And they feared exceedingly, and said
one to another, What manner of man is
this that even the winds and the sea
obey him?
C. For he commandeth even the winds and
water, and they obey him.
It is interesting to read these passages in the various ways intended by
the compiler, first taking the Evangelists separately, and reading all
the verses marked with the proper letter, in both sorts of type, and then
reading only the common type, straight on, irrespective of the marking
letters.
There is still another way in which the value of the Harmony may be
tested. It is of course well-known that the historical sequence of
events varies greatly in the records of the different Evangelists. To
reconcile these discrepancies, is often a very difficult matter, and when
combined with the other principles on which the Harmonies were
constructed must have caused a great deal of trouble, and required much
skilful adaptation. This part of the work can be tested by examining
some one chapter of the Authorized Version, and we can then discover how
the subjects are treated. The eighth chapter of St. Luke's Gospel will
be a good example--
Vers. 1-3: "A general account of Christ's ministry and followers," appear
on p. 102 of the Harmony.
Vers. 4-15: "Parable of the Sower, and explanation," come on pp. 90-93,
being composed of the narratives of the other two Evangelists
interpolated with St. Luke's.
Vers. 16-18 follow in natural order, but
Vers. 19-21: "Christ's mother and brethren," are found on p. 90, _before_
the Parable of the Sower; while
Vers. 22-25: "The Storm on the Lake," come still earlier in the Harmony,
on p. 45.
Vers. 26-39: "The herd of swine drowned," following on p. 47.
Ver. 40. Stands by itself on p. 50, preceeding the events recorded in
St. Luke's fifth chapter.
Vers. 41-56: "The raising of Jairus' daughter," come prior to the events
narrated in St. Luke's sixth and seventh chapters, and appear on p. 56 of
the Harmony.
If we may take Nicholas Ferrar's chronology to be correct, it is clearly
seen that the Harmony is a most valuable aid to the study of the Gospels.
Mention has been made already of the engravings with which the
Concordances are nearly all supplied. On the title-page, after
describing the contents of the book, these words always occur: "to which
are added sundry pictures, expressing either the facts themselves or
their types and figures, or other matters appertaining thereunto."
These "pictures" are in many cases delightfully quaint, and are probably
of considerable value, having been collected by Nicholas Ferrar on his
journey through Holland, Germany, Italy, and Spain in the years 1613 to
1618, it being expressly stated that they were by the best masters of
that time, and that he let nothing valuable of this sort escape him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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