RE: Does the Bible Contradict Itself?
July 20, 2012 at 12:45 pm
(This post was last modified: July 20, 2012 at 12:47 pm by Undeceived.)
(July 20, 2012 at 8:28 am)pgrimes15 Wrote:By "dubious" I mean hard to understand. The words are still inerrant, and we're showing in this thread they harbor no contradictions. This is a very small matter and does not need to be blown out of proportion. The way Judas died is insignificant. There are a lot of unmentioned details that are insignificant--that's why they're not in the Bible. The only time scripture is vague is when we want to go beyond it. I'll modify your statement:(July 20, 2012 at 3:06 am)Undeceived Wrote: All Christians believe the original Hebrew text is divinely inspired (if they believe in inspiration at all). The problem arises when there is an ancient Hebrew word with a meaning translators are not sure of. Context is used, but sometimes context is not enough. In any case, we should be safe if (and as it appears) the Hebrew text hasn't changed. Dubious portions of scripture are few and far between. And they have no bearing on the overall message. With four Gospel accounts, it is clear that Jesus died, that He left the tomb, and that many people saw Him. There is no need to be worried about how Judas died. He was so grieved by his actions that he killed himself--that's all we need to know.
Hmmmmm . . . . . you seem to be saying don't bother about the details, just concentrate on the general sweep of the narative. The Xtian postition about bible accuracy is not usually "just feel the story though the actual details may be incorrect and contradictory.", and don't forget your OP was "Does the bible contradict itself?"
Isn't this just the familiar apologist position of "it is the inerrant word of god" when that suits and "things were different then, it should be interpreted like this . . . . ." when that suits.
"The Xtian postition about bible accuracy [should not be] 'just feel the story though the actual details may be incorrect and contradictory.'"
And I agree wholeheartedly.
2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped." When we start saying "things were different then" when it suits us, we are driving the Bible rather than letting it drive us. That is why we cannot declare with certainty how (as our example goes) Judas perished.
Do you know of a dispute among Biblical scholars more crucial than Matthew 27:5?
