CHAPTER XVIII.

HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS.

The more intelligent of orthodox Christians admit that the Bible as a whole is not infallible and divine, but claim that it contains a divine revelation--that a part of it is the work of God and a part the work of man. And yet they cannot separate the one from the other, cannot agree as to which is divine and which human. Concerning this claim Prof. Goldwin Smith writes:

"When we are told there are in the Old Testament scriptures both a human and a divine element, we must ask by what test the divine is to be distinguished from the human? Nobody would have thought of 'partial inspiration' except as an expedient to cover retreat. We but tamper with our own understanding and consciences by such attempts at once to hold on and let go; to retain the shadow of the belief when the substance has passed away. Far better it is, whatever the effort may cost, honestly to admit that the sacred books of the Hebrews, granting their superiority to the sacred books of other nations, are, like the sacred books of other nations, the works of man and not of God."

Others admit the fallibility and human origin of the Old Testament and claim infallibility and divinity for the New Testament alone. But they cannot consistently claim infallibility and divinity for the New and not for the Old. The New Testament is based upon the Old. If the foundation be fallible the superstructure must be fallible also. Both have been declared canonical; both are bound in the same volume and labeled Holy Bible. The chief apostles declared the writings of the Old Testament to be divine, a claim they did not make for the writings of the New. Besides, the New Testament is as full of errors as the Old.

It has been shown that the Four Gospels are not genuine--that they were not written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It is to their credit that they were not. A knowledge of the fact relieves the Apostles and their companions of a very discreditable imputation. Were four witnesses to testify in a court of justice and contradict each other as the Evangelists do, they would be prosecuted for perjury.

In another work five hundred errors to be found in the Four Gospels will be exposed. In this chapter twenty, selected largely at random, will suffice to disprove the credibility of these books:

1.

When was Jesus born?

"In the days of Herod the king" (Matt. ii, 1).

"When Cyrenius was governor of Syria" (Luke ii, 2).

Between Matthew and Luke there is a discrepancy of fully nine years. If Jesus was born in the days of Herod he was born at least three years before the beginning of the Christian era: if he was born in the time of Cyrenius he was born at least six years after the beginning of the Christian era.

2.

Where was Jesus born, in a house, or in a manger?

"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother" (Matt. ii, 11).

"And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger" (Luke ii, 16).

3.

What did his parents do with him?

"When he [Joseph] arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt; and was there until the death of Herod" (Matt. ii, 14, 15).

"And when the days of her [Mary's] purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.... And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth" (Luke ii, 22, 39).

4.

What were the names of the twelve apostles?

"Now the names of the twelve Apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot" (Matt. x, 2-4).

"He chose twelve, whom also he named apostles: Simon (whom he also named Peter), and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon called Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot" (Luke vi, 13-16).

5.

Whom did Jesus call from the receipt of custom?

"He saw a man named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom; and he saith unto him, Follow me" (Matt. ix, 9).

"He went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me" (Luke v, 27).

6.

When Jesus sent out his Apostles, did he command them to provide themselves with staves?

"And he commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money" (Mark vi, 8).

"And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money" (Luke ix, 3).

7.

What did Jesus' neighbors say of him?

"Is not this the carpenter?" (Mark vi, 3).

"Is not this the carpenter's son?" (Matt. xiii, 55.)

8.

Was it one man or two men possessed with devils who came out of the tombs?

"There met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit" (Mark v, 2).

"There met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs" (Matt. viii, 28).

9.

As Jesus was going to Jerusalem, how many blind men sat by the wayside?

"A certain blind man sat by the way side begging.... And he cried, saying, Jesus thou Son of David, have mercy on me" (Luke xviii, 35).

"Two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David" (Matt. xx, 30).

10.

What was Jesus' prediction regarding Peter's denial?

"Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice" (Matt. xxvi, 34).

"Before the cock crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice" (Mark xiv, 30).

11.

What was the color of the robe placed on Jesus during his trial?

"And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe" (Matt. xxvii, 28).

"And they put on him a purple robe" (John xix, 2).

12.

At what time during the day was he crucified?

"And it was the third hour [9 A.M.], and they crucified him" (Mark xv, 25).

"And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour [noon].... Then delivered he him unto them to be crucified" (John xix, 14, 16).

13.

What did they give him to drink?

"They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall" (Matt. xxvii, 34).

"They gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh" (Mark xv, 23).

14.

Did both thieves revile him on the cross?

"And they that were crucified with him reviled him" (Mark xv, 32).

"And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him.... But the other answering rebuked him" (Luke xxiii, 39, 40).

15.

Certain words were inscribed on the cross; what were these words?

"The King of the Jews" (Mark xv, 26).

"This is the King of the Jews" (Luke xxiii, 38).

"This is Jesus the King of the Jews" (Matt. xxvii, 37).

"Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews" (John xix, 19).

16.

Was it lawful for the Jews to put Jesus to death?

"The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death" (John xviii, 31).

"The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die" (John xix, 7).

17.

What women visited the sepulchre on the morning of the resurrection?

"The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene, early when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre" (John xx, 1).

"In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre" (Matt. xxviii, 1).

"Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre.... It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women" (Luke xxiv, 1, 10).

18.

At what time in the morning did they visit the tomb?

"At the rising of the sun" (Mark xvi, 2).

"When it was yet dark" (John xx, 1).

19.

Whom did they see at the tomb?

"The angel" (Matt. xxviii, 2).

"A young man" (Mark xvi, 5).

"Two men" (Luke xxiv, 4).

"Two angels" (John xx, 12).

20.

Where did Jesus first appear to his disciples?

"Then said Jesus unto them [the women], Be not afraid; go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.... Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted" (Matt. xxviii, 10, 16, 17).

"And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.... And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them" (Luke xxiv, 33, 34, 36).

The first time I read Paine's "Age of Reason" I was amazed to learn that the Bible contains as many errors as he exposes. But when a little later I made a more thorough study and analysis of the Pentateuch, the so-called historical books of the Old Testament, and the Four Gospels, I found that Paine had only selected here and there one of a multitude of errors--that in a single book of the Bible were to be found more errors than he had cited from its sixty-six. The briefest exposé of all the errors of the Bible would require a larger volume than the Bible itself. And yet, this book which contains more errors than any other book in Christendom, is the only book for which Christians claim inerrancy.