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Difficulties in the Bible: Alleged Errors and Contradictions
Reuben Archer Torrey was an American evangelist, and preached around the globe. Torrey's most famous work is The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit and he wrote many other books that are still well read today. This one is his study and analysis of the perceived inconsistencies found in the Bible.
60 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1907
About the author
Reuben A. Torrey
545 books89 followersReuben Archer Torrey studied at Yale and in Germany before taking up a pastorate in the United States. As a gifted intellectual, administrator, and Bible teacher, he went on to pastor Moody Church in Chicago and became D.L. Moody's closest associate. In his later years, he traveled the world as an evangelist speaking to millions in Australia, New Zealand, India, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Japan, China, Hawaii, Germany, the United States, and Canada. Torrey edited the last two volumes of the monumental "The Fundamentals" and was instrumental in the founding of both Moody Bible Institute and BIOLA University.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 1, 2011
Originally published in 1907, Torrey seems ahead of his time in approaching difficulties head on. The book begins with an incredible description of where difficulties arise, with the big one being that we can never expect to understand why the Creator God would choose to do certain things in a way that may go against our 21st century, western cultural sensibilities. However, when Torrey begins to address specific issues, it seems that he falls into the all too familiar trap of stretching the facts to fit difficulties into a tidy, black and white box. When will followers of Christ accept that we will never understand all that is in the Bible – a book written 2,000 + years ago, to a culture we are unfamiliar with, and that has been translated through at least two languages to get to our current English translations. Some things will just have to remain a mystery.
May 19, 2020
A good little book filled with great "food for thought" for Bible believers and skeptics, though not many skeptics are willing to endanger their agnostic attitude toward Scripture by reading such innocent little works.
My edition had such tiny print that it was a struggle at times to read until I got a magnifier. I suffer from vision impairment that I've hidden most of my life but I know that most people only deal with this later in life. For that reason, I mention that if you order this book in particular on-line, be sure to find out if the print is large enough for you to read.
Torrey was a great servant of the Lord. His defense of the Bible in this book and in his sermons have helped many millions of Christian along in their journey of faith. So, this not only packs a punch in it's content but is a classic in Christian literature of the past 200 years.
My only criticism is that Torrey does, at times, rely on faulty scholarship. He not only appeals to the Revised Version (1881) and it's corrupt text based upon Westcott and Hort's use of the corrupt Codex Vaticanus, but he also appeals to the opinions of men that are "modernists" (heretical apostates in the terminology of Torrey's day) on a few occasions.
Eat the meat and spit out the bones. The discerning reader will gain much from the reading of this little book.
My edition had such tiny print that it was a struggle at times to read until I got a magnifier. I suffer from vision impairment that I've hidden most of my life but I know that most people only deal with this later in life. For that reason, I mention that if you order this book in particular on-line, be sure to find out if the print is large enough for you to read.
Torrey was a great servant of the Lord. His defense of the Bible in this book and in his sermons have helped many millions of Christian along in their journey of faith. So, this not only packs a punch in it's content but is a classic in Christian literature of the past 200 years.
My only criticism is that Torrey does, at times, rely on faulty scholarship. He not only appeals to the Revised Version (1881) and it's corrupt text based upon Westcott and Hort's use of the corrupt Codex Vaticanus, but he also appeals to the opinions of men that are "modernists" (heretical apostates in the terminology of Torrey's day) on a few occasions.
Eat the meat and spit out the bones. The discerning reader will gain much from the reading of this little book.
September 4, 2024
THE FAMED EVANGELIST AND PASTOR GIVES SOME SURPRISING ANSWERS
Reuben Archer Torrey (1856-1928) was an American evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer; he wrote many other books, such as 'How To Witness To Anyone,' 'How To Pray,' 'How to Study the Bible,' etc.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1907 book, "This book does not attempt to take up in detail every conceivable difficulty that could be found in the Bible. It would take many volumes to do that. I have simply taken up those objections of which the modern infidel makes the most, and which are puzzling to many Christians... I regard to the questions which I have not touched upon, one can easily see that if so many difficulties are answered which they had supposed were unanswerable, the overwhelming probability is that all the other difficulties could be answered also if there were time and space to take them up." (Pg. 7)
He says, "Anyone who is at all familiar with the Bible and the Bible usage of words knows that the word 'day' is not limited to periods of twenty-four hours. It is frequently used for a period of time of an entirely undefined length. For example, in Joel 3:18-20 the millennial period is spoken of as a day. In Zechariah 2:10-13 the millennial period is again spoken of as a day, and again in Zechariah 13:1-2 and 14:9. Even in Genesis 2 the whole period covered by the six days of the first account is spoken of as a day (Gen 2:4-5). There is no necessity whatever for interpreting the days of Genesis 1 as solar days of twenty-four hours each. They may be vast periods of undefined length." (Pg. 35)
He argues, "it is not at all certain that there were only about four thousand years from Adam to Christ. Bishop Ussher's chronology, which is found in the margin of most reference Bibles, is not a part of the Bible itself, and its accuracy is altogether doubtful. It is founded upon the supposition that the genealogies of Scripture are intended to be complete, but a careful study of these genealogies clearly shows that they are not intended to be complete... For example, the genealogy in Exodus 6:16-24, if it were taken as a complete genealogy containing all the names, would make Moses the great-grandson of Levi, though 430 years intervened. Again there is reason to question whether the lists of names in Genesis 5 and 11 are complete. The total length of time from Adam to the flood and from the flood to Abraham is never mentioned in Scripture although the period from Joseph to Moses (Ex 12:40) and that from the Exodus to the building of the temple (1 Ki 6:1) are mentioned. The fact that there are just ten names in each list also suggests that a similar arrangement may have been made in the first chapter of Matthew." (Pg. 41-42)
He adds, "It may be that these ancient civilizations which are being discovered in the vicinity of Nineveh and elsewhere may be the remains of the pre-Adamic race already mentioned. There are passages in the Bible which seem to hint that there were some existing even in Bible times who may have belonged to these pre-Adamic races... if it should be found that there were early civilizations thousands of years before Christ it would not come into any conflict whatever with what the Bible really teaches about the antiquity of man, the Adamic race." (Pg. 42-43)
He observes, "A good deal is made of the apparent contradictions in the various accounts of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... John does tell us that there were two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain [Jn 20:12-13]. How can we reconcile that with the other three? Very easily. It was not the GROUP OF WOMEN at all that saw these two angels, but we are distinctly told it was Mary alone. Mary started out with the other women... got a little ahead of the group, was the first to see the stone rolled away from the tomb [Jn 20:1], immediately jumped at the conclusion that the tomb had been rifled, and ran at top speed to the city to carry the news to Peter and John [Jn 20:2]. While she was going into the city, the other women reached and entered the tomb, and the things recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke occurred...
"All the other apparent contradictions in the four accounts of the resurrection---and they are quite numerous---also disappear on careful study... They could not have been fabricated in collusion with one another---the very discrepancies urged prove this..." (Pg. 104-107)
Based on Matthew 12:40 ["three days and three nights in the belly of the whale"], he rejects the interpretation that "a day and a night" simply means a "day" ["this writer confesses it does not satisfy him at all. It seems to him to be a makeshift---a very weak makeshift"]. (Pg. 129) Thus, he rejects the notion that Jesus was crucified on Friday. "Jesus died about sunset on Wednesday. Seventy-two hours later, exactly three days and three nights, at the beginning of the first day of the week (Saturday at sunset), He arose again from the grave. When the women visited the tomb just before dawn the next morning, they found the grave already empty." (Pg. 133)
There are other, more lengthy treatments of "Bible difficulties." But this book remains of continual value and interest to those studying such matters.
Reuben Archer Torrey (1856-1928) was an American evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer; he wrote many other books, such as 'How To Witness To Anyone,' 'How To Pray,' 'How to Study the Bible,' etc.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1907 book, "This book does not attempt to take up in detail every conceivable difficulty that could be found in the Bible. It would take many volumes to do that. I have simply taken up those objections of which the modern infidel makes the most, and which are puzzling to many Christians... I regard to the questions which I have not touched upon, one can easily see that if so many difficulties are answered which they had supposed were unanswerable, the overwhelming probability is that all the other difficulties could be answered also if there were time and space to take them up." (Pg. 7)
He says, "Anyone who is at all familiar with the Bible and the Bible usage of words knows that the word 'day' is not limited to periods of twenty-four hours. It is frequently used for a period of time of an entirely undefined length. For example, in Joel 3:18-20 the millennial period is spoken of as a day. In Zechariah 2:10-13 the millennial period is again spoken of as a day, and again in Zechariah 13:1-2 and 14:9. Even in Genesis 2 the whole period covered by the six days of the first account is spoken of as a day (Gen 2:4-5). There is no necessity whatever for interpreting the days of Genesis 1 as solar days of twenty-four hours each. They may be vast periods of undefined length." (Pg. 35)
He argues, "it is not at all certain that there were only about four thousand years from Adam to Christ. Bishop Ussher's chronology, which is found in the margin of most reference Bibles, is not a part of the Bible itself, and its accuracy is altogether doubtful. It is founded upon the supposition that the genealogies of Scripture are intended to be complete, but a careful study of these genealogies clearly shows that they are not intended to be complete... For example, the genealogy in Exodus 6:16-24, if it were taken as a complete genealogy containing all the names, would make Moses the great-grandson of Levi, though 430 years intervened. Again there is reason to question whether the lists of names in Genesis 5 and 11 are complete. The total length of time from Adam to the flood and from the flood to Abraham is never mentioned in Scripture although the period from Joseph to Moses (Ex 12:40) and that from the Exodus to the building of the temple (1 Ki 6:1) are mentioned. The fact that there are just ten names in each list also suggests that a similar arrangement may have been made in the first chapter of Matthew." (Pg. 41-42)
He adds, "It may be that these ancient civilizations which are being discovered in the vicinity of Nineveh and elsewhere may be the remains of the pre-Adamic race already mentioned. There are passages in the Bible which seem to hint that there were some existing even in Bible times who may have belonged to these pre-Adamic races... if it should be found that there were early civilizations thousands of years before Christ it would not come into any conflict whatever with what the Bible really teaches about the antiquity of man, the Adamic race." (Pg. 42-43)
He observes, "A good deal is made of the apparent contradictions in the various accounts of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... John does tell us that there were two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain [Jn 20:12-13]. How can we reconcile that with the other three? Very easily. It was not the GROUP OF WOMEN at all that saw these two angels, but we are distinctly told it was Mary alone. Mary started out with the other women... got a little ahead of the group, was the first to see the stone rolled away from the tomb [Jn 20:1], immediately jumped at the conclusion that the tomb had been rifled, and ran at top speed to the city to carry the news to Peter and John [Jn 20:2]. While she was going into the city, the other women reached and entered the tomb, and the things recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke occurred...
"All the other apparent contradictions in the four accounts of the resurrection---and they are quite numerous---also disappear on careful study... They could not have been fabricated in collusion with one another---the very discrepancies urged prove this..." (Pg. 104-107)
Based on Matthew 12:40 ["three days and three nights in the belly of the whale"], he rejects the interpretation that "a day and a night" simply means a "day" ["this writer confesses it does not satisfy him at all. It seems to him to be a makeshift---a very weak makeshift"]. (Pg. 129) Thus, he rejects the notion that Jesus was crucified on Friday. "Jesus died about sunset on Wednesday. Seventy-two hours later, exactly three days and three nights, at the beginning of the first day of the week (Saturday at sunset), He arose again from the grave. When the women visited the tomb just before dawn the next morning, they found the grave already empty." (Pg. 133)
There are other, more lengthy treatments of "Bible difficulties." But this book remains of continual value and interest to those studying such matters.
November 4, 2025
For starters, I was encouraged in more ways than one by this book. To see how Torrey would respond to the claims and accusations against the Scriptures was insightful and thought provoking. For the most part, he does point to the Scriptures to answer the alleged contradictions and in some cases, he does seem to pull in some considerations from critical thinking that aren’t Biblical, but for me, understanding some of the mysteries of the Bible and how complex the book is, his thoughts never seemed to be far off.
Seeing the intelligence behind the Scriptures have always been amazing to me, from prophecies taking place hundreds of years prior to actual happenings, seeing Jesus from Genesis to Revelation and how the entire book written over thousands of years to match up without contradiction is miraculous. We genuinely hold a miracle from the God of heaven while holding the Bible, yet we fight it or take it for granted. But through careful study and faith in Gods word we can be assured the Word of the Lord is without error and has zero contradictions and can stand to any criticism it brings!
This book helps explain some of the in-depth truths behind the complexities of the Bible. Simply a great book to read. Exceptional read, encouraging book to gain understanding over things I’ve never considered before, and have already recommended the book to several others.
Seeing the intelligence behind the Scriptures have always been amazing to me, from prophecies taking place hundreds of years prior to actual happenings, seeing Jesus from Genesis to Revelation and how the entire book written over thousands of years to match up without contradiction is miraculous. We genuinely hold a miracle from the God of heaven while holding the Bible, yet we fight it or take it for granted. But through careful study and faith in Gods word we can be assured the Word of the Lord is without error and has zero contradictions and can stand to any criticism it brings!
This book helps explain some of the in-depth truths behind the complexities of the Bible. Simply a great book to read. Exceptional read, encouraging book to gain understanding over things I’ve never considered before, and have already recommended the book to several others.
May 1, 2021
Reuben Archer Torrey (1856-1878) is one of the greatest evangelists of his time - probably, also of modern times. I love reading classic books by great minds such as Torrey. It seems like old Christian writers like him, C. S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, D. L. Moody, John Bunyan, etc. have greater depth and appreciation for simplicity than most popular authors today. This book, for example, although dealing with difficult issues (just read the title) never seems to be a problem for Torrey because he truly believes that, “The Bible contains nothing but the truth, and it contains more truth than all other books put together.” He didn’t write, “I know the answer to every question...” but acknowledge his own ignorance in some parts and never attempt to conceal the fact that there ARE difficulties exist in the Bible.
To read further, CLICK HERE: https://legasitv.blogspot.com/2020/08...
To read further, CLICK HERE: https://legasitv.blogspot.com/2020/08...
April 1, 2019
R.A. Torrent does a great job laying out a way to objectively examine the Bible and to look deeper into the context of scriptures. Unfortunately, he does not always follow his own advice and can add some of his own personal opinions while ignoring key verses (he could use a refresher on Romans 14). However, there is still a lot of good information in the book and some of the shortcomings are simply due to the book's age. I'd recommend this book to anyone willing to examine the claims in this book for themselves.
June 8, 2021
Some of the opening ideas are good, but I feel it is too reductionistic to be of much use, and relies heavily on socially accepted "truths" that aren't themselves Biblical.
November 12, 2022
A great food for thought book. It had me thinking about questions I never had thought before. I really enjoyed it.
January 1, 2014
I realise this book was written over a Century ago so perhaps I underestimated how much I would enjoy it :) Whilst Torrey's style probably wouldn't be that appropriate in the 21st Century, I found him very easy to read. I was quite surprised on how many "solutions" I agreed with him about - though I find his "TeeTotaller" views strongly influence his views on Alcohol use in Scripture. Also I didn't find his argument for Jesus being crucified on Wednesday as convincing as he seems to.
I would not encourage this as the place to start for Apologetics but a good source to compare your current Apologetics with. Plus a good insight to the thoughts of American Evangelicalism at the start of the 20th Century :)
I would not encourage this as the place to start for Apologetics but a good source to compare your current Apologetics with. Plus a good insight to the thoughts of American Evangelicalism at the start of the 20th Century :)
January 17, 2016
Good read. Some of his explanations I already understood, some were very enlightening and others didn't quite click with me
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews