Did the Holy Spirit make a mistake?

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Senyorico

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If the Catholic position is that the Bible is free from error because the Holy Spirit dictated to the authors what to write [1], how will we reconcile the inerrancy of the Scriptures if there are clear contradictions/differences on some of the accounts in the Gospel? Will this mean that the Holy Spirit made a mistake?

[1] For all the books which the Church receives as sacred and canonical are written wholly and entirely, with all their parts, at the dictation of the Holy Ghost; and so far is it from being possible that any error can co-exist with inspiration, that inspiration not only is essentially incompatible with error but excludes and rejects it as absolutely and necessarily, as it is impossible that God Himself, the supreme Truth, can utter that which is not true. . . . It follows that those who maintain that an error is possible in any genuine passage of the sacred writings either pervert the Catholic notion of inspiration or make God the author of such error ( Providentissimus Deus , 20-21).
 
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The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. He does NOT make mistakes.
 
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The Holy Spirit didn’t dictate Scripture. He inspired it. Big difference.

Scripture, like most things in the Catholic Faith, is incarnational… there’s a human element (the culture, personality, etc. of the human sacred writer) and a divine element (the guidance and inspiration of the Spirit).

Muslims believe the Quran was dictated word for word… that’s not the Catholic position on Scripture.
 
It is not the Catholic position that the Holy Spirit dictated the books of the bible. Yes, the authors wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but they were not just stenographers.
The original authors were inspired in their original writings. Translations are not inspired, and in fact we do not have original autographs of any of the sacred scriptures.
 
Which clear contradictions and differences are you referring to?
 
This is similar with Geisler’s argument, are you saying that the Bible we have right now is with error? Is this supported by the Church teaching? Also, the Gospel account contradictions are not based on textual variants, it is based from differences on accounts. Like the date of the Last Supper etc.
 
Yes, it communicates truth in as far as the sacred writer intended to communicate truth. For example, a parable or an allegory can very much be true, and inspired, without being a literal historical account.

In interpreting Scripture, we must take into account the culture, linguistic style, genre etc of the original text… and even more importantly the Sacred Tradition of the Church.
 
The Gospel Accounts such as the date of the last supper, the centurion account, Judas’ death, resurrection account etc.
 
God authored the Scriptures. God’s nature does not account for error. Therefore, the Scriptures does not contain error.
 
My problem is, if the Holy Spirit guided the authors, how will there be room for differences for the authors? I can not reconcile it in line with the Church’s teachings. Also, the Church has not defined the meaning of the Gospel contradictions (afaik).
 
What is it about the apparent contradiction of the date of the last supper that troubles you?
 
Senyorico said:
My problem is, if the Holy Spirit guided the authors, how will there be room for differences for the authors?
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First, as @JimG said, the Church teaches that only the original of each book is guaranteed to be without error. Any copies that we have are not guaranteed.

Second, if you and a bunch of other people witness some important event, say a car accident, and the police witness you and the others about the event, you will all have a slightly different recollection of the events that took place. That’s because you saw things at a slightly different angle, etc. For the gospel writers, there would be differences in background for example that would color how you view things. Further, the gospels were not written immediately after the events but years after the events. Some differences in memory are bound to happen after the passage of time. In fact, I’d be more concerned if the gospels lined up EXACTLY. That could possibly mean that there was some collusion was going on. I do not mind the variations. It makes them more real to me

Pax
 
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Some of the things that seem like contradictions are actually the most interesting. Because they force you to delve in for a deeper understanding of what is actually being said.

Identifying what you see as a contradiction is helpful and can help you understand some of the context of these texts.

You are right to look for these contradictions. I am just suggesting that you don’t shy away from them, dig into them and you may be surprised!

In the end it does all hang together like a beautiful cobweb. But we have to approach it with those contradictions in mind so we can ask questions.

People have been sorting through this stuff for millennia. Let the revelations of the church lead you to the real meaning.
 
Senyorico said:
… if there are clear contradictions/differences on some of the accounts in the Gospel?..
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You could read chapter 9 (1001 Bible Conradictions) of Trent Horn’s book Hard Sayings.

Trent Horn recommends, per rule seven – consult a reliable commentary – A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture by Bernard Orchard; Edmund F. Sutcliffe, Thomas Nelson, 1953, or the 2012 Logos digital reprint, or the newer Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament by Scott Hahn (Editor) and Curtis Mitch (Compiler).
 
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fredystairs said:
the Church teaches that only the original of each book is guaranteed to be without error. Any copies that we have are not guaranteed
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When did the Church teach this? Even if this is the case the account itself are contradictory, not the text. They are not writing it as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit, so how can it be contradictory? Did Jesus die before the Passover meal or after? The answer depends on which gospel we read.
 
Hi! At what extent do you think the Holy Spirit guided the authors?
 
In 2014 the Pontificial Biblical Commission has published a document called " Inspiration and Truth in Sacred Scripture" which admits and analyses the contradictions present in the Bible. This document is available on the official Vatican site only in Italian, French, Spanish and German; the english version of the document can only be bought (i don’t know why). If you can read one of these languages, you can find the document here:
French: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/c...222_ispirazione-verita-sacra-scrittura_fr.pdf
Italian: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/c...22_ispirazione-verita-sacra-scrittura_it.html
Spanish: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/c...22_ispirazione-verita-sacra-scrittura_sp.html
German: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/c...22_ispirazione-verita-sacra-scrittura_ge.html

I translate below some of the conclusions reached by the Commission about the contradictions found in the Gospels:

123 … The intent to announce Jesus, the Son of God and Savior of men – an intent which can be called theological – is prevalent and fundamental in the Gospels. The reference to concrete facts that we meet in the Gospels is part of this theological announcement. This implies that the theological statements about Jesus have a direct and normative meaning, purely historical elements have a subordinate function.

144 Coming from God, Scripture has divine qualities. Among these, the fundamental one to attest the truth, which however is not to be intended as the sum of exact information about the various aspect of the human knowledge, but as a revelation of God himself and his salvific plan.
…
We clarify in this way that the truth of the Scripture is the one which has as purpose the salvation of believers.

I hope this may help
 
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