Customer Reviews

Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Although this work is old, it is, in many ways, still up to date.
It brings together Scriptures that apparently contradict one another and shows how they can be reconciled.

These discrepancies are resolved hermenutically (interpretationally), not so much archaeologically. Therefore, most resolutions do not depend upon discoveries made in the 125 years since the book was originally authored. One could probably find similiar reconciliations by digging through commentaries, but we often want a quick and ready answer, and Haley often comes through. His answers are brief and understandable--no fluff. Although not all of his reconciliations are satsifying, most are.

This is a reference book, not a book for reading. But it sure comes in handy. Gleason Archer's book, "Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties" is much more thorough about the subjects it covers (and I highly recommend it), but it only address a fraction of the passages addressed here by Haley.

Along with Bullinger's "Figures of Speech Used in the Bible," both of these 19th century volumes have no worthy modern replacements.

This book surveys the Bible's apparent contradictions. The book begins by explaining the origin, design, and results of these apparent contradictions. Next, the book cites each set of apparently contradictory verses and summarizes the explanations Biblical scholars give to resolve the apparent contradictions. The summaries are clear and brief, sufficient to satisfy the believer's concerns. The summaries don't seem likely to convince the unsympathetic non-believer, though.

Interesting note: It looks like the publisher took the galleys from a very old book called _Discrepancies of the Bible_, slapped a new cover on it, added "Alleged" to the title, and put it on the market. The book's typography, except for the title and copyright pages, looks like something from 1900. It's telling that no work cited in the bibliography was published later than 1845! I did not find this to hinder the book's usefulness, however.

This is an excellent resource for people who are constantly bombarded by ignorant questions about the Bible and claims of contradiction and discrepancies. These kinds of claims usually come from atheists and other unbelievers who generally have an ax to grind, and they usually try to grind the Bible without sufficient knowledge of the original languages, culture, context, other pertinent facts that would disprove their notions. The book is far from "hopelessly hopeless."

This is why we have 1 star reviewers who talk about intellect, reason, and facts, when the fact of the matter is they could care less about either of these things. This book, although somewhat dated, still has valuable answers to questions that still get asked, even after scholarship and learning has answered most of the questions from those who are obviously Biblically illiterate.

For example, in a DVD series done by "The Teaching Company" in the year 2000, professor Bart Ehrman claims that there is a discrepancy between Mark 14:12 and John 18:28, and yet Haley answered this years before Ehrman was born. Can someone say "ridiculous"?

Dr. Norman Geisler in his "When Critics Ask" also wrote and answered such claims before Bart's DVD series was made, and yet professor Ehrman pretends that no one has addressed these discrepancy claims.

One of the most profound statements in Haley's book is this:

"'Pertness and ignorance,' says Bishop Horne, 'may ask a question in three lines which it will cost learning and ingenuity thirty pages to answer; and when this is done, the same question shall be triumphantly asked again the next year, as if nothing had ever been written on the subject." (p. 26, Baker Book House, 1989 edition).

The book is not "dated" in the sense that the facts presented do not still hold up. The sad fact is, too many people simply WANT the Bible to be filled with discrepancies and contradictions so that they can continue in unbelief. The facts this book presents destroy the illusion they have, and so they must irrationally slam it and use fallacious arguments about age. Facts are facts, whether they come from an old book or a new one. The earth was round 400 years ago, and a book that old is still factual stating this fact, and the earth was round yesterday, and a book printed yesterday stating this fact is just as accurate.

Mr. Haley has done us a great service, and it behooves us to read it and research the information it presents. And if you do that honestly and fairly, you will find that most of the discrepancies people bring up, as Mr. Haley pointed out, "...are purely subjective - originating, primarily, not in the sacred books, but in the misguided prejudices and disordered imagination of the critic" (p. 29). People like to talk about rationality and reason, but when they get to the Bible, they throw both of those out the window. Haley helps us help honest people keep their sanity. Kudos for this old but still good volume.

It's nice to see a well written, intelligent, book in an inexpensive format. Just about any, and all, incorrect assertions pertaining to the Bible's accuracy are well covered. It's reassuring to know that the Bible is true as written.

This is the finest volume ever written in the field of Apologetics. Apologetics not being an apology, but the study of speaking for the truth (apo = for + logos = words). This book "speaks words" about many passages in the Bible that could be misunderstood unless the scholar begins with the premise that God inspired the Bible as written in the original languages Greek and Hebrew, and, being God, is inerrant. The misunderstandings come from the translations into various other languages, in this case, English.

I am the author of The Shining One, a book to be found on Amazon.com that follows in the footsteps of John Haley - delineating the truth of the Bible, and distinguishing it from many commonly held perceptions.

If you are serious about being able "to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you" this is the book you need to master.

In Alvah Hovey's Introduction, he says, "The topic which (the book) discusses certainly merits examination. First, because of the bearing which it naturally has upon our confidence in the Bible as a revelation from God; and secondly, because of the prominence which has been given to it by those who deny the truthfulness of the Bible."

Haley begins this 1874 book by saying, "I have been impressed with the fact that the so-called 'discrepancies' of the Bible have failed to receive due consideration by evangelical authors... I know of no work, ancient or modern, which covers the whole ground, treating the subject comprehensively yet concisely, and which is, at the same time, adapted to general circulation ... To supply in some degree this want is the aim of this volume." He concludes the Preface by asserting, "I cannot but avow, as the issue of my investigations, the profound conviction that every difficulty and discrepancy in the scriptures is, and will yet be seen to be, capable of a fair and reasonable solution."

Haley states that "notwithstanding its minute discrepancies and 'various readings,' the text of the New Testament is better established than any other ancient book." And "Moreover, as the text of the scripture is not vitiated, so its influence and moral efficacy is not impaired by the so-called 'contradictions' which lynx-eyed infidelity has discovered, or affected to discover, in it."

He divides the discrepancies themselves into three categories: Doctrinal (e.g., James and Paul on "Faith vs. Works"), Ethical (e.g., should the Sabbath still be kept?), and Historical (e.g., the resurrection narratives; the Last Supper). The latter are perhaps the most significant.

The modern reader may not be impressed by his argument that the discrepancies were permitted to exist as "They were doubtless intended as a stimulus to the human intellect, as provocative of mental effort. They serve to awaken curiosity, and to appeal to the love of novelty." (Chap. II)

His suggested resolutions will not satisfy all readers; about the resurrection narratives, for example, he writes, "Owing to the condensed and somewhat fragmentary nature of these several narratives, and their neglect of strict chronological sequence, they present some difficulties and apparent discrepancies. There is, however, not the least doubt that, if we knew ALL the circumstances of the case, those which we now know would be seen to fit perfectly into their appropriate place in the narrative."

He concludes the book on the note that, "it surely can not be too much to believe that, if in any instance the explanation adduced should seem inadequate, a knowledge of ALL the circumstances of the case would supply the missing link, and solve the supposed discrepancy to the complete satisfaction of every reasonable mind."

Although most modern readers will prefer Geisler's When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties or Gleason Archer's New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, Haley's work is often more detailed, and is certainly worthy of serious study by any modern reader interested in Christian apologetics. That it is stil in print after 136 years is a testimony to its continuing value.

A good Christian, a true Christian, is one who is ever expanding, ever evolving, ever changing--while staying focused on the Cross and the Empty Tomb, for it is by the Cross and the Resurrection that we have intimacy with our Heavenly Father. The Cross and the Empty Tomb being the foci of all of this world's history, for there you are either a believer or a scoffer, someone who trusts in God or someone who doesn't trust in God, someone who is saved or someone who is damned out of their own choice. Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible is an old book, just as one of the other reviewers has to say. And this does cause some problems due to some of the new innovative considerations toward the Bible and its wholeness. Still, that doesn't take away from the importance of this book. Much like reading something from Calvin or Luther, going back through the ages of Christian scholars and believers, we can still learn something here and now and today. Why? Because we must know the "ins and outs" of the Bible as best as we can because the Bible IS the Word of God printed before you ready to show all that God wants you to know--about prophecy, about salvation, about life, about damnation, about light, and about darkness, and most of all, about Him...He who is our God, Yahweh--Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible slowly take you through some of the more complicated verses and ideas found within the Bible. Remember that the Bible is a series of books, books that make up the Old Testament and books that make up the New Testament. Each book was written by someone who had a relationship with God at that very moment, while history moved around him. Whether this was Ezra or the apostle John, each person had their own "style" their own "way" that God Himself used in His infinite wisdom to bring about the message He wants you...right here, right now (along with those before you and those after you), to know. By examining the alleged discrepancies of the Bible that many nonbelievers like to "flag" you can thus be able to champion and use the very message of the Bible to counter their argument...to be used by God to make the "wise" into fools. Again, as stated, this book is out dated, but that doesn't mean it isn't helpful and useful in your desires to understand the nuances and the power and the mystery and the majesty that is the Bible--God's message to man.

Note: If you wish to study what is happening in Israel and our reaction and call (as Christians) toward love toward the Jews and toward Israel, I suggest you read the following two books, among other works out there. The first book is Epicenter by Rosenberg (a Christian author) and the second book is Standing With Israel by Brog (a Jewish author). Wonderful books that will help you out!

The publishers put a new cover on this 1874 text as though it were current, but it is only of historical value. We've learned a lot about the Bible and ancient Israel in the last 127 years.

The author doesn't even do what he proposes; many of the "explanations" consist of saying that he doesn't understand it but he believes that there is no contradiction or he proposes outlandish explanations that conflict with the clear meaning of the text. I think this undermines the Bible's reliability - if it doesn't mean what it says, how can I trust anything it says!

A quaint book with some interesting explanations.

This book presupposes that the bible contains no errors and then shamelessly offers any and every possible twist and turn of interpretation to prove that point. The problem is that the bible does contradict itself. What's worse is that some of the more glaring contradictions in the bible aren't even addressed. For instance, in Galatians Paul says that Christ is "Abraham's seed" and that if believers are in Christ, then they too are "Abraham's seed". He makes the further point that the seed is "not the many" (meaning the biological descendants of Abraham). This flatly contradicts Genesis where God spoke this promise to Abraham and clearly the seed was going to be the nation comprised of his biological descendants. There are, of course, numerous other contradictions in the bible, but that's beside the point. The point is, whether you are a Christian looking to defend your belief that the bible contains no contradiction, or you are a scholar who wants to understand the psychological biases and rationalizations that Christians use to shield themselves from the inevitable cognitive dissonance that stems from believing the bible is inerrant, you won't find a particularly good resource here. If you want a book that will present you with the strongest defense of biblical inerrancy this isn't it.

I will quote the first review:

"It's telling that no work cited in the bibliography was published later than 1845! I did not find this to hinder the book's usefulness, however."

This summarizes the completely anti-intelletual, fact- and reason-bending attitude in this book and indeed in much of modern society. The book is dated, but this is perfectly appropriate for a text that seeks to "justify" the reams of contradictions that pile up in a collection of edited works (the bible) for which we don't even know the authors or dates. Regretably, many of the hundreds of internal contradictions in the bible are not tackled, but this is probably because there is no hope that they could ever be construed as "alleged," even 100 years ago.

Finally, I find the whole notion that a "believer" would have an easier time with this book than a "non-believer" absolutely mind boggling, if not completely depressing. Either we bring reason to the discussion or we do not. Faith is not a part of what this book ostensibly tries to do and it is a testament to the nature of the problem that faith is even mentioned at all. Leave reason at the door, folks.....it is, as ever, faith time.