What readers mean by “harmony”
In this context, harmonization is the attempt to show how passages that initially seem inconsistent can be read together. Readers may examine genre, translation, historical setting, authorial purpose and the possibility that separate accounts emphasize different details.
Skeptical readers may regard some differences as evidence of biblical errancy. Christians who affirm inerrancy commonly seek explanations that preserve the reliability of each passage. Other Christians understand scripture as a collection of inspired texts whose distinct human perspectives need not agree in every detail.
Internal differences between passages
Some questions arise when two texts address the same subject in different ways. One group of passages, for example, describes consequences passing between generations, while other passages emphasize individual responsibility. Interpreters may understand these as different legal settings, different kinds of consequence, or a development in emphasis within the canon.
The Gospel accounts also vary in their presentation of events surrounding Jesus’ trials and the visit to his tomb. Harmonizing readings combine the details into a larger sequence. Other readings study each Gospel as a distinct theological and literary account, including the notable differences between John and the synoptic Gospels.
Science and biblical narrative
Other debates concern the relationship between a biblical account and scientific knowledge. Genesis 9 associates the rainbow with the covenant after the flood. Some readers interpret this as the first appearance of rainbows; others understand the passage as assigning a new covenant meaning to an existing natural phenomenon.
Joshua 10 describes the sun as standing still during a battle. Interpretations include ordinary observational language, poetic or symbolic expression, a miraculous event, or an account shaped by an ancient understanding of the cosmos. These approaches reflect broader disagreements about genre and how scripture relates to science.
See the archive’s introductions to science and religion and debates about the origins of species and the universe.
Moral distance and difficult texts
Some passages describe or regulate practices that many religious and secular readers now reject. These include slavery, severe legal penalties, warfare and collective punishment. Such material raises questions beyond factual consistency: whether a narrative describes or approves an action, how ancient law functioned, and whether moral understanding develops within a tradition.
Readers reach sharply different conclusions. Some defend the passages through historical context or theological arguments. Others regard them as evidence of the limitations of ancient societies and their authors. The archive examines biblical passages questioned by modern moral standards, including material concerning human slavery and accounts of mass killing discussed under genocide in biblical interpretation.
A note on conclusions
Harmonization depends partly on a reader’s starting assumptions. A person committed to strict inerrancy will generally seek a possible reconciliation, while a reader using historical-critical methods may accept genuine differences among sources. A useful comparison identifies those assumptions before evaluating an explanation.
Religious Tolerance presents these approaches for education. It does not require readers to adopt either an inerrantist or an errantist conclusion.