For more of our posts responding to alleged Bible contradictions check out our Collection of Posts Responding to Bible Contradictions.
For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: Did Jesus ascend from Bethany or Mount Olivet?
Here are the two answers which the skeptic believes shows a Bible contradiction:
Jesus ascended from Bethany.
“And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” (Luke 24:50-51)
Jesus ascended from Mount Olivet.
“And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight…Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.” (Acts 1:9, 12)
(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)
Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:
- When dealing with skeptics’ claim of Bible contradictions it seems one can never be reminded enough of what exactly is a contradiction. A contradiction occurs when two or more claims conflict with one another so that they cannot simultaneously be true in the same sense and at the same time. To put it another way, a Bible contradiction exists when there are claims within the Bible that are mutually exclusive in the same sense and at the same time.
- Contexts for the verses used by the skeptic are important for the readers to know and to keep in mind.
- The verses that the skeptic uses to establish that Jesus ascended from Bethany comes from Luke chapter 24. The chapter begins in verse 1 with the first day of the week and three days after Jesus have died on the Cross. The main thrust of Luke 24 is to present the truth of the resurrection of Christ and how the disciples start discovering the truth of the resurrection and their encounter with the resurrected Jesus. Luke 2:50-51 describes Jesus’ journey to his eventual ascension back to heaven.
- The verses that the skeptic uses to establish that Jesus ascended from Bethany comes from Acts chapter 1. The chapter tells us that Jesus spent forty days on earth before His Ascension (Acts 1:3) with verses 9-11 describing Christ ascending back to Heaven and verses 12 onward what the witnesses did afterwards.
- If one realizes that both the Gospel of Luke and Acts are written by the same author (Luke) it should make the reader cautious of any alleged claim of a Bible contradiction between any passages from the two book. While this isn’t a complete argument knowing this should make any claim suspect. Of course further rigorous arguments against this being a contradiction are supplied below.
- In order to see whether there is a Bible contradiction we must know some information about both Mount Olivet and Bethany.
- Mount Olivet literally in the Greek is the mountain of “olive trees” or “of olive grove.” It is actually a ridge near Jerusalem. In terms of its exact location we are fortunate that Zechariah 14:4 gives us the location. In Zechariah 14:4 the author gives us a Messianic prophecy concerning the Second Coming of Christ and locates Mount Olivet as east of Jerusalem: “In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.“
- Bethany in the the Hebrew literally means “house of figs.” According to the Bible it is a town which Simon the leper lived at (Mark 14:3) along with the siblings Mary, Martha and Lazarus (John 11:18 and Luke 10:38-42). We are fortunate to have more details of the location of Bethany because of what John 11:18 says: “Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off.” Literally in the Greek John 11:18 tells us the distance between Bethany and Jerusalem is 15 σταδίων which the NASB helps translate for us in English as about two miles.
- The proximity of both Mount Olivet and Bethany to Jerusalem should make this claim of a Bible contradiction really suspect.
- We do not have a Bible contradiction here because Bethany is located on the southeast slopes of Mount Olivet. Since Bethany is on the slopes of Mount Olivet that means it is not a contradiction for Jesus to ascend to heaven from accounts that states He departed from Mount Olivet and near Bethany.
- Just in case critics might think this is a convenient invention to get rid of the tension of a Bible contradiction note that the Biblical data also provide further collaborating evidence of Bethany being on the slopes of Mount Olivet.
- Mark 11:1 states “As they *approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, He *sent two of His disciples…” Note here how the NASB translation states Bethany was “near the Mount of Olives.“
- The Gospel of Luke record the final week of Jesus’ life of how He taught in the Temple every day but He did not stay in Jerusalem during the night. Instead Luke 21:37 states “at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mount that is called Olivet.” So every morning and evening He would travel back and forth between Jerusalem and Mount Olivet. Yet Matthew 21:17-18, Mark 11:11-12 would be more specific concerning where Jesus stayed on Mount Olivet: It was the town of Bethany.
We don’t have a Bible contradiction here. Any skeptic who would use this to try to assert that this is a Bible contradiction is not only “making a mountain out of a molehill” but is just plain wrong and reveal his or her ignorance of biblical geography and the Bible itself.
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Thanks for reblogging this brother Vincent!
Thanks for the analysis! Steve Wells had pages to fill and he wasn’t going to let responsible research get in the way.
I agree; he prides himself of coming up with the skeptic annotated bible by sitting there reading the Bible but with pun intended I think Wells doesn’t do his “study” *well.* Sorry if I am laughing at my own joke after seeing Wells’ name mentioned in your comment 😆😂🤣🤤
With this one, he went to the “well” once to often. Ouch!!!
Some skeptics are so gullible I guess. You have done a good thing here, as usual, but the solution to this one is so simple, and the slightest study of geography dispels it instantly. I have been blessed to stand on the Mount of Olives and look towards Jerusalem. It’s not a long trip.
Wow I recall your trip to Israel and those wonderful posts back then! Curious did you get to visit Bethany as well?
We did not. It’s on the West Bank, and part of the Palestinian Authority and is too difficult to get to now. It’s only a mile or so, but now there is a wall and all of that. So, it’s mostly bypassed by tourists now.
Wow that is very insightful not only of Bethany now but also for the purpose of this post concerning this alleged “contradiction.” Thanks for sharing that Wally, seriously, apologetics sometimes is a team effort…
It is. A three fold cord is not easily broken
Wow, thank you for this! I hadn’t heard this contradiction before, now if I do I’ll be prepared with an answer. God bless you, brother!
It’s crazy how shallow the substance of some of these alleged Bible contradictions listed on skeptics website such as this one. I’m glad that you are equipped as a result of this post, pray for me for wisdom and endurance as I slowly refute these Bible contradictions each week. It’s my long term project and I’m doing it since it seems there is a big niche to answer alleged Bible contradiction with exegetical studies and we’ve been getting a good stream of search to our blog because of people looking for answers.
I will continue to pray for you, brother, and I thank our God always for your faithfulness in these matters! It must be something that gets thrown around often, as I’ve many heard church goers, friends and family mention that the Bible contradicts itself. I’ve never heard anyone give specific contradictions though, which is why I love what you say about understanding what a real contradiction is. I’ve committed that to memory! I think that alone clears up most of what people perceive as a contradiction.
[…] brother in Christ, Pastor Jim, does an excellent job refuting these supposed contradictions. The most impactful thing he does is […]
[…] Knowledge of Biblical geography can resolve certain alleged Bible contradictions the skeptic might put forth. For example did Jesus ascended from Bethany or Mount Olivet? Is there a Bible contradiction between the Gospels here? I argue that knowing biblical geography refutes this contradiction. […]
[…] Did Jesus ascend from Bethany or Mount Olivet? NEW […]
Glad for this answer
[…] Did Jesus ascend from Bethany or Mount Olivet? […]
[…] Did Jesus ascend from Bethany or Mount Olivet? […]
[…] good example of this kind of mistake can be seen in “Did Jesus ascend from Bethany or Mount Olivet?” Here the error is the skeptic doesn’t even know the locations mentioned so they […]
Its obvious the author of the skeptic annotated Bible is ignorant of biblical geography…and also the Bible.
[…] Did Jesus ascend from Bethany or Mount Olivet? […]
The other two maps show the proximity of Bethany, the the top of the Mount of Olives and the short distance from the walled city of Jerusalem. Luke wrote both the
Good point, Jim. It is just the same area and Luke, with the inspiration from GOD, is familiar to that place.
Amen thanks for reading this article. I looked it up on twitter and surprised how many skeptics just cut and paste from the Skeptic Annotated Bible this as a contradiction, when it is based upon ignorance. God’s Word is true amen?
Amen, Jim! Like any other fake news spreading in social media, these robotic like skeptics just wants to post something they think as true and laudable among their peers and the world without really verifying from the source i.e. bible (or they won’t be skeptics). You have to continue carrying the burden (or pleasure) of educating them on the truth and defending what is biblical, Jim. You have GOD’s gift on that; the way you structure and analyzed it. We just have to pray that if one or more of them skeptics is/are elected by GOD, then they will realize (effectual call) their sin of unbelief etc and that the process of 1) believing that JESUS is the Son of God, Lord and Savior, 2) repentance, and 3) changing ways will happen.
This was a geography lesson!
Such a studied response. The skeptic annotated Bible clearly doesn’t know what they are talking about.
Interesting blog article. The bible never contradicts, He doesn’t contradict Himself. Anytime it looks like there is a contradiction then it’s humans that don’t understand a portion.
[…] Did Jesus ascend from Bethany or Mount Olivet? […]
[…] Did Jesus ascend from Bethany or Mount Olivet? […]
[…] Did Jesus ascend from Bethany or Mount Olivet? […]