Does the Bible Contradict Itself?

[spockrates]

Would you disagree with that, specifically in the context of this conversation were having? Is there some other measure for things which man creates and interprets as he sees fit? How else might we measure a story?

Well, I'd disagree with Protagoras (and perhaps Relativism itself) for the reason Socrates gave:

"Moreover, the best joke is that [Protagoras] acknowledges the truth of the opinion of those who believe his own opinion is false! For he claims the opinions of all men are true."

(Theaetetus 171)

In our case, I'd say that logic tells me the opinions of Catholics and Protestants regarding the meaning Jesus intended his words to have cannot both be true. For the former denies his words were merely metaphorical and the latter denies his words were literally literal. It is possible that his words were neither (and so, meaningless) or as you suggest both metaphorical and literal.

I think that the words on the page alone are (in this case) insufficient to reveal (with any certainty) which of these four possibilities is the real meaning Mark intended, though the premise that his words were meant to be meaningless seems most unlikely.

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Truth sounds so easily won that i suspect the word has lost meaning.
(you may, btw, have "misunderstood" Protagoras...lol)

LOL!