How the Genre of Ancient Biography Explains Contradictions, Discrepancies, and Differences in the Gospels
“Licona effectively makes the case that Gospel differences do not undermine Scripture’s authority and invites us to respect Scripture enough to let its own approach guide how we define that authority.”
—Craig S. Keener, F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary
“In easy-to-understand prose, Licona lays out cogent, compelling arguments for reading the Gospels through the lens of first-century biographies. Jesus, Contradicted is a must read for every curious Christian.”
—Lynn H. Cohick, distinguished professor of New Testament, Houston Christian University
The differences and discrepancies in the Gospels constitute one of the foremost objections to their reliability and the credibility of their message. Some have tried to resolve Gospels contradictions with strained harmonization efforts. Others conclude that the Gospels are hopelessly contradictory and, therefore, historically unreliable accounts of Jesus.
In Jesus, Contradicted, New Testament scholar Michael Licona shows how the genre of ancient biography, to which the Gospels belong, actually allows biographers to be flexible in how they report events, construct narratives, and make arguments. Licona demonstrates that the intentional changes to the Gospels by the Evangelists are not grounds for their rejection. Instead, they are a result of the Gospel writers employing standard literary conventions for ancient biographies.
Using Plutarch’s work, Licona offers numerous examples of compositional devices employed in Plutarch’s biographies and compares them with instances in the Gospels where the Evangelists appear to use similar techniques. Licona also examines Theon’s Progymnasmata, a first-century textbook that provides several techniques for paraphrasing sources when writing a narrative. In doing so, Licona helps readers understand why the Gospels report many events differently. Finally, he concludes by addressing the thorny question of whether the editorial moves commonplace in ancient biography are compatible with the doctrines of the divine inspiration and the inerrancy of Scripture.
Rather than trying to resolve discrepancies by bending the Gospel narrative, which risks making them say things they aren’t saying, Jesus, Contradicted situates the Gospels within their proper context and helps readers account for differences in the Gospels in a cohesive and historically cogent way.
