The answer
This accusation, hurled by many that attack the Bible, has no basis whatsoever. Nevertheless it has to be addressed by means of lots of detailed studies that will lead to the truth that there is no contradiction at all among the different verses, events or meanings of the Bible.
First:
The Bible in its entirety is God inspired.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2Tim 3:16)
And this inspiration is what led the prophets and apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, to write:
… for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1: 21).
Jesus said:
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. (Matt 24: 35)
Second:
The apparent contradiction that some perceive may be due to the following reasons:
1. The difference between incidents in accordance to the time it took place at, from one generation to the other, from one nation to the other and from one circumstance to the other. Just as the Laws and Rules put into consideration different circumstances and cultures, thus making different changes accordingly, it is all the more reason why the laws of God would respect differences and circumstances. For example, we see that whereas God didn’t allow Adam to eat except out of the product of trees and plants, yet He later on allowed Noah and the generations following him to eat animals as well. (Gen 2: 16), (Gen 9:3)
2. A story could be similar in some of its incidents but different in time or place from another that happened to a different person. Therefore there should be no contradiction between the two. For example, the story of the woman who poured the oil (Mark 14: 3 - 9), the woman in the Pharisee’s house (Luke 7: 36 - 50) and Mary in the house in Bethany (Matt 26: 6-13, John 12: 1 - 11).
3. A verse could be mentioned in one passage that makes it appear contradictory to a similar verse mentioned in another passage. Therefore it is very important to always look at the whole passage and at the events happening around it in order to fully understand it. The context of the verse will clarify that there is no contradiction. For example, the two verses:
… not of works, lest anyone should boast (Eph 2:9), For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2: 26)
The first verse talks about the work of the law being dead while the second is talking about good works and the Christian struggle.
4.The contradiction could actually be a way of completion of the events as when the gospel writers mention events at the Cross and another mentions other events so as to complete the story. When you put the verses related to the story next to each other you get a complete picture rather than a contradictory or conflicting one. This is specifically clear with the gospels’ accounts of the Crucifixion and Resurrection. The same applies to some of events in the historical books of the Old Testament.
5. Focusing on one angle of a subject does not mean that it is the only angle to view it from. When we read the Pauline and Catholic Epistles we find that each one focuses on particular theological or spiritual ideas that do not contradict or deny other thoughts or objectives in other Bible teachings.
6. Going back to the meanings of some of the words or ways of looking at things at the age of writing each Book facilitates the understanding of the meanings inherent in it more accurately. Some parameters cannot be placed against twenty first century parameters. The same applies to the wide range of time between writing the Pentateuch in 1500 years B.C. and the time the New Testament completed in the year 100 A.D.
An example is the census used to count only men with no mention of women or children, or sometimes it would mention men over 20 years of age as if it is a census for those able to go to war.
Fr. Daoud Lamei