Know Your Bible?

[mrs_abbott]

Can you provide an example? Most of the apparent contradictions in the Bible have a perfectly simple explanation, but like most things that are perfectly simple, they aren’t always completely obvious.

Gaps: a big one is Jesus’ life. I know it’s probably been explained but I think it’s strange that he goes from 12 years old to 30-some years old in the Bible. Where are the lost years?

 

[jmcrae]

Gaps: a big one is Jesus’ life. I know it’s probably been explained but I think it’s strange that he goes from 12 years old to 30-some years old in the Bible. Where are the lost years?

The Gospels were never intended to be biographical exposés - that style of writing, where every little detail is dug up and written about the person, didn’t exist in those days.

It’s likely that whatever went on during those years has no teaching value for us, and is therefore none of our business.

Since both Jesus and Mary were without sin, I suspect that an account of those years would be pretty boring, by our standards. “Son, go do this.” Yes, Mother. “Son you are so beautiful to me.” “As you are to me, Mother.” And so on. We sinners would probably not find it to be very exciting reading.

What was important to the Gospel writers was who Jesus was (the infancy narratives), what Jesus taught, (the years of His ministry) and how He saved us from our sins (the Passion narratives). They left his private life out of it precisely because it was his private life.

 

[NotWorthy]

I am not sure about that one but if you read the story of Jacob you will see that both of his wives were his first cousins. They were his fathers brothers daughters. That was how things were at the time. They looked to their close relatives first.

I don’t think Sarah was his sister. He claimed she was to the Egyptian Pharaoh to preserve his skin, but then admitted that she was his wife, later on.

 

[jmcrae]

I don’t think Sarah was his sister. He claimed she was to the Egyptian Pharaoh to preserve his skin, but then admitted that she was his wife, later on.

She was his half-sister - they had the same father, but different mothers. We find this out in Genesis 20:12.

 

[Hubriss]

We know the Bible is true because the Bible says it’s true! Duh!

 

[Timidity]

I don’t think Sarah was his sister. He claimed she was to the Egyptian Pharaoh to preserve his skin, but then admitted that she was his wife, later on.

Keep reading Genesis.

She was his half-sister - they had the same father, but different mothers. We find this out in Genesis 20:12.

Yeah… that’s the place! I have a newish policy against giving exact chapter and verse. I think it’s more helpful to have people dig into scripture on their own.

 

[Timidity]

Then why do we have gaps and different interpretations on certain things?

Because thew originals have gaps. I mean we’re talking about GOD here. If we didn’t have “gaps”, then the Bible would be every detail of every person throughout history. It would be unreadable! The Gospel of John points out that not even all the miracles of Jesus could be contained in a book.

But the “editing” was done through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration in the original authors. The only “editing” and “censoring” that they Church did was to decide (again, we believe, with the help of the Holy Spirit) which books were scripture and which were not.

The Bible is the story of salvation, and therefore contrates on things important to that theme.

As for different interpretations, you will have to provide examples.

 

[jmcrae]

We know the Bible is true because the Bible says it’s true! Duh!

Got a verse for that? And even if you did, it wouldn’t prove anything - the Book of Mormon and the Qu’ran also claim to be true.

I know it’s true because my Mom told me, and she learned it at Sunday School. Tracing it all the way back, it turns out that the reason we know the Bible is true, and that we got the right books in it, is because Pope St. Innocent I told us so, back around 405 AD when he gave St. Jerome the final list (official canon) of the New Testament books to translate.