1001 Errors in the Christian Bible

Matthew -- Errors 134-139

#134

Matthew 27: (KJV)

45 “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.”

We have records from astronomers of the first century and none of them report any three hour period of darkness in Israel or the entire world. The boy prophet Bruce Springsteen did report a darkness on the edge of town but that was two thousand years later.

#135

Matthew 27: (KJV)

49 “The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.”

After verse 49 the earliest extant manuscripts have: “And another took a spear and pierced his side, and out came water and blood”. Besides being the oldest evidence it also fits the context of Matthew as it would explain why Jesus cries out in verse 50. The problem it creates is that according to the Gospel of “John” Jesus’ side was pierced after he was dead.

#136

Matthew 27: (KJV)

52 “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”

No non-Christian writer of the first century reports this. A related question is what happened to these saints?

#137

Matthew 27: (KJV)

57 “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:”

But Matthew 6:24 has Jesus saying:

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

So regarding the possibility of being rich and a disciple of Jesus, as Luke Skywalker said (after finding out that Darth Vader was his real father), “That’s impossible!”.

#138

Matthew 27: (KJV)

62 “Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,”

There is no evidence outside of the Christian Bible that Jewish leaders of this time ever conducted official or any other kind of business on the Sabbath.

#139

Matthew 28: (KJV)

1 “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.”

The end of the Sabbath would be in the evening so it would not be beginning to dawn. Throughout the Gospel of “Matthew” the author shows no awareness that the Sabbath began and ended in the evenings.

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