By Gavin G.
In Part 1, four alleged contradictions were addressed: the death of Judas Iscariot, Jesus' vow about wine, Joseph's two fathers, and Jesus' final words. This article covers four more objections Muslims commonly raise against the four Gospels.
Tier Three — The Crucifixion Timing
Muslims sometimes point to a discrepancy between Mark 15:25 and John 19:14 regarding the time of the crucifixion.
| Gospel | Reference | Statement |
|---|---|---|
| Mark | 15:25 | "It was the third hour when they crucified him." |
| John | 19:14 | "It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, 'Behold your King!'" |
Under Jewish timekeeping, which counted hours from sunrise, the third hour is approximately 9:00 AM. Under Roman civil timekeeping, which counted from midnight, the sixth hour is approximately 6:00 AM.
John 20:19 provides evidence that John used Roman time: "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews..."
The two accounts are describing different moments in the same sequence of events. John places Jesus before Pilate at around 6:00 AM by Roman reckoning, before the final sentence was carried out. After that came the scourging, the soldiers' mockery, the procession to Golgotha, and the crucifixion itself. Mark then records the actual moment of crucifixion, at approximately 9:00 AM by Jewish reckoning. The accounts are sequential, not contradictory.
Even setting aside the timekeeping explanation, John's language is explicitly approximate. He says "about the sixth hour," not exactly. Ancient historians regularly rounded times rather than recording them to the minute. There is no contradiction here.
Tier Two — Who Was at the Tomb?
The four resurrection accounts describe different combinations of people and angels at the tomb. The full accounts are as follows:
| Gospel | Women Present | Angels/Figures |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew 28:1-8 | Mary Magdalene and the other Mary | One angel, descended from heaven, sat on the stone |
| Mark 16:1-8 | Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, Salome | One young man in a white robe, inside the tomb |
| Luke 24:1-10 | Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary mother of James, others | Two men in dazzling apparel, inside the tomb |
| John 20:1-12 | Mary Magdalene (arrives first); Peter and the beloved disciple follow | Two angels in white, seen later by Mary |
For a genuine contradiction to exist, one of the authors would have had to say there was only one angel, or only a specific named group of women and no one else. None of them do that. Omission is not denial.
Matthew and Mark focus on the angel who addressed the women. Luke focuses on the women's confusion at finding the body gone. John follows Mary Magdalene's individual experience after the others had already come and gone. These are complementary accounts written from different vantage points for different audiences.
John 20:2 is also worth noting. Mary says, "We do not know where they have laid him." The plural "we" indicates other women were present that John does not name individually. He was not claiming Mary came alone.
Different Gospel authors framed their accounts around different moments in the same unfolding morning. The contradiction would require explicit denial of details present in another account. That does not exist in the text.
Tier Two — Who Carried the Cross?
The alleged contradiction here is between John 19:17 and the Synoptic accounts.
| Gospel | Reference | Statement |
|---|---|---|
| John | 19:17 | "He went out, bearing his own cross to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha." |
| Matthew | 27:32 | "As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross." |
| Mark | 15:21 | "They compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross." |
| Luke | 23:26 | "As they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus." |
These accounts describe different points along the same route. John records that Jesus left carrying his own cross, which is how the procession began. At some point along the way, Jesus was no longer able to carry it. The Synoptics then record the moment Simon of Cyrene was pressed into service.
This is not a surprise given what Jesus had already endured. Mark 15:15 and Matthew 27:26 and 29 both record that he had been scourged and had a crown of thorns driven into his scalp before the procession even began. A man in that physical condition carrying a heavy wooden cross through Jerusalem would realistically reach a point of collapse. John describes the beginning of the procession. Matthew, Mark, and Luke describe what happened further along the route. There is no contradiction.