Why Jesus Cleansed the Temple Twice
One of the most frequently cited objections to the reliability of the Gospels concerns the cleansing of the temple. In the Gospel of John, this event appears at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (John 2:13–17). In the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—it appears during the final week before the crucifixion (Matthew 21:12–13; Mark 11:15–17; Luke 19:45–46). Critics argue that this discrepancy constitutes a contradiction, suggesting that the Gospel writers either mislocated the event or altered the narrative for theological purposes. However, a careful and disciplined examination of the…
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