Does the Bible Have Contradictions? Which Came First: The Bible or the Quran?

🔍 1. Do Christians Believe the Bible Has Contradictions?

No, the Catholic Church teaches that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God—without error in what it intends to teach about faith, morals, and salvation.

📖 What the Church Teaches:

“Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God… wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures.”
— Dei Verbum 11 (Second Vatican Council)

What about supposed contradictions?

Some critics, including some Muslims, say the Bible contains contradictions, but these are usually due to:

• Misinterpretation or lack of context

• Differences in literary style or audience

• Translation issues

• Apparent, not actual, contradictions

✍️ Example:

In the Gospels, different evangelists describe the resurrection events with varying details (like which women went to the tomb). These are complementary, not contradictory—just as eyewitnesses may focus on different aspects of the same event.

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📜 2. Which Came First: The Bible or the Quran?

✅ The Bible was written first.

• Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures): Written between 1400 B.C. – 400 B.C.

• New Testament (Christian Scriptures): Written between 45 A.D. – 100 A.D.

In contrast:

• The Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad between 610 A.D. and 632 A.D., over 500 years after the New Testament.

So, the Bible predates the Quran by several centuries.

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📚 What Does Islam Say About the Bible?

Interestingly, the Quran itself acknowledges the Bible:

• Torah (Tawrat) – given to Moses

• Psalms (Zabur) – given to David

• Gospel (Injil) – given to Jesus

“We sent down the Torah... We gave Jesus, son of Mary, the Gospel…”
— Quran, Surah 5:44-46

Muslims believe the original revelations were divine but claim the texts were later corrupted. However, there is no historical or archaeological evidence for the corruption of the Bible as a whole. The biblical manuscripts (e.g., Dead Sea Scrolls) predate Islam and match our modern Bibles.

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⚔️ How Should Catholics Respond to the "Contradiction" Claim?

1. Respectfully ask for a specific example of the contradiction.

2. Study the context—the Bible is a collection of books with history, poetry, law, and prophecy. Literary form matters.

3. Refer to trusted Catholic scholars like:

   • Scott Hahn

   • Trent Horn

   • Jimmy Akin

   • Catholic Answers

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🛡️ Catholic Response Summary

Claim	Catholic Answer
The Bible has contradictions	No. Apparent contradictions are resolved by context.
Bible or Quran came first?	Bible came centuries before the Quran.
Can we trust the Bible today?	Yes. The Church safeguards the authentic Scriptures.