b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Biblical internal contradictions

From: Eric Rasmusen <Erasmuse AT indiana.edu>
To: Biblical Hebrew <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Subject: Biblical internal contradictions
Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2000 11:59:01 -0600

There has been some discussion on the list lately of seeming internal
contradictions within books of the Bible (e.g., in the death of Saul).
These contradictions are made more puzzling because the author or
redactor surely noticed them, yet did not resolve them.

My question is: do other ancient texts contain similar contradictions?
Did other ancient Near Eastern writers accept without blinking the idea
of reporting multiple, contradictory versions of the same story?

Eric Rasmusen
Bloomington, Indiana

Biblical internal contradictions, Eric Rasmusen, 01/03/2000