Gospels that contradict each other

Apologetics Sacred Scripture
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Why is there a difference between the number of loaves and fish between the gospels? Is the number 5 and 2 or 7 and 2? Also the leftover baskets 7 or 12? This definitely in my mind blows Sola Scriptura out of the

Mark 8:19 and 20 answers my question.

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Not really sure rlwood711, but isn’t that funny how there are inconsistencies between books. I think, personally, it’s because each Gospel is a different person, and each person is going to see the truth through their eyes.

My innerstanding is that you are trying to put oral teaching into written form. Well, if you know anything about oral teaching, you’ll know that it’s kind of like a game of telephone, and as it goes down the grapevine, you lose some of the meaning. This probably explains why there’s an inconsistency with the numbering.

But, heck if I know. I’m an Ex-Catholic. I’m sure someone who is Catholic can explain the nuance. I’m not one for oral tradition, sorry. It’s the same gripe I have with this Bible everyone carries around. The fact that this Bible has been retranslated every single year, the meaning is so watered down anymore that it’s hard to be accurate. We honestly only needed it translated one time, so why we go through the trouble of retranslating The Bible every year is beyond me at this point.

I’m personally curious myself. There’s a lot of inconsistency in Scripture. Let’s see what someone of the faith has to say.

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Jesus told his disciples, “You give them something to eat”. The disciple Andrew then brought forward a young boy who had a small lunch of five barley loaves and two small fish, but noted that it was insufficient for such a multitude.

The combination is either 5 loaves and 2 fish, resulting in 12 baskets of leftovers, or 7 loaves and a few fish, with 7 baskets of leftovers. Both are accounts of miracles of Jesus feeding a multitude of people, but they involve different numbers of loaves and different numbers of baskets left over.

  • Feeding 5,000: Began with 5 loaves and 2 fish, and resulted in 12 baskets of leftovers.
  • Feeding 4,000: Began with 7 loaves and a few fish, and resulted in 7 baskets of leftovers.

The miracle is a powerful story with several symbolic interpretations:

  • Divine Provision: It illustrates God’s ability to provide abundantly for the needs of His people, even when resources seem severely limited from a human perspective.
  • The Power of Small Offerings: The story emphasizes that no gift is too small when offered to God with faith and a willingness to share.
  • Jesus as the “Bread of Life”: In the Gospel of John, the miracle is a “sign” that foreshadows Jesus’ teaching that he himself is the spiritual “bread of life,” offering eternal nourishment.
  • Trust and Sacrifice: The boy’s act of giving up all the food he had, without knowing what would happen, serves as a lesson in trusting God’s plan and making sacrifices.

Peace to all,

So true, EarthsStudent, the Bible is two books, One Book is the reference book and the historical non-fiction and truth in truth in the greatest story ever told and One Book is the inspired Word of God, which if everything were written not even the World could contain the writings of His teachings.

God promised eternal life through the faith of Abraham and God swore by His own name to Abraham eternal life to the descenants of Abraham and 2000 years later fulfilled His promise in His Son through the New Living Sacrifice.

Catholics are from The Faith in The God through The Faith From Abraham, saving the spirits in the souls out of the Bosom of Abraham from Animal Sacrifice, through two natures from the spirit through the created souls of all for the flesh to become from the New Living Sacrifice for Two Nature Rebirth and Salvation through The Christ becoming again in all One Holy Spirit Family One God in being.

This is logically what most Catholics believe faithfully but do not understand OMNiLogically.

We become again in One Holy Spirit Family One God i being.
And United we stand divided we fall, I believe as you, I believe, faithfully.

Peace always,
Stephen

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Exactly….God is very logical, or as you say, OMNilogical. God could never not make sense, cause God makes every bit of sense. Yes, He’s a spirit, so He doesn’t have the limitations we have down here. But that doesn’t mean He defies logic, God wants us to innerstand Him, this is why we’re here, to better innerstand God and our purpose down here, which God can help us know.

Like you said Stephen:

Soon we will all be one bread and one body through the 2 natures, One God in being.

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Peace to all,

“Soon we will all be one bread and one body through the 2 natures, One God in being.” Earths Student

We can see God, The Holy Family with New OMNiLogical Eyes, I believe.

Peace always,
Stephen

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There are two separate feeding miracles described in the Gospels, not one. The first, feeding 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, resulted in twelve baskets of leftovers (Matt. 14, Mk. 6, Lk. 9, Jn. 6). The second, feeding 4,000, involved seven loaves and a few fish, with seven baskets left over (Matt.15, Mk. 8).

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Thus, it is obvious that the two events are distinct. This is confirmed by Jesus own words about the pair of events as recorded in Matt 16:8-11 and Mark 8:19, 20 - here I quote the latter -

When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?”

“Twelve,” they answered.

20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?”

“Seven,” they said.

This confirms that Jesus worked two separate miracles on two separate occasions in two separate places.

Peace to all,

Thanks so that’s great information two separate occasions. Does Maria speak of anything about this. I could not find it.

Thanks in advance,

Peace always,
Stephen

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Maria Valtorta did receive and describe the visions of both miracles of the loaves scenes. In The Poem of the Man-God, chapter 272 is titled First Miracle of the Loaves, and chapter 352 is titled Second Miracle of the Loaves.