Discrepancy Between the Gospel Accounts? (Part 1) Curtain Tear

Introduction:

In a debate between Dr. Bart Ehrman and Dr. William Lane Craig, Ehrman makes the claim that there are discrepancies between the gospel accounts:

"Read one story in Matthew, then the same story in Mark, and compare your two stories and see what you come up with. You come up with major differences. Just take the death of Jesus. What day did Jesus die on and what time of day? Did he die on the day before the Passover meal was eaten, as John explicity says, or did he die after it was eaten, as Mark explicity says? Did he die at noon, as in John, or at 9 a.m., as in Mark? Did Jesus carry his cross the entire way himself or did Simon of Cyrene carry his cross? It depends which Gospel you read. Did both robbers mock Jesus on the cross or did only one of them and the other come to his defense? It depends which Gospel you read. Did the curtain in the temple rip in half before Jesus died or after he died? It depends which Gospel you read."

http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/DocServer/resurrection-debate-transcript.pdf?docID=621

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In this post we will examine Dr. Ehrman's claim with reference to just one of his examples- At what time did the curtain tear? Before or after Jesus' death?

Here is what the gospels have to say concerning the tearing of the curtain:

Account #1

Matthew 27:45-54

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, "This man is calling Elijah." 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!" (ESV)

Account #2

Mark 15:33-39

33And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 35And some of the bystanders hearing it said, "Behold, he is calling Elijah." 36And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down." 37And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!" (ESV)

Account #3

Luke 23:44-49

44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last. 47Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!" 48And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. (ESV)

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Now, are the gospel accounts contradictory with reference to when the curtain was torn?

Lets break down each of the accounts:

Account #1

Jesus cries out, and dies. The very next sentence is "And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom."

Account #2

Jesus cries out, and dies. The very next sentence is "And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom."

Account #3

The relevant verses seem to be "And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last."

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Is there a discrepancy?

It does seem like the order is switched in the third account. But is it so difficult to reconcile the gospels on this issue? I have never been one for cooking up a crazy interpretation in order to force the accounts to mesh, but if there are multiple legitimate interpretations I think it is vital to consider all of them.

Observations:

• In every account, the death of Jesus and the curtain tearing are directly next to each other
• The first two accounts start the second statement with the word "and," not "then"
• The third account is the only one in which the word "then" is used- making the order of events implicit
• Perhaps the events were simultaneous?
• Is chronology intended?

Conclusion:

 It seems that there is a discrepancy in the order of events. While I do recognize that there are multiple explanations for what could have occurred, it seems that the best explanation of the evidence is that accounts 1 & 2 disagree with account 3. However, I would not consider this to be a blatant error.

Additional Notes:

I would greatly appreciate any input on this post! I must confess that after looking at the evidence I do not have a great deal of confidence in my current conclusion. I would love any additional evidence, perspectives, or opinions that you might have!