How do you explain Biblical Contradictions? (moved from Gen. Theology)

[SJC-Coop]

How do you go about explaining, to yourself and to someone else, the obvious contradictions of the bible?

There are many, but I’m thinking of the big ones, like:

* 10 Commandments say: “Thou Shalt not Kill”, but the O.T. is full of mass-killings, including women and children, commanded by God.
* What about the contradictions through all 4 gospels of the resurrection account.
* Which came first, animals or man? (Gen 1:25 show animals came first; Gen 2:18,19 show Adam was made first and then God made the animals and brought them to Adam to be named)
* or the many contradictions between the four gospels on the resurrection.

I was wondering what the average Christian responds with.

Thanks!

 

[MamaZ]

I don't see any contradictions

 

[Stryder06]

How do you go about explaining, to yourself and to someone else, the obvious contradictions of the bible?

There are many, but I’m thinking of the big ones, like:

* 10 Commandments say: “Thou Shalt not Kill”, but the O.T. is full of mass-killings, including women and children, commanded by God.
* What about the contradictions through all 4 gospels of the resurrection account.
* Which came first, animals or man? (Gen 1:25 show animals came first; Gen 2:18,19 show Adam was made first and then God made the animals and brought them to Adam to be named)
* or the many contradictions between the four gospels on the resurrection.

I was wondering what the average Christian responds with.

Thanks!

Before an answer can be given, you have to actually be willing to learn. If you're not searching for God than you'll always see "contradictions" no matter what anyone here says to you.

 

[SJC-Coop]

I don't see any contradictions

 

[SJC-Coop]

Before an answer can be given, you have to actually be willing to learn. If you're not searching for God than you'll always see "contradictions" no matter what anyone here says to you.

Really? I thought that the answer would not be as "grey" as that, unlike some moral issues, or whatever.

I'm just really curious to see what Christians have to say about this.

 

[psalm1:3]

YES, but the bible also says to obey the lord thy god. I believe that that commandment overrides any other. Don't you agree? And if God felt that doing those things was important for the greater good of human kind, then that was the way it had to be and we do not question.

 

[Stryder06]

Really? I thought that the answer would not be as "grey" as that, unlike some moral issues, or whatever.

I'm just really curious to see what Christians have to say about this.

Those who are called by God hear His voice and understand His word. I'm telling you that if you're hear for an answer because you hear the voice of God and are simply unsure, than by all means I see no reason to keep back an answer from you.

But if you're simply trying to quench your thrist of curiosity, than I myself have nothing to say.

God bless you my brother.

 

[wildboar]

* 10 Commandments say: “Thou Shalt not Kill”, but the O.T. is full of mass-killings, including women and children, commanded by God.
* What about the contradictions through all 4 gospels of the resurrection account.
* Which came first, animals or man? (Gen 1:25 show animals came first; Gen 2:18,19 show Adam was made first and then God made the animals and brought them to Adam to be named)
* or the many contradictions between the four gospels on the resurrection.

1. More precisely the command says not to murder. Murder is unlawful killing. Not all killing is unlawful.

2. You would have to be more specific I do not see contradictions there but see four people giving their own perspective on a given situation. Whenever more than one person starts retelling an event there are bound to be differences in how they retell it. That doesn't necessarily mean there is contradiction.

3. Genesis 2 does not say that after God created man he then created animals. It says that God had created the animals (keep in mind that there are only two verb tenses in Hebrew) and that Adam named the animals. It does not give a chronology.

4. Please refer to 2, since it seems to just be a restatement of 2.

 

[chestertonrules]

How do you go about explaining, to yourself and to someone else, the obvious contradictions of the bible?

There are many, but I’m thinking of the big ones, like:

* 10 Commandments say: “Thou Shalt not Kill”, but the O.T. is full of mass-killings, including women and children, commanded by God.
* What about the contradictions through all 4 gospels of the resurrection account.
* Which came first, animals or man? (Gen 1:25 show animals came first; Gen 2:18,19 show Adam was made first and then God made the animals and brought them to Adam to be named)
* or the many contradictions between the four gospels on the resurrection.

I was wondering what the average Christian responds with.

Thanks!

The commandment is: Thou shalt not murder. It was given to man by God. God can murder if he wants. He's God.

The contradictions in the gospels are trivial, and to be expected given four different vantage points. I think that they add to credibility of the gospels.

Genesis is full of allegory. The point of the creation story is that God created the universe, among other things.

 

[Kristos]

How do you go about explaining, to yourself and to someone else, the obvious contradictions of the bible?

There are many, but I’m thinking of the big ones, like:

* 10 Commandments say: “Thou Shalt not Kill”, but the O.T. is full of mass-killings, including women and children, commanded by God.
* What about the contradictions through all 4 gospels of the resurrection account.
* Which came first, animals or man? (Gen 1:25 show animals came first; Gen 2:18,19 show Adam was made first and then God made the animals and brought them to Adam to be named)
* or the many contradictions between the four gospels on the resurrection.

I was wondering what the average Christian responds with.

Thanks!

I think these are all easily explainable with the correct understanding.

Less explainable would why Genesis talks about Joseph being lead away by a caravan of camels when the camel wasn't domesticated until several hundred years later. The bible is full of anachronisms, but this has little impact on the spiritual truth expressed by stories.

Honestly, considering it's scope, the harmony of the Bible is astounding. Details that tie together generation over thousands of years. The thread of truth that is woven from beginning to end. Truly amazing.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

Originally Posted by SJC-Coop How do you go about explaining, to yourself and to someone else, the obvious contradictions of the bible?

I normally do not bother with it.......

 

[christianmomof3]

The Bible tells us why God does things, not necessarily how.
It has over 40 different writers and was written over a period of about 1600 years and yet the whole Bible reveals God and His purpose. It never needs to be updated or revised. It has the highest standard of morality and tells about God, man, and human problems and history. It gives detailed descriptions of the past and future of the universe and has accurate prophesies and history concerning Christ, Israel and other nations and cities. Job 26:7 tells us that the earth hangs upon nothing. Jeremiah 33:22 tells us that the stars are without number, Isaiah 40:22 tells us that the earth is a sphere. The Bible has been translated into over 2000 languages and is the number one best seller every year.
It has changed many people's lives.
Have you read the whole Bible?

 

[New_Wineskin]

How do you explain Biblical Contradictions?
How do you go about explaining, to yourself and to someone else, the obvious contradictions of the bible?

There are many, but I’m thinking of the big ones, like:

* 10 Commandments say: “Thou Shalt not Kill”, but the O.T. is full of mass-killings, including women and children, commanded by God.
* What about the contradictions through all 4 gospels of the resurrection account.
* Which came first, animals or man? (Gen 1:25 show animals came first; Gen 2:18,19 show Adam was made first and then God made the animals and brought them to Adam to be named)
* or the many contradictions between the four gospels on the resurrection.

I was wondering what the average Christian responds with.

Thanks!

Well , I first explain that none of the original copies is known to exist . So , it is impossible to know what has been added , subtracted , or changed . Add that to the fact that the languages used when writing the originals are no longer in use and guesses are made by the translators in their interpretations .

We also have the fact that the newer writings are written in old Greek by those that grew up in a Jewish - nongreek - environment . The writings could not exactly represent Jewish ideas . Like baptism - it is the Jewish ritual Mitzvah meant for symbolic representation of burial and ressurection or rebirth because of faith in the Lord's ( God of Israel ) forgiveness . But , many christians look at the Greek word instead of the Jewish act and get a completely weird idea of water baptism .

Another way of explaining is what you wrote . Why would you write old English in a forum where people are not speaking such ? There is a lot of difference between that interpretation of the Scriptures and current English . That brings another level of possibilities to allow for contradictions .

Contraditictions also arise from a lack of context in reading things . Again ,take your view of the 10 . It is almost always mistranslated as "kill" but the context from the rest of the Scriptures clearly indicates that the translation should be "murder" .


Overall , it doesn't matter that the Scriptures have contraditions of nonessential facts . Christians need the Lord - not writings .

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

Contraditictions also arise from a lack of context in reading things . Again ,take your view of the 10 . It is almost always mistranslated as "kill" but the context from the rest of the Scriptures clearly indicates that the translation should be "murder" .

http://www.scripture4all.org/

James 5:6 Ye condemn, ye murder/efoneusate <5407> (5656) the Righteous-One, not He is resisting to Ye.

Reve 11:7 And whenever they should be finishing the testimony of them, the beast, the one ascending out of the Abyss, shall be doing with them, battle and shall be conquering them and shall be killing/apo-ktenei <615> (5692) Them

 

[SJC-Coop]

1. More precisely the command says not to murder. Murder is unlawful killing. Not all killing is unlawful.

I checked again. It says kill

Exodus 2:13 ""You shall not kill."

4. Please refer to 2, since it seems to just be a restatement of 2.

Sorry to all, I do think that I posted that one twice

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

I checked again. It says kill

Exodus 2:13 ""You shall not kill."

I was going to see what greek word the LXX used for it but I can't get to it right now. Anyone have any idea of how the LXX renders it?

Exodus 20:13 Not thou shall murder/kill. [Deut 5:17]

07523 ratsach {raw-tsakh'} a primitive root; TWOT - 2208; v
AV - slayer 16, murderer 14, kill 5, murder 3, slain 3, manslayer 2,
killing 1, slayer + 0310 1, slayeth 1, death 1; 47
1) to murder, slay, kill
1a) (Qal) to murder, slay
1a1) premeditated
1a2) accidental
1a3) as avenger
1a4) slayer (intentional) (participle)
1b) (Niphal) to be slain
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to murder, assassinate
1c2) murderer, assassin (participle)(subst)
1d) (Pual) to be killed

 

[SummaScriptura]

All of the issues raised by the OP are truly mundane and boring. Anyone with half an hour of research can find plausible explanations to those.

But, without rolling up my sleeves...

On the initial point how do I explain biblical contradictions? I process this a bit different now than when I was a new believer.

Now, I note the contradiction, file it in my memory as something to mull over, pray about it, and if I cannot reconcile it I'm prepared to live with the unreconciled scripture until I get more insight. But no, I don't wring my wrists and say, "oh golly, I guess I can't believe the Bible!" as apparently the OP does.

 

[zeke37]

How do you go about explaining, to yourself and to someone else, the obvious contradictions of the bible?

Hi...at first, I did not know that there was any seeming contradictions...but as I read more I discovered that indeed there did seem to be a few....so what to make of it...?

As Summa said, it did not deture me, but I filed it on a shelf, and eventually, proper division of the Word of God leads to no contradiction....

there can not be a contradiction...if there is then the fault lies either with the translation (English taken from Latin taken from Greek taken from Hebrew....) and the translations of the translations.....or the individual belief that changes the meaning o words altogether...doctrine is very wide and diverse....there are sooo many diferent Christian denoms and this is precisely why....what does such and such a scripture mean....

but if we go back far enough, to the original language that the passage was written in, then most of these seeming contradictions immediately disappear. Also, there is both a physical meaning and a spiritual meaning behind the lessons learned in the Bible. for example Death can be both in a physical means, and one can be spiritually dead while being very much alive in the flesh....Death is also a name given to Satan himself, so proper division of what is meant, is rather important...context.

There are many, but I&#8217;m thinking of the big ones, like:

* 10 Commandments say: &#8220;Thou Shalt not Kill&#8221;, but the O.T. is full of mass-killings, including women and children, commanded by God.

the commandment is thou shalt not kill innocence...murder...criminal homicide...here is what the Strong's Concordance defines it as meaning...

H7523
&#1512;&#1510;&#1495;
ra&#770;tsach
raw-tsakh'
A primitive root; properly to dash in pieces, that is, kill (a human being), especially to murder: - put to death, kill, (man-) slay (-er), murder (-er).

the red is what the Hebrew word "ra&#770;tsach" was translated into. Sometimes improperly translated into English as kill, although the passages content would tell how and why the killing took place...

the women and children that were killed were of a specific line of people that were not allowed to continue. that of the giants...traceable if you know the names, which are given elsewhere in scripture...they are not innocent souls.

* What about the contradictions through all 4 gospels of the resurrection account.

you'd have to be specific, 'cause I do not know what you mean.

* Which came first, animals or man? (Gen 1:25 show animals came first; Gen 2:18,19 show Adam was made first and then God made the animals and brought them to Adam to be named)

Gen1 and Gen2 are NOT the same day, as many Christians and non Christians suppose...it is NOT a retelling, but a specific man planted by God, sometime AFTER the 7th day....possibly the 8th...

so there is no contradiction..in fact the order is one of many proofs that this is NOT a retelling of mankind, but of a specific individual man formed later, in a specific place formed later...

* or the many contradictions between the four gospels on the resurrection.

I was wondering what the average Christian responds with.

Thanks!

again, have to be specific.

I checked again. It says kill

Exodus 2:13 ""You shall not kill."



Sorry to all, I do think that I posted that one twice

look into the Hebrew and look into the context of the "killing" and there is no contradiction.

All of the issues raised by the OP are truly mundane and boring. Anyone with half an hour of research can find plausible explanations to those.

when you were a new believer, these must have intrigued your mind...as it does for a non believer...the lack of education n any subject can have one seeing contradictions. That is why there are so many different Christian denominations, with so many varied beliefs.

But, without rolling up my sleeves...

On the initial point how do I explain biblical contradictions? I process this a bit different now than when I was a new believer.

Now, I note the contradiction, file it in my memory as something to mull over, pray about it, and if I cannot reconcile it I'm prepared to live with the unreconciled scripture until I get more insight.

me too....

But no, I don't wring my wrists and say, "oh golly, I guess I can't believe the Bible!" as apparently the OP does.

let's here him out...he has that right....perhaps that is not his point.

 

[SJC-Coop]

It seems like I have been getting a lot of half-answers and also some (it feels like it to me) underlying hostility or dislike, most probably because I'm agnostic.(?)

I really wanted to know how people accept and live with things that are contradicting in the bible.

I'm sorry that my examples are mundane. There are pages and pages of contradictions really, but I guess they will all be too mundane for you?

It just seems interesting to me how the Inerrant and Inspired Word of God can have contradictions in it, and folks just accept it.

I thought that I would get some info or feedback on why or how this is justified, but most of you just ignore the contradictions and move on.

Sure it was written by many people, but weren't they all inspired by God, one author?

I'm just trying to understand.

Maybe the question is too hard, or the fact too disturbing to actually come to terms with the fact that God's Word is full of contradictions.

Either way, I guess the non-answers are answers in themselves....Christians just don't seem to want to deal with it or understand it.

This was an Interesting thread though, thanks.

 

[Secundulus]

I was going to see what greek word the LXX used for it but I can't get to it right now. Anyone have any idea of how the LXX renders it?

Exodus 20:15 (LXX)
15 &#959;&#8016; &#966;&#959;&#957;&#949;&#973;&#963;&#949;&#953;&#962;.

5839 &#966;&#959;&#957;&#949;&#973;&#969; (phoneu&#333;): vb.; &#8801; DBLHebr 8357; Str 5407—LN 20.82 commit murder, kill (Mt 5:21; 19:18; 23:31, 35; Mk 10:19; Lk 18:20; Ro 13:9; Jas 2:11; 4:2; 5:6)
http://christianforums.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=51235325#_ftn5vb. verb

DBLHebr Swanson, A Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament)

Str Strong’s Lexicon

LN Louw-Nida Greek-English Lexicon

http://christianforums.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=51235325#_ftnref5Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.) (DBLG 5839). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.