Contradiction Number 3

This contradiction appears in the genealogies of Jesus found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Amazingly, most churchgoers are unaware this one even exists! Matthew 1:6 traces Jesus' lineage through Solomon, the royal son of David, which fits a narrative of kingship. But Luke 3:31 traces it instead through Nathan, another son of David who never ruled as king. Both can't be biologically correct if taken literally — so which is it? Theologically, this matters because Messianic prophecy was thought to require descent from David, often interpreted to mean through the royal line. Some try to reconcile the two by saying Matthew gives Joseph's LEGAL line, while Luke gives Mary's biological line (with Heli as Mary's father and Joseph's father-in-law), despite the lack of evidece for this. Others propose the genealogies are symbolic, not historical. But there's no indication in either gospel that the genealogy is metaphorical — both present them as straightforward history. So, unless one adopts a fancy workaround, this is a sticky one. Unfortunately, it gets worse in the next contradiction.