Are there many errors in the Bible?

[polonius]

Christians are supposed to believe that the entire Bible was inspired by God.

If this is true, than, in spite of his infinite knowledge, God made a number of mistakes.

Lets start with this one:

How did Simon Peter find out that Jesus was the Christ?

By a revelation from heaven (Matthew 16:17)

His brother Andrew told him (John 1:41) (This was before Peter was an apostle or even had begun to follow Christ.)

Matthew copying from Mark's, has Jesus tell the Apostles that Jesus was Christ. However, Matthew (who was not the Apostle Matthew) contradicts John's gospel.

There are many errors in the Bible which is supposed to have been inspired by God but obviously isn't.

I think that Fundamentalist are in a difficult position trying to claim that the Bible is inerrant.

[Overcomer]

Andrew told Peter the Messiah had come, but we don't know whether Peter believed Jesus was the Messiah in that passage from Matthew.

The Holy Spirit revealed the truth that Jesus was the Messiah to Peter, thereby enabling him to make the statement when Jesus asked them who they thought he was.

It's one thing to hear something and quite another to believe it. Believing always involves the Holy Spirit. And that's the difference between the two verses. No error there.

[polonius]

Andrew told Peter the Messiah had come, but we don't know whether Peter believed Jesus was the Messiah in that passage from Matthew.

The Holy Spirit revealed the truth that Jesus was the Messiah to Peter, thereby enabling him to make the statement when Jesus asked them who they thought he was.

It's one thing to hear something and quite another to believe it. Believing always involves the Holy Spirit. And that's the difference between the two verses. No error there.

RESPONSE? Are you serious? Do you check everything you are told with the Holy Spirit? Does he tell you if it's true or not?

[Elijah John]

There are many errors in the Bible which is supposed to have been inspired by God but obviously isn't.

I think that Fundamentalist are in a difficult position trying to claim that the Bible is inerrant.

If one holds that the Bible is inspired by God, that allows for the occasional error. If one claims the Bible was dictated by God, then there cannot be any errors within it's pages at all.

Most Fundmamentalists will agree the Bible is inspired, but often act as though it is dictated. They do this by claiming inerrancy.

[myth-one.com]

Christians are supposed to believe that the entire Bible was inspired by God.

The original scriptures were given by men as inspired of God:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God...(II Timothy 3:16)

And some were given by word of mouth -- not originally written down:

For the prophesy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (II Peter 1:21)

Since the scriptures were inspired by God, there were absolutely no errors or contradictions in them. Likewise, all scriptures taken together as a whole were true!

But any "scriptures" we read in our Bibles are translations of the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic language scriptures. Our Bibles of today reflect the originals only to the degree of accuracy of the translators. They are not necessarily inspired by God.

If the Bibles we read in English or other non-original languages were also inspired by God, they would not contain errors and contradictions.

A few more English language Bible contradictions are as follows:

And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him... (Luke 23:39)

And they that were crucified with him reviled him. (Mark 15:32)

Apparent contradiction: One reviled Him versus both reviled Him.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son... (John 3:16)

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord ... (Job 1:6)

Apparent contradiction: God has only one Son versus God has more than one son.

And no man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13)
And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (II Kings 2:11)

Apparent contradiction: No human except Jesus has ever gone to heaven versus Elijah went to heaven.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep... (Genesis 1:1-2)

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)

Apparent contradiction: God created the earth without form, void, and dark versus everything that God created was good.

Some errors are simply errors in translation. One example is as follows:

Thou shall not kill. (Exodus 20:13)

The correct translation of Exodus 20:13 is:

Thou shalt not murder. (Exodus 20:13)

And some errors in today's Bibles cannot simply be explained as translation errors. That's because the exact same word in the original language scriptures is translated differently based on its usage! These errors are more sinister as they indicate the translators' efforts to impose their personal beliefs on the scriptures as inspired by God.

The most obvious example of this type of error is use of the word "soul" by translators of the King James Version of the Bible. In the Old Testament, the original scriptures used the Hebrew word "nephesh" when referring to both man and other animals.

In their effort to improve on the inspired words of God, translators decided to translate this one word into multiple words, thus distinguishing between man and the other animals.

Therefore, men improved on omnipotent God's scriptures by imposing their beliefs on scriptures which were already perfect!

Thus, animals become "living creatures" while man becomes a "soul" with its eternal life connotations, although in the original scriptures the same word was used by God to apply to both man and the other animals! The Bible goes on to state:

For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 3:19)

This presents an obvious contradiction in the Bible. If man is immortal due to birth, then he certainly has preeminence above other mortal beasts!

If two words were required to differentiate between man and the other animals, God would have used two words!

The scriptures were inspired by God and were error free.

Bibles were not (necessarily) inspired by God.

[Checkpoint]

Christians are supposed to believe that the entire Bible was inspired by God.

If this is true, than, in spite of his infinite knowledge, God made a number of mistakes.

Lets start with this one:

How did Simon Peter find out that Jesus was the Christ?

By a revelation from heaven (Matthew 16:17)

His brother Andrew told him (John 1:41) (This was before Peter was an apostle or even had begun to follow Christ.)

Matthew copying from Mark's, has Jesus tell the Apostles that Jesus was Christ. However, Matthew (who was not the Apostle Matthew) contradicts John's gospel.

There are many errors in the Bible which is supposed to have been inspired by God but obviously isn't.

I think that Fundamentalist are in a difficult position trying to claim that the Bible is
inerrant.

No, Matthew does not cntradict John, or vice-versa.

They are clearly describing two events, not the same event.

So much for this example chosen to illustrate how some find "many errors in the Bible".

[Elijah John]

[Replying to post 5 by Checkpoint]

Are you denying there are scientific errors in the Bible? Historical errors? Major, thematic contradictions? Not to mention the myriad contradictions of detail.

Is the Bible "practically perfect in every way" as in Mary Poppins? Or is it simply entirely perfect in every way.

Consider Exodus 21.20-21.

Is it OK to own human beings and consider them "property"? And as such to beat them half to death as long as they survive the beating for a "day or two"?

You don't find that passage disgusting and reprehensible? How does that passage harmonize with "love your neighbor" and the parable of the Good Samaritan?

And for those of us who do find that practice disgusting and reprehensible, are we questioning God? Or are we simply questioning "Moses" and Bible perfection. Are the two one in the same?

Should anyone be ascribing the perfection of God to something as flawed as the Bible?

[Checkpoint]

[Replying to post 5 by Checkpoint]

Are you denying there are scientific errors in the Bible? Historical errors? Major, thematic contradictions? Not to mention the myriad contradictions of detail.

Is the Bible "practically perfect in every way" as in Mary Poppins? Or is it simply entirely perfect in every way.

Consider Exodus 21.20-21.

Is it OK to own human beings and consider them "property"? And as such to beat them half to death as long as they survive the beating for a "day or two"?

You don't find that passage disgusting and reprehensible? How does that passage harmonize with "love your neighbor" and the parable of the Good Samaritan?

And for those of us who do find that practice disgusting and reprehensible, are we questioning God? Or are we simply questioning "Moses" and Bible perfection. Are the two one in the same?

Should anyone be ascribing the perfection of God to something as flawed as the Bible?

All I was doing was answering a particular post.

The Bible is what it is.

And what it becomes according to human opinions, study, and choices.

[Yahwehismywitness]

Throughout the ages some verses were changed good example is Matthew 28:19.

https://www.jesuswordsonly.com/topicind ... tthew.html

The consensus of even the most conservative scholars is that the trinitarian formula at Matthew 28:19 was added to the original Matthew at a very late point in time: after the adoption of the trinity doctrine. The book of Acts and Paul’s epistles repeatedly show the original baptismal formula was to baptize into only Jesus’ name. See Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:43; 19:5; Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3; 1 Cor. 1:13-15.

[PeterPan]

Here's a few minor inconsistencies:
The book of Deuteronomy was supposed to have been written by Moses. Here he reports on his own funeral:
34:5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
34:6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day

There are 29 generations listed from David to Jesus in Matthew's genealogy, while Luke's (3:23-31) has 43 generations. Except for David at one end and Jesus at the other, there are only three names in the two lists that are the same.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus predicts that he will be in the tomb for three days and three nights.
See here:
12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
And here:
27:62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
27:63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
Both the books of Mark and Luke say that Jesus was in the tomb for one day and two nights.