September 2023
According to critics, the Bible is full of discrepancies and contradictions. My years of study have demonstrated precisely the opposite. At the heart of most, are faulty assumptions based upon traditional interpretations or misguided attempts to “harmonize” stories from different books. With closer examination of what the Bible texts actually relate, the discrepancies and contradictions vanish. And I’ve gained great respect for just how finely meshed the various narratives are; as puzzle pieces, when correctly placed, a beautiful picture appears; mash them together incorrectly and, well, enter the critics.
For example, many are familiar with artistic depictions of the “nativity.” Typically, three kings and the shepherds amid various animals surrounding Joseph and Mary with the infant Jesus swaddled in a manger. However, that scene is not Biblical. Yes, some of it does accord with the account related in Luke 2, especially verses 15 & 16; but the Kings are completely out of place. The story of the “Magi” or wise men, not kings is related in Matthew 2. A careful reading of that text may demonstrate, just how misguided the attempts to harmonize the two separate visitations are, and how unwarranted are the claims of a contradiction.
Please, examine this ...
