Difficult Bible PassagesAnswered
Do Matthew 14:5 and Mark 6:20 contradict each other about Herod's attitude toward John the Baptist?
A viewer notes that Matthew 14:5 says Herod wanted to kill John, with nothing about fearing him, while Mark 6:20 says Herod believed John was a righteous man and used to listen to him, and asks whether the two passages contradict each other.
Answer
Well, it's not contradictory. Just because Matthew's version doesn't say anything about fearing John doesn't mean that he would not have said something about fearing John if that was his purpose. In order to be contradictory, you'd have to say that Matthew writes a statement and says Herod did not fear John at all. No, it doesn't say that, right? It's just silent on the issue of fearing. So you can't make an argument from silence.
Answered by Dr. Robert Sungenis