Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible (Paperback)

~ John W. Haley (Author) "God reveals himself in his word, as he does in his works. In both we see a self-revealing, self-concealing God, who makes himself known only..." (more)
Key Phrases: gospel history, sacred writers, Holy Ghost, Smith's Bib, Bible Commentary (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Whitaker House (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883681579
• ISBN-13: 978-0883681572
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,045,150 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful Volume for Pastors and Bible Teachers, January 6, 2003

By	Edward J Vasicek (Kokomo, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A useful reference., April 20, 2001

By	J. Grey (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Resource for Honest Bible Researchers, December 14, 2007

By	A. Daniels Jr. "artscholar" (Los Angeles County, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible (Paperback)

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.