Comments on: Was the Transfiguration six or eight days after Jesus’ teaching on discipleship? http://www.errancy.com/when-was-the-transfiguration/ Does the Bible contain contradictions or errors? Biblical inerrancy examined. Wed, 07 Sep 2011 04:23:00 +0200 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: gra_jrc http://www.errancy.com/when-was-the-transfiguration/comment-page-1/#comment-609 gra_jrc Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:06:04 +0000 http://www.errancy.com/?p=241#comment-609 In Hebrew usage, part of a day was a day, so 8x24=192 is not necessarily the length of time spoken of here. What may be more informative is if this had anything to do with Succoth/Tabernacles or not. The booths, the "eight" days point somewhat in this direction. More study along those lines is needed. In Hebrew usage, part of a day was a day, so 8×24=192 is not necessarily the length of time spoken of here. What may be more informative is if this had anything to do with Succoth/Tabernacles or not. The booths, the “eight” days point somewhat in this direction. More study along those lines is needed.

]]> By: livin4Jesus http://www.errancy.com/when-was-the-transfiguration/comment-page-1/#comment-474 livin4Jesus Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:57:25 +0000 http://www.errancy.com/?p=241#comment-474 At first glance, it may appear to some that Luke’s time line contradicts Matthew and Mark’s account of the amount of time that elapsed between Christ’s prophecy and His transfiguration. However, a closer examination reveals that Luke never intended for his readers to understand that exactly 192 hours (eight 24-hour days) elapsed from the moment Jesus finished His prophecy to the time that He and the others began their ascent to the mount of transfiguration. Luke recorded that it was “about eight days,” not exactly eight days. Although Luke was a physician (Colossians 4:14), he did not use “scientific precision” in this case. He merely approximated the time between the two events. Furthermore, it seems clear that whereas Matthew and Mark excluded the days of the two terminal events (the prophecy and the transfiguration), Luke included both days, as well as the six intermediate days, and thus mentioned that the two events were eight days apart. Even today, when people rehearse something they witnessed a few days earlier, they may refer to the events as happening on “different” days. For example, if a store was robbed on a Monday afternoon, and the following Monday morning a witness told friends what he had seen, he could say truthfully that he recalled the events six days or eight days after they occurred. If one were counting only full days, then six would be correct (i.e., Tuesday through Sunday). However, it also would be correct to speak of the events as occurring eight days earlier—if one were including both full and partial days (Monday through Monday). Whether one uses “six” or “eight” does not discredit his story. Likewise, the time difference between Matthew, Mark, and Luke in no way represents a legitimate Bible contradiction. Luke simply used the inclusive method of reckoning time, whereas Matthew and Mark counted only complete days (Coffman, 1971, p. 261). REFERENCES Coffman, James Burton (1971), Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Abilene, TX: ACU Press). At first glance, it may appear to some that Luke’s time line contradicts Matthew and Mark’s account of the amount of time that elapsed between Christ’s prophecy and His transfiguration. However, a closer examination reveals that Luke never intended for his readers to understand that exactly 192 hours (eight 24-hour days) elapsed from the moment Jesus finished His prophecy to the time that He and the others began their ascent to the mount of transfiguration. Luke recorded that it was “about eight days,” not exactly eight days. Although Luke was a physician (Colossians 4:14), he did not use “scientific precision” in this case. He merely approximated the time between the two events.

Furthermore, it seems clear that whereas Matthew and Mark excluded the days of the two terminal events (the prophecy and the transfiguration), Luke included both days, as well as the six intermediate days, and thus mentioned that the two events were eight days apart. Even today, when people rehearse something they witnessed a few days earlier, they may refer to the events as happening on “different” days. For example, if a store was robbed on a Monday afternoon, and the following Monday morning a witness told friends what he had seen, he could say truthfully that he recalled the events six days or eight days after they occurred. If one were counting only full days, then six would be correct (i.e., Tuesday through Sunday). However, it also would be correct to speak of the events as occurring eight days earlier—if one were including both full and partial days (Monday through Monday). Whether one uses “six” or “eight” does not discredit his story. Likewise, the time difference between Matthew, Mark, and Luke in no way represents a legitimate Bible contradiction. Luke simply used the inclusive method of reckoning time, whereas Matthew and Mark counted only complete days (Coffman, 1971, p. 261).

REFERENCES
Coffman, James Burton (1971), Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Abilene, TX: ACU Press).

]]> By: WisdomLover http://www.errancy.com/when-was-the-transfiguration/comment-page-1/#comment-86 WisdomLover Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:26:20 +0000 http://www.errancy.com/?p=241#comment-86 It's probably not even necessary to say that 6 is about the same as 8. The teachings that preceded the transfiguration occurred in the wilderness. During these teachings Christ performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes. This teaching may have occurred over a two day period. Matthew and Mark may be counting from the end of the teaching. Luke may be counting from the beginning of the teaching. Luke might have said "about" just because the actual time difference was eight and a half days (or some such). It’s probably not even necessary to say that 6 is about the same as 8. The teachings that preceded the transfiguration occurred in the wilderness. During these teachings Christ performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes. This teaching may have occurred over a two day period. Matthew and Mark may be counting from the end of the teaching. Luke may be counting from the beginning of the teaching. Luke might have said “about” just because the actual time difference was eight and a half days (or some such).

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