What are the contradictions in the Gospels that scholars bring up?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

Modern biblical scholars, particularly those emerging from Protestant higher criticism and secular rationalism, frequently attempt to undermine the divine authority and harmony of the Holy Gospels by presenting what they claim are irreconcilable contradictions. Divorced from the living Tradition and guidance of the Church, these critics approach the Holy Scriptures as mere disjointed human literature rather than the divinely inspired Word of God written for and preserved by the Church.

The primary alleged contradictions raised by critical scholars fall into several distinct categories:

1. The Genealogies of Christ

• The Allegation: Matthew 1:1–17 and Luke 3:23–38 provide entirely different lineages for Jesus from King David to St. Joseph. Matthew traces the lineage through Solomon down to Jacob, the father of Joseph; Luke traces it through Nathan down to Heli, the father of Joseph.
• The Truth: The Church Fathers, such as Eusebius of Caesarea and St. John Chrysostom, resolved this early on. Matthew, writing primarily for a Jewish audience, presents the legal and royal lineage through Solomon, establishing Christ as the rightful heir to the throne of David through Joseph, His legal guardian. Luke, writing for the Gentiles, traces the actual, biological lineage through Nathan to Heli (who was the father of the Virgin Mary, Joseph being the son-in-law, counted according to Jewish custom), tracing all the way back to Adam to demonstrate Christ as the Savior of all humanity.

2. The Infancy and Early Life Narratives

• The Allegation:
• Matthew recounts the visit of the Magi, the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, and the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem before their settling in Nazareth (Matthew 2).
• Luke mentions no flight to Egypt but records the presentation in the Temple on the fortieth day according to the Law, followed immediately by a return to Nazareth (Luke 2:39).
• The Truth: The Evangelists selected events suited to their theological and pastoral purposes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Luke simply condenses the timeline, passing over the flight into Egypt, which occurred after the presentation in the Temple. An omission of an event by one Evangelist is not a denial or contradiction of it; the two accounts are completely complementary.

3. The Cleansing of the Temple

• The Allegation: The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 21:12–13; Mark 11:15–17; Luke 19:45–46) place the cleansing of the Temple during Passion Week at the close of Christ’s earthly ministry. The Gospel of John (John 2:13–17) places a cleansing of the Temple at the very beginning of Christ’s ministry, right after the wedding at Cana.
• The Truth: Christ cleansed the Temple on two distinct occasions: once at the beginning of His public ministry to proclaim His Father’s house, and again at the end of His ministry as an act of final judgment upon the corrupt temple priesthood before His Passion. The details of the two events differ significantly (e.g., the whip of cords in John is absent in the Synoptics).

4. The Timing of the Last Supper and the Crucifixion

• The Allegation:
• The Synoptics appear to depict the Mystical Supper as the Passover meal eaten on the evening of the 14th of Nisan (e.g., Mark 14:12).
• John states that the Jewish leaders did not enter the Praetorium so they would not be defiled but could "eat the Passover" (John 18:28), implying that Christ was crucified on the Preparation Day while the Passover lambs were being slaughtered.
• In addition, Mark 15:25 states that Christ was crucified at the third hour (9:00 AM), whereas John 19:14 notes that Pilate sat on the judgment seat about the sixth hour (noon).
• The Truth:
• The term "Passover" was used broadly by the Jews to refer both to the sacrifice of the Paschal lamb itself and to the entire week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread (including the chagigah peace offerings eaten throughout the feast). Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Mystical Supper on the eve of the Passover, offering Himself as the true Paschal Lamb who fulfilled and superseded the Old Testament shadow.
• Regarding the hour, St. John used the Roman civil reckoning of time (which measured days from midnight), making the "sixth hour" 6:00 AM for the trial before Pilate, whereas Mark used the Jewish reckoning from sunrise (the "third hour" being 9:00 AM for the actual nailing to the Cross).

5. The Resurrection Accounts

• The Allegation: Critical scholars point to variations in who visited the tomb, how many heavenly messengers appeared, and where Christ appeared:
• Matthew mentions Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Matthew 28:1); Mark mentions Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome (Mark 16:1); Luke mentions a larger group of women (Luke 24:10); John mentions Mary Magdalene alone initially (John 20:1).
• Matthew mentions one angel sitting on the stone; Mark mentions one young man in a white robe; Luke mentions two men in shining garments; John mentions two angels inside the tomb.
• The Truth: The Myrrh-bearing women visited the tomb in different groups and at multiple intervals throughout the dawn hours of Sunday. Mary Magdalene ran ahead, saw the stone removed, and went to fetch Peter and John. While she was away, the other women arrived and saw the two angels (one of whom, the prominent speaker, is highlighted individually by Matthew and Mark). When Mary Magdalene returned, she saw the two angels inside the tomb. These accounts represent independent, authentic eyewitness perspectives testifying to the single reality of the Glorious Resurrection.

6. The Death of Judas

• The Allegation: Matthew 27:5 states that Judas threw down the silver pieces in the temple, departed, and "went and hanged himself." Acts 1:18 (written by St. Luke) states that Judas "purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out."
• The Truth: Both accounts describe different stages of the same miserable end. Judas hanged himself from a high place or tree over a precipice; the rope or branch broke, and his corpse fell headlong onto the jagged rocks below, bursting open. The field was purchased with his money by the chief priests (who used the blood money in his name), fulfilling the prophecy.

The Orthodox Understanding of Scripture

The emergence of radical textual skepticism and endless disputes over "contradictions" is the direct fruit of the Protestant departure from the Church. Having discarded Holy Tradition and the authoritative guidance of the Church Fathers, Protestantism established private interpretation as its supreme rule, opening the gates to rationalism, German higher criticism, and modern secular unbelief.

Through the Holy Apostles, the Holy Spirit authored Holy Scripture specifically for the Church. As the Holy Fathers affirmed, Holy Scripture and the Church cannot contradict one another, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and cannot contradict Himself.

As St. John Chrysostom observed in his Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, had the four Evangelists agreed verbatim on every minor detail, word, and chronological placement, critics would have dismissed them as having conspired together through fraud. Their slight variations in perspective, emphasis, and detail prove their absolute independence and veracity, while their unified proclamation of the divinity, incarnation, miracles, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ remains unbreakable. Outside the Church, Scripture is misconstrued as fragmented pieces; within the Church, it is understood as a single, harmonious symphony of divine truth.