The Canon: Are There Errors?
Notes
Transcript
Question: Are There Errors in Scripture?
Question: Are There Errors in Scripture?
Textual Variants
Textual Variants
Some scholars estimate there are 400,000 textual variants among the ancient NT manuscripts.
We have so many variants because we have so many manuscripts.
These 400,000 variants (if there are that many) are spread across 25,000 Greek and ancient language manuscripts. That is an average of only 8 variants per manuscript.
Variants are also not spread equally across the entire NT. They tend to cluster in certain groups of books or passages.
“[W]hile there are places where we are unsure of what the original text read, the original reading is almost certainly one of the options recorded in existing manuscripts somewhere.”
Wallace, Daniel, qtd. by Craig Blomberg in Can We Still Believe the Bible?, p. 16
Three Types
Three Types
Viable & Not Meaningful
Fit the author’s original wording, but do not affect the meaning.
70% of all variants fit this category.
Meaningful & Not Viable
Change the meaning of the text, but clearly not original.
Most of the variants in this category were intentional, with later scribes adding, changing, or correcting out of reverence for Scripture.
Viable & Meaningful
Change the meaning of the text, and could be original.
Less than 1% of all variants fit this category; however, they should be, and have been, examined carefully.
How do scholars choose which one is correct?
There is never a unanimous consensus, but generally the harder reading is accepted as the original.
e.g., “Jesus was indignant” vs “Jesus was moved with compassion”
Famous Variants
Famous Variants
I. Mark’s Longer Ending (Mark 16:9-20)
I. Mark’s Longer Ending (Mark 16:9-20)
While there are relatively early and reliable manuscripts that have this ending, several of the earliest Greek manuscripts and manuscripts other ancient languages do not have this ending.
Why would a scribe add it later?
If vv. 9-20 were not added, Mark’s gospel ends with:
8 They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Most likely, scribes felt the ending was inadequate, since it failed to mention the resurrection.
II. The Woman Caught in Adultery (John 7:53-8:11)
II. The Woman Caught in Adultery (John 7:53-8:11)
Almost none of the oldest, most complete, and most reliable manuscripts have this section of text.
\When it is included, it is in different locations (The Gospel of Luke or The Gospel of John).
Scholars (both liberal and conservative) generally agree the account is a genuine to Jesus.
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.
However, they also generally agree this sections was almost certainly not written by John. Therefore, it should not be treated as Scripture and “should not be treated as the basis for building any point of doctrine unless confirmed in Scripture.”
III. The Johannine Comma (1 John 5:7-8)
III. The Johannine Comma (1 John 5:7-8)
A few late manuscripts add:
“in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one And there are three that testify on the earth,”
This is the only verse in the Bible that explicitly mentions the Trinity. This text is almost certainly a later addition.
While it removes a common “proof text” for the existence of the Trinity, the doctrine of the Trinity is still seen and explained throughout Scripture.
Significance
Significance
“The only disputed passages involving more than two verses in length are … Mark 16:9-20 and John 7:53-8:11.”
Blomberg, Craig, Can We Still Believe the Bible?, p. 18, emphasis original
Almost all modern English translations alert readers to the issues with these two texts.
This is so important as it demonstrates that scholars are not only aware of variants, even extreme ones, but are willing to keep them and alert readers to their problematic nature.
For instance, Caliph Uthman ibn Affan burned all other variants of the Qu’ran, and a committee was authorized to produce standardized copies of the text.
This is one reason it is beneficial to use a physical copy of the Bible, as footnotes explaining textual variants are clearly identifiable.
Question: Are There Contradictions in Scripture?
Question: Are There Contradictions in Scripture?
Contradiction Definition
Contradiction Definition
A proposition, statement, or phrase that asserts or implies both the truth and falsity of something.
Merriam Webster Dictionary, s.v. ‘contradiction (n.)’, accessed November 29, 2025, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contradiction
A Contradiction is NOT:
A Difficulty
An Apparent Disagreement
A Verbal Disagreement
A Result of One’s Bias
Why Difficulties:
They disprove collusion
They force us to study
They are the product of brevity and summary
Common Mistakes
Common Mistakes
Presuming the Bible is guilty until proven innocent.
Where are the Hittites?
5 “It shall be when the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall observe this rite in this month.
Evidence that the Hittites existed wasn’t discovered until 1906, when archeologists discovered the Hittite national library.
Assuming that a partial report is a false report.
What was written above the cross?
37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
26 The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
38 Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
John tells us the inscription was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek (Jn. 19:20). Perhaps Matthew quotes the Hebrew, since he is writing primarily to a Jewish audience. Perhaps Luke quotes the Greek, since his audience is primarily Gentiles. Maybe John quotes the Latin inscribed by Pilate, and Mark quotes the simplest version.
“THE KING OF THE JEWS” is contained in all four Gospels, which is the very accusation of the chief priests (Lk. 23:2-3).
Demanding that citations be exact quotations.
Why did the NT writers not quote the OT exactly?
8 Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.”
18 You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among men, Even among the rebellious also, that the Lord God may dwell there.
There is translation (Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, English) making “word-for-word” impossible.
They were often quoting from memory, and paraphrasing was acceptable (just as we might paraphrase today while retaining the original meaning).
There is ultimately one Author of Scripture—the Holy Spirit. Since we began with the presupposition that God has spoken, we can confidently accept His words as true, whether exactly quoted or not.
This is either a deliberate change to demonstrate the fulfillment in Christ, or Paul is not quoting the Septuagint, but instead the Targum.
Assuming that different accounts are false.
How did Judas die?
5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.
18 (Judas had bought a field with the money he received for his treachery. Falling headfirst there, his body split open, spilling out all his intestines.
The chief priests used the silver to buy the Potter’s Field because it was blood money (Matt. 27:6-7). So Judas “acquired a field with the price of his wickedness.”
Judas hung himself, but as a result of the decay, his body bloated and his skin’s integrity was compromised. Perhaps the branch or rope broke, and when Judas’ body hit the ground, it “split open.”
Presupposing miracles are impossible.
How could the sun and moon stand still?
12 On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day.
Critics argue this passage contradicts science; however, many times they are presupposing miracles are impossible, or even that God does not exist. The God who created the heavens and the earth certainly has the ability to stop the sun and the moon, and to deal with the ramifications of such an action.
However, other scholars have demonstrated this text could also be an example of a literary device.
Assuming that round numbers are false.
How many died in the plague?
9 Those who died by the plague were 24,000.
8 Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.
It could be the numbers are approximations.
It could also be that while 24,000 died in total, 23,000 fell in one day.
Forgetting that only the original autographs (manuscripts), not every copy, is without error.
Who killed Goliath?
50 Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand.
19 There was war with the Philistines again at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
There is a clear textual error in 2 Samuel 21:19.
The fact that it was left by future scribes indicates their desire to faithfully copy what was handed down.
5 And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
This passage solves the problem: Elhanan killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite. Somewhere “the brother of” was accidentally dropped in the above passage.
III. Handling Difficulties
III. Handling Difficulties
Have complete confidence in the Author.
Realize you won’t understand every part of the Bible.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Remember how many people want to destroy your confidence in God’s Word.
4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
Something that is hard to accept is not necessary untrue.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Modern translations of the Bible go out of their way to highlight the most critical textual variants that are debated by scholars (less than one percent of all variants).
Just as skeptics use the existence of variants to cast doubt on Scripture, the Christian can turn that around to see confidence in the way Scripture was copied (especially when it comes to obvious mistakes).
In other words, where scribes recognized copyist mistakes, they chose to keep them to maintain the integrity of the copying process, rather than change them.
No core doctrine or theological position of the Christian faith hinges on the apparent “contradictions” or “errors” of the Bible.
There is no apparent “contradiction” or “error” that does not have at least plausible answers that solve the issue.
