The NIV Harmony of the Gospels [Hardcover]

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

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0060635231 | ISBN-13: 978-0060635237 | Publication Date: July 27, 1988 | Edition: Revised

The classic Robertson/Broadus Harmony of the Gospels, newly revised for students of the New International Version.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The classic Robertson/Broadus Harmony of the Gospels, newly revised for students of the New International Version.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

EXPLANATION OF THE HARMONY'S FORMAT AND FEATURES

1. THE TEXT OF THE GOSPELS The text of one, two, three, or four gospels, depending on how many describe each episode, is found on each page of the Harmony. The gospel text is arranged in columns, and material in each column is placed so as to be adjacent to similar material in other columns. The width of the columns varies in accordance with how many gospels record the events of each section. The order of the gospels, from left to right, is the same as that in the modern editions of the New Testament.

2. SECTION NUMBERS The text of the gospels has been divided into sections and arranged in a probable chronological sequence. Each section has been assigned a number that appears in Arabic numerals at the beginning of each section heading. The numbering system is based on A. T. Robertson's Harmony, the 1922 revision of earlier John A. Broadus editions of the Harmony. In every case this new edition follows the sequence preferred by A. T. Robertson and assigns the same Arabic numerals to the sections. In some cases, however, Robertson's sections are too long and unwieldy. The editors have subdivided these sections, retained Robertson's section numbers, and added suffix letters to the numbers to indicate the subdivisions. Thus where Robertson simply had a Section 8, this edition has Section 8a, Section 8b, and Section 8c. As a result this edition can be used with other works based on the Robertson numbering system, but the student can deal with smaller units of text, units that more accurately reflect the natural divisions within the texts of the gospels.

3. SECTION TITLES Each section has been assigned a title. The titles are intended to be analytical and descriptive. The editors have not felt bound to use the wording of Robertson's section headings, just as Robertson himself was not bound by the headings in the earlier Broadus editions of the Harmony.

4. SECTION CROSS-REFERENCES WITH POINTS OF SIMILARITY Just after some section titles are parenthetical notations begun by the abbreviation cf. and followed by other section numbers and a brief description of the point of similarity. These are sections that contain features in some way similar to the section where the cross-reference is in dicated. The "Table of Section Cross-References" on pp. 329-32 summarizes the points of similarity between all sections.

5. GEOGRAPHICAL NOTATIONS Below most section titles is a word or phrase set off by dashes, indicating the place where the events of that section took place.

6. SCRIPTURE REFERENCES Just above each column in the Harmony are the book name, chapters, and verses. These tell which biblical passage is found in that column.

7. OLD TESTAMENT QUOTATIONS The sources of quotations from the Old Testament are shown in brackets immediately after each quotation. The brackets indicate that these Old Testament references are not part of the NIV text itself, but are inserted into the text by the editors of the Harmony and express their own judgment. The perceptive reader will notice that frequently these same Old Testament references are also found in the NIV textual notes collected at the end of each section. The committee that controls the text of the NIV requires that in a work such as this Harmony, the textual notes be printed in their entirety, regardless of possible redundancy.

8. NIV TEXT NOTES AND FORMAT FEATURES Superscript italic letters within the text (which follow the words with which they belong) refer to notes from the NIV translators dealing with such matters as alternate translations and uncertainty regarding the original text. Some sources of quotations from the Old Testament are also given in these notes. The NIV text notes are collected at the end of each Harmony section. These are related to the NIV text in the section above by book-chapter-verse notations, or by verse only whenever book and chapter are not needed for easy location.

To achieve clarity of style, the NIV translators sometimes supplied words not in the original texts but made necessary by the context. When there is uncertainty about such material, it is enclosed in brackets.

In the NIV prose is printed in paragraph form (rather than in verse divisions), and poetical passages are printed as poetry (that is, with indentations of lines and with separate stanzas). The Harmony preserves this format so far as possible, but the required rearrangements of material in a harmony sometimes make it impossible for paragraphs to be preserved as united wholes in one location.

9. EXPLANATORY FOOTNOTES Superscript boldface letters within the text or a heading (which precede the words with which they belong) refer to notes at the foot of the page. The explanatory notes, written by the revising editors, contain information especially helpful in harmonistic and comparative study of the gospels and the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. On occasion the revising editors also use them to explain how and why they disagree with A. T. Robertson's judgments on parallel passages and chronological sequence. Because this edition is a revision of Robertson's Harmony published in 1922, it seemed best to retain Robertson's original arrangement and sequence of gospel materials and to place the revising editors' disagreements in the footnotes.

10. ALTERNATE CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE When the revising editors differ with Robertson regarding chronological sequence, the alternate placement of a passage is indicated in the body of the Harmony by the section title and Scripture references enclosed in brackets. The text itself is not reprinted in such instances.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harper Collins; Revised edition (July 27, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060635231
• ISBN-13: 978-0060635237
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource for studying the life of Jesus., January 4, 1999

By 

John A. Battle (Tacoma, Washington) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The NIV Harmony of the Gospels (Hardcover)

This helpful book arranges the four gospels in parallel columns, following the life of Jesus. It is a very helpful resource for anyone desiring to know what Jesus said and did in chronological order. Also, the book provides excellent essays and notes about various interesting and controversial issues involved in studying Jesus' life. It uses the New International Version in the text, making it available to all English readers. I use this book as an important part of the course I teach to ministerial students on the life of Jesus.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eye opener, October 14, 2003

By 

Adam J. Walker (Cleveland, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The NIV Harmony of the Gospels (Hardcover)

I am currently reading through this book, which is really a combination of each of the gospel accounts in chronological order. So far the book has been very enlightening and has taught me more about Christ than I would have learned by reading one gospel at a time. There is something about reading each account side by side that really brings the stories to life, and making Jesus more tangible (at least in my mind). If you want to know more about Jesus, His disciples, and you want to grow closer to the Lord this is a great book to help with all of these things.

The commentary is excellent. For example, did you realize that Jesus began to teach in parables late in His ministry, and only after many people had turned against Him?

One other thing that I really like about this book is that every time an old testament prophecy is fulfilled in the new testament it gives the old testament reference right there in the text. I know that many Bibles note this, but they use superscript marks and it's easy to read over them, so I like the references in the reading, that way I don't miss anything.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The good and the bad, April 6, 2009

By 

J. Darby "On my walk with Christ" (St. Louis) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The NIV Harmony of the Gospels (Hardcover)

I really like the layout of the book. The columns line up by like paragraphs and sentence across the like gospels. The book is broken down into chapters that are broken down into different moments in Jesus' life and ministry. I also like the essays at the end of the book. They give good arguments for and against the gospels that help you think deeper about what your reading.

What I didn't like was was that this book though is technically new was published over twenty years ago. I think the actual book was printed then also. There are technical problems with the book. The pages are pulp and the printing technique looks like a toner based reproduction. There are places where the text is faded like the toner wasn't totally baked on to the paper. There are also places where toner had dropped on the page and the text looks smeared. Also though not overly important red text is always a plus when studying the teachings of Christ.

Over all content is the most important thing when purchasing something that is about the gospels. This book does a great job. I would just recommend that when Thomas and Gundry decide to release a new revision on this book to select a different publisher/printer to produce a sturdier book.