(May 12, 2011 at 3:41 pm)Doubting Thomas Wrote: OK then, what about simple contradictions like this one?
How many men did the chief of David's captains kill?
2 Samuel 23:8
These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.
1 Chronicles 11:11
And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time.
So what was it, 800 or 300? I know a simple numerical error doesn't really amount to much, but if you claim there are no contradictions whatsoever in the bible, how are you going to spin this one?
I know, let me guess... they're not contradictory, because one verse is just expanding on the other, right? 1 Chronicles says that 300 men were killed, and the 2 Samuel is just expanding on that by mentioning those, plus 500 others that Chronicles didn't mention, correct?
It could be both, the two stories could be separate occasions, in the older manuscripts of Greek and Hebrew Adino the Eznite could be a different person from Jashobeam, also there's no real agreement on a Hacmonite and a Tachmonite being considered the same people. Just giving other explanations without playing with the numbers.
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.