Horizontal Harmony of the Four Gospels in Parallel Columns (King James Version)

by Thomas M. Mumford

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0877479429
• ISBN13: 9780877479420
• Release Date: January 1976
• Publisher: Shadow Mountain
• Length: 169 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Complete

I've seen some harmonies in the past that just give you the text of the gospels for a particular event in separate columns. This one, however, lines up parallel statements next to each other. Its easy to see what I mean by looking at the cover. This is a very nice feature. Plus, the text is the KJV. Whether you like the KJV or not, you know that it is complete. If you buy a harmony based on the NIV or some other modern translation then you've got a gospel harmony with a bunch of verses missing. Who wants a gospel harmony that leaves out Jesus' words on the cross "Father forgive them for they know not what they do?" Not me! If you do, then go with the agnostic NIV. With this KJV-based harmony, however, you know that every verse is included. If you then want to go look in another translation, you always can. Plus, the KJV is much better at including all the kai's and de's (as and, but, then) than other versions.

My #1 refereene for studying the Gospel

I can't read the KJV any better than the normal person, and I use other versions to fill in the gaps, but I always go to the KJV for the placement of "ands", "buts", and "thens". This does a better job than most by actually putting the verses right next to each other. If I'm studying a passage from the Gospel, I start here and then use the other translations (Amplified for understanding older words, and NASB for the readability) to help. Seeing the same events recorded by different authors adds credibility and more understanding to anything, and this is no exception. I have other parallel Bibles, but I like this one the best.

The best Harmony of the Gospels available today !!!

The Horizontal Harmony of the Four Gospels in Parallel Columns provides the reader a panoramic perspective on the life of the Jesus Christ - the greatest man who ever lived on this earth. There are only four authentic accounts of his mortal life and these are known as the Four Gospels i.e. Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. Since each writer had his own unique style, emphasis and purpose to record the events in the life of Jesus, any effort to study the life of Christ must include the complete study of all the four Gospels. And what better way to study the Gospels than to study them in parallel with harmony. As stated in the book, harmonies are based upon the Gestalt principle that the whole of anything is greater than the sum of its parts. Since each Gospel represents a part, the greater message of the life of Jesus can only be seen when all the four accounts are arranged together. Though there are a few other harmonies of Gospels available, I think this harmony employs the best way to harmonize the accounts of the four Gospels. Most of the Harmonies use a variation of parallel columns. That is, they use variable number of columns ranging from one to four as they are needed on any given page depending upon the same events recorded in different Gospels. This may be very confusing for a person while studying when trying to keep track of which gospel is being read. A two column page may have either Mathew and Mark or Mathew and Luke or Mark and Luke, depending upon the event being recorded in the respective Gospels. For example, there will be only one column in such harmonies to describe the birth of John the Baptist as it is recorded only in the Gospel of Luke whereas there will be four columns to describe the crucifixion of Christ, the same being recorded in all the Gospels. Thus, there is no fixed column for each Gospel within which the events are confined to and you have to constantly bear in mind which of the gospels you are currently reading. The Horizontal Harmony of the Four Gospels in Parallel Columns is an excellent attempt to solve the above problem. Each page is divided into four equal-width columns representing the four gospels in the order in which they are found in the New Testament i.e. Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. By using four continuous equal-width columns throughout, the book becomes not only a reading experience but a visual experience. One can readily see just by turning pages how much in common Mathew, Mark and Luke have and why they are called the synoptic gospels. One can even easily determine by looking at the empty space in the respective column if any Gospel is silent about any particular event which is recorded in the other gospels. Thus, whether or not an event is described in any of the four gospels, the columns always express what each Gospel records about it. So, in describing the birth of John the Baptist, only the column corresponding to the Gospel of Luke will have any printing with all the others being empty givi

Read the Gospels Again for the First Time!

"Seeing, they see not." "He that hath ears, let him hear." These words are a admonition to avoid complacency--to avoid experiencing things on autopilot. The problem is that, on your fifth or your tenth or your twentieth trip through the gospels, it is easy for things to get stale. Here is the value of Mumford's Harmony of the Gospels. It has renewed and reinvigorated the study of the gospels for me. Reading the harmony of the gospels (with its parallel columns for each of the gospels) has improved my understanding of the gospels in the following ways: 1. The chronology is clear; 2. Jesus's travels and the geography are easy to understand; 3. The tone and purpose of each gospel is more evident; and 4. The source or sources of each event or teaching is visually-depicted. In short, I have loved the gospels since I was a boy but, in my mind, they were a mishmash. I didn't appreciate the separate contribution of each (and how they worked together) in conveying to us the life and teachings of Jesus. The Harmony of the Gospels has been a blessing.

parallel gospels

This is a helpful tool for the student of the New Testament. To be able to see all four gospels comparative reading on one page is delightful. Its helpful to maintain your thought without flipping between passages. I love it.