With an Introduction by

The Reverend Dr John Polkinghorne, KBE, FRS

THE MOST IMPORTANT STORY EVER TOLD

While this is a synopsis or comparison of all four gospels, its purpose is primarily to follow the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth across the gospels.

The result is an extraordinary read as well as providing a useful reference work.

Based on the chronology of St Luke's Gospel, the narrative follows Jesus from birth to crucifixion and resurrection. The full text of all Four Gospels is given, using the King James Version.

The Four Gospels Side by Side tells a remarkable story whether you consider Jesus of Nazareth to be Messiah, Messenger or historic figure.

ISBN 0955047102                                    £25.00

Extracts from the Authorized Version of

THE KING JAMES BIBLE

The rights in which are vested in the Crown,

are reproduced by permission of the

Crown’s Patentee, Cambridge University Press

The FOUR GOSPELS Side by Side are nicely set out across facing pages, Matthew and Mark, Luke and John.

The book has a detailed chronology based on St Luke, a key to Gospel chapters and verses (all of which are contained), glossary of unusual words and maps of Jerusalem and Israel at the time of Jesus.

It really is a very good read – besides being a useful reference work.

Introduction by Sir John Polkinghorne

     For the Christian believer, and for the enquirer into Christianity, the four gospels are indispensable source material. Without them we would know very little about the public ministry and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. Although the gospels are all telling the story of the life, death and resurrection of the same remarkable man, there are interesting variations in the ways in which they do so. A book of gospel parallels, such as that which Madeleine Shaw has compiled, enables the reader to see where there are agreements, and where there are differences, between the four accounts. At least as early as the second century, it was clearly recognised that the style of the gospel of John is markedly different from that of the other three (collectively called the Synoptics). In the first three gospels, Jesus speaks about the Kingdom of God, using parables that are earthed in the everyday life of first century Palestine. In John, Jesus speaks in timeless tones about himself, using images such as the Good Shepherd and the True Vine. It is clear that we are being offered different approaches to expressing the significance of Jesus Christ. I believe that it was the value of the resulting multi-perspectival point of view that encouraged the Church to resist the temptation to fuse the four gospels into a single account. It is much better to accept the parallel presentations as set out in this book.

     There are, of course, differences also between the three Synoptics, not only in their selection of the material that they record, but also in the detail of what they say. Did Jesus heal a blind man on the way into Jericho (Luke), or on the way out (Mark), or were there two blind men (Matthew)? (See page 129.) However, I do not think that we should worry too much about such small discrepancies.

     Three reasons make me say so. One is that there was a period of about thirty to forty years before the gospels began to be written down, in which stories about Jesus would have circulated orally among his followers. In such a process small variations would be bound to happen, rather like the way in which witnesses to a motor accident will recall details differently, while obviously speaking about the same event. A second reason is that the conventions for writing history in Jesus' time were different from those that we follow today. Ancient writers were less worried about detailed factual accuracy than we are. For them, what mattered was getting the principal point across. If you look at Acts 9:1-19, 22:6-16, and 26:12-18, you will read three accounts of the conversion of St Paul, all written by the same author, all obviously telling the same essential story, but differing from each other in several small details. The third reason for not worrying about small discrepancies in the gospels is that it is clear that the writers were not attempting to write a strictly chronological account of Jesus, except in relation to the last week of his life, and so they felt able to organise and group the material at their disposal to suit their individual purposes. They have theological aims in mind in the way that they use their material. For examples, stories of opening the eyes of a blind man are valued not only as remarkable examples of Jesus’ healing power, but also for their symbolic significance in conveying the illumination that Jesus brings. John’s story makes this particularly clear (see page 129).

I hope that this book of gospel parallels will help its readers to study more closely, and to take with the utmost seriousness, what I believe to be the most important story ever told.

The Reverend Dr John Polkinghorne KBE FRS Cambridge