Welcome to “Ehrman Errs,” a blog series devoted to using our conversational AI to refute each alleged biblical contradiction that is posed in the article on Bart Ehrman’s website: 50 Contradictions in the Bible: The Biggest, Most Shocking Differences.
Today’s alleged contradiction:
#21 – Curtain in the Temple Torn Before or After Jesus’ Death?
Was the Curtain in the Temple Torn Before or After Jesus’ Death? There is another contradiction in the Bible related to Jesus’ death. It centers on the timing of the tearing of the temple curtain. In Matthew 27:50-51, the moment is described as happening immediately after Jesus’ death: “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” However, in Luke’s account, a slight difference in the sequence arises. Luke 23:45 mentions the tearing of the curtain just before Jesus cries out: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” This subtle shift in timing creates a discrepancy between Luke and the other Synoptic Gospels.
How Does Ehrman Err?
At first glance, it might appear that Matthew and Mark record the temple curtain’s tearing after Jesus’ death (Matthew 27:50–51; Mark 15:37–38), while Luke seems to place it just before (Luke 23:45–46). However, when we examine the Greek text carefully and read it in context, the supposed contradiction vanishes.
1. The Greek Grammar Is Temporally Flexible
In Luke 23:45–46, the Greek conjunction καί (kai) is a non-temporal connector. As Sam Shamoun pointed out in “A Reply to Bart Ehrman’s Defense of Jesus, Interrupted on the MythVision Podcast”:
“I had pointed out that the Greek conjunction kai is temporally non-specific. Although often translated ‘then’ in our English Bibles, a more precise translation would be ‘and.’”
That means Luke’s wording doesn’t necessarily indicate strict chronological order — only that both events happened in close connection. Luke’s focus is on the theological meaning — that the temple curtain tearing was associated with the death of Christ, not explicitly that it preceded it.
So, instead of reading, “The curtain was torn before Jesus died,” we can rightly understand Luke as saying, “The curtain was torn as or when Jesus died.” There is no contradiction; it is simply a stylistic variation in narrative emphasis.
2. Scripture Supports that the Events Happened Simultaneously
Matthew writes,
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” (Matthew 27:50–51, ESV)
Mark’s wording is nearly identical (Mark 15:37–38). Luke, meanwhile, compresses the sequence, but he agrees that Jesus gave up His spirit and that the veil tore at that climactic moment of His death:
“While the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’” (Luke 23:45–46, ESV)
Notice the flow: Luke does not say the curtain tore before Jesus died — only that he mentions it before quoting His final words. The events are concurrent.
As Sam Shamoun explained in “101 Cleared-up Contradictions in the Bible Pt. 2”:
“All three passages point to the fact that at the time of Jesus’ death the curtain in the temple was torn. … They all agree that these two events happened simultaneously for a very good reason; the curtain was a barrier between God and man. Its destruction coincides with the death of the Messiah, thereby allowing man … to once again be reunited with God.”
3. The Theological Meaning: Access to God Is Now Open
The tearing of the curtain is not a random supernatural display — it is God’s declaration that through Christ’s death, access to His presence is now open to all who believe.
As GotQuestions.org explains,
“When Jesus died, ‘the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom’ (Mark 15:38). … The tearing of the curtain demonstrated that God’s people could from that point on enter the presence of God, a domain reserved previously for the old covenant priests.”
This lines up with Hebrews:
“Since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh” (Hebrews 10:19–20, ESV).
And as R.C. Sproul beautifully observed (The Temple Curtain Torn):
“For the first time since the fall we could go home without shame and without fear to the presence of God.”
4. Conclusion
There is no genuine contradiction. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all describe the same event — the tearing of the temple curtain at the moment or time of Jesus’ death. The slight variation in word order arises from stylistic difference and theological emphasis, not conflicting historical claims.
The meaning is profound and unified across all Gospels:
The torn veil stands as God’s own testimony that the separation between Himself and His people has been abolished through Christ.
Humanity’s sin once barred entrance to God’s holy presence (Isaiah 59:2).
When Jesus died, He bore that sin, removing the barrier (2 Corinthians 5:21).