Scripture Difficulties
Scripture Difficultiesbibleinerrancyinfalliblejosiah

Is the Bible Infallible?

Don’t Christians have to believe the Bible is without error? If it has contradictions, later additions, lost books, and scribal changes, doesn’t that sink both inerrancy and the Restoration?

Bible

They quote this

Bible · 2 Timothy 3:16

KJV + NRSVUE

They hear ‘every word without error.’ Paul said profitable and God-breathed — through men, for a church that still needed apostles.

King James Version

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

NRSVUE

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

How we read it

Paul says scripture is God-breathed and profitable. He does not say the copy in your pew is without scribal history. “All scripture” in his mouth is the writings his churches had — not a 66-book table of contents, and not the Chicago Statement. If inspiration required inerrant autographs nobody possesses, the first Christians had no Bible. They had books, recensions, and apostles. So do we.

The authors do not agree

Same question. Different writers. Different answers. That is why we do not call the Bible error-free.

Who was Joseph’s father?

Matthew and Luke give two different names. They cannot both be Joseph’s biological father.

Matthew says

Jacob

Bible · Matthew 1:16

KJV + NRSVUE

King James Version

And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

NRSVUE

and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

Luke says

Heli

Bible · Luke 3:23

KJV + NRSVUE

King James Version

And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

NRSVUE

Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work. He was the son (as was thought) of Joseph son of Heli,

What day was Jesus crucified?

Mark has the disciples eating the Passover the night before. John has the priests still waiting to eat it the next morning.

Mark says

Passover day — they eat the meal

Bible · Mark 14:12

KJV + NRSVUE

King James Version

And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?

NRSVUE

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

John says

Still preparation — Passover not eaten yet

Bible · John 18:28

KJV + NRSVUE

King James Version

Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.

NRSVUE

Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover.

What hour was He crucified?

Mark and John do not give the same time of day.

Mark says

The third hour — 9 a.m.

Bible · Mark 15:25

KJV + NRSVUE

King James Version

And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

NRSVUE

It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.

John says

About the sixth hour — noon

Bible · John 19:14

KJV + NRSVUE

King James Version

And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!

NRSVUE

Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover, and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!”

How did Judas die — and who bought the field?

Matthew and Luke (in Acts) tell two different deaths and two different buyers.

Matthew says

He hanged himself

Bible · Matthew 27:5

KJV + NRSVUE

King James Version

And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

NRSVUE

Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.

Luke (Acts) says

He fell and burst open

Bible · Acts 1:18

KJV + NRSVUE

King James Version

Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

NRSVUE

Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out.

Who was at the empty tomb?

The risen Lord is not in doubt. The number of messengers is.

Matthew says

One angel

Bible · Matthew 28:2, 5–6

KJV + NRSVUE

King James Version

And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. … And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen.

NRSVUE

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. … But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised.”

Luke says

Two men in shining clothes

Bible · Luke 24:4

KJV + NRSVUE

King James Version

And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

NRSVUE

While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them.

The Bible answers

Bible · Deuteronomy 32:8–9

KJV + NRSVUE

KJV: ‘sons of Israel.’ The older Hebrew and the NRSVUE: ‘sons of God.’ The Most High divides; YHWH receives Israel. That is the Restoration’s heaven.

King James Version

When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

NRSVUE

When the Most High apportioned the nations, when he divided humankind, he fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the gods; the LORD’s own portion was his people, Jacob his allotted share.

Bible · 1 John 5:7–8

KJV + NRSVUE

The KJV Trinity formula in heaven is a later Latin addition. Greek copies do not have it. Inerrancy has to pick a manuscript.

King James Version

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

NRSVUE

There are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree.

Bible · 2 Kings 22:8–11

KJV + NRSVUE

Josiah ‘finds’ the book of the law. The Bible’s own story is a lost text rediscovered — not a shrink-wrapped inerrant volume on every shelf in Judah.

King James Version

And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. … And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.

NRSVUE

The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD.” … When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.

Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon answers

1 Nephi 13:26–29

Plain and precious things taken away. Nephi described the recension history Qumran later documented.

They have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away. … because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.

Also restored

Articles of Faith 1:8

The whole doctrine in one sentence. Word of God. Translated correctly. Not Chicago 1978.

We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

Doctrine and Covenants 91:1–2

Even the Apocrypha: many things true, many interpolations. God is not allergic to that sentence.

Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you concerning the Apocrypha—There are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly; there are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men.

Ancient witnesses

Dead Sea Scrolls and related extra-biblical texts that illuminate the same pattern the Restoration restores.

4QDeutj / 4QDeutq (Dead Sea Scrolls) and the Septuagint at Deuteronomy 32:8, 43

When Elyon divided the nations, he fixed the bounds according to the number of the sons of God (bene elohim). YHWH’s portion was Jacob. Qumran and the Greek also preserve Deuteronomy 32:43: ‘Bow down to him, all you gods.’ The later Masoretic Text reads ‘sons of Israel’ and strips the heavenly court.

This is not a Mormon footnote. It is the older Hebrew. The Most High (Elyon) apportions the nations; Israel is YHWH’s share. That is divine-council language — Psalm 82, Deuteronomy 32, Abraham 3 — later scribes sanded it flat. Inerrancy has to pretend the sandpaper was never used.

4QSama (1 Samuel); shorter and longer Jeremiah; Mark 16:9–20; John 7:53–8:11

Qumran’s Samuel has a full paragraph about King Nahash that the Masoretic Text dropped and that Josephus still knew. Jeremiah exists in a shorter edition (agreeing with the Greek) and a longer one. The longer ending of Mark and the woman taken in adultery are missing from the earliest Greek copies of those Gospels.

An ‘inerrant original’ nobody has is a theory. The copies we have are a library with recensions. Nephi said plain and precious things were taken away. Qumran catalogued the kind of taking.

Faithful answers

FAIR

Do Latter-day Saints consider the Bible inerrant?

FAIR Latter-day Saints

No. Article of Faith 8 is the doctrine. Inerrancy — every word without error in history and chronology — is a 19th-century Protestant fence. Open the Gospels on three questions inerrancy cannot answer without a special theory. Who was Joseph’s father? Matthew 1:16 says Jacob. Luke 3:23 says Heli. What day was Jesus crucified? Mark 14:12 has the disciples preparing the Passover meal; John 18:28 has the priests still refusing the praetorium so they can eat the Passover the next morning. What hour? Mark 15:25: third hour. John 19:14: about the sixth, and still ‘preparation of the Passover.’ How did Judas die? Matthew 27:5 hanged. Acts 1:18 fell and burst, and bought the field himself. How many at the tomb? Matthew’s one angel, Luke’s two men. Then the Old Testament: the LORD incites David’s census in 2 Samuel 24:1; Satan does it in 1 Chronicles 21:1. Ahaziah is 22 in 2 Kings 8:26 and 42 in 2 Chronicles 22:2. Harmonizing is a sport until the book is the Book of Mormon. The Restoration’s move is not atheism. It is more light.

We do not need an error-free photocopy of a lost autograph. We need the Holy Ghost and the rest of the library God is still willing to open.

  • Joseph’s father: Jacob (Matthew) or Heli (Luke). Inerrancy has to pick a grandfather.
  • Crucifixion day: Synoptics eat the Passover; John is still on Preparation. Hour: 9 a.m. or noon.
  • Judas: hanged, or fell headlong. Field: priests bought it, or he did.
  • Tomb: one angel or two. Census: the LORD or Satan. Ahaziah: 22 or 42.
  • Lost books, Josiah’s find, the Johannine comma, and Deuteronomy 32 at Qumran are the same file. Article of Faith 8 was written for it.
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BYU / Interpreter

Since Cumorah — the Bible as a transmitted record

Hugh Nibley

Nibley spent a career showing that ancient scripture is a recension problem, not a photocopy problem. Qumran proved multiple Hebrew text-types living side by side. The ‘sons of God’ reading of Deuteronomy 32 is the older world: a Most High, a court of gods, YHWH receiving Israel as His portion. That is the Restoration’s heaven, sanded off by later hands who were nervous about Psalm 82. Lost books are not a slight against Moses. They are Moses’ world. If the brass plates could restore what Judah’s scribes dropped, the Book of Mormon is playing the same game Nephi described — not inventing a 19th-century slight against the Bible.

The ancients never had a shrink-wrapped inerrant volume. They had records, recensions, and more coming. So do we.

  • Dead Sea Scrolls: Deuteronomy 32:8–9, 43; 4QSama’s longer Samuel; two Jeremiahs.
  • Josiah’s reform is the Bible admitting the law could be lost and found — a recension event in 2 Kings 22–23.
  • Plain and precious loss is not liberal unbelief. It is Nephi reading the same transmission history Nibley later documented.
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