The Unity of the Four Gospels. - Appendix to the Companion Bible

97. THE UNITY OF THE FOUR GOSPELS.

In the notes on pp. 1304 and 1305, and in Ap. 96, we have shown that there is a Diversity in the Four Gospels. But there is a Unity also, as is shown by the fact that all Four Gospels follow the same general Structure. This runs through them all alike, showing that, after all, the presentation of the Lord is one (*1). While it was not in God's purpose to give us one Gospel, yet amid all the diversity of the parts there is a continuity of the whole. The parts are distributed according as they are appropriate to the special design and character of each Gospel, and this in perfect order and accuracy.

After what has been said in Ap. 96, and in the notes to the Structure on p. 1304, it would be out of place to attempt to present anything like a complete "Harmony"; but, in order to show how needless it is to dislocate certain passages in order to bring together similar events and discourses (supposed to be identical, as though nothing the Lord said or did was ever repeated), a condensed outline is presented. It will be noted that there are great events which were never repeated : such as the Mission of the Twelve, the Transfiguration, the Dividing of the Garments, &c. These help us in determining the order and place of other events which, though similar, are not identical.

From the outline given below it will be easy to see how the several accounts of similar events and discourses are distributed in the several Gospels, without violently altering the sequence of verses and chapters, as is done in most so-called "Harmonies".

	MATTHEW.	MARK.	LUKE.	JOHN.
PRE-MINISTERIAL.				1:1-5.
				1:6:14.
			1:1-2:7.
	1:1-25.
	2:1.
			2:8-20.
			2:21.
			2:22-39.
	2:2-23.		2:40.
			2:41-52.
THE FORERUNNER.	3:1-12.	1:2-8.	3:1-20.	1:15-28.
THE BAPTISM.	3:13-17.	1:9-11.	3:21, 22.	1:29-34.
			3:23-38.
THE TEMPTATION.	4:1, 2.	1:12, 13.	4:1, 2.
			4:3-13.
	4:3-11-
	4:-11.	1:-13.
THE MINISTRY (FIRST PERIOD).				1:35-51.
	4:12-17.	1:14, 15.
			4:14, 15.
			4:16-32.
	4:18-22.	1:16-20.
				2:1-4:54.
	4:23-7:29.
THE MINISTRY (SECOND PERIOD).	8:1.
		1:21-.
	8:2-13.
		1:-21-28.	4:33-37.
	8:14-17.	1:29-34.	4:38-41.
		1:35-39.	4:42-44.
			5:1-11.
		1:40-45.	5:12-16.
	8:18-9:1.
	9:2-26.	2:1-12.	5:17-26.
	9:27-11:30.
				5:1-47 ("after this").
	12:1-21 ("at that time").	2:23-3:6.	6:1-11.
			6:12-8:18.
	12:22-45.	3:22-30.
	12:46-50.	3:31-35.	8:19-21.
	13:1-52.	4:1-34.
		4:35-5:20.	8:22-39.
		5:21-43.	8:40-56.
	13:53-58.	6:1-6.
		6:7-13.	9:1-6.
	14:1-14 ("at that time").	6:14-29.	9:7-9.	6:1, 2.
	14:15-22.	6:30-46.	9:10-17.	6:3-15.
	14:23-36.	6:47-56.		6:16-21.
				6:22-71.
	15:1-16:12.	7:1-8:21.
		8:22:26.
	16:13-20.	8:27-30.	9:18-21.
THE MINISTRY (THIRD PERIOD).	16:21-18:9.	8:31-9:50.	9:22-50.
	18:10-35.
	19:1-.	10:1-.	9:51-56.	7:1-10.
	19:-1, 2.	10:-1.	9:57-62.
			10:1-42.
				7:11-13.
				7:14-10:21.
			11:1-28.
	19:3-12.	10:2-12.	11:29-13:22.
				10:22-42.
			13:23-30.
			13:31-35.
			14:1-24.
			14:25-35.
			15:1-18:14.
				11:1-16 ("then").
				11:17-54 ("after that").
	19:13-20.	10:13-34.	18:15-34.
	20:20-28.	10:35-45.
			18:35-43.
		10:46-52.
	20:29-34.
			19:1-28.

[For the Fourth Period of the Lord's Ministry and subsequent events, see Appendix 156. For the sequence of events after the resurrection of the Lord, see Appendix 166.]

(*1) But note that in the Structure of John there is no "Temptation" and no "Agony".

Appendix List