Are the Accounts Peter Denial of Christ Consistent?
Some claim that the accounts of Peter’s Denial of Christ are inconsistent, but lets see. The denial of Peter is found in all 4 Gospels. The inconsistency seems to be about the people who accuse Peter of knowing Jesus and the amount of times the rooster crowed. Lets look at the accounts and highlight all the people who are involved in the situation.
- Matthew 26:69-75: Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” 71 When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and *said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” 73 A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.” 74 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
- Mark 14:66-72: As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest *came, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and *said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” And he went out onto the porch, and a rooster crowed. 69 The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, “This is one of them!” 70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too.” 71 But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!” 72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he began to weep.
- Luke 22:54-62: Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance.
55 After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. 56 And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” 58 A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 59 After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly. - John 18:25-27: Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, *said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” 27 Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.
The Accusers
- The first person who accuses Peter is a servant girl according to Matthew, Mark, Luke. John seems to give a short version of the account and does not go into much detail, he simply refers to the person(s) in a general sense and says “they”
- The second person is the same or another servant girl. Matthew and Luke say it was another servant girl while Mark says the servant girl which may be interpreted as the same servant girl as the first, but this can be disputed because of the Matthew and Luke. John says one of the slaves, which is compatible with the other accounts.
- And the third person is bystanders in Matthew and Mark while Luke specifically says another man. John does not mention the third person.
The Rooster
Matthew, Luke and John all say that a rooster crowed once while Mark says that a rooster crowed twice.
The Verdict
While there may be some minor differences in the details of the accounts, the overall story of Peter’s denial of Christ is consistent across the four Gospels. Nevertheless, the question is raised: If the Bible is the Word of God, why are there minor differences in the details that would be contradictory? Surely, the Word of God is without error!
The presence of minor differences in the details in different accounts of events in the Bible does not necessarily undermine the belief that the Bible is the Word of God.
It is important to remember that the Bible is a collection of books written by different authors over a span of several centuries. These authors wrote from different perspectives, using different styles and literary techniques, and addressed different audiences. Therefore, it is not surprising that there may be differences in the way they reported certain details of events.
Moreover, the Bible has been transmitted through copies made by scribes over many centuries, which we know has contributed to variations in details. But its important to remember that God inspired the authors of the Bible, not the scribes of the Bible. Sometimes scribes made mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes would continue to be copied into future manuscripts. These variations, however, do not in any way completely change the text or any central teaching in the Bible.
Its important to remember that “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. 6 Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.” (Pr 30:5-6). This means that people have been testing the Word of God through all generations. This is good because when variations did occur, people were looking for them and would correct them. Today, scholars have worked diligently to analyze and compare the ancient manuscripts of the Bible to arrive at the most accurate and reliable versions of the texts available. In the end, we have the original text, but perhaps with minor differences in details.
Despite these variations, the core teachings and messages of the Bible remain consistent throughout its many books and different authors. The Bible consistently teaches that God is loving and just, that human beings are created in His image, that sin separates us from God, and that salvation is found through faith in Jesus Christ. These core teachings are the foundation of the Christian faith, and they remain unchanged, regardless of any minor differences in details that may exist in different accounts in the Bible.