I was wondering if any of you here could answer this two part question. Why are there so many contradictions in the 4 gospels? And is it possible that there really are no contradictions in the 4 gospels?

In other words, maybe it's just a riddle and there are no contradictions. Maybe, if the answer to this riddle were to be found, there would not be some 22,000 different denominations and only one truth? What do you think?

-- Michael (mdroe@erinet.com), December 21, 2000

Answers

Michael: It would be very helpful if you visit this site:

http://debate.org.uk/topics/apolog/contrads.htm

Enrique

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), December 22, 2000.

Michael: There are numerous instances in the Bible where it would appear the author has contradicted known facts of science, genealogy, geography, history or other accounts of the same event, etc. For example, In Matthew 2:13-23 we are told the Holy Family left Bethlehem for Egypt for two years under threat of death by Herod who was searching to destroy this "newborn King". In Luke 2:22, scripture tells us that Mary took Jesus to Jerusalem after their time of purification had been complete. From Leviticus 12:2-6 we know that the time of purification for a Jewish woman and her newborn was forty days after the birth of a male and 80 days after the birth of a female. There appears to be a contradiction in the two accounts of how the Holy Family spent the days immediately after the birth of Jesus. In Luke's account, why would Joseph risk harm to his family by taking them to Jerusalem for the presentation after the angel had warned him to take his family to Egypt to avoid harm? Someone reading this may have the answer to my query, however, I don't really care to know the answer. It really matters not wether Jesus was presented in a temple in Egypt or Jerusalem, or wether He was presented later on in life than the required forty days after birth. What is important is that the "essence" of the message as it relates to God's holy Word, be expressed correctly in matters of faith and morals. Catholics believe that the hermeneutic truth, that is the interpretation of Sacred Scripture, is objectively true. The Church believes that its genuine "sense of meaning" is adequately presented by its literal expression. The Church believes the Bible is the inspired Word of God brought forth by the Holy Spirit and intended for a circle of readers. The Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum), states, "Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully, and without error that truth which God wanted put into the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation" (no. 11). This does not mean the Bible is perfect in literary presentation, devoid of obscurity and ambiguity of expression, nor does it mean to imply the absolute truthfulness of Sacred Scripture presents the whole truth under all its aspects. This is why the Church also bases its faith on Tradition as well as Scripture. Due to the fallibility of human authors, the time it took to put some of the events down in writing (the gospels were written some fifty years after death of Jesus) and the bias involved in various translations, it is inevitable that discrepancies would arise. The integrity of the Bible however, in terms of its Truth, in matters of faith and morals, has been preserved. From accounts in Genesis, does it matter to us today whether the universe was created in six "twenty-four hour" days or that it may have been created over billions of years? Does it matter to us what the length of a day was when God was creating the universe before He created the sun and our solar system? It matters not for this is not a matter of faith and morals, and the Church allows us to follow our own beliefs in this regard. What matters is, that there is a creation and it was created by and omniscient, all-powerful Creator and we have been enlightened to this truth through Sacred Scripture. This practice goes against those faiths who accept literally (sola scriptura), accounts given in Sacred Scripture. The Church employs tradition in addition to Sacred Scripture to help her discern what our good God is trying to tell us. Tradition provides a way of reading and interpreting Scripture known as "lectio divina" or inspired reading in which God changes our hearts. Lectio divina draws one from the "inspired word of God" to "God the Word" Himself - Jesus. Catholics believe in the presence of Jesus in varying ways. Jesus is present in His Church, in all Catholics in a state of grace, as the body of Christ. Jesus is present in the celebrant at mass at the moment of consecration. Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist. And finally, Jesus is present in His Word, in Sacred Scripture. The Bible on its own, cannot prove to anyone, beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is a God and who He is and what He wants of us. Inevitably, discussions of this sort always return to matters of faith. Hebrew 11:1 says, "Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and convictions about things we do not see." An individual can discern what he wants to from any passage in Scripture, but at the end of the day, he has but one choice. He can choose to believe or not to.

M-a-ry Christmas!

Ed

-- Ed Lauzon (grader@accglobal.net), December 23, 2000.