The Bible and Its Contradictions

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It has been claimed that all Biblical inconsistencies can be reconciled. I need some help with a few.

On Ascension Into Heaven
"And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." (2 Kings 2:11)

"No man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, ... the Son of Man." (John 3:13)

On Seeing the Face of God[/u]
"... I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." -- Genesis 32:30

"No man hath seen God at any time..."-- John 1:18

A Personal Favorite...[/u]
"This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised." -- Genesis 17:10

"...if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." -- Galatians 5:2

And the Classic...[/u]
"...thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. " -- Exodus 21:23-25

"...ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." -- Matthew 5:39

Anyone have others?

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You are comparing the old testament with the new covenant brought by Jesus Christ.

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Intrepid wrote:

You are comparing the old testament with the new covenant brought by Jesus Christ.

..... so?

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While I do not buy the concept that the Old and New Testaments can differ in what they say because Jesus somehow trumps the inconsistencies, yet we can keep all the rest (wouldn't an omnipotent god who inspired this text be a better editor than that?) I'm happy to provide additonal examples from within the New Testament itself.

Birthdate of Jesus
According to Matthew, Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1). According to Luke, Jesus was born during the first census in Israel, while Quirinius was governor of Syria (Luke 2:2). This is impossible because Herod died in March of 4 BC and the census took place in 6 and 7 AD, about 10 years after Herod's death.

Joseph's Family
Matthew and Luke give two contradictory genealogies for Joseph (Matthew 1:2-17 and Luke 3:23-38).

When Did the Last Supper Happen?
In Matthew, Mark and Luke the last supper takes place on the first day of the Passover (Matthew 26:17, Mark 14:12, Luke 22:7). In John's gospel it takes place a day earlier and Jesus is crucified on the first day of the Passover (John 19:14).

Fate of Judas
In Matthew 27:5 Judas hangs himself, but in Acts 1:18 he bursts open and his insides spill out. But according to the apostle Paul, neither of the above is true. Paul says Jesus appeared to "the twelve" after his resurrection. Mark 14:20 makes it clear that Judas was one of the twelve.
In Matthew 19:28, Jesus tells the twelve disciples, including Judas, that when Jesus rules from his throne, they will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

(Taken from infidels.org).

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stlstrike3 wrote:

Intrepid wrote:
You are comparing the old testament with the new covenant brought by Jesus Christ.

..... so?

Well you wouldn't try to run Photoshop CS3 on windows 3.11. Bible 2 is a pre-req for tri-process god.

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Quote:

I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." -- Genesis 32:30

This quote is from Genesis 32: 31.

In the JPS edition of the Torah, the phrase is..."I have seen a divine being face to face..."

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Intrepid wrote:

You are comparing the old testament with the new covenant brought by Jesus Christ.

The "new covenant"? How is this different from the covenant God made with Abraham?

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Miller wrote:

Intrepid wrote:
You are comparing the old testament with the new covenant brought by Jesus Christ.

The "new covenant"? How is this different from the covenant God made with Abraham?

God was just kidding when he made the first one.
Smile

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Quote:

No man hath seen God at any time..."-- John 1:18

Many a human has "seen"God via an epiphany. I hope John heard about Moses and the burning bush.

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Miller wrote:

Quote:
No man hath seen God at any time..."-- John 1:18

Many a human has "seen"God via an epiphany. I hope John heard about Moses and the burning bush.

And lest we forget Jesus' visage in that piece of burnt toast.

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stlstrike3 wrote:

And lest we forget Jesus' visage in that piece of burnt toast.

As a bread worshipper I find that a very distasteful comment.

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bookmarking

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stlstrike3 wrote:

Miller wrote:
Intrepid wrote:
You are comparing the old testament with the new covenant brought by Jesus Christ.

The "new covenant"? How is this different from the covenant God made with Abraham?

God was just kidding when he made the first one.

i lol'd, for like 20 minutes. Smile

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Miller wrote:

Quote:
I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." -- Genesis 32:30

This quote is from Genesis 32: 31.

In the JPS edition of the Torah, the phrase is..."I have seen a divine being face to face..."

But can man really "see" God?

"When my Beloved appears, With what eye do I see Him? With His eye, not with mine, For none sees Him except Himself."

ibn al-Arabi

According to Ibn al-Arabi, no one has, nor will any one ever see God.

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Re: The Bible and Its Contradictions

stlstrike3 wrote:

It has been claimed that all Biblical inconsistencies can be reconciled. I need some help with a few. . .
A Personal Favorite...[/u]
"This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised." -- Genesis 17:10

"...if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." -- Galatians 5:2

. . .

I believe I did ask you in another thread to state your favorite. I would have thought you would pick one more profound, but here goes:

Circumcision became a requirement in the time of Abraham and was included in the Mosaic law in Leviticus 12:2,3. One thing all of the requirements of the law had in common was to lead the Jews to accept the Messiah. Paul discussed the purpose of the law in Galatians Chapter 3 and said in vs. 24 ". . . the Law has become our tutor leading to Christ . . ."

Only a very few requirements of the law were carried over as mandatory for Christians. In fact Jesus distilled the law into two basic tenets: Love God and love your neighbor.(Luke 10:27)

As to why and when the Jews were to circumcise their male offspring, that is another consideration.

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Miller wrote:

Intrepid wrote:
You are comparing the old testament with the new covenant brought by Jesus Christ.

The "new covenant"? How is this different from the covenant God made with Abraham?

The new convenant includes Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sin etc. etc.

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hope this helps

Quote:

On Ascension Into Heaven
"And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." (2 Kings 2:11)

"No man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, ... the Son of Man." (John 3:13)

In the bible the english word heaven is used for three different areas; sky, space and God's Kingdom. So there is no contradiction between these two verses.

Quote:

I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." -- Genesis 32:30

"No man hath seen God at any time..."-- John 1:18

There are a few different views on this, but most theologians call this a Christophony; Christ being seen in pre-incarnate form.

Quote:

"This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised." -- Genesis 17:10

"...if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." -- Galatians 5:2
"...thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. " -- Exodus 21:23-25

"...ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." -- Matthew 5:39

THe law was given under the first covenant. Christ ushered in a new, better covenant as hebrews states. Even in the old testament, God told of a time he would make a new covenant. THere is no contradiction here, just a change.

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kate4christ03 wrote:

THe law was given under the first covenant. Christ ushered in a new, better covenant as hebrews states. Even in the old testament, God told of a time he would make a new covenant. THere is no contradiction here, just a change.

Where is Frank when you need him? Ah, there he is.

Frank Apisa wrote:

micah wrote:
Frank Apisa wrote:
The laws of the Old Testament still are in force.

These laws continued as long as Israel's special relationship to God continued, and all would end when that special relation ended. That special relationship ended when the gospel came into effect. There is no more Jew or Gentile in God's plan (Gal. 3:28). [Cf. Eph. 2:11-18; Acts 10:34,35; 15:7-11; Rom. 10:12; Col. 3:11]

research 'covenants'.....

The law allowed priests only of the tribe of Levi, but it predicted a time when Christ would be a priest of the tribe of Judah. This meant the law would be changed

All Old Testament laws passed away for the same reason animal sacrifices, circumcision, etc., passed away. God gave them to accomplish a purpose for the nation of Israel. They accomplished that purpose, so God removed them.

lets look at the verse again,

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

they key is "til all be fulfilled"

til what is fulfilled?????

Jesus' purpose

says Jesus:
I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. John 17:4

and also

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. Romans 10:4

so, you can see that i am right and you are wrong....

I see! ...

What about that part "...til heaven and earth pass..."

Why is that not the "the key?"

Why is something as nebulous as "...til all is fulfilled" the key? http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=569189#569189

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mesquite wrote:

kate4christ03 wrote:
THe law was given under the first covenant. Christ ushered in a new, better covenant as hebrews states. Even in the old testament, God told of a time he would make a new covenant. THere is no contradiction here, just a change.

Where is Frank when you need him? Ah, there he is.

Frank Apisa wrote:
micah wrote:
Frank Apisa wrote:
The laws of the Old Testament still are in force.

These laws continued as long as Israel's special relationship to God continued, and all would end when that special relation ended. That special relationship ended when the gospel came into effect. There is no more Jew or Gentile in God's plan (Gal. 3:28). [Cf. Eph. 2:11-18; Acts 10:34,35; 15:7-11; Rom. 10:12; Col. 3:11]

research 'covenants'.....

The law allowed priests only of the tribe of Levi, but it predicted a time when Christ would be a priest of the tribe of Judah. This meant the law would be changed

All Old Testament laws passed away for the same reason animal sacrifices, circumcision, etc., passed away. God gave them to accomplish a purpose for the nation of Israel. They accomplished that purpose, so God removed them.

lets look at the verse again,

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

they key is "til all be fulfilled"

til what is fulfilled?????

Jesus' purpose

says Jesus:
I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. John 17:4

and also

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. Romans 10:4

so, you can see that i am right and you are wrong....

I see! ...

What about that part "...til heaven and earth pass..."

Why is that not the "the key?"

Why is something as nebulous as "...til all is fulfilled" the key? http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=569189#569189

Citing Frank as a bible expert is a colossal gut splitter.

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Expert? Did I say expert somewhere?

I am happy that you got a chuckle though. That was my intent after all in selecting an opposing view that I agree with.

But then ...

Frank Apisa wrote:

Matt5:17,18 "Think not that I am come to destroy the the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
For verily I say unto you , Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

I'm not a bible scholar so this is only how I view the above verses.
Jesus said he did not come to destroy the law so it will be in effect- till heaven and earth pass away.
The wages of sin is death.
There will come a day of reckoning, a day when all the law will be fulfilled completely. A day when everyone has given account of their lives and been judged. http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1563464#1563464

You no doubt have a canned reply for the above. Would you care to honor us with an exhibition of your hoop jumping ability.

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