A Harmony of the Gospels: New American Standard Edition [Hardcover]

Robert L. Thomas (Author), Stanley N Gundry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 1986

This resource encourages a deeper understanding of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ by harmonizing the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John so as to assemble as many details as possible into a chronologically meaningful sequence.

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From the Publisher

This resource encourages a deeper understanding of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ by harmonizing the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John so as to assemble as many details as possible into a chronologically meaningful sequence.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction to the Harmony

The central person of Christianity is Jesus Christ. The bulk of what we know about Jesus Christ is found in the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. An indispensable step toward a better understanding of these four books is to harmonize the separate accounts so as to assemble as many details as possible into a chronologically meaningful sequence.

This Harmony of the Gospels is introduced as a resource to encourage a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ, His life, death, and resurrection. Other harmonies have been produced in the past and are of value. Yet the study of the gospels has been so intensified in recent years that new information about them is becoming available at a very rapid pace. This creates the necessity for a new work incorporating the latest insights.

Another incentive for a new harmony is the recent availability of the New American Standard Bible. The editors of this Harmony, after investigating other possibilities, felt this translation -to be extremely well-suited to be the basic text for a harmony. Belonging to a tradition of English Bible translation dating back to William Tyndale early in the sixteenth century, this work provides a modern English translation of the gospels which is based on a more literal philosophy of translating the Greek text. Appreciation is expressed to the Lockman Foundation of La Habra, California, for permission to use the NASB.

A harmony of the gospels provides an important means for studying the four gospels at one time. Though it could never replace the four gospels studied individually, it is an indispensable tool for gaining a well-rounded overview of Jesus' life in all its facets. The editors have geared this work to provide such an overview for those studying in a college or seminary setting. Yet a serious student of Scripture studying privately and without a familiarity with New Testament Greek will easily be able to follow the discussion. It goes without saying therefore that detailed and technical issues belonging to more advanced levels of scholarship have not been included in the work.

Besides the text of the Harmony, a number of other features have been incorporated. An outline of the Harmony which follows the probable chronological sequence of Christ's life is found just after this Introduction. The same outline divides the body of the Harmony. This enables one to see at a glance when various events occurred in relation to one another. The geographical location or probable location of every happening is given in the body of the Harmony. The maps at the close of the volume provide a means for identifying these places in relation to the rest of Palestine. The sources of Old Testament quotations have also been included, as have the notes clarifying the translation of the Reference Edition of the New American Standard Bible.

Sections of the Harmony that bear a special resemblance to other sections have also been noted in the harmony proper. All section crossreferences are listed in the Table of Section Cross-references found toward the rear of the volume. This table also notes the points of similarity between sections. The next table facilitates locating any passage in the Harmony by listing the passages according to chapter and verse sequence. Time lines presenting overviews of various segments of Christ's life have been included just after the Tables for Finding Passages in the Harmony.

A rather extensive set of explanatory footnotes has been included with the text of the Harmony. These notes are designed to amplify the meaning of the text by touching on various problems of chronology, interpretation, harmonization, and history, or by simply commenting on some of the more significant features of the text.

The editors have selected twelve topics for special treatment. These topics, chosen because of their special relevance to a harmony of the gospels, are treated in essays which come just after the Harmony proper. When appropriate, a selected reading list appears at the conclusion of each essay. Those interested in researching any of the subjects further will find these lists beneficial.

A prolonged exposure to the person of Jesus Christ such as has been necessary in the preparation of this Harmony has served to increase our appreciation for Him more than ever before. This work is presented with the prayer that it will do the same for others when they study it.

Robert L. Thomas
Stanley N. Gundry

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (March 26, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006063524X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060635244
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent chronology of Jesus' life, January 2, 2002

By 

David R Wickholm (Fort Wayne, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Harmony of the Gospels: New American Standard Edition (Hardcover)

This harmony of the gospels was recommended to me by a retired professor from Taylor University. I found the arrangement of material very defensible and very well organized. The essays at the end of the book give a good introduction for the uninitiated in fundamental problems in modern "criticism". Useful information on dating of events in the gospel narratives are also provided. I take exception to the critic who claimed that "The actual date of Christ's birth and death is written in stone and correlated by the Jubilee records." This view is held by a tiny minority, some of whom, to be charitable, have dubious academic credentials. On the other hand, both Thomas and Gundry, have published a number useful pieces of scholarship many of which can be purchased through Amazon.
I found the most obvious thing to jump out at me was the development of the controversies between Jesus and the Jewish leaders, and between Jesus and the village of Capernaum. Without some form of chronological guide it can be difficult to see the connections between events during Jesus' life. I found this to be the most helpful aspect of reading Thomas and Gundry's Harmony.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable tool for all students/readers of the Bible, July 17, 2002

By 

J. Gaines "Jimvg" (Southeastern USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Harmony of the Gospels: New American Standard Edition (Hardcover)

The book is well-coordinated and provides excellent footnotes which further amplify and clarify the Scripture in its historical/theological context. This edition, in the New American Standard Version, is easy to read, although I personally prefer the elegance of the King James Version (albeit that version does contain some obsolete and obscure words). It is wonderful to be able to compare the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John side-by-side! I had a similar scholarly volume during my college days but somehow it and I parted company over the years (My old edition had a _sewn_ binding. Unfortunately, this edition has glued-in pages -- but the book should endure fairly well with reasonable care).

You won't go wrong with this fine reference. It is certainly helpful to anyone who desires a fuller understanding and appreciation of the New Testament, especially regarding the life and sayings of Jesus.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing Way of Seeing Jesus in Fuller Dimension, July 11, 2005

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James Dinsmore "James the Quack!" (Melbourne, Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Harmony of the Gospels: New American Standard Edition (Hardcover)

I probably read the Gospels four times a year; so I'm very familiar with the details. This book added a lot to my perspective and understanding of Jesus's earthly ministry by filling in gaps by the overlapping of the records. His ministry had several distinct shifts with regard to His public and private life which became clear. The scholarly notes were also very helpful. Believe it or not I went through this book in less than two weeks (not because it is short, it has the entire text of M,M, L, J but ) because it was so interesting.