89. Through Theology in a Year: The Bible Is Irrelevant Titelbild

89. Through Theology in a Year: The Bible Is Irrelevant

89. Through Theology in a Year: The Bible Is Irrelevant

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Is the Bible filled with irrelevant details? In one sense, yes—and that may be one reason to trust it. The biblical writers frequently preserve small, vivid, seemingly unnecessary details that do not advance the plot, establish a doctrine, or strengthen an argument. Why include them at all?

In this episode of Theology Unplugged, Michael continues developing the cumulative case for the historical reliability and inspiration of Scripture by examining incidental—or apparently irrelevant—details in the Gospel accounts. Eyewitnesses often remember odd specifics simply because they saw them. Fabricated stories, by contrast, frequently make every detail serve the plot or argument.

These incidental details do not prove that an account is historical. A skilled storyteller can deliberately invent realistic details to create the appearance of authenticity. Nevertheless, when details are vivid, unnecessary, unexplained, and naturally embedded in the narrative, they may bear the marks of genuine memory rather than calculated invention.

Michael considers five striking examples. Mark remembers that Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat “on the cushion.” He records that the crowd sat down on green grass before the feeding of the multitude. John identifies the high priest’s servant as Malchus, while Luke specifies that Peter cut off his right ear. John also remembers that he outran Peter to the empty tomb—a detail that proves nothing by itself, but sounds exactly like the kind of personal fact an eyewitness would remember.

The strangest example may be the unnamed young man who followed Jesus after His arrest and escaped by leaving behind his linen garment and running away naked. The incident appears nowhere else in the Gospels, contributes little to the main plot, and raises the possibility that the story originated with the young man himself. Richard Bauckham argues that such a detail may preserve the testimony of someone personally involved in the event.

Michael also considers the broader pattern of Scripture. The Bible preserves embarrassing admissions, unresolved theological tensions, difficult doctrines, genuine ambiguities, and people who repeatedly misunderstand God’s plan. These features do not establish historicity individually, but together they make Scripture look less like carefully controlled religious propaganda and more like testimony grounded in real people, events, perspectives, and memories.

The Bible is not irrelevant in its message. But some of its apparently irrelevant details may be among its most revealing marks of authenticity.

Get involved:
Michael's public blog: https://credohouse.org
Courses and Manuscript Reproductions from Michael and other scholars: https://credocourses.com
Join us as we go through the great Fathers of the Faith in a year: https://throughthechurchfathers.com
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