One example that is often mentioned is the death of Jesus' betrayer, Judas Iscariot.
Matthew informs us that after Judas had betrayed Jesus and attempted to return the 30 pieces of silver he received for doing so, he hanged himself. Matthew writes:
"And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself." (Matthew 27:5)
However, Luke, writing in the book of Acts, seems to give us a different account. He records that Judas died by "falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out." (Acts 1:18)
Surely this is a contradiction! Or is it? As Norman Geisler and Randy Douglass explain, these two texts actually serve to compliment one another:
"Judas hung himself exactly as Matthew says he did. The account in Acts simply adds that Judas hanged himself on a tree over the edge of a cliff, and his body fell on sharp rocks below. Then his intestines gushed out just as Luke (the doctor) vividly describes."1
So, in reality, no contradiction exists.
Courage and Godspeed,
Chad
Footnote:
1. Norman L. Geisler and Randy Douglass, Bringing Your Faith to Work, p. 172.
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