
22, 10:37, 19:29, 23:9, Luke 12:51,53, 14:26
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People choose not to come to Jesus - John 5:40
People can only come to Jesus if God wills it - John
6:44
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Jesus judges - John 5:22,27, 9:39, 2 Corinthians 5:10
Jesus does not judge - John 8:15, 12:47
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Christians to hate their brothers - - Luke 14:26
Whoever hates their brother cannot have eternal life -
1 John 3:15
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Jesus refuses to give signs - Matthew 12:38,39, Mark
8:12, Luke 11:29
Jesus did give signs - John 3:2, 20:30, Acts 2:22
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Man judged/saved by faith - John 3:15,16,36, 5:24,
20:31, Acts 2:21, 16:30,31, Rom 1:17, 5:1,9,11,18,
10:9, Gal 2:16, Phil 3:9, Eph 2:8,9
Man judged/saved by works and lifestyle - Psalm 62:12,
Proverbs 24:12, Matthew 7:21, 16:27, 19:16,17, 25:31-
46, Luke 14;13-14, John 5:29, Acts 10:35, Rom
2:6,7,9,10, 1 Cor 3:8
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One of the disciples was lost - John 17:12
None of the disciple were lost - John 18:9
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Jesus refers to David eating the consecrated bread in
the time of Abithar - Mark 2:25,26
In fact David ate the consecrated bread in the time of
Ahimelech - 1 Sam 21:1-6
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Disciples being sent out not to wear sandals - Matthew
10:9,10
Disciples being sent out to wear sandals - Mark 6:8,9
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No man can retain the spirit after death - Eccles 8:8
Peter restores spirit of Tabitha after death - Acts
9:37,40
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Believers not to worry about providing for family -
Luke 14:26,33, 18:29,30
Believers must provide for family - 1 Timothy 5:8
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Jesus did not bear witness to himself - John 5:31
Jesus did bear witness to himself - John 8:14,18
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The law/commandments to remain for ever - Matthew 5:17-
19, Luke 16:17
The law has ended - Romans 7:4, Eph 2:15, Col 2:14
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Simon and Andrew's home was in Capernaum - Mark 1:21,29
Simon and Andrew's home was in the same place as
Philip's - Bethsaida - John 1:44
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God has given all things into Jesus' hands - John 3:35
God has not given all things into Jesus' hands - Matt
20:23, John 5:19
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Everyone sins - 2 Chronicles 6:36, Ecclesiastes 7:20,
Rom 3:10,12,23
Believers do not sin - 1 John 3:6,9, 5:18
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The anointing and entry into Jerusalem.
Matthew and Mark detail how Jesus rode into Jerusalem
in Matt 20:1-13, Mark 11:1-11. It was after this that
he was anointed at Bethany - Matt 26:6-16, Mark 14:3-
11. But in John he is anointed (12:1-8) and it is
after this that he rides into Jerusalem (12:12-15).
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The Last Supper.
The Synoptics make it clear this was the Passover meal
- Matt 26:19, Mark 14:16, Luke 22:13. However in John,
the meal was held on the day before the Passover -
13:29, and after the meal the Passover had still not
begun - 18:28, and after the trial, it was the day
("Preparation") for the Passover. The Passover was on
the day after Jesus was crucified (ie. because the
Passover fell on the Saturday sabbath, it is therefore
called a 'high day') - John 19:31.
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Peter denies Jesus before the cock crows - Luke 22:34,
John 12:38
Peter denies Jesus before the cock crows twice - Mark
14:30, 14:72
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Peter is warned he will deny Jesus after the last
supper and having left the upper room - Matt 26:20-34,
Mark 14:17-30
Peter is warned he will deny Jesus during the last
supper before leaving the upper room - Luke 22:33-39,
John 13:37-38/ 18:1
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Jesus' trial before the sanhedrin was at night and in
morning he was taken to Pilate - Matthew 26:57-68,
27:1-2
Jesus' trial before the sanhedrin and being taken to
Pilate was in the morning - Luke 22:66-71, 23:1
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Simon of Cyrene carries Jesus' cross - Matthew 27:32
Jesus carries his cross - John 19:17,18
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Jesus was physically descended from David - Romans 1:1-
3.
The genealogy in Matt 1:1-16 only relates to Joseph
who had nothing to do with the conception. The
genealogy in Luke 3:23-38 again only mentions Joseph
and therefore physical Davidic descent must be shown
through Mary - Jesus' only contact with humanity if
virgin born. However, Luke 1:36 says Mary was related
to Elizabeth who was of the Aaronic line (Luke 1:5) and
therefore not the Davidic line, so with virgin birth,
Davidic descent, a strict prerequisite for messiahship
is prevented. In sum, Jesus couldn't be the Christ.
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Both robbers revile Jesus - Matt 27:44
Only one robber reviles Jesus and the other believes -
Luke 23:41-43
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Jesus tells the believing robber he will be with him in
paradise that day - Luke 23:43
Jesus was in the grave following his death and did not
ascend to heaven - Acts 2:24,31, John 20:17
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God forsakes Jesus - Mark 15:34
Jesus is inseparable from God - John 10:30, 14:10,
16:32
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The confirmation Jesus is dead.
In Mark 15:43-45, Joseph of Arimathea asks Pilate for
Jesus' body, and Pilate is unaware of whether he is
dead; only after sending a centurion and receiving this
confirmation does he allow Joseph to take the body.
However in John 19:31-33,38, Pilate actually
authorises the leg-breaking to ensure they have all
died and then authorises Joseph to remove the body.
NB. Mark 15:42 states it was evening, ie. the sabbath
had already begun (the Jewish 'day' beginning at 6pm),
when Joseph asks for the body. However, burial was not
allowed on this day, showing the fictitiousness of the
story.
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The Resurrection.
Who went to the tomb ? Matthew-2 Marys; Mark-2 Marys
and Salome; Luke-at least 5 women; John-Mary Magdalene,
What was seen ? Matthew-Earthquake with angel sitting
outside on the recently-moved stone; Mark-Stone already
moved and a young man sitting inside; Luke-Stone
already moved with two men standing inside; John-Stone
moved. No one seen on 1st visit, but two angels sitting
inside after two earlier visits.
When did the woman/women leave to go to the tomb ?
Matthew-Towards dawn; Mark-Very early; Luke-At early
dawn; John-Still dark (NB. John states it was still
dark when Mary arrived at the tomb).
What did man/men/angel/angels say ? Matthew-Jesus was
risen and disciples to go to Galilee; Mark-As Matthew;
Luke-Jesus had risen: John-Asks why Mary is crying.
What do the women/woman do next ? Matthew-they run
away but meet Jesus who repeats angel's instruction;
Mark-They flee and SAY NOTHING TO ANYONE. This
obviously contradicts the other three in which the
women do go and tell the disciples (original Mark ended
at 16:7); Luke-They go and tell disciples; John-Mary
meets Jesus and they talk.
What is 1st conversation with the risen Jesus ?
Matthew-Women on way from tomb; Luke-The two disciples
on road to Emmaus; John-Mary Magdalene.
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The time between the resurrection and ascension ?
Matthew-At least the time to reach Galilee (60-70 miles
north); Luke-clearly one day only (see 24:13,33,36,50 -
it is made very clear that Jesus rose, made all his
appearances and ascended back to heaven on the same
day); John-at least a week accepting John 20 as the
original end to the Gospel, but with the John 21
appendix this means it was even longer as this has a
Galilean appearance; Acts-40 days.
An attempt to reconcile John's visit of just Mary
Magdalene whilst still dark with the Synoptics where
there are several women and it is daytime, is by saying
John's was an earlier one, ie. the one in the Synoptics
was a second one. However this cannot be so as John
has Mary Magdalene seeing the empty tomb (20:1) and in
the Synoptics when the women go to the tomb they ask
about who would roll the stone away (Mark 16:3).
However Mary Magdalene was with them (Mark 16:1) and
she had already seen that the stone had been moved away
and therefore they would already know this from her 1st
visit.
Furthermore, Luke makes any appearance at, or journey
to Galilee absolutely impossible as it has everything
happening in the area of Jerusalem with the disciples
being told to stay there until Pentecost, and the
conclusion being Jesus' ascension from nearby Bethany.
This is made clear - in Luke the first appearance is to
the two travelling to Emmaus (10 miles West of
Jerusalem) and 24:13 states this was "that very day";
the two then go "that same hour" to the eleven in
Jerusalem (24:33); Jesus then appears whilst they are
still explaning what they had seen (24:36). Jesus then
tells them to STAY IN JERUSALEM UNTIL PENTECOST
(24:49).
As Luke 24:51 has the ascension on the same day as the
resurrection this prevents any Galilean appearances by
Jesus to the eleven as in Matt and John.
Luke's account makes nonsense of Matt having Jesus tell
the women to instruct the disciples to go up to Galilee
(Matt 28:10) if he was going to see them himself later
that day (as in Luke and John), and furthermore see
them in Jerusalem. Also, Luke makes it clear that the
eleven were told to stay in Jerusalem from the day of
the resurrection to Pentecost, but Matt has them
travelling up to Galilee (28:16) as does John (21:1ff).
Important to note is Mark 16:7, ie. that the women
'said nothing to anyone' - all three Gospels contradict
this by them telling the disciples which then leads
into their accounts. Because of Mark 16:7, this is
really made impossible.
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Luke also has Jesus appearing to "the eleven" on the
same day as the resurrection (24:33-36), but John
states Thomas was missing on this appearance and it was
a week later that Jesus actually appeared to all eleven
- with Thomas then being present (20:24,26).
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The chronology of Paul's life.
Acts
(1)Paul converted on the way to Damascus (9:1-8).
(2)He goes to Ananias in Damascus and stays there
'several days' (9:20).
(3)After 'some time'*, Paul goes to Jerusalem
(9:23,26) and meets the apostles there (9:27).
(4)Paul preaches in Jerusalem, but due to threats to
kill him, he is sent to Tarsus (9:30).
(5)Relief to Jerusalem and Judea taken by Paul &
Barnabas (2nd visit) (11:30)
(6)Paul goes to Jerusalem (3rd time) (12:25)**
(7)Paul goes to Jerusalem (3rd or 4th time)
(15:1ff).(vii)
Galatians.
(1)Paul is converted (1:16).
(2)He does not go to Jerusalem, but to Arabia and then
Damascus (1:17)
(3)After 3 years, Paul goes to Jerusalem, meeting only
Cephas and James there (1:18-19) staying only 15 days.
(4)He then goes to the regions of Syria and Cilicia
(1:21).
(5)14 years later, Paul goes to Jerusalem with Barnabas
and Titus (2:1).
(6)Paul confronts Cephas at Antioch (2:11).
(7)No further information.
* The 'some time' in Acts 9:19 is not clear as to how
long this was; different translations render this 'some
time passed' (Jerusalem), 'after a number of days'
(Moffatt); the literal Greek is "'many' with the view
of being sufficient"; however it is rendered, it is
difficult to reconcile this with the three years of Gal
1:18.
** It is not clear whether 12:25 is a return to
Jerusalem, or a return to Antioch from Jerusalem; if
the former, and the Acts 15 visit is the Gal 2:1-10
one, then in Acts it would be the fourth visit, whilst
Paul states it was only the second.
Paul's method of counting in Gal. is not absolutely
clear, ie. whether his 14 years in Gal 2:1 is 14 years
after his starting point in Gal (ie. his conversion) or
14 years after the first Jerusalem visit 3 years after
his conversion which he had mentioned immediately
beforehand (ie. a total of 17 years after his
conversion).
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Numerous others problems arise when trying to reconcile
the two accounts, eg. Acts has Paul in Jerusalem and
Judea in his early life (21:17 then 22:3) and as a
persecutor of the church there (7:58, 9:1-2,13,21,
26:10) which makes Paul's comment that (Gal 1:22) he
was not known by sight by the churches in Judea even
after his time in Jerusalem, Syria and Cilicia (1:17-
21) appear impossible. Furthermore when Paul has a
dispute with Peter at Antioch about Gentile fellowship
in Gal 2, why does he not remind him of what was agreed
at the Acts 15 conference on this very subject ?
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Abraham was justified by faith - Rom 4:1-5
Abraham was justified by works - James 2:22-24
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Man does not die for his ancestors' sin - Deut 24:16, 2
Kings 14:6, Ezek 18:20
Man does die for his ancestors' sin - Ex 20:5, 34:6-7,
2 Sam 12:13-18, Isa 14:21, Rom 5:12,19, 1 Cor 15:22
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Elijah and Moses appear many centuries after they died
- Mark 9:2-4
Only God is immortal - 1 Tim 6:15-16
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Jesus to be buried for three days and nights - Matt
12:40
Jesus buried for one day and two nights - Mark
15:42,43, John 20:1 (These texts show the burial did
not take place until Friday night and the tomb was
empty before Sunday morning). Jesus is NOT dead for
"three days and three nights" whether present-day or
Jewish time-reckoning is used.
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Jesus was the first person to rise from the dead -
Acts 26:23, Rev 1:5
Jesus was not the first person to rise from the dead -
2 Kings 4:32,35, Luke 7:12-15, Matt 9:18,25, 11:5,
27:52, John 11:44
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The Holy Spirit given on Easter Sunday - John 20:19,22
The Holy Spirit given at Pentecost - Acts 2:1-4
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Jesus warns disciples he is to leave them - John
16:5,7,28
Jesus assures disciples he will always be with them -
Matt 28:20
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The Holy Spirit not given until Jesus' death - John
7:39
The Holy Spirit given before Jesus' birth - Luke
1:41,67
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Judas dies by hanging himself - Matt 27:5-7
Judas dies by swelling up - Acts 1:18
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Women buy anointing spices for Jesus after the sabbath
- Mark 16:1
Women buy anointing spices for Jesus before the
sabbath - Luke 23:56
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Paul's vision.
Acts 9:7 states the men with Paul STOOD speechless,
HEARING the voice but NOT SEEING anyone.
Acts 22:9 states they did NOT HEAR the voice.
Acts 26:14 states they all FELL to the ground and DID
HEAR the voice.
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God is impartial towards people - Acts 10:34, Rom 2:11,
Gal 2:8, Eph 6:9
God is partial towards people - Rom 8:29-30, 9:11-13,
Matt 10:5-6, 15:22-25, Luke 1:30
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Those without the law, will perish without it - Rom
2:12
Where there is no law, there can be no transgression -
Rom 4:15
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Salvation only available to a few who have been chosen
- Matt 7:14, 22:14, Luke 12:32, 13:24, John 6:37,65,
15:16,19, Rom 8:29, 9:11-23, Eph 1:4,
Salvation available to those who want it - Matt 7:7,8,
11:28, John 3:16, 5:40, 7:37, Acts 2:21, Rev 3:20
NB. Prov 16:4 states God actually made the unsaved for
'the day of trouble' (ie. damnation). In contrast to
texts that state Jesus died for the elect/a small
number, there are others that confirm, or at least
suggest everyone will be saved by Christ - John 1:29,
4:42, 1 Cor 15:29, Heb 2:9, 1 John 4:14.
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Satan is free to act as he pleases - Job 1:6-7, 2:1-2,
Zech 3;1, Matt 4:1, 1 Pet 5:8
The angels who rebelled against God are chained up -
Jude 6
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James and John ask Jesus for special places in the
kingdom - Mark 10:35-37
It is the mother of James and John who asks Jesus for
special places for them - Matt 20:21-22
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No one born of God sins - 1 John 3:9
Everyone sins - Rom 3:23, 1 John 1:8
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No one is righteous - Rom 3:10
There are righteous - James 5:16
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The sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is
unforgiveable - Matt 12:32, Mark 3:29
God forgives all sins - 1 John 1:7
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Love your enemies - Matt 5:44
Refuse to greet your enemies - 2 John 10, enemies are
cursed by Paul - Gal 1:9, Paul asks that his enemies
mutilate themselves - Gal 5:12
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Those who go into the grave will never arise - Job
7:7,9, 14:10,12
Those who go into the grave will arise - John 5:28-29,
11:24, 1 Cor 15:12-18,20-23,52, Rev 20:4
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The dead are unconscious - Job 14:12, Ecc 9:5, Dan 12:2
The dead are conscious - Mark 9:4, Luke 16:22-23, Rev
6:9-10
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The earth will exist for ever - Ecc 1:4
The earth will be destroyed - 2 Pet 3:10
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No one has ever seen God - Ex 33:17,20, John 1:18, 1
Tim 6:15-16,
People have seen God - Gen 32:30, Ex 24:9-10, 33:11,21-
23, Isa 6:5, Deut 5:24, Amos 9:1
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God is not responsible for confusion - 1 Cor 14:33
God is responsible for confusion - Isa 45:7
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All will swear to God - Isa 45:22-23
Jesus forbids swearing - Matt 5:34
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God can do anything - Mark 10:27, Luke 1:37
God is limited in what he can do - Judges 1:19, Mark
6:5-6
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God wants everyone to be saved - 1 Tim 2:3-4, 2 Pet 3:9
God does not want everyone to be saved - Prov 16:4,
Mark 4:11-12, Rom 9:18, 2 Thess 2:11
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The returnees from Babylonian exile in 537/536 BCE.
42,360 in Ezra 2:64. 29,818 in Ezra 2:3-60. 31,089 in
Nehemiah 7:7-65.
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God is not angry for long - Psa 30:5, 103:9, Micah 7:18
God is angry for a long time - Num 32:13, Rev 14:11,
20:10
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God never lies and hates lying - Ex 23:1, Num 23:19,
Prov 12:22, Titus 1:2
God himself lies - 1 Kings 22:23, 2 Chron 18:22, 2
Thess 2:11
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God does not repent (ie. regret an action/change his
mind) - Num 23:19, 1 Sam 15:29, Mal 3:6
God does repent (ie. regret an action/change his mind)
- Gen 6:6-7, Ex 32:14, 1 Sam 15:35, 2 Sam 24:16, 1
Chron 21:15, Jer 18:8,10, 26:3,13,19, 42:10, Ezek
24:14, Joel 2:13, Amos 7:3, Jonah 3:10
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The earth has no foundation - Job 26:7
The earth does have foundations - 1 Sam 2:8, Psa 104:5
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God feeds and cares for all life - Psa 145:15-16
God does not feed and care for all life - Deut 28:48,
Isa 5:13, 8:21, 50:2
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God is warlike - Ex 15:3, Psa 24:8, Rev 19:11,13
Man should be peaceful - as God is - Matt 5:9, John
14:27, Rom 15:33, 2 Thess 3:16
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Graven images not to be made - Ex 20:4
Graven images are to be made - Ex 25:18
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The earth is God/Jesus' - Psa 24:1, 1 Cor 10:26, Rev
1:5
The earth is the devil's - John 12:31, 2 Cor 4:4
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God dwells in light - Psa 104:1,2, 1 Tim 6:15-16, 1
John 1:5
God dwells in darkness - 1 Kings 8:12, 2 Chron 6:1, Psa
18:11, Psa 97:1-2
-------------------------------------------------------
Jesus is God - John 1:1, John 20:288
Jesus is inferior/subordinate to God - John 14:28, 1
Cor 11:3, 15:28
-------------------------------------------------------
The Synoptics have Jesus clearing the Temple at the end
of his ministry (Mark 11:15-17 & par) but John has this
at the very beginning (2:13-16). Also, John has Jesus
travelling back and forth between Galilee and Jerusalem
but the synoptics have him starting in Galilee & making
the one journey south to Jerusalem ending in his death.
-------------------------------------------------------
God is gracious, loving, merciful, good, forgiving, and
perfect - Ex 34:6, Deut 32:4, 2 Sam 22:31, Psa 86:5,
100:5, 106:1, 111:4,7, 136:1, 145:8-9, Lam 3:33, Joel
2:13, Hab 1:12-13, Mark 10:18, 1 John 4:8,16
God slaughters, is vengeful, does evil, defiles,
destroys and creates woes - Ex 32:14, Num 31:1-18, Deut
2:30,34, 7:2,16, 20:10-20, 1 Sam 6:19, Job 42:11, Isa
45:7, Jer 18:5,8,11, 26:3,13,19, 42:10-11, Lam 3:38,
Ezek 6:12-13, 20:25-26, Amos 3:16, Nahum 1:2, Jonah
3:10
-------------------------------------------------------
God sees everything and is omnipresent - Psa 11:4, Prov
15:3, Job 34:21, Jer 16:17, 23:24, Heb 4:13
God does not see everything and is not omnipresent -
Gen 3:9-10, 11:5, 18:20-21, Ex 3:8, 19:11, 18,20, Micah
1:3
-------------------------------------------------------
God did not dwell in the house (Temple) Solomon built -
Acts 7:48
God did dwell in the house (Temple) that Solomon built
- 1 Kings 8:13
-------------------------------------------------------
God is always near - Psa 46:1, 145:14, 18-19, James 4:8
God is not always near - 1 Sam 28:6, Psa 10:1, 22:1,2,
Matt 27:46
-------------------------------------------------------
God creates all life out of the waters - Gen 1:20-21
God creates all life out of the earth - Gen 2:19
-------------------------------------------------------
The doers of the law will be justified - Rom 2:13
No one is justified by the law - Rom 3:20
-------------------------------------------------------
Disciples will be persecuted and martyred - Luke
21:16, Acts 7:59-60, 8:1, Rev 6:9
Disciples will not be harmed - Luke 21:18
-------------------------------------------------------
Christians to obey authorities - Rom 13;1, 1 Pet 2:13-
14
Christians to obey God rather than authorities - Acts
5:29
-------------------------------------------------------
Disciples given power to cure all ills - Matt 10:1,
Luke 9:1
Disciples could not cure all ills - Matt 17:18-20
-------------------------------------------------------
Centurion goes to Jesus for his servant to be healed -
Matt 8:5-13
Centurion sends elders to Jesus to ask for his servant
to be healed - Luke 7:1-10
-------------------------------------------------------
God's word and law abides for ever - Matt 5:18, 1 Pet
1:25
God's word and law has been cancelled - Eph 2:15, Col
2:14
-------------------------------------------------------
Governors are God's ministers for the good and protect
the innocent - Rom 13:1,3, 1 Pet 2:13-14
The Governor Pontius Pilate has Jesus crucified - Mark
15:15, Luke 23:11,24,25, John 19:1,6
-------------------------------------------------------
Christ was raised a spirit being - 1 Cor 15:44-45, 1
Pet 3:18
Christ was physically raised in the body - Luke
24:39,42-43, John 20:26-27
-------------------------------------------------------
The coming kingdom of God will be visible - Daniel 2:44
The coming kingdom of God will not be visible - Luke
17:20-21
-------------------------------------------------------
God is spirit - John 4:24
God has feet - Psa 18:9, arms - Jer 27:5, wings - Psa
36:7, eyes - Deut 11:12, Psa 34:15, a mouth - Isa 1:20,
Deut 8:3, ears - 2 Chron 6:40, a nose - Ex 15:8, a
heart - Gen 6:6, legs - Gen 3:8
-------------------------------------------------------
The Bible teaches forgiveness - Matt 6:14-15, Rom
12:17-19, Eph 4:32, Col 3:13
The Bible teaches punishment and vengeance - Gen 9:6,
Ex 21:23-25,29, Lev 24;16,23
-------------------------------------------------------
God is one - Deut 6:4
God is plural - Gen 1:26, 11:6,7, Isa 6:8
-------------------------------------------------------
The (Incomplete) Flood.
Gen 6:4 refers to a race called the Nephilim. Later in
Gen 7:11-24 there is the account of the Flood in which
"every living thing" was killed (7:23) except Noah and
his family; however, in Num 13:33 the Nephilim are
still around !
-------------------------------------------------------
The families of Japheth, Ham and Shem all have their
own languages - Gen 10:5,20,31
There is only one language over the whole earth - Gen
11:1
-------------------------------------------------------
It is the Midianites who sell Joseph to P^®-\Žar - Gen
37:36
it is the Ishmaelites who sell Joseph to Potiphar -
Gen 39:1
-------------------------------------------------------
The Levites' service to be from age 30 to 50 - Num
3:3,23,30,35,39,43,47
The Levites' service to be from age 25 to 50 - Num
8:23
-------------------------------------------------------
Sisera killed whilst asleep - Jud 4:20-21
Sisera killed whilst standing and drinking milk - Jud
5:25-27
-------------------------------------------------------
God's attributes are unknowable - Job 11:7-9
God's attributes are knowable - Rom 1:20
-------------------------------------------------------
Beersheba given its name by Abraham - Gen 21:31-33
Beersheba given its name by Isaac - Gen 26:32-33
-------------------------------------------------------
Saul killed by an Amalekite - 2 Sam 1:5-10
Saul killed by Philistines - 2 Sam 21:22
-------------------------------------------------------
There were 3300 chief officers on Temple building - 1
Kings 5:16
There were 3600 chief officers on Temple building - 2
Chron 2:18
-------------------------------------------------------
There were 550 who had charge of the people - 1 Kings
9:23
There were 250 who had charge of the people - 2 Chron
8:10
-------------------------------------------------------
Jehoshaphat removed the high places - 2 Chron 17:1,6
Jehoshaphat did not remove the high places - 2 Chron
20:31,33
-------------------------------------------------------
Zedekiah was Jehoiachin's brother - 2 Chron 36:9-10
Zedekiah was Jehoiachin's uncle - 2 Kings 24:17
-------------------------------------------------------
The sundial to go back 10 degrees as a sign that God
would heal Hezekiah's boil - 2 Kings 20:7-11
The sundial to go back 10 degrees as a sign God would
defend the city against the Assyrians -Isa 38:4-8
-------------------------------------------------------
The rich cannot enter heaven; the kingdom of God is for
the poor - Luke 6:20, Matt 19:24, James 5:1
God rewards by bestowing wealth and disciples can be
rich - Job 42:10, Matt 27:57
-------------------------------------------------------
Satan entered Judas at the last supper - John 13:27
Satan entered Judas before the last supper - Luke 22:1-
3
-------------------------------------------------------
Food offered to idols should be avoided - Acts 15:29
It is of no importance if food offered to idols is
eaten - 1 Cor 8:1,4,7,8
-------------------------------------------------------
It was those who accused Jesus and were responsible for
his death who buried him - Acts 13:27-29
It was Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple, who buried
Jesus - Matt 27:59-60
-------------------------------------------------------
Christ is the only master - Matt 23:10
Employers are masters - Eph 6:5,9
-------------------------------------------------------
There were six generations inclusive between Joram and
Jotham - 1 Chron 3:11-12
There were three generations inclusive between Joram
and Jotham - Matt 1:8-9
-------------------------------------------------------
Jesus' home was at Capernaum - Mark 1:9,24, 2:1
Jesus' home was in Judea - John 4:43-45
NB. In John, Jesus leaves Jerusalem in Judea and goes
to Galilee because "a prophet has no honour in his own
country" - therefore Judea must have been his home
country - contradicting Mark.
-------------------------------------------------------
Believers will be deceived into leaving the faith - 1
Tim 4:1, Heb 6:4-6, Gal 3:1, Rev 2:5
God will protect believers from being led astray - Psa
31:23, 37:28,32,33, John 10:27-29
-------------------------------------------------------
Jesus never changes - Heb 13:8
Jesus does change - he dwelt with the Father (John
17:5), was born an infant with human weaknesses (Luke
2:7,52), became separated from God (Matt 27:46), then
died (Matt 27:50), was then in Hades (Acts 2:31), was
then raised from the dead in a glorified body (1 Cor
15:45) and ascended into heaven where he mediates (1
John 2:1, 1 Tim 2:5)
-------------------------------------------------------
Moses was inarticulate - Ex 4:10
Moses was not inarticulate - Acts 7:22
-------------------------------------------------------
Only God is to be called 'father' - Matt 23:9
Various people can be called 'father' - 1 Cor 10:1, Eph
6:1-4, 1 John 2:13-14, Matt 15:4
-------------------------------------------------------
Jesus prayed to God to be saved from death, and he was
heard - Heb 5:7
Jesus prayed to God to be saved from death and was not
heard (ie. he was executed the next day) - Luke
22:41,42,44,47,54, 23:33
-------------------------------------------------------
Prepare your defence if challenged for your faith - 1
Pet 3:15
Don't bother beforehand about what is to be said if
challenged for your faith - Mark 13:11
-------------------------------------------------------
God instructs man to live on vegetarian diet - Gen
1:29-30
Any food can be eaten - Gen 9:3, Acts 10:12-13, Rom
14:2
-------------------------------------------------------
Martyred believers cry out for blood-vengeance - Rev
6:9-10
Believers should love/forgive their enemies - Matt
5:44, 6:15,18:32-35, Luke 6:27-28
-------------------------------------------------------
Mary and Martha's home.
In Luke 10:38-42, Mary and Martha's home is between
Samaria (mentioned in 9:57) and Jericho (mentioned in
18:35). It is after leaving Jericho (that was AFTER
where they lived) that Jesus reaches Bethany (19:29).
However, according to John (11:18-20, 12:1-3), their
home was in Bethany.
-------------------------------------------------------
It is wrong to judge others - Matt 7:1, Luke 6:37, Rom
2:1, 14:10
Others can be judged - Matt 23:13-33, John 8:44, Rom
1:27,29-32
-------------------------------------------------------
At the feeding of the 5000, 200 denarii would have fed
the crowd - Mark 6:37
At the feeding of the 5000, 200 denarii would not have
fed the crowd - John 6:7
-------------------------------------------------------
God tells Zedekiah he will be captured but die
peacefully - Jer 34:2-5
Zedekiah is capture, has his eyes taken out and is
imprisoned to the day he dies - Jer 52:10-11
-------------------------------------------------------
Jesus refuses to disclose who he is, or allow others to
do this - Matt 12:15-16, 16:16-17,20, Mark 3:11-12,
8:29-30, Luke 9:20-21
Jesus tells the Samarians (John 4:25-26), the Jews
(John 5:39, 8:42,58, 10:24-25,30), the crowds (John
6:40), others (John 9:35-38), who he is
-------------------------------------------------------
The Gospel not to be taken to the Samaritans - Matt
10:5-6
The Gospel taken to the Samaritans - John 4:4-41, Acts
8:5,14,15,25
-------------------------------------------------------
Women are to be obedient and submissive to men - 1 Cor
11:3,7-9, 14:33-35, Eph 5:22-24, 1 Tim 2:11-15, Titus
2:4-5, 1 Pet 3:21
There are no sexes in Christ as both are "one" - Gal
3:28
-------------------------------------------------------
Let others see your good works - Matt 5:16
Do not let others see your good works - Matt 6:1,4
-------------------------------------------------------
Stephen says the Jews persecuted the prophets and
killed those who foretold Christ's coming - Acts 7:52
Moses was a prophet who foretold Christ's coming (eg.
Acts 7:37) but was not killed - Deut 34:5,8; David
was also a prophet (Acts 2:25,30), but he also died
naturally
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More about the Bible (20)
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The BIBLICAL TEXT. There was actually a long dark
tunnel period between the writings of the NT (New
Testament) writings and them being treated as Holy
Writ The first earliest papyri is Rylands P52 dated
ca. l40 AD but this only has just 6 verses of
John. In fact the first complete MSS of the NT are
4th century (Sinaiticus and Vaticanus). All NT
writings were apparently written in Greek - not the
language that Palestinian Jew would have used. There
was clearly tampering with the text in this tunnel
period - Eusebius admits this was so - H.E.
29.6-7. The differences between the Byzantine,
Alexandrian and Caesarean text show copyists
changed the text (eg. Acts 2:l7 in the Western text)
The 3rd cent Christian writer Origen condemned such
Christians for "their depraved audacity" in changing
the text. and Jerome told Pope Damascus of the
"numerous errors" that had arisen in the texts through
attempted harmonising. In 1707 John Mill of Oxford
listed 30,000 variants in the different N.T texts
and at the beginning of this century with further
discoveries of manuscripts, the scholar Herman von
Soden listed some 45,000 variants in the N.T texts
illustating how they were altered. Even in the
one 4th cent Codex Sinaiticus containing all the
N.T, Professor Tishendorf the discoverer, noted
that it had been altered by at least three
different scribes. Therefore this shows the
present-day Bible is not a "inerrant copy" of the
original writings, and secondly cannot be "God's
inspired word" as presumably if this were so, God
would have ensured such alteration could not have
been made.
NT WRITINGS. There is also the question of the writings
in the New Testament canon which were not accepted by
the early Christians (James, Hebrews, Revelation), but
are now accepted, and that Christians reject the
writings the early Christians did accept and used
(eg. Hermas, Barnabas, the Didache). This in itself
shows the church is not interested in sustaining
the 'original faith' and has chosen the writings
that suits its own teachings. This is all apart from
the fact that the church did not even agree to the 27
writings now in the N.T. until Athanasius' Easter
Letter of 367 AD, but even then, he STILL recommended
the readingof non-canonical writings (eg. The Didache),
and furthermore, the dispute continued right on to the
9th century, as is seen by the church lists of accepted
writings.
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More about the Bible (21)
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The Biblical picture of God can hardly be reconciled
with Christian teaching that "God is love", eg.
All forms of life destroyed because of one imperfect
species - Gen 6:5,7, 7:23
Human sacrifice commanded by God - Leviticus 27:28,29.
Under inspiration of God's Spirit, Jephthah agrees to
sacrifice daughter as a thanksgiving - Judges 11;29-40.
God sends ten plagues on Egypt because Pharaoh
won't release the Hebrews, but he deliberately
hardens Pharaoh's heart so he refuses to release the
Hebrews in the first place, making these plagues
necessary - God admits this is so he can perform 'his
wonders' (Exodus 11:9), ie. wholesale mass slaughter
of life in Egypt - Exodus 7:3-4,13-14, 10:1,20.
God sanctions slavery and a man selling his daughter -
Exodus 21:2-6,7.
Death demanded for heresy - Deuteronomy 13:1,2,5,14,15.
God says that if a man strikes 'his slave', male or
female, and they do not die immediately, the man
shall not be punished because 'the slave is his
money (ie. property)' - Exodus 21:20-21.
God orders people to slaughter their own relatives
because they rejected Moses' religion; 3000 killed.
Moses tells the killers that God would bless them
for doing this by making them ordained for his
service - Exodus 32:27-29.
A person to kill their own family for a difference
of religion - Deuteronomy 13:6-10.
God demands death for anyone not circumcised - Genesis
17:9-14.
God demands the sick are to be driven out of the
community - Numbers 5:1-4.
God burns people to death for complaining- Numbers 11:1
God kills 24,000 people by a plague because one person
brought a Midianite woman to his tent - Numbers 25:6-9.
The curses of God upon the Hebrews (eg. eating their
own children) - Leviticus 26:14-39, Deuteronomy
28:15-68.
God arranges the Midianite slaughter - Judges 7:2,9,22.
(Note: Numbers 31:l-l8 states that God instructed the
mass slaughter of Midianites, and the Lord "slew every
male", alongwith their rulers (31:7), and the
Midianite women and children and animals were
captured; Moses then demanded all the males, including
babies and the women were to be slaughtered, but the
young girls could be "kept alive for yourselves"
(31:18). This story records the extermination of the
Midianites, but later on, God AGAIN instructs the
slaugher of the Midianites (Judges 6:16), It is the
same with the Amalekites - they are "ALL destroyed"
in 1 Samuel 15:8, but they are destroyed yet again in
1 Samuel 27:8-9 and everyone - men and women -
are killed; however, they are killed (- for the 3rd
time!) in 1 Samuel 30:1,l6ff except for 400 young
men. At long last, they are are finally killed off
in 1 Chronicles 4:43 when the 'remnant' were destroyed.
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More about the Bible (22)
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The Spirit of God comes upon Samson and he murders
over a thousand people - Judges 14:19, 15:14-15.
The Psalmist praises God for his 'steadfast love' but
then details his slaughtering in the past - Psalm
136:10-21.
God deliberately deludes people so they will not be
saved - 2 Thess 2:11-12.
A girl not found to be a virgin was to be killed -
Deuteronomy 22:13-21 (Note the same did not apply to
men !).
God kills an innocent baby for its father's wrongdoing
- ignoring the father's pleas - 2 Samuel 12:15-20
God kills 70,000 men - 2 Samuel 24:15
NB. most of the Pentateuchal battles were ordered
by Moses - however he was only God's mouthpiece
(Numbers 12:6-8). He also has an important role in the
New Testament - Matthew 17:1-4, Hebrews 3:2,5,
11:23-29, Rev 15:3).
God has a friendly meeting with his arch enemy Satan -
whom he doesn't even recognise - Job 1:6-7, and they
have a wager (Job 1:8-12) over how much suffering it
would take before righteous Job will reject God. Job
then has his whole family killed and livelihood ruined
(1:13-19) and then is afflicted by a loathsome plague
(2:7-8).
(MORE) CHRONOLOGICAL ERRORS
Acts and Gal. cannot be reconciled as to Paul's
conversion. Using Acts and Gal together, the following
is arrived at:-
(1)Paul's conversion (Acts 9:3ff, Gal 1:16) 31 AD.
(2)1st visit to Jerusalem (Acts 9:26,
Gal 1:18). This was 3 years after
conversion (Gal 1:18) 34 AD.
(3)2nd visit to Jerusalem (Acts 15:2-4,
Gal 2:1-10). 14 years after 1st
Jerusalem visit 48 AD.
(4)Paul visits the churches (through
Syria and Cilicia to Derbe and Lystra,
through Phrygia and Galatia to Troas
and Macedonia, through Amphipolis and
Apollonia to Thessalonica (3 weeks-Acts
17:2), to Beroea, then Athens and onto
Corinth (Acts 15:40-18:1). Say 1 year- 49 AD.
(NB. This is known as "Paul's second
missionary journey").
(5)Paul arrives in Corinth (Acts 18:1);
after 1.5 years (Acts 18:11) he then appears
before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia
(Acts 18:12-16) (NB. Paul leaves Corinth in
Acts 18:18) Summer 51 AD.
Now the problem begins (See next message ---->)
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More about the Bible (23)
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NOTES:-
(N1). With regard to (5), an inscription from Delphi
includes a letter from the emperor Claudius (41-54
AD) and there is a ref to Gallio as proconsul; the date
is the 26th acclamation of Claudius and as the 22nd,
23rd and 24th were all made in 52 AD and the 27th was
before August 52 AD - the 26th would therefore be in
Spring/Summer 52.
(N2)In 18:2, Paul meets two Jews who had been expelled
from Rome; this edict of banishment was in 49 AD and
supports the date given in (4).
Summary:-
It appears from the above table that Paul's conversion
took place in the year after Christ died and yet
much was supposed to have occurred between these
events, ie. all that is included in Acts 1:1 - 9:1.
Furthermore, the minimum times possible have been
allowed in the above so there cannot be any accusation
that it has been formulated in a way to presuppose
anything.
For example, in (4) - it would be most unlikely
all this travelling could be done in just one year.
If it was (say) two years because there is a fixed
point (ie. (5).) as 51 AD which is known to be
correct and can't be altered, the starting point has
to be moved back to fit in the extra year into the
schedule and Paul's conversion is then dated as 30 AD.
However that would mean Paul was converted by seeing
the risen Christ before he even died! The same
applies with Gal 1:18 - if the 3 years begins from
Paul returning to Damascus and not the conversion,
there would have to be time also included for
Paul's antics in Arabia (Gal 1:17) and being included
in the time before 51 AD would again would push
Paul's conversion back to something like 29 AD. In
fact some Christians do state Jesus' death was 33 AD
and this would mean Paul was converted by seeing the
risen Christ (ie. 29 AD) before Christ had even
started his three-year ministry (30 AD) let alone had
died and risen!
Dating Paul's conversion as 31 AD and Christ's death in
30 AD creates many problems, ie. it is known that the
Jewish Passover (8th April - the Jewish l5 Nisan)
fell on a Saturday in the year 30 AD; but the
Synoptics make it clear that Jesus was crucified on the
Passover and this was a Friday. The Passover began
on Thursday evening (the Jewish day begins the
previous evening) and ended Friday evening - ie. Mark
14:12 to 15:42. In sum, the different narratives cannot
be reconciled and appear to be divorced from
historical fact.
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More about the Bible (24)
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It should also be mentioned that with regard to working
out when Paul was converted, that whilst just 1 year
for Paul's 2nd missionary journey was given,
others say it was longer, eg. the
ultra-evangelical New International Version (Bible)
in its schedule of Paul's life says it was 2 years
(ie. this then makes Paul's conversion 30 AD).
Furthermore they date the time between Christ's
ascension and Paul's conversion (ie. Acts l:l-9:l) as
SEVEN YEARS. If this figure was used above then it
would make Paul's conversion remain as 31 AD (this
cannot be changed or made later), but Christ's
death/ascension would be 7 years EARLIER, ie. in 23 AD.
However, this cannot be so as Luke (3:1) states that
Christ's ministry began in the fifteenth year of
Tiberius and this is universally ageed as 28-29 AD.
The question that has to be asked is why the New Test
writers have all this difficulty in locating Jesus in
a chronological setting if he actually existed ?
The situation is adequately summed up by Professor
Fuller, Professor of New Testament, Union Theological
Seminary, New York. (A Critical Introduction to the
New Testament): "Of the 27 books of the New
Testament, only the authentic Pauline epistles
are, strictly speaking, the testimony of an
apostolic witness. And even Paul...was not a witness
of the historical Jesus. Since the earliest
witnesses wrote nothing...there is not a single
book in the New Testament which is the direct work of
an eyewitness of the historical Jesus..." (page 197)
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More about the Bible (25)
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"Religion...can exercise a severe crippling and
inhibiting effect upon the human mind, by fostering
irrational anxiety and guilt, and by hampering the
free play of the intellect". (Dr J C Flugel).
"There are matters in the Bible, said to be done by the
express commandment of God, that are shocking to
humanity and to every idea we have of moral
justice....". (Thomas Paine).
"There is nothing more negative than the result of the
critical study of the life of Jesus. The Jesus of
Nazareth who came forward publicly as the Messiah, who
preached the ethic of the kingdom of God, who
founded the kingdom of God upon earth, and died to give
his work its final consecration, never had any
existence..
He is a figure designed by rationalism, endowed
with life by liberalism, and clothed by modern
theology in a historical garb..." (Dr Albert Schweitzer
The Quest for the Historical Jesus).
"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent
him; let us worship God through Jesus if we must -
if ignorance has so far prevailed that this name
can still be spoken in all seriousness without
being taken as a synonym for rapine and carnage.
Every sensible man, every honourable man, must hold the
Christian sect in horror" (Thomas Paine. Age of Reason)
--------------------------------------------------------
Of the Christians:-
+++++++++++++++++++
"They worship to an extravagant degree this man who
appeared recently. They are like frogs holding a
symposium round a swamp, debating which of them
is the most sinful...".
(Celsus. ca. 180 CE).
"The poor wretches have convinced themselves that
they are going to be immortal and live for all
time, by worshipping that crucified sophist
and living under his laws...they receive these
doctrines by tradition, without any definite
evidence. So if any charlatan or trickster comes
among them, he quickly acquires wealth by imposing
upon these simple people......".
(Lucian).
====================== THE END ! ========================@
The Christian god (1).
The Bible presents an interesting picture of God, ie. a god who
never changes (Malachi 3:6) but actually does frequently change
his mind and even regrets what he's done ("repents") - Gen
6:6,7, Ex 32:l4, l Sam l5:35, 2 Sam 24:l6, l Chron 21:l5, Jer
l8:8,l0, 26:3,l3,l9, 42:l0, Ezek 24:l4, Joel 2:l3, Amos 7:3.
Although it is to be noted that Numbers 23:l9 and l Samuel 15:2
say that God never repents.....
It states God is "spirit", ie. non-physical (John 4:24) and yet
he is always called 'him' or 'he' as if he had a male body,
but it also says that although spirit, he has feet (Psalm l8:9),
arms (Jer 27:5), wings (Psa 36:7), hands (Job 27:ll), eyes
(Deut 8:3), a mouth (Isa l:20), ears (2 Chron 6:40),
nostrils (Ex l5:8) and legs (Gen 3:8). He also uses a razor
- Isa 7:20. He also occasionally roars (Joel 3:l6) and
sometimes he even whistles (Isa 5:26) !!! Although he has
never been seen (John l:l8), he has actually been seen (Isa
6:l), and he even revealed his rear to Moses (Exodus 33:21-22)..
Christians argue that it is through Adam's sin that evil
exists and furthermore it is because of his transgression that
all humans must die; this is clearly taught by Paul in Rom
5:12,17,18 and is the central theology of Christianity;
however, this wholly contradicts 2 Kings 14:6, Ezekiel 18:20,
Jeremiah 31:30 that state a person will NOT suffer for an
ancestor's wrongdoing.
If the God of the Bible is truly God, then there is a dilemma;
for God to be God, he has to be omnipotent, responsible for the
creation of everything; this includes evil; if he did not
create evil, then he was not wholly creative, and therefore
cannot be God. In fact the Bible does actually say God
commits evil, eg. Exodus 32:l4, 2 Sam 24:l6, 1 Chron 21:l5,
Jer l8:8, 26:3,l3,l9, Jonah 3:l0. Furthermore he sends lying
spirits (l Kings 22:23, 2 Chronicles l8:22) and deliberately
deceives people (2 Thessalonians 2:ll). And not only this, he
admits to being responsible for the creation of evil and
misery - Isaiah 45:7, and that he has deliberately made people
so he can destroy them - Proverbs l6:4.
Christians blame the devil for evil, but the devil and his
desire for power (that supposedly resulted in his fall) must
have come from God in the first place if he created everything;
there is also the "awkward" point that he is hardly mentioned in
the Old Testament - just Job 1:6-12, 2:1-7 where he is called "a
son of God" (!), in 1 Chron 21:1 where he incites the census
(although 2 Sam 24:1 says God did this !), and Zechariah where
he is only a prosecuting attorney (3:1-3).
It is also argued that man has free will to choose; firstly,
what about those who have never heard the Christian gospel (and
some might feel they are fortunate !), or are incapable (ie. the
mentally-ill/retarded) or die in infancy; secondly, considering
man's eternal destiny depends upon this, one would have thought
God would have made as better job of it it, ie. a less
contradictory and a clearer Bible (that doesn't even mention God
is a Trinity !), and not literally thousands of sects (all
saying different things) making up the Christian church;
thirdly, if man chooses through this supposed free will to
reject the gospel, but then spends eternity in hell for this,
where is the free will here ? Continued-------------->
The Christian god (2)
God is hardly consistent - He condemns killing (Exodus 20:l3)
but orders it (Exodus 32:27); he encourages wisdom (Proverbs
4:7) but condemns it (l Corinthians l:l9); he protects the
righteous (Proverbs 12:21) but does not (Hebrews
ll:36-37); he cuts off the wicked (Proverbs l0:27) but does not
(Job 21:7-9); he commands respect for parents (Exodus 20:l2) but
encourages hatred for them (Luke l6:9); he blesses peace
(Matthew 5:9) but brings war (Matthew l0:34, Revelation l9:ll).
It continues by saying God will keep the earth (Ecclesiastes
l:4), but will destroy it (2 Peter 3:l0); is invisible and
unseen (John l:l8, l Timothy 6:l5-l6) but has been seen (Amos
9:l, Deuteronomy 5:24); he lives in dazzling light (l Timothy
6:l5-l6), but lives in darkness (l Kings 8:l2)......
Christians maintain that God cares for the world, he is
personally involved in it, he has sent his prophets, he has even
taken on human form himself and lived and died as a human
being, he has sent his Holy Spirit, his Word (the Bible) and
manifests himself through his church; however, how is it that so
much suffering prevails in the world ?
The Bible has Jesus comparing humans' compassion with
God's; he supposedly pointed out that even a human being
'evil as they are' would not let their child starve or
suffer (Matthew 7:9-13) so (therefore) we can look forward to
much more more from God. This is the real nonsense; no human
being would allow the suffering that goes on in the world today
to continue if they could stop it, but a supposedly
caring, loving, omnipotent god does nothing...
What is one supposed to make of a deity that allows so much
suffering to go on which even a mere frail feeble
inconsistent 'evil' human would stop if they could ?
================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ACCURACY OF THE GOSPELS (1).
On examination of passages arising in the four Gospels,
it can be seen that the narrative is composed to suit
the theological viewpoint of the evangelist. When
comparing a narrative with its parallel in
another Gospel, or when a narrative only appears in
one Gospel, it becomes obvious that the
evangelists had their own beliefs and attitudes,
and these sometimes become obvious. It is clear that
the authors of the Gospels shaped, remoulded, selected
and adapted the material available to them to suit
their purpose. From this it can be seen that the
evangelists selected and adapted the material
available to them, so they could write with a special
purpose and objective in mind.
Matt's author, using Mark as a source, wanted to show
Jesus' mission was to the Jews, as their own messiah,
but the author of Luke, also using Mark as a source,
wanted to picture Jesus in a way that his
Hellenistic readers would understand and relate to.
The author of John, possibly using Mark or a Ur-
Markus, as a source, or the source of Mark for some
of his information, wrote from a highly individual
viewpoint and in this Gospel, the writer's
personal interpretation and authorship becomes most
apparent.
Before the resurrection in Matt however, Jesus is
shown as being solely for the Jews; Jesus is pictured
as the Jewish messiah, the descendent of Abraham
and the Son of David; his life fulfilled the OT
prophesies and expectations. On occasions the OT texts
are wrestled from their context and used very
artificially in Matt. Whilst pro-Jewish, the author
writes against certain Jewish groups which he felt
particular hostility towards. In Luke, Jesus is the
saviour of the world - to Jew, Samaritan and Gentile.
Luke's author makes it clear that from the very
beginning, not only Israel, but the world was
blessed by Jesus' appearance on earth. (2:l4,32). In
Luke, Jesus' coming was vital in world history and
history, both past and present had to be shaped around
the years of Jesus' life on earth. Jesus' coming
in Luke influences history as is shown by Jesus'
comment in Luke l6:l6 that the law and prophets were
only 'until John'. From this point a new phase in
history begins.
Luke's author was clearly sympathetic to the poor
and outcast; he includes material that teaches this
and which is only found in Luke, eg. the woes against
the wealthy (6:24,25), the story of Lazarus and the
Rich man (Luke l6); there is one case where Luke is
detailing the same material as Matt, but a clear
change is made to uphold his view towards the poor -
"Blessed are the poor in spirit....Blessed are
those who hunger and thirst for righteousness..." (Matt
5:3,6) but in Luke this is "Blessed are you
poor....Blessed are you that hunger now..."
(6:20,21). CONT------------------>
-------------------------------------------------------
THE ACCURACY OF THE GOSPELS (2).
Here, as can be clearly seen, the evangelist has
deliberately changed the wording to suit either his
spiritual theology (Matt) or his social theology
(Luke). In Luke there is the call by Jesus to care for
the outcast with the promise of reward for doing this
(l4:12-l4), and there is also Jesus' teaching that the
despised classes (in this case a tax collector) were
more sincere and pleasing to God than the so-called
religious teachers (l8:l0-l4).
It has been argued that the Gospels contain 'pillar
passages', ie. statements that conflicted with early
church theology and belief which created problems for
the early church, but despite this, the fact that these
were included shows that the evangelists faithfully
recorded these and that they wrote a reliable account
of Jesus' life. One such passage is Mark 3:21 where it
is stated that Jesus' family went out to 'seize him'
because of the accusations of insanity. At first
sight this does appear that the author has included
something that puts Jesus' family in a bad light
and it certainly clashes with the church's belief
that Jesus' family later became members of the church
(eg. Acts l:l4) and were later held in high esteem.
However, some commentators believe this is not
necessarily connected with mental instability, and
furthermore, the author may have had in mind the
'prophesy' of Isa 53:3 that the servant would be
despised and rejected of men; indeed Jesus does remind
the disciples that he would suffer contempt (9:l2).
In Mark there is the statement that Jesus could not
work miracles because of unbelief (6:5) and indeed
Matt (l3:58) modifies this, and Luke omits it
altogether, but this is not necessarily a passage
that reduces Jesus' stature; Mark repeatedly
emphasises the need to believe in Jesus for his power
to be able to manifest itself - eg. Mark 5:34,
l0:52.
Because some passages were included in the Gospels and
these may have embarrassed the church does not
necessarily lead to the conclusion that the
evangelists recorded an accurate historical account of
Jesus' life; this is particularly so in view of the
situation in the early church which was not uniform
and was very fluid.
The principal motive of each evangelist in producing a
'Gospel' was for the preaching of the early church;
the Gospels were not intended to be for general and
public circulation and reading. It is clear that they
did write as theologians and not historians and
therefore they cannot be viewed as trustworthy
(ie. reliable and accurate) historians.
In John, hostility against Judaism reaches a peak; by
the end of the first century, Christianity was no
longer deemed to be just a schism in Judaism. CONT --->
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ACCURACY OF THE GOSPELS (3).
By this time there was an official cursing of the
Christians ('Minim') in the synagogues. The Gospel of
John therefore coincides with the mutual feeling
between the Jews and early Christians at the time
of being written. In John, the Jews are pictured
as slow, dull-witted, aggressive and hypocritical,
deviating from the original faith. They are prepared
to murder (l2:l0-ll) and are pictured as ignorant of
God's word (5:38-40), without God's love (5:42),
accused by Moses (5:45), potential murderers (8:40),
children of the devil who was a murderer and liar
(8:44) and they are even reported as making several
attempts to kill Jesus (8:59, l0:31). The author puts
words into their mouths which could not have been
spoken; the statement of 'We have no king but Caesar'
by the chief priests (l9:l5) would have been a
denial of all Jewish theology and history apart from
the fact that a Jewish leader making this statement
would soon encounter the fury of the nationalist
Zealots. The author comes very close to preventing
Jesus from being a Jew himself when he writes of Jesus
speaking to the Jews of 'your father Abraham' (8:56),
'your law' (l0:34). He continues his polemic in having
the Jews even asking for leg-breaking after Jesus had
died (l9:31) which results in Pilate instructing this
even though it conflicts with Mark which describes
Pilate as being unaware of Jesus' death (l5:44-45).
John also writes about the expulsion of Christians
from the synagogues and the possibility of
executions (9:22, l6:2), which did not exist in the
time that Jesus supposedly lived, but did exist in the
closing years of the first century when the Gospel was
written (ie. the official cursing of the 'Minim'
inserted into the synagogue service under
Rabbi Gamaliel, ca. 85 CE).
Another indication that the evangelists have composed
stories about Jesus without historical foundation is
their interpretation of what they considered to be
Old Testament 'prophesies'. Because the author of
John understood the Hebrew parallelism of Psa
22:l8 as two completely separate actions, he has the
soldiers carrying out two separate actions
(l9:23-24). The other evangelists who did not
misunderstand this, only have one action in the
disposal of Jesus' clothes (Matt 27:35, Mark l5:24,
Luke 23:34). In the same way, the author of Matt
misunderstood the parallelism of Zech 9:9 and had two
animals involved in Jesus' entry into Jerusalem
(21:2-7) when in fact there is only one animal being
spoken about. The other evangelists do not make this
mistake and therefore only have one animal - Mark
l:2-7, Luke l9:30-35, John l2:l4-l6. CONT---------->
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ACCURACY OF THE GOSPELS (4).
These examples show that the evangelists, rather
than being historians, were only interested in the
theology of what they were writing about. In these two
cases they have deliberately introduced details to
'agree' what they felt to be an OT prophecy. One
commentator admits that the whole of Jesus' trial is
based on O.T. prophesy; therefore rather than the
Christian statement that the life of Jesus
'fulfilled' O.T. prophesies (although in reality few
are actual 'prophesies'), the very reverse is true -
Jesus' earthly life was built up on these
'prophesies'.
John gives the picture of the Logos in full control of
every situation with his power being considerably
greater than the Synoptics, eg. whilst the
Synoptics record resurrections of people who had only
just died (eg. Matt 9:l8), Jesus resurrects a man who
had been dead for four days (ll:l7), the blind man
healed was not like the man who had once seen in the
Synoptics (Mark 8:24), but had been blind from birth
(9:l), Jesus carries his own cross (l9:l7) and does
need not this to be carried for him as in the
Synoptics (eg. Matt 27:32). Again, the theological
view of John's author completely overshadows any desire
to present a historical account; his account is to show
that Jesus was the Son of God and historical facts
are not relevant. In the same way, the author of
Matt is keen to show that Jesus was the Jewish
Messiah, while the authors of Luke and Mark are more
concerned with portraying a Jesus who would be
acceptable to Gentiles.
Mark, almost certainly the first Gospel, includes a
number of errors which not only show that the author
was not an eyewitness to the events he so vividly
describes (and also, was not based on anyone else's
account who was an eyewitness), but also that details
such as features of the Jewish religion, geography and
chronology were only secondary to his purposes. Mark
(1:2) has a quotation from Malachi 3:l and Isaiah
40:3, but he attributes both to Isaiah
(furthermore he interfered with the poetry by
changing the location of the wilderness), there
is a chronological error in naming Abiathar as the
high priest (2:26), Herod is called a king when he
was in fact a tetrach and this is followed by an
error about Philip's wife (6:l4,l7), he attributed a
custom of the strict Pharisees to all the Jews (7:3),
his mention of Dalmanutha in 8:10 indicates he was not
very familiar with Palestine, there is a reference by
Jesus to women divorcing their husbands, a custom not
possible in Palestine (l0:12), together with an error
over the timing of the Passover and the Feast of
Unleavened Bread (l4:l,12). On occasions, the author
seems to be confused about Palestinian life. CONT---->
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ACCURACY OF THE GOSPELS (5).
The errors contained within Mark were 'corrected' by
the authors of Matthew and Luke, and sometimes by
later copyists, particularly when they involved
important theological points. It was the same
situation with each of the four evangelists; each one
had a particular motive, each one had a specific
theological belief and each one had a certain group of
people in mind for whom their Gospel was intended.
On occasions, the reason for relating a story not found
in the other three Gospels, or for making a drastic
change in it is not altogether clear. All four Gospels
have the story of Jesus being anointed by a woman;
Matt (26:6-l3) and Mark (l4:2-ll) have this after
the entry into Jerusalem, but John has this before,
while Luke has it long before the arrival in
Jerusalem during the early ministry (Luke 7:36-50).
Whilst Luke has the woman anointing Jesus' feet as
does John (l2:3), Matt and Mark have the woman
anointing Jesus' head. Other minor differences
occur, eg. Jesus tells Peter of his denials after
leaving the room where the last supper was eaten,
on the way to Gethsemane in Matt (26:30-35) and
Mark (l4:26-31), but in Luke (22:33-34/39) and
John (l3:37-38/l8:l), Jesus tells him before
leaving.
In Luke, Jesus is assaulted before the questioning by
the Sanhedrin and the questioning takes place the
following morning (22:63-71), but in Matt
(26:57-68/27:l) and Mark (l4:53-65/l5:l) the
assault is immediately after the questioning and this
all takes place before the morning. Presumably there
was a reason for the differences which occur in all
four Gospels, but they have been lost in time.
Differences such as these may arise because of the
evangelist wishing to convey a particular point
which is not obvious, or they may simply arise
because of the way the material/tradition was
transmitted and reached the evangelist.
When certain passages are examined, it can be seen what
the evangelist had in mind and furthermore, what he
personally viewed as important. The author of Matt
wanted to show that Jesus' mission was to the
Jews. In l5:21-28, Jesus' objection to healing the
Gentile woman's daughter is much more obvious than in
Mark (in Mark, the only time Jesus is called 'Lord'
is by this woman - 7:28; here Mark has used the story,
which in Matt is anti-Gentile, to show that it was a
Gentile who recognised who Jesus was). Matt also adds
that Jesus said that he had only come 'to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel'. The author of Luke, not
only pro-Gentile, but endeavouring to portray Jesus
as humane, omits the whole story. CONT-------->
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ACCURACY OF THE GOSPELS (6).
Jesus instructed his disciples not to go anywhere
near Gentiles or Samaritans, but to go to 'the lost
sheep of the house of Israel' in Matt l0:5-6, but
Mark does not include this (6:7ff) and nor does Luke
(9:lff). Luke contradicts this by saying that Jesus
wanted to enter Samaria. but was prevented from
doing so by the inhabitants (9:52-53); also in Luke,
Jesus heals a Samaritan (l7:ll-l6), and Jesus'
mission to the Samaritans, which is precluded in
Matt, goes even further in John when Jesus goes into
Samaria and many are converted there (4:4,5,39-42).
It is generally accepted that the seventy
disciples sent out in Luke l0:l was a Gentile mission.
Not only did the authors of Matt and Luke correct the
errors in Mark, and the author of John reinterpret the
oral and written material that was the basis for the
Synoptic Gospel account, they also clearly made
considerable changes to Mark. Although some
corrections and changes are to make the account more
authentic, the principal cause for the changes is
clearly theological. This can be traced in all
four Gospels, from beginning to end.
Matt begins with a genealogy tracing Jesus back to
Abraham through David (l:l-16) - to show Jesus as the
Jewish Messiah, but Luke has this going back to
Adam (3:23-38) to show Jesus' coming was to save all
mankind and not just Israel. This fact is announced
just after the birth in Luke also - 2:28,32. The
author of Mark begins his Gospel very abruptly,
whilst the author of John begins his Gospel by
stating that Jesus was the pre-existent Logos,
and it is this portrayal that runs throughout John.
To the end of the Gospels, the personal theological
belief, manner and motivation of each author still
manifests itself; in Mark the resurrection
narrative ends as abruptly as the Gospel begins;
the resurrection appearances are not detailed possibly
because the whole message of Mark is faith (Mark
16:9-20 is generally acceprted to be a later addition
to avoid the abrupt ending).
In Matt, the last appearance by Jesus to the
disciples is on a mountain; this may be an attempt
to connect Jesus' departure with Moses' (NB. In Matt,
Jesus teaches about the law on a mountain - 5:l,l7-42,
which recalls Moses receiving the law on the
mountain; in the Lukan parallel, Jesus did not
teach on a mountain, but rather 'he came down and
stood on a level place' and this did not relate to
the law - 6:l7-49; this in itself is an example of how
the evangelists adapted material to illustate a
theological point). The author of Matt endeavoured to
show that Jesus did not come to 'end' Judaism, but was
a fulfilment of it. In Luke, Jesus' departure is in the
area of Jerusalem where the disciples are to remain, ie.
where it all began. CONT---------->
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ACCURACY OF THE GOSPELS (7).
In John the emphasis was to instil faith in those who
already believed but felt distanced from Jesus by being
second or third-generation Christians (20:29,31).
What has to be borne in mind is the fact that the
evangelists were not only producing their narratives
from isolated disconnected sayings and stories, many of
which had survived down to their time only through
oral tradition, their narratives were also related to
the Jesus they believed in, pictured through their
own personal experience; their account was also
shaped for the people for whom it was intended. The
Gospels would also reflect the evangelists' own
culture and background. They also had to deal with
factors which had only emerged during their time, eg.
why Jesus had not returned, why Judaism had
rejected its Messiah, how Christianity could be
related to Judaism, how Christianity could show that
Jesus was the one foretold in the Old Testament, and as
the church became distanced from the time that Jesus
supposedly lived, the rising importance of the
disciples/apostles.
The evangelists cannot therefore be viewed as
trustworthy historians as they saw historical
information only as a basis for the 'Good News'
they were attempting to declare. This information only
served as a background for the story they wanted to
tell. As the Gospels are not biographies of Jesus'
life, but rather, compositions for preaching and/or to
satisfy the need of a particular Christian community,
their value as "historical" documents is 'nil'.
The source of Matthew and Luke, although there is
still disagreement over this, appears to have been a
mixture of,
(a)the Q document; in fact the authors of Matthew and
Luke may not have used the same document, ie. due to
difference in time and area, one evangelist may have
seen a different (eg. expanded) Q document; the term
'Q' is also used to denote oral as well as written
tradition, and,
(b)Mark; it appears they most probably used the
canonical Mark, and not an earlier edition, and,
(c)their own sources. Both Gospels mainly follow the
order in Mark.
In the case of Luke, more than one-third is material
not found in Mark, but almost one-third of Mark is
not found in Luke. The non-Markan material is
principally inserted into two places in Luke, ie.
6:20-8:3 (the small insertion) and 9:51-l8:l4
(the large insertion) although there is non-Markan
material found in the sections that do repeat Mark
(eg. Luke 3:23-4:l3, 4:l6-30).
In the case of Matthew, half of Matthew is not found in
Mark, whilst over a half of this material is found in
Luke; the remainder appears to be Matthew's author's
own material. CONT--------->
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ACCURACY OF THE GOSPELS (8).
This leads to numerous questions, eg. did the authors
write, but then expand on them when coming across
Mark (Kummel considers this unlikely with Luke due to
the Markan omissions), or whether their special
material was actually found in Q, but because the
other evangelist chose not to use it, this results in
it appearing to be material only available to them.
It is also argued that the special material in some
cases was not written, but oral tradition; some have
gone as far as suggesting that the material found
in only one Gospel, without parallel in another
could even be the author's own thoughts, ie. they
composed stories that they believed would teach the
readers about a subject they considered important, eg.
Luke's story of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke l6).
A brief examination of both Matt and Luke will show
that the authors were sympathetic to certain ideas,
and introduced these into their Gospels, either by
simply rephrasing or rearranging the material, or by
using stories that supported their particular
ideas. Matthew's author clearly wished to show that
Jesus' mission was only to the Jews (l0:5,6,
l5:24); in the case of the Canaanite woman
(l5:22-28), Jesus' hostility is far greater in Matt,
than in Mark (7:24-30), but Luke's author chose to
omit this altogether. In Matt the Gentile
mission was really only authorised after the
resurrection (28:l9); it is at this point where the
pro-Jewish line is concluded; after the
crucifixion the Jews are pictured as being particularly
hostile - eg. approaching Pilate to authorise a guard
on the tomb (27:62-66) and the Jews bribing guards
to say the disciples had stolen the body
(28:ll-l5); the historicity of both incidents has
been questioned.
Before the resurrection in Matt however, Jesus is
shown as being solely for the Jews; Jesus is
pictured as the Jewish messiah, the descendent of
Abraham and the Son of David; his life fulfilled the
OT prophesies and expectations. On occasions the OT
texts are wrestled from their context and used very
artificially in Matt. Whilst pro-Jewish, the author
writes against certain Jewish groups which he felt
particular hostility towards. In Luke, Jesus is the
saviour of the world - to Jew, Samaritan and
Gentile. Luke's author makes it clear that from the
very beginning, not only Israel, but the world
was blessed by Jesus' appearance on earth. (2:l4,32).
In Luke, Jesus' coming was vital in world history
and history, both past and present had to be shaped
around the years of Jesus' life on earth. Jesus'
coming in Luke influences history as is shown by
Jesus' comment in Luke l6:l6 that the law and
prophets were only 'until John'. From this point a new
phase in history begins. CONT---->
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ACCURACY OF THE GOSPELS (9).
Luke's author was clearly sympathetic to the poor
and outcast; he includes material that teaches this
and which is only found in Luke, eg. the woes
against the wealthy (6:24,25), the story of Lazarus
and the Rich man (Luke l6); there is one case where
Luke is detailing the same material as Matt, but a
clear change is made to uphold his view towards the
poor - "Blessed are the poor in spirit....Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness..."
(Matt 5:3,6) but in Luke this is "Blessed are you
poor....Blessed are you that hunger now..."
(6:20,21). Here, one of the evangelists has
deliberately changed the wording to suit either his
spiritual theology (Matt) or his social theology
(Luke). In Luke there is the call by Jesus to care for
the outcast with the promise of reward for doing this
(l4:12-l4) and there is also Jesus' teaching that the
despised classes (in this case a tax collector) were
more sincere and pleasing to God than the so-called
religious teachers (l8:l0-l4).
On occasions it is inevitable there would be a clash
between the two evangelists; whilst it would be
possible to argue a certain point that is also argued
in the other Gospel, or perhaps omitted altogether, on
occasions the beliefs of the evangelists do conflict.
Whilst Matt has Jesus telling the disciples to avoid
Gentiles and Samaritan towns, but to go only to the
'lost house of Israel' (l0:5,6), Luke has Jesus
attempting to enter a Samaritan town, but not doing
this only because of Samaritan hostlity due to his
intention to reach Jerusalem (Luke 9:51-53). He
also heals a Samaritan, and Luke's author elevates
the Samaritan by pointing out that he was the only
one who expressed gratitude (Luke l7:ll-l9); there
is also the story, only found in Luke, about the
'good Samaritan' who is also elevated above the
priest and the Levite (l0:30-37).
In contrast to the Jewish-only mission of Matt
l0, not only does Luke omit mention of the
exclusiveness of this mission (9:l-6), but it also
has a second mission which is usually understood as
a mission specifically for the Gentiles in l0:l-l7
(ie. the number of seventy (or seventy two - as
some MSS have) disciples is significant; the Jews
believed this was the number of Gentile nations).
Luke's author stresses the success of the Gentile
mission by having Jesus say that he had seen Satan
cast down when the seventy/seventy-two returned
(l0:l8).
Luke's author also amended the Passion narrative; the
assault upon Jesus is made by the prison guards and
before his appearance before the sanhedrin which
takes place the next morning (22:63-7) unlike
Matt's account of Jesus being beaten at the sanhedrin
hearing which took place at night. CONT------>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ACCURACY OF THE GOSPELS (10).
Luke's author rearranged the materal as he saw fit -
eg., Jesus' anointing occurs at in the early stage
(7:36-50) unlike Matt (with whom Mark and John agree)
who detail this in the last days in Jerusalem
(Matt 26:6-l3).
The trial/death of Jesus in the Gospels looks suspect
as although his crime of blasphemy could be
punished on a Feastday, there was no permit to execute
theives on a Feast day, but the Gospels say thieves
were executed with him. Yet more evidence of the
ficticious character of the Gospels. Luke's
author also makes other changes, eg. the statement by
Jesus to the high priest which in Matt 26:64 has
Jesus saying that the high priest would see his return
is amended to remove any likelihood of this in Luke
(Luke 22:69). The cryptic "abomination of desolation"
in Matt (24:l5) is made into Jerusalem's fall in 70
AD, but as Jesus' return was supposed to be
"immediately" after this (Matt 24:29), Luke
introduces a unspecified time-period between the Fall
and the Parousia ("the times of the Gentiles" -
2l:20,24).
Luke takes on the appearance of a travel narrative
(9:51-l9:27), and in this Gospel, the author has the
material in a different order (when compared with
Matt), and he presumably did this where it would
have the most impact and be more appropriate.
Here is an example of redaction where the author
has consciously adapted his material to suit his
theological motive, ie. Jerusalem is the starting
point for not only Jesus, but also the church, ie.
Jesus' presentation in Jerusalem, his boyhood visit
there, his journey there as part of his ministry,
concluding with his crucifixion, resurrection and
ascension in the area with the disciples being
instructed to wait there for the Spirit. It is
because of such endeavours, a conflict is inevitable
between Luke and Matt, ie. the infancy and
the resurrection narratives; where both evangelists had
a free hand (ie. before Jesus' ministry began - Mark
1:1 - and after the visit to the tomb - Mark l6:8 -
the evangelists were no longer obliged to follow
Mark, and at these points the difference becomes the
most noticeable.
There are other factors which arise in Matt and Luke
that show rather than being "historical documents",
ie. authentic reliable accounts of historical events,
they are compositions where the theological purpose
took priority. Matt in not explaining references to
Jewish customs indicates it was written for a
Jewish audience not requiring explanations; he
stresses the importance and validity of the Law and
also uses Jewish expressions alongwith rabbinic
colouring. Luke however is presenting a Gospel to deal
with problems peculiar to his situation; for his
Gentile readers, he improves Mark's Greek. CONT---->
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THE ACCURACY OF THE GOSPELS (11).
He also makes changes where necessary, eg. the attitude
of Jesus' family to Jesus, the non-fulfilment of the
promise of an imminent parousia. The author of Luke
and Acts also developed a picture in his writings that
showed Christianity presented no threat to the Romans.
Therefore they are not accurate accounts, but are
purely personal interpretations and presentations of a
new faith.
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The Christian God........
***************************
All forms of life destroyed because of one imperfect
species - Gen 6:5,7, 7:23
Human sacrifice commanded by God - Leviticus 27:28,29.
Under inspiration of God's Spirit, Jephthah agrees to
sacrifice daughter as a thanksgiving - Judges 11;29-40.
God sends ten plagues on Egypt because Pharaoh
won't release the Hebrews, but he deliberately
hardens Pharaoh's heart so he refuses to release the
Hebrews in the first place, making these plagues
necessary - God admits this is so he can perform 'his
wonders' (Exodus 11:9), ie. wholesale mass slaughter
of life in Egypt - Exodus 7:3-4,13-14, 10:1,20.
God sanctions slavery and a man selling his daughter -
Exodus 21:2-6,7.
Death demanded for heresy - Deuteronomy 13:1,2,5,14,15.
God says that if a man strikes 'his slave', male or
female, and they do not die immediately, the man
shall not be punished because 'the slave is his
money (ie. property)' - Exodus 21:20-21.
God orders people to slaughter their own relatives
because they rejected Moses' religion; 3000 killed.
Moses tells the killers that God would bless them
for doing this by making them ordained for his
service - Exodus 32:27-29.
A person to kill their own family for a difference
of religion - Deuteronomy 13:6-10.
God demands death for anyone not circumcised - Gen 17:9-14.
God demands the sick are to be driven out of the
community - Numbers 5:1-4.
God burns people to death for complaining- Numbers 11:1
God kills 24,000 people by a plague because one of them
brought a Midianite woman to his tent - Num 25:6-9.
The curses of God upon the Hebrews (eg. eating their
own children) - Lev 26:14-39, Deut 28:15-68.
God arranges the Midianite slaughter - Judges 7:2,9,22.
(Note: Numbers 31:l-l8 states that God instructed the
mass slaughter of Midianites, and the Lord "slew every
male", alongwith their rulers (31:7), and the
Midianite women and children and animals were
captured; Moses then demanded all the males, including
babies and the women were to be slaughtered, but the
young girls could be "kept alive for yourselves"
(31:18). This story records the extermination of the
Midianites, but later on, God AGAIN instructs the
slaugher of the Midianites (Judges 6:16), It is the
same with the Amalekites - they are "ALL destroyed"
in 1 Samuel 15:8, but they are destroyed yet again in
1 Samuel 27:8-9 and everyone - men and women -
are killed; however, they are killed (- for the 3rd
time!) in 1 Samuel 30:1,l6ff except for 400 young
men. At long last, they are are finally killed off
in 1 Chronicles 4:43 when the 'remnant' were destroyed.
NB. most of the Pentateuchal battles were ordered
by Moses but he was only God's mouthpiece (Num 12:6-8).
He also has an important role in the N.T - Matt 17:1-4,
Heb 3:2,5, 11:23-29, Rev 15:3). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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The Christian God (Cont)........
********************************
The Spirit of God comes upon Samson and he murders
over a thousand people - Judges 14:19, 15:14-15.
The Psalmist praises God for his 'steadfast love' but
then details his slaughtering in the past - Psalm
136:10-21.
God deliberately deludes people so they will not be
saved - 2 Thess 2:11-12.
A girl not found to be a virgin was to be killed -
Deut 22:13-21 (Note the same did not apply to men !).
God kills an innocent baby for its father's wrongdoing
- ignoring the father's pleas - 2 Samuel 12:15-20
God kills 70,000 men - 2 Samuel 24:15
God has a friendly meeting with his arch enemy Satan -
whom he doesn't even recognise - Job 1:6-7, and they
have a wager (Job 1:8-12) over how much suffering it
would take before righteous Job will reject God. Job
then has his whole family killed and livelihood ruined
(1:13-19) and then is afflicted by a loathsome plague
(2:7-8).
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