Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all tell the story of Jesus being anointed by a woman with oil (named Mary Magdelene in some accounts), and she is scolded for it (by Judas in John’s account), but some details don’t seem to harmonize across all four Gospel accounts. It seems that they are different events but with similar actions, or in the same event with conflicting details.
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Contradiction: Paul Conversion Testimony
Let’s take a look at one of those “contradiction” controversies. In the book of Acts, Luke records Paul’s testimony about his conversion to following Jesus three different times. The first time is the event itself, and the second and third are retellings by Paul before the authorities. There seems to be a discrepancy between them.
Continue readingExodus vs Numbers: Firstborn Male Redemption
Some people view Numbers 3:39-50 as a contradiction of Exodus 13:1-16 and Exodus 34:19-20, on the topic of firstborn male sacrifice and substitution. However, there is a simple explanation for why the rules have changed.
Continue readingGospel Contradictions: Blind Men and Demons
There are four gospels and they are all slightly different because they were written by different people who either witnessed or talked to witnesses of the same events. Some variation is natural so it should be expected, however, the bible is still spiritually inspired so minor variations are not contradictions, and yet some bible skeptics will make a big deal out of them. The story of Jesus exorcising the legion of demons is one of the more famous stories of Jesus. There are two men possessed by a legion of demons in Matthew 8:28-34, but only one demon-possessed man is mentioned in Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39. Also, there are two blind men in Matthew 20:29-34 but only one blind person is mentioned in Luke 18:35-43, and he is named (Bartimaeus ) in Mark 10:46-52. Is this a contradiction?
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