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A Harmony of the Gospels: With Explanations and
Essays: Using the
New American Standard Bible
By Robert L. Thomas Editor, Stanley N.
Grundy,
Associate Editor. (Moody Press, Chicago, IL. 1978, 1986.)
If you spend any time studying the gospels, sooner or
later you are
going to be concerned about doing a study of the life of Jesus. You
will
be interested in taking parallel elements of the gospels into account,
paying attention to the proper sequence of events and considering the
historical
context of the various specific elements of the gospels. A Harmony
of
the Gospels by Robert L. Thomas and Stanley N. Grundy is a
tremendously
useful tool towards this end.
One might wonder if God truly intended for the gospels
to be
harmonized;
after all, we have four different gospels, with each having its own
thrust.
But with all the historical and contextual information provided in the
gospels, they invite harmonization to the Bible student concerned about
the historical context of the life, ministry and teachings of Jesus.
This is not to say that there are not difficulties in
harmonizing
the
gospels. Thomas and Grundy handle all such questions and concerns with
respect for detail and various possibilities on unclear matters. There
are extensive notes on each page of the harmony discussing elements
related
to the history or context of the various gospel elements. In addition,
there are quality essays on various topics related to the endeavor:
- Is a Harmony of the Gospels
Legitimate?
- A History of Harmonies
- Source Criticism
- Form Criticism
- Redaction Criticism
- Criticism of the Gospel of John
- Problems and Principles of
Harmonization
- The Languages Jesus Spoke
- The Genealogies in Matthew and Luke
- The Day and Year of Christ's
Crucifixion
- Chronology of the Life of Christ
- The Arrest and Trial of Jesus
The bulk of the volume of this book is a parallel version
of the gospels in the New American Standard version, broken into
context-sensitive
sections. Accordingly, one can read through the life and ministry of
Jesus in the
correct order of events, with parallel passages side by side. There is
an Outline of
the
Harmony for easy reference. The book also contains other Scripture
cross-reference tables, time-lines of the life of Christ, and maps of
Palestine.
All in all, the reader will immediately consider A
Harmony of
the
Gospels to be an indispensable work for all sorts of studies within
the gospels.
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