Jesus, Contradicted: Why the Gospels Tell the Same Story Differently

The differences and discrepancies found within the Gospels often raise significant questions about their reliability and the credibility of their message. While some scholars attempt strained harmonization to reconcile contradictions, others conclude that these inconsistencies render the Gospels historically unreliable accounts of Jesus.

In Jesus, Contradicted, New Testament scholar Michael Licona explores the genre of ancient biography—into which the Gospels fit—and argues that this genre permits biographers a degree of flexibility in how they report events and construct narratives. Licona asserts that the intentional changes made by the Evangelists in their accounts of Jesus are not grounds for dismissal but rather reflect the standard literary conventions of their time.

Drawing from the works of Plutarch, who authored 48 of the 90 extant biographies from within 150 years of Jesus, Licona highlights numerous compositional techniques used by Plutarch that parallel those found in the Gospels. He also examines Theon's Progymnasmata, a first-century textbook detailing six methods for paraphrasing sources in narrative writing. Through this lens, he elucidates why the Gospels recount certain events differently and how such variations are typical of the genre.

Ultimately, Licona addresses the challenging question of whether the editorial choices commonly found in ancient biography can coexist with the doctrines of divine inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture. Instead of forcing the Gospel narratives into a contrived harmony, Jesus, Contradicted situates them within their historical and literary context, offering readers a cohesive framework for understanding the differences in the Gospels.