The Bible Dilemma: Historical Contradictions, Misquoted Statements, Failed Prophecies and Oddities in the Bible

526 Pages·2010·2.26 MB·English

by  M L Gutierrez

Historical contradictions, misquoted
statements, failed prophecies and
oddities in the Bible
© 2009 M.L. Gutierrez All Rights Reserved.
By M. L. Gutierrez
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the
author.
First published by Dog Ear Publishing 4010 W. 86th Street, Ste H
Indianapolis, IN 46268
www.dogearpublishing.net
ISBN: 978-160844-021-4
This book is printed on acid-free paper. Printed in the United States of America
Imprisonment of the mind is the worst
imprisonment of all. It is without walls,
without bars, without chains, without keys. It
is the most binding, the most self-imposing
and self-inflicting. It is blind, it is enslaving,
and it has the most willing victim.
The Author
Table of Contents
I. Introduction II. Historical Contradictions and
Absurdities 1. Old Testament
.................................................................3 2. New
Testament............................................................124 3.
Unfulfilled Promises and Prophesies
.........................237 III. Scientific Arguments, Errors
and Oddities.......................264 IV. Borrowed
statements and stories? 1. Misquoted and borrowed
statements within the Bible
..........................................................297 2. Borrowed
and alluded statements outside the Bible...312 3.
Similar Stories outside the Bible
................................320 V. The God and gods of the
Bible 1. What are some of the names of
God..........................321 2. Nature and Character of
God.....................................324 3. Other gods of the
Bible..............................................371 VI. Non-existing
books mentioned in the Bible .....................377 VII.
Salvation 1. What does the Bible say about
salvation?...................385 2. Arguments against Jesus
Christ as the Messiah?........392
vi M.L. Gutierrez
VIII. Paul and the New Testament
............................................404 IX. Other facts about
the Bible...............................................414 X.
Conclusion
........................................................................416
Bibliography
...............................................................................417
I. Introduction
As the main religious text of Judaism, the Catholic
Church, and all other Christian denominations, the
Bible has been one of the strongest influences
throughout history. It has instructed the formulation
of laws and governments as well as the development of
social norms and practices.
The exact interpretation of the Bible varies depending
on denomination. The composition has also evolved
over the centuries, based on decisions made by
various religious councils, such as the hypothetical
Jewish Council of Jamnia (AD 85-100), The First
Council of Nicaea (AD 325), the Council of Trent (AD
1546), and the Hampton Court Conference (AD 1611)
under the leadership of King James I of England.
In the past, church leaders declared canons and
decrees limiting or prohibiting biblical reading. In
November of 1229 AD, the Council of Toulouse
created a special tribunal known as the Inquisition,
issuing the following decree:
Canon 14. We prohibit also that the laity should be
permitted to have the books of the Old or the New
Testament; unless anyone from motive of devotion
should wish to have the Psalter or the Breviary for
divine offices or the hours of the blessed Virgin; but
we most strictly forbid their having any translation of
these books.
On April 8, 1546, the Council of Trent also prevented
laymen from accessing the Bible, stating that ordinary
citizens must not rely on their own interpretations,
but should refer to the ecclesiastical authorities for
biblical guidance. On November 18, 1965, the Second
Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, under the
leadership of Pope John XXIII, issued a document
called “Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation”
(Dei Verbum). This document declared God to be both
the inspiration and author of the Old and New
Testaments. The Council allowed the Catholic Bible to
be read solely under a priest’s guidance, and declared
non-Catholic Bibles off-limits to Catholics.
Contradicting these determinations, in 1898, Pope Leo
XIII decreed a threeyear indulgence of spiritual
reading to anyone who read the Bible with great
reverence for at least fifteen minutes a day. This
decree was in line with the Handbook of Indulgences,
which states that those who kiss the Gospel Book
while reciting the following verses will be granted five
hundred days of indulgences: “May our sins be
blotted out by virtue of the words of the Gospel,”
“May the reading of the Gospel be our salvation and
protection,” “May Christ teach us the words of the
Holy Gospel.”