1001 Errors in the Christian Bible
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Mark -- Errors 217-223
#217
Mark 11: (KJV)
11 “And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and
when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was
come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.”
Compare to:
Matthew 21: (KJV)
10 “And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved,
saying, Who is this? 11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet
of Nazareth of Galilee. 12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and
cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the
tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,”
Mark’s Jesus just checks out the Temple and leaves. Matthew’s
Jesus can’t wait that long so he immediately overthrows tables and
doves.
#218
Mark 11: (KJV)
14 “And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee
hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.”
Compare to:
Matthew 21: (KJV)
19 “And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and
found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit
grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered
away.”
Mark’s Jesus’ curse is that no one will ever eat the fruit of
the tree while Matthew’s Jesus’ curse is that no fruit will
ever grow on the tree. I guess it’s too late to ask the tree exactly
what Jesus said to it.
#219
Mark 11: (KJV)
14 “And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee
hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.”
Compare to:
Matthew 21: (KJV)
19 “And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and
found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit
grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered
away.”
Mark doesn’t report the tree suffering any immediate ill effects.
Matthew reports that it immediately withered away. Once again Matthew
is upping the Templo.
#220
Mark 11: (KJV)
15 “And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple,
and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew
the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the
temple.”
This story indicates that the author of “Mark” had never seen
the Temple and was not overly familiar with its layout. The Greek word
Mark uses for “temple” is ambiguous and could have just referred
to the outer courtyard area. Mark has used the words “sold”,
“bought” and “moneychangers” but the only “commerce”
was selling animals for Temple sacrifice which necessitated a currency
exchange and was done outside the official Temple area. Most modern commentators
would agree that based on the dimensions and activity of the outer courtyard
area it would have been impossible for one person to exert control over
an area that size without supernatural assistance and Mark doesn’t
claim any here. According to Josephus vessels were not allowed to be carried
in any Temple area.
#221
Mark 12: (KJV)
1 “And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man
planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for
the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went
into a far country.”
Compare to:
Matthew 21: (KJV)
33 “Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which
planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress
in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into
a far country:”
According to Mark this was the first parable but according to Matthew
it wasn’t. The previous parable in Matthew fits his theology of building
up guilt on the part of the Jews deserving commensurate punishment and
reflects a later Christian development. Mark’s only significant theme
was to believe in Jesus.
#222
Mark 12: (KJV)
12 “And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people:
for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left
him, and went their way.”
Compare to:
Matthew 21: (KJV)
43 “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken
from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44
And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever
it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. 45 And when the chief priests
and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of
them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude,
because they took him for a prophet.”
“Matthew” lived to see “Mark’s” failed eschatological
prophecy centered around the destruction of the Temple. And in Matthew’s
time it was clear that the leaders of Israel were not going to be replaced
by followers of Jesus and that the point of Mark’s parable had failed.
Matthew adds “given to a nation” to try and change the meaning
of the original parable from the leaders would be replaced to the nation
would be replaced but it doesn’t fit as the rest of the parable is
still about the leaders being replaced.
#223
Mark 12: (KJV)
18 “Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection;
and they asked him, saying, 19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's
brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that
his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying
left no seed. 21 And the second took her, and died, neither left he any
seed: and the third likewise. 22 And the seven had her, and left no seed:
last of all the woman died also. 23 In the resurrection therefore, when
they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her
to wife. 24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err,
because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? 25 For when
they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage;
but are as the angels which are in heaven. 26 And as touching the dead,
that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush
God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of
the living: ye therefore do greatly err.”
The Sadducees only believed in the Torah so Jesus limits his “proof”
of explanation to the Torah. The Torah never makes any explicit statement
that there is an afterlife and repeatedly emphasizes that this life is
what is important and that the future of Israel is based on its children,
not an afterlife. One reference in Greek, which has a present tense, does
not offset the many references in the Torah that the Patriarchs died a
long time ago. In the Hebrew any supposed support for the Patriarchs being
referred to as still living is removed as Hebrew has the perfect tense
instead of the present which uses the same grammar for past and present
(“I am the God of Abraham” could also be “I was the God
of Abraham”).