Is the Bible the Word of God?
On the anonymous authorship of the Gospels, what 'God-breathed' should imply about a perfect text, and a working list of internal contradictions.
The Injeel
Muslims believe in the Gospel (Injeel) and the Torah (Tawrah) — but Muslims also reject the truthfulness of the Gospel as it exists in the Bible today, mainly because we believe it has been altered from the original revelation God gave. So when we say Muslims believe in the Injeel and the Torah, we mean the original texts as revealed by God, not necessarily the documents that carry those names now.
Who wrote the Christian Gospels?
The Gospels we have today were written by scribes whose identities are actually unknown. Though we refer to them as the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, these are names of convenience for the books, not necessarily the names of their authors. Here is a summary from the Oxford Bible Study:
| Page | Gospel | Authorship |
|---|---|---|
| 1781 | Matthew | "... most scholars hold that the author/editor is someone other than the disciple Matthew (even if, as here, he is referred to as Matthew out of convenience)" |
| 1829 | Mark | "Mark was written anonymously. The designation 'according to Mark' was added in the second century CE, as Gospels began to circulate beyond audiences for whom they were written." |
| 1865 | Luke | "By the second century, the author of the Gospel and its sequel, the Acts of the Apostles, was identified as Luke, a physician who was a travelling companion and co-worker with Paul... Yet, even defenders of the traditional identification recognize difficulties with that connection." |
| 1917 | John | "Like the other Gospels, this one never names an author. Since at least the late second century CE, tradition has attributed the authorship of the Gospel to Jesus's disciple, John the son of Zebedee... Today most scholars think that Johannine traditions stem from an unidentified follower of Jesus, not one of the twelve disciples." |
According to the World History Encyclopedia:
The original texts of the gospels had existed for about a hundred years with no names. The Church Fathers in the 2nd century CE assigned the names; none of the writers signed their work. The gospels are not eyewitness accounts; none of the gospel writers ever directly claimed to be an eyewitness. One exception is Luke, who says he interviewed witnesses but gives no further details. In their attempt to provide backgrounds for the writers the Church Fathers tried to align them as close to the original circle of Jesus as possible. They were also aware of a fundamental problem: the first disciples of Jesus were fishermen from Galilee who could not read and write the level of Greek in these documents.
The same summary is cited by Wikipedia.
The scope of the Injeel
As Fouad Marsi has noted, the Injeel refers specifically to the book revealed to Jesus (peace be upon him). On that view, its scope covers the Gospels of Jesus and not the writings of Paul, since Paul’s letters — to the Romans, the Corinthians, and others — were never presented as revelation given to Jesus. We respect that others hold a broader view, treating the whole New Testament as the Injeel.
Is the Bible “God-breathed”?
Christians commonly claim the Bible is God-breathed — that its writing was directly inspired by God — and therefore cannot be considered corrupted. Paul makes this claim about scripture directly:
πᾶσα γραφὴ θεόπνευστος καὶ ὠφέλιμος πρὸς διδασκαλίαν, πρὸς ἐλεγμόν, πρὸς ἐπανόρθωσιν, πρὸς παιδείαν τὴν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
Taking this seriously: if a book is God-breathed, and God is perfect, we should expect a perfect book — consistent in its grammar, its structure, and above all its teaching. That is the standard the next section holds it to.
Selected contradictions
A book with real contradictions is not God-breathed, since God cannot contradict Himself from one page to the next — it would suggest the text has been altered, or that a given passage was never inspired to begin with. What follows is a working list, not an exhaustive one.
Old Testament: contradictions on names
This section concerns the New Testament’s own view of the Old Testament — since Christians hold that 2 Timothy 3:16 applies to the Old Testament as well.
Who was Shelah’s father?
- Genesis 11:12 (NRSV): When Arpachshad had lived thirty-five years, he became the father of Shelah.
- Luke 3:35-36 (NRSV): …the son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech…
Both passages trace the same line. Read across the fuller genealogy, the two disagree on what sits between Shelah and Noah:
| Verses | Genealogy (NRSV) |
|---|---|
| Genesis 11:10-16 | Noah > Shem > Arpachshad > Shelah > Eber > Peleg |
| Luke 3:35-36 | Noah > Shem > Arphaxad > Cainan > Shelah > Eber > Peleg |
Genesis makes Arpachshad the father of Shelah directly; Luke inserts Cainan between them. Some editions treat “Arpachshad” and “Arphaxad” as the same name (a Hebrew/Greek transliteration difference), but that doesn’t account for the extra generation.
Who was Basemath’s father?
- Genesis 26:34 (NRSV): When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
- Genesis 36:3 (NRSV): …and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebaioth.
Both describe the same wife of Esau — with two different fathers named (and Genesis 36:2 separately names Elon the Hittite as the father of Esau’s other wife, Adah).
Old Testament: contradictions on numbers
How many supervisors did Solomon have?
- 1 Kings 5:16 (NRSV): besides Solomon’s three thousand three hundred supervisors who were over the work.
- 2 Chronicles 2:2 (NRSV): Solomon conscripted seventy thousand laborers and eighty thousand stonecutters, with three thousand six hundred to oversee them.
How old was Ahaziah when he began to reign?
- 2 Kings 8:26 (NRSV): Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign.
- 2 Chronicles 22:2 (NRSV): Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he began to reign.
Some modern translations (NIV, ESV) harmonize this figure; others (NRSV, KJV, NKJV) keep the two numbers as they are in the underlying manuscripts.
How old was Jehoiachin when he began to reign?
- 2 Kings 24:8 (NRSV): Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign; he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 36:9 (NRSV): Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem.
Old Testament: contradictions on events and ideas
Are children punished for their parents’ sins?
- Exodus 20:5 (NRSV): “…for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me.”
- Deuteronomy 24:16 (NRSV): “Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their parents; only for their own crimes may persons be put to death.”
- Ezekiel 18:20 (NRSV): “The person who sins shall die. A child shall not suffer for the iniquity of a parent, nor a parent suffer for the iniquity of a child.”
New Testament: contradictions on events and ideas
Had the ruler’s daughter died, or was she gravely ill?
- Matthew 9:18 (NRSV): “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”
- Mark 5:23 (NRSV): “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her…”
- Luke 8:42 (NRSV): “…for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying.”
All three accounts agree she eventually died, but they disagree on what was said to Jesus (peace be upon him) before he arrived — dead, in Matthew, versus still dying in Mark and Luke.
When did the disciples notice the withered fig tree?
- Matthew 21:19-20 (NRSV): the tree withers at once, and the disciples are amazed on the spot.
- Mark 11:20-21 (NRSV): the next morning, as they passed by, they saw it withered to its roots.
How many times would the rooster crow before Peter’s denial?
- Matthew 26:34 (NRSV): “…this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.”
- Mark 14:30 (NRSV): “…this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
Who bought the field with the money from Jesus’s betrayal?
- Matthew 27:6-7 (NRSV): the chief priests used the silver to buy the potter’s field.
- Acts 1:16-19 (NRSV): Judas himself acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness.
Is Abraham an example of salvation through faith alone?
- Romans 4 (NRSV, paraphrased): Abraham received the promise through the righteousness that comes by faith, not through the law.
- James 2:21-24 (NRSV): “Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?… You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
Are we justified by works?
- Galatians 2:16 (NRSV): “…a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ… no one will be justified by the works of the law.”
- James 2:24 (NRSV): “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
New Testament: contradictions in the life of Jesus
Arranged in the order the events occur in his life (peace be upon him).
How many generations between Jesus and David?
- Matthew 1:1-17: 28 generations.
- Luke 3:23-38: 43 generations.
Did the centurion go to Jesus himself?
- Matthew 8:5-6 (NRSV): a centurion came to him directly.
- Luke 7:2-3 (NRSV): the centurion sent Jewish elders to Jesus on his behalf.
How many demoniacs met Jesus at the Gadarenes/Gerasenes?
- Matthew 8:28 (NRSV): two demoniacs came out of the tombs to meet him.
- Mark 5:1-2 and Luke 8:26-37 (NRSV): one man with an unclean spirit met him.
How many blind men did Jesus heal at Jericho?
- Matthew 20:29-31 (NRSV): two blind men sitting by the roadside.
- Mark 10:46-47 and Luke 18:35-43 (NRSV): one blind man (named Bartimaeus in Mark).
Was Jesus’s testimony about himself valid?
- John 5:31-32 (NRSV): “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.”
- John 8:13-14 (NRSV): “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid.”
The underlying Greek word translated “true” in 5:31 and “valid” in 8:14 is the same word, ἀληθής — the English translation differs even though the original text doesn’t.
Did Jesus come to judge the world?
- John 9:39 (NRSV): “I came into this world for judgment.”
- John 12:47 (NRSV): “…for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.”
What day was Jesus crucified?
- Mark 14:12, 17; 15:25 (NRSV): the Passover meal is prepared and eaten, then Jesus is crucified the next morning — placing the crucifixion on the second day of Passover.
- John 13:1, 18:28, 19:14 (NRSV): Jesus is taken to Pilate, and to the Jewish leaders, before the Passover meal is eaten — placing the crucifixion on the first day of Passover.
What time was Jesus crucified?
- Mark 15:25 (NRSV): nine o’clock in the morning.
- John 19:13-14 (NRSV): still before Pilate, about noon.
Did both criminals mock Jesus on the cross?
- Matthew 27:44 and Mark 15:32 (NRSV): both bandits crucified with him taunted him.
- Luke 23:39-40 (NRSV): one taunted him; the other rebuked the first and defended Jesus.
When did the women arrive at the tomb?
- Mark 16:2 (NRSV): very early, after the sun had risen.
- John 20:1 (NRSV): early, while it was still dark.
Was the stone already rolled away when they arrived?
- Matthew 28:1-2 (NRSV): an angel rolls back the stone in front of them.
- Mark 16:3-4, Luke 24:1-2, John 20:1 (NRSV): they arrive to find the stone already rolled away.
Who did they find at the tomb?
- Matthew 28:2 (NRSV): one angel, seated on the stone.
- Mark 16:5 (NRSV): one young man, seated inside.
- Luke 24:4 (NRSV): two men in dazzling clothes.
- John 20:11-12 (NRSV): two angels, seated where the body had lain.
What did the women do after leaving the tomb?
- Matthew 28:8 (NRSV): ran, with fear and great joy, to tell the disciples.
- Mark 16:8 (NRSV): fled in terror and said nothing to anyone.
- Luke 24:8-11 and John 20:2 (NRSV): went and told the disciples directly.
Where this leaves the question
None of this is offered as a complete catalogue — only a representative sample of the kind of internal tension that, on the Christian’s own “God-breathed” standard, is worth explaining rather than setting aside. For a closer look at how these documents came to take their current form, see Is the Injeel (Gospel) Corrupted?