"The Bible" Is Not "Inerrant." Here Are Some of Its Errors.

Introduction

Biblical errors commonly cited by lay people like me and also by scholars often fall into several categories, including contradictions, historical inaccuracies, unscientific claims, and ethical concerns. Here are some of the most frequently discussed issues:

Contradictions

·         Contradictory Genealogies of Jesus: Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38 differ significantly.

·         Contradictory Creation Accounts: Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 present different sequences and methods of creation.

·         Different Deaths of Judas: Matthew 27:5 says Judas hanged himself, while Acts 1:18 describes him falling headlong and his body bursting open.

Historical Inaccuracies

·         Census of Quirinius: Luke 2:1-2 mentions a census during the time of Quirinius, which historical records indicate took place in 6-7 CE (common era), well after the death of Herod the Great (4 BCE (before the common era)), under whom Jesus was supposedly born.

·         Fall of Jericho: Archaeological evidence suggests that the city of Jericho was destroyed long before the biblical date attributed to Joshua's conquest.

Unscientific Claims

·         Age of the Earth: The biblical timeline suggests a young Earth (around 6,000 years old), which contradicts scientific evidence supporting an Earth that is about 4.5 billion years old.

·         Global Flood: The story of Noah's Ark in Genesis 6-9 suggests a global flood, which lacks supporting geological evidence and contradicts the understanding of biodiversity and species distribution.

Mistreatment of Groups of People

·         Slavery: Passages in both the Old Testament (e.g., Leviticus 25:44-46) and the New Testament (e.g., Ephesians 6:5) condone slavery.

·         Genocide: God's commands to the Israelites to destroy entire populations, such as in Deuteronomy 20:16-17, raise moral questions.

·         Treatment of Women: Various passages (e.g., 1 Timothy 2:11-12) suggest a subordinate role for women, which conflicts with modern views on gender equality.

·         Treatment of LGBTQ People: Passages such as Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13 criticize same-sex activity between men, with the latter prescribing death, and texts including Romans 1:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 are sometimes read as condemnations of homosexuality. Critics note that the concept of sexual orientation did not exist in the ancient world, and that the Greek terms behind the New Testament passages (malakoi and arsenokoitai) are disputed and may refer to specific exploitative practices rather than same-sex relationships in general, making the modern application to LGBTQ people contested.

False Prophecies

·         Immanuel Prophecy: Isaiah 7:14 is interpreted in the New Testament (Matthew 1:22-23) as a prophecy of Jesus' virgin birth. Critics argue this is a mistranslation and misapplication of the original Hebrew text.

·         Destruction of Tyre: Ezekiel 26 predicts the complete destruction of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar. However, historical records show that Tyre was not completely destroyed and continued to exist.

Defenders of biblical inerrancy offer various explanations and apologetics, such as "interpreting" passages metaphorically, considering context and audience, or emphasizing the theological and metaphorical rather than literal accuracy of the text.

References

G. Brent Dalrymple, The Age of the Earth (Stanford University Press, 1991); U.S. Geological Survey, which places the age of the Earth at about 4.54 billion years.

James Ussher, Annales Veteris Testamenti (1650), the chronology behind the roughly 6,000-year young-Earth timeline.

National Center for Science Education, resources on flood geology and the absence of geological evidence for a worldwide flood. https://ncse.ngo

Boswell, J. (1980). *Christianity, social tolerance, and homosexuality*. University of Chicago Press.

Brown, R. E. (1977). *The birth of the Messiah*. Doubleday.

Dalrymple, G. B. (1991). *The age of the Earth*. Stanford University Press.

Ehrman, B. D. (2009). *Jesus, interrupted: Revealing the hidden contradictions in the Bible*. HarperOne.

Friedman, R. E. (1987). *Who wrote the Bible?* Summit Books.

Josephus, F. (1987). *The works of Josephus* (W. Whiston, Trans.). Hendrickson. (Original work published ca. 93–94 CE).

Kenyon, K. M. (1957). *Digging up Jericho*. Ernest Benn.

Law, T. M. (2013). *When God spoke Greek: The Septuagint and the making of the Christian Bible*. Oxford University Press.

Martin, D. B. (1996). Arsenokoites and malakos: Meanings and consequences. In R. L. Brawley (Ed.), *Biblical ethics and homosexuality*. Westminster John Knox Press.

Scroggs, R. (1983). *The New Testament and homosexuality*. Fortress Press.

University of Iowa Office of Innovation. (n.d.). *Can you explain the problem with the census in the Gospel of Luke?* https://bam.sites.uiowa.edu/faq/can-you-explain-problem-census-gospel-luke

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). *Jesus*. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jesus

Bible Odyssey. (n.d.). *Kathleen Kenyon and Jericho*. https://www.bibleodyssey.org/articles/kathleen-kenyon-and-jericho/

National Center for Science Education. (n.d.). *Flood geology resources*. https://ncse.ngo

Protestant Theological University. (2024). *When prophecy doesn't come true*. https://www.pthu.nl/en/bibleblog/2024/10/when-prophecy-doesnt-come-true/

Timothy Michael Law, When God Spoke Greek: The Septuagint and the Making of the Christian Bible (Oxford University Press, 2013), on the rendering of Hebrew almah (young woman) as Greek parthenos (virgin) that stands behind Matthew 1:23.

Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, entry on almah.

Ezekiel 26 alongside Ezekiel 29:17-20, where the later oracle states that Nebuchadnezzar's army took no wages from Tyre.

"When Prophecy Doesn't Come True," Protestant Theological University Bible Blog, noting that Tyre survived the Babylonian siege of roughly 586 to 573 BCE and remained an independent city. https://www.pthu.nl/en/bibleblog/2024/10/when-prophecy-doesnt-come-true/

Slavery: Leviticus 25:44-46 and Ephesians 6:5.

Genocide: Deuteronomy 20:16-17, the command of total destruction (herem).

Treatment of Women: 1 Timothy 2:11-12.

Treatment of LGBTQ People: Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:10.

John Boswell, Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality (University of Chicago Press, 1980).

Robin Scroggs, The New Testament and Homosexuality (Fortress Press, 1983).

Dale B. Martin, "Arsenokoites and Malakos: Meanings and Consequences," in Biblical Ethics and Homosexuality, ed. Robert L. Brawley (Westminster John Knox, 1996), on the disputed meaning of the two Greek terms and the point that the English word "homosexual" postdates the New Testament by many centuries