What was the exact wording on the sign above Jesus’ head while he was being publicly executed? Do the four gospels contradict?
Alleged contradiction:
What was the exact wording on the cross? (a) “This is Jesus the King of the Jews” (Matthew 27:37) (b) “The King of the Jews” (Mark 15:26) (c) “This is the King of the Jews” (Luke 23:38) (d) “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19)
This accusation assumes that each gospel writer was required to be exactly precise in his reporting.
A second key point to keep in mind, however, is that all four gospel writers report in agreement that the sign had the words, “The king of the Jews”, at a minimum.read more
Does the temple cleansing in John contradict the Synoptic Gospels?
Critics claim that the temple cleansing in the Gospel of John is either the same temple cleansing reported by the three Synoptics, Matthew, Mark and Luke, or is out of place, therefore constituting a “contradiction” in the Gospels. Below are listed a number of reasons why the temple cleansing in John is accurate and was performed by Jesus around the time of the first Passover after his baptism, which was probably about six months earlier. John clearly states in John 20:31 and John 21:25 that he was highly selective in his reporting on the events of Jesus’ life. The other three Gospel writers had already reported on the second temple cleansing by the time John wrote his gospel. Upon close examination, it seems fairly obvious that John was very familiar with these other three Gospels, and quite possibly had copies of them in his possession as he wrote the fourth Gospel. John filled in many gaps that the Synoptics did not report on. In fact, 92% of his gospel is unique. John reports the following details about the first temple cleansing, that are omitted from the second temple cleansing recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke: read more