Smoodock's Blog

In my previous study we explored the fact that there are known errors or variants in our New Covenant texts, yet they can be logically understood for what they are and corrected, because we have an abundance of ancient manuscripts to compare with, and the original can be rediscovered and known by the reader. Nevertheless, although this may be possible to do, it is also a fact that there are differences between the texts themselves. In other words, how can one explain the differences we have between Matthew and Mark or Matthew and Luke or between Mark and Luke? What about Matthew’s genealogy of Christ and Luke’s? Which one is correct? What about the differences in common events and phrases Jesus uses in the different Gospel narratives?

Have you ever tried to harmonize the different accounts of Jesus death and resurrection? Did the women come from Jerusalem or Bethany? Who did Jesus appear to and when. How many angels were at the tomb? Returning to the text after the lunch break doesn’t explain these differences. How can we explain the differences between the texts, when they speak of the same event, and why don’t they pose a threat to accuracy and truth?

For example, in Matthew’s account of the woman with an issue of blood (Matthew 9:20-22) is very brief, containing only that she had suffered for 12 years, she touched the hem of Jesus’ robe and she was healed. Immediately, Jesus turned and saw her and told her that her faith had healed her. Luke gives a much longer account, saying there were multitudes there pressing on Jesus, and he didn’t know who touched his garment, so he turned to the crowd, asking who touched him (Luke 8:45-47). Mark is longer, still, adding that Jesus felt that power had gone out of him to heal someone, and this is why he turned to the crowd, asking who touched him. So, did Mark and Luke add to the account, and is their version truthful or were they merely adding color to the story? Did Matthew leave out important information, when he shouldn’t have?

First of all, the original books and letters comprising the New Covenant text, were written on scrolls, and only so much information could be given on one manuscript. It isn’t like today, that the author of a book could simply add a page or two, if he wished to add additional information. What one wrote on a scroll had to be planned. The author knew how much information he could place on the scroll, according to its size, so some stories had to be abbreviated, when possible, in order to not run out of space. Moreover, he had a main objective about what Jesus said and did, and had to keep this in mind, so records of some events had to be shortened, if he was to present his main point to his readers. Thus, Matthew’s account of the woman with an issue of blood is abbreviated, when compared with Luke’s and Mark’s.

An ancient scroll rarely exceeded 35 feet in length. Luke’s Gospel scroll was about 31 to 32 feet long (19, 482 words), and Matthew’s was 1000 words shorter (18, 346), but Mark’s was the shortest of the three (11, 304 words). So, obviously the scroll length was an issue that limited what one could write in a book or a letter, and this would account for some of the differences between the Gospel writers, when they offered their accounts of the same story about Jesus.

Finally, it may interest the Bible student to know that police almost always separate witnesses to an accident or a crime in order to preserve each one’s authentic memory of what they had seen. The detective **wants** differences in the accounts. If the witnesses are placed together before they are questioned, chances are very good the detective will receive only one witness and that witness will be revised through the mutual efforts of the witnesses to say the same things.

Therefore, the fact that we do have differences in the accounts of each of the Gospel narratives is proof that we have four witnesses and not one revised witness. So, differences are good, and a good detective can work through the differences and come up with a reasonable account of what occurred in the accident or crime, and so can we with the four Gospel narratives.