# Contradictions in Scripture



## Hamalas (Dec 25, 2013)

Here is G.K. Beale answering the question, "Are there contradictions in Scripture?" Are there contradictions in the Bible? - YouTube What do y'all think of his answer?


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## Jerusalem Blade (Dec 25, 2013)

I have great scholarly affection and respect for Prof. Beale (I'm using a number of his books presently), and this is his explanation of the Mark 1:2 variant, which reads "Isaiah the prophet" per the Nestle-Aland/United Bible Society (NU) text, and it's a pretty good explanation. However, the TR and MT read simply "in the prophets", so there is no apparent discrepancy to begin with. Dr. Beale is a CT guy and I take that into account when I use his masterly work.

There are many excellent books which treat of the topic of apparent discrepancies, and are most useful to the Bible student. In fact, they are necessary when dealing with a person like Bart Ehrman who seeks to use such phenomena as a weapon against the inspiration, infallibility, and preservation of God's word. I have collected every one I could find, for they are very useful.


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## Hamalas (Dec 25, 2013)

I agree, I found Dr. Beale's answer helpful as well. Just out of curiosity, what do you mean that he is a "CT" guy?


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## Jerusalem Blade (Dec 25, 2013)

Ben, the Nestle-Aland/United Bible Society (NU) text is equivalent to the Critical Text (CT), which Beale usually favors.


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## Hamalas (Dec 25, 2013)

Got it. Sometimes I get lost in the acronyms. Its one of the risks of being Reformed.


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Dec 25, 2013)

Worth a look:

When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties: Norman L. Geisler, Thomas Howe: 9780801011429: Amazon.com: Books


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## Rev. Todd Ruddell (Dec 25, 2013)

Both Reuben Archer Torrey, and Dr. Gleason Archer have books on apparent difficulties in the Scriptures. 

Difficulties in the Bible: R. A. Torrey: 9780883683019: Amazon.com: Books
Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties: G. Archer: 9780310435709: Amazon.com: Books


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## Jerusalem Blade (Dec 25, 2013)

Patrick and Todd, thank you! All three of those are excellent. And to which I would add,

Hard Sayings of the Bible (Hard Sayings Series the Hard Sayings): Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Peter H. Davids, F. F. Bruce, Manfred Brauch: 9780830814237: Amazon.com: Books

Alleged Discrepancies Of The Bible: HALEY JOHN: 9780883689851: Amazon.com: Books (small book)

Things Hard to be Understood: David W. Cloud: Amazon.com: Books

Difficulties in the Bible: R. A. Torrey: 9780883683019: Amazon.com: Books (even smaller)

Studies in Problem Texts: A Series of Elucidating and Applicable Expositions of Perplexing Scripture Passages: J. Sidlow Baxter: 9780310207115: Amazon.com: Books


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## RamistThomist (Dec 25, 2013)

Jerusalem Blade said:


> Patrick and Todd, thank you! All three of those are excellent. And to which I would add,
> 
> Hard Sayings of the Bible (Hard Sayings Series the Hard Sayings): Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Peter H. Davids, F. F. Bruce, Manfred Brauch: 9780830814237: Amazon.com: Books
> 
> ...



Just out of curiosity, what do you think of Mr David Cloud? I've been following his stuff off and on for about ten years.


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## Jerusalem Blade (Dec 25, 2013)

It is with ambivalence I think of him, Jacob. He is a very sharp scholar on the textual issues – taking a pointed stand against those who differ; a watch-dog of sorts for the IFBs – and a vehement adversary on Calvinism. I like to study his objections to Reformed doctrine so as to keep on my toes and sharpen my blade. He is a godly man, though those targets of his attacks likely think not; he is serious about separation from error and worldliness; he discerns many encroachments of error and ungodliness into the church. I like and respect him, even though we would contend on some issues.


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## Free Christian (Jan 12, 2014)

Some contradictions are simply from some of the newer Bible versions getting it wrong. Like the one in Genesis 28 v 13 compared to Exodus 6 v 3. Most if not all of them I have had explained to me more than adequately, bar that one.


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## One Little Nail (Jan 12, 2014)

Jerusalem Blade said:


> It is with ambivalence I think of him, Jacob. He is a very sharp scholar on the textual issues – taking a pointed stand against those who differ; a watch-dog of sorts for the IFBs – and a vehement adversary on Calvinism. I like to study his objections to Reformed doctrine so as to keep on my toes and sharpen my blade. He is a godly man, though those targets of his attacks likely think not; he is serious about separation from error and worldliness; he discerns many encroachments of error and ungodliness into the church. I like and respect him, even though we would contend on some issues.



Yes unfortunately Mr Cloud is a 4 point Arminian type that holds to Eternal Security of Believers & his eyes are blinded to the clear scripture statements of Election & Predestination as they are understood by The Reformed community & might I add the long deceased Apostle Paul who liveth & abideth forever in His Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ, like Steve says he is 
a sharp scholar on textual issues & I would recommend you get anything you can of his on those issues as he does take a good balanced view of the issues, Defending The Received Text & King James Bible with balanced precision were he avoids
the extremes of the movement on one side against Ruckman & Riplinger and even from the other side like The Dean Burgon 
Society,with whom he has many dear friends & who have many good resources defending The KJB, but have erred in not 
ascribing to the Preserved Word of God & Scripture the necessary derived Inspiration from The Original Autographs.


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## bookslover (Jan 12, 2014)

With regard to the Critical Text vs the AV, I've noticed that both Charles Spurgeon and Alexander Maclaren preferred the Revised Version of 1881 to that of the AV, more often than not. In reading both men, I've noticed, repeatedly, that they tell their congregations that the RV has a more accurate translation of the passage being preached (generally speaking) than the AV does. And, of course, both men were alive and in their primes when the RV was published. I've read enough in both men (about a thousand of Spurgeon's sermons over the years, and I'm deep into Maclaren's "Expositions of Holy Scriptures") to see this consistently in their preaching. Unlike a lot of folks today, neither man felt particularly beholden to the KJV.


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## MW (Jan 12, 2014)

bookslover said:


> With regard to the Critical Text vs the AV, I've noticed that both Charles Spurgeon and Alexander Maclaren preferred the Revised Version of 1881 to that of the AV, more often than not.



In one of Spurgeon's "preferences" for the RV, he stated the following: "Hear, then, the text in its natural form — “I am the good Shepherd and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.” This reading I have given you is that of the Revised Version. *For that Revised Version I have but little care, as a general rule, holding it to be by no means an improvement upon our common Authorized Version. It is a useful thing to have it for private reference, but I trust it will never be regarded as the standard English translation of the New Testament.*"

Another example is found in his sermon on 1 John 3:1: "Dear friends, the most of my text will be found in our Old Version, but for once I shall ask you to look elsewhere for a part of it. A genuine fragment of Inspired Scripture has been dropped by our older translators and it is too precious to be lost. Did not our Lord say, "Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost"? The half lost portion of our text is restored to us in the Revised Version. *Never did a translation of the New Testament fail more completely than this Revised Version has done as a book for general reading, but as an assistant to the student, it deserves honorable mention, despite its faults!* It exhibits, here and there, special beauties and has, no doubt, in certain places, brought into notice words of sacred Scripture which had fallen out. We have a notable instance in my present text."


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