Image: The Four Evangelists, St. Nocholai of Zicha and South Canaan Seminary Chapel, St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary, South Canaan, Pennsylvania.
Another passage from Hilarion
Alfeyev’s study of the Gospels in which he suggests that supposed contradictions
among the Gospels are actually proofs for their historicity:
We ought to consider as
convincing proof of the historicity of Jesus the presence of supposed contradictions
or variances between the evangelists who, it would appear, are describing one
and the same event but vary in the details. Thus, for example, the Gospel of
Matthew (20.30-34) speaks of Jesus’ healing of two blind men, while the parallel
excerpt in Mark (10.46-52) speaks of only one blind man. In Matthew (8.28-34)
Jesus heals two demoniacs, while in Mark (5:1-16) and Luke (8.26-36) he heals
only one.
The presence of discrepancies
in details between the evangelists in light of the essential similarity of the
accounts speaks not against but, on the contrary, for the reality of the events
described. If we were dealing with a hoax, then the authors would certainly
have made sure to check their information with each other. The differences bear
witness to the fact that there was no collusion between the evangelists (Jesus
Christ: His Life and Teachings, Vol. 1: The Beginning of the Gospel: 13).
JTR
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