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How can we rely on the four Gospels when Matthew, Mark, Luke and John give different descriptions of the same events?
Sceptics often quote the apparent contradictions in the Gospel accounts
as evidence that they are inaccurate. For example, Matthew says there
was one angel at Jesus' tomb, while John mentions two. However, the
fact that they give diverging details actually strengthens the case
that these are eyewitness accounts.
It is worth pointing out that the angel accounts are not contradictory.
Matthew does not say there was only one angel at the tomb. The reason
he might mention only one even if two angels were there is the same as
when two different newspaper reporters cover the same event yet include
different details. Two independent eyewitnesses will rarely recall the
same details and never describe an event in exactly the same words.
When two people give the same word-for-word testimony in court, no one
believes them because it is obvious they have prearranged what to say.
The many diverging details in the New Testament make clear that the
writers did not get together to smooth out their story. This means they
were certainly not trying to pass off a lie as the truth to their
different respective audiences, otherwise they would have made sure
they were consistent in every detail. In fact, it is the critics who
are contradictory when they claim that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and
Luke are too similar to be independent sources. At the same time, they
say there are too many differences for them to be true. You can't have
it both ways - are they too much the same or too divergent?
In fact, the Gospels are a perfect mix of the two, as you would expect
from independent eyewitness accounts of the same events. It is easy to
see this in everyday life - just buy three newspapers tomorrow and see
how their reports on the same football match or news story are
different. Go online and check out how different websites cover an
event. Each article will contain some of the same major facts (i.e.
Jesus rose from the dead) and include different minor details (how many
angels were at his tomb).
Simon Greenleaf is a Harvard law professor who wrote the standard work
on what constitutes legal evidence. There can be few people who have a
greater understanding of what eyewitness testimony should be like.
After careful examination of the Gospel witnesses from a sceptical
standpoint, he actually converted to Christianity. Greenleaf concluded
that the four Gospels "would have been received in evidence in any
court of justice, without the slightest hesitation."
Agreement on the major points and differences in the minor detailing
are the very nature of eyewitness testimony. It is also the fundamental
basis of the New Testament Gospels. |
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