Biblical Contradictions

[HitchSlap]

There was a Jewish temple in Egypt. I wonder if the baby rituals were performed there instead of Jerusalem?
Onias, Temple of

Well, that would put them in Egypt thirty-two days after Jesus' birth. Now we have to figure out when the Magi visited Joseph, Mary & Jesus in Bethlehem.

 

[HitchSlap]

At 15:50 Ehrman begins to sum up how all the discrepancies in the gospels should be treated, as they're impossible to rectify.

 

[Almost there]

I'd like to hear how Christians justify any of the contradictions in the video.

See my tag line.

Meanwhile, I do have a problem with his explanation of the genealogies, because IMO, one is the genealogy of Joseph and the other is of Mary.

I also see him doing that in other places as well. But I'm with him to some degree and get a bit of grief from it on this site. I don't call the bible the word of God. Rather, I believe it CONTAINS the word of God.

And it truly is very useful in exactly the ways it claims to be useful. Teaching, etc.

 

[HitchSlap]

See my tag line.

Meanwhile, I do have a problem with his explanation of the genealogies, because IMO, one is the genealogy of Joseph and the other is of Mary.

I also see him doing that in other places as well. But I'm with him to some degree and get a bit of grief from it on this site. I don't call the bible the word of God. Rather, I believe it CONTAINS the word of God.

And it truly is very useful in exactly the ways it claims to be useful. Teaching, etc.

This is the approach I took towards the last few years of my Christian faith, as well.

 

[cloudyday2]

Well, that would put them in Egypt thirty-two days after Jesus' birth. Now we have to figure out when the Magi visited Joseph, Mary & Jesus in Bethlehem.

I suppose the wise men arrived just as Jesus was born. They might have even offered to pay for the boat tickets for the family to travel to Alexandria when they learned of God's warning to Joseph. Maybe they all traveled together, because I would assume the wise men would not come that far without a stop-off in Alexandria before returning to the East.

 

[Almost there]

This is the approach I took towards the last few years of my Christian faith, as well.

I suppose a big difference between you and I is that I have three bona-fide miracles in my life. If all I had was my intellect, there is no way I would be a Christian. The intellect is like an AM radio and the spirit is like an FM radio. The bible speaks to the spirit. Many with only the "AM radio" will believe it at first until they see it's shortcomings from an intellectual level. It speaks to my tag line. As does the FM radio explanation.

This is why I believe the world is divided not into two groups (sheep and goats), but three groups: Found sheep, lost sheep and goats. Goats will never be sheep. Lost sheep can become found sheep. They can be spotted by how they respond to the message.

And at the end of the day, it is covered in Romans 9 and illustrated with Pharaoh.

 

[Almost there]

I suppose the wise men arrived just as Jesus was born. They might have even offered to pay for the boat tickets for the family to travel to Alexandria when they learned of God's warning to Joseph. Maybe they all traveled together, because I would assume the wise men would not come that far without a stop-off in Alexandria before returning to the East.

They probably arrived a couple of years later.

 

[cloudyday2]

They probably arrived a couple of years later.

How would they know where to find Jesus if He wasn't in the prophesied location - Bethlehem? Or does the family relocate permanently to Bethlehem for two years?

 

[Nihilist Virus]

I'm pretty disappointed in the responses I've seen here. Even if the video is utterly inadequate, we all know that the Bible contradicts itself left and right. I don't see how that is in dispute whatsoever.

As far as Matthew vs Luke, and the issue of Jesus in Egypt, the answer is pretty obvious. Matthew constantly fudges things to force OT prophecy to fit. He takes Isaiah 7:14 out of context to support the virgin birth. He takes Hosea 11:1 out of context quite obviously. God took Israel, his "son," out of Egypt. Matthew wants to fudge that into the account. Even if you believe in the gospels, it's obvious that Jesus never got his passport stamped in Egypt.

 

[Almost there]

How would they know where to find Jesus if He wasn't in the prophesied location - Bethlehem? Or does the family relocate permanently to Bethlehem for two years?

I don't know. I don't care. This is where I agree with the author at a very high level. I don't think you really fully grasp just how much I apply my tag line to the bible.

Those that understand will understand. Those that depend on the intellect solely will consider it nonsense. And here's a funny one for me: If Christianity is man made, why on earth, in the culture in which Christ lived, would you have the first witnesses of his resurrection be women?! It's just goofy. Unless it's not of men, but of God. Or it's of really nutty men.

The proof of Christ is the changed lives over thousands of years. And, of course, the miracles.

 

[HitchSlap]

They probably arrived a couple of years later.

If Jesus was living in Bethlehem 1-2 years after his birth, when did he go to Nazareth and Egypt?

 

[Nihilist Virus]

And here's a funny one for me: If Christianity is man made, why on earth, in the culture in which Christ lived, would you have the first witnesses of his resurrection be women?!

"The first shall be last, and the last shall be first."

Also, it was the woman's duty to attend to honoring corpses, apparently, and thus it would have made no sense if the disciples went.

 

[Almost there]

If Jesus was living in Bethlehem 1-2 years after his birth, when did he go to Nazareth and Egypt?

I didn't say he was. I said that's probably when the wise men went to meet him.

 

[HitchSlap]

They probably arrived a couple of years later.

How long does it take to travel from the east?

 

[Almost there]

"The first shall be last, and the last shall be first."

Also, it was the woman's duty to attend to honoring corpses, apparently, and thus it would have made no sense if the disciples went.

That ignores the respect the culture gave for the testimony of women.

 

[Almost there]

How long does it take to travel from the east?

 

[Nihilist Virus]

That ignores the respect the culture gave for the testimony of women.

I don't see what's being ignored about that. The disciples obviously didn't even believe the women. Isn't that why John and Peter ran to the tomb?

 

[Almost there]

I don't see what's being ignored about that. The disciples obviously didn't even believe the women. Isn't that why John and Peter ran to the tomb?

Yep.

 

[Nihilist Virus]

Yep.

OK, so your argument is that a supporting fact for the resurrection is that no one would invent a story in which the testimony of women is accepted as true, even though you agree that the testimony of the women was not taken as true.

 

[HitchSlap]

So, the Magi followed the star of Bethlehem for two weeks, to visit Jesus in Bethlehem, 1 - 2 years after he was born?