Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties
This encyclopedia is intended for everyone, from scholars and students to layperson -- for all who are troubled by apparent contradictions in the Bible. It argues for the unity and the integrity of the Bible and should convince the skeptic and reassure the person who may be confused by the seeming discrepancies in Scripture. Dr. Archer faces vexing questions that have troubled believers for centuries. His answers are sometimes simple insights that seem afterward to have been obvious all along. But more often his answers are based on careful study of the meaning of words, the cultural context of Bible eras, involved interrelationships among various peoples, a knowledge of the Hebrew numbering systems, and many other details not readily known by the average Bible reader. Some answers are given as plausible, not final, solutions to problems, for still "we know in part" and a humble attitude is becoming to the student of Scripture. Some of the questions answered in this encyclopedia: - Did God approve of Rahab's lie (Josh. 2:4-5)? - Why is it that many of the Old Testament quotations in the New Testament are not literal? - Does the Bible really teach that God is a Trinity? - Does 1 Corinthians 7:10-16 authorize divorce for desertion? - Does 1 Timothy 2:12 forbid the ordination of women? - Does the Bible class abortion with murder?