Is the Bible full of contradictions? At some point every Bible reader, whether they’re a skeptic or a believer, must come to terms with perceived differences and contradictions in the Bible text. And these questions naturally assume a particular urgency around Easter.

Why is that? Because the events of Easter—Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection, as well as the events leading up to them—are among the most precisely detailed stories in the Bible. But more than that, the events of Easter are described by four different biblical authors. And four different perspectives make for four slightly different accounts. What should we make of these differences? Are these accounts truly contradictory? Do they weaken the trustworthiness of the Bible?

Those are all very good questions. If you’re troubled by, or simply curious about, alleged Bible contradictions in the Easter accounts or other Bibles stories, here are some reflections to help you think through the issue:

• In his “Tough Questions” weekly devotional, author and theologian R.C. Sproul takes a look at discrepancies between the four Gospel accounts.
• Did you see that monster list of alleged Bible contradictions that made the rounds online a few years ago, and which periodically resurfaces? Darrell Bock, a professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, challenges us to remember that differences and contradictions are two very distinct things.
• Apologist Lee Strobel answers the question “What should we make of discrepancies in the Bible?”
• Who really discovered Jesus’ empty tomb? In his “Investigating the Bible” devotional, Strobel looks more closely at a specific case of alleged contradiction in the Easter story.

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