
Jtwarren said
What do we say to Christians when we question them about contradictions, but they say well skeptics would be thinking it’s collusion if all of the gospels said the same thing.
At that point, I would probably walk away; there is no point trying to reason with some people. (They might have a mild point if they are not arguing for inerrancy, but they have their own contradiction if they are.)

Jtwarren said
I understand, but I wonder why the gospels don’t report the same thing though.
And that is a question for which only conjectures may be offered. (A major part of the issue is presumably the fact that they were written decades after the death of Jesus, by which time they were probably merely distinct oral traditions. Another part of the issue may be that they were never originally intended to be brought together as four parts of one book, although some authors appear to have been familiar with the book of Mark, unless you prefer to alter the usually accepted order of composition, which does not adhere to the order as they appear in the New Testament.) I believe that I am correct in saying that no one who is outside of very conservative religious circles would suggest that the books were actually authored by the names attached to them. Indeed, even that detail is a matter of some controversy. (And yes, that would dramatically affect their status as accounts of first-hand witnesses to the events described.) Those are precisely some of the areas that Dr. Ehrman touches on in his books and lectures. Whether or not one likes his answers is another matter.
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