Harmony of the Gospels

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The harmonic problems have concerned christians since the four Gospels were circulating. The first attempt of wich we have news was the Diathessaron wich not only failed to provide a solution but included several apocrifa. The Diathessaron quikly subtitued the four Gospels in popularity, but - thamks God - it was prohibited and burned.

Agustine is the next to do an effort to fix the harmonic problems, but his work resulted insuficient.

We have no news of any other attempt to solve the harmonic problem; not until the XX Century. Is then the last years wich produced more works pproposing different solutions, but no one claiming to be satisfactory, but recognicing the obstacles that couldent be superated.

How important can be a final harmony, providing a satisfactory solution for all the harmonic problems?
I´ve not read the other posts but there is absolutely no need to harmonize the four Gospels. If I gave four men or women, each, a camera and assigned then the same subject they would come back with four different perspectives of the subject. And if I assigned four reporters to observe the same event, when they submitted their articles their would be four different perspectives of the same event.

In court we know people are lying when their stories are, very much, the same, they planned what they would say. The differences in the four renderings of Christ´s ministry lend to authenticate then as being true.

I pray this helps and may God bless!
 
You knowme well. I will fingerpoint all teaching that is IMO incorrect. And I hope all of you fingerpoit all of my wrong techings. That is the exercise as I understand it.

You say that there is a single harmony that resolves all of it. I claim is mine. The other authors claim not to be therirs. Wich one are you refering to?

I'm not referring to anybody's, only that it exists because we hold the Bible to be true. That doesn't mean that you are right or wrong about it, only that if the Bible is true, then there is harmony. I have found versions I'm content with, but there are still a few unresolved issues here and there. Those issues aren't particularly important areas, but they show that I don't have a perfect understanding yet, but then because of the way I am, I'm not sure it's possible to ever completely satisfy me.
 
I´ve not read the other posts but there is absolutely no need to harmonize the four Gospels. If I gave four men or women, each, a camera and assigned then the same subject they would come back with four different perspectives of the subject. And if I assigned four reporters to observe the same event, when they submitted their articles their would be four different perspectives of the same event.

In court we know people are lying when their stories are, very much, the same, they planned what they would say. The differences in the four renderings of Christ´s ministry lend to authenticate then as being true.

I pray this helps and may God bless!

Ahh Ya beat me to it Bill :). That 4 eyewitness accounts are not exactly the same verifies that they are four independent eyewitness accounts. That they are ESSENTIALLY the same verifies that there are four independent eyewitnesses to the SAME event. Consequently BOTH the sameness AND the minor variations bear witness to the reality and authenticity of the events. I believe the modern idiom is a "win / win" situation.:)
 
I´ve not read the other posts but there is absolutely no need to harmonize the four Gospels. If I gave four men or women, each, a camera and assigned then the same subject they would come back with four different perspectives of the subject. And if I assigned four reporters to observe the same event, when they submitted their articles their would be four different perspectives of the same event.

In court we know people are lying when their stories are, very much, the same, they planned what they would say. The differences in the four renderings of Christ´s ministry lend to authenticate then as being true.

I pray this helps and may God bless!

Actually, the differencies in the four renderings of Christ ministry lend to asume that those Gospels are human stories NOT inspired by the Holy Spirit. You are right that the ioutcome is exactly the same that it would hepens with human witnesses. It seems that there is not any divine hand behind those Gospels. Not only that; if you are talking of a legal court; and investiagation will take place; and the confrontation of all witnesses will be made to determine the real truth. The cour will have to determine who is having wrong memories, who is laying, who is overesiceing. If that is the case of the Gospels; then you asume that either Mark, or Metthew, or John, or Luke or all of them were wrong in some details and aspect of waht they have writen.

At the end of the day we have four book in wich we dont know how much we can relay. Can we realy in the rendering of the crucifixion and the resurrection? Ay the end of the day we have four book in the Bibkle that contain mistakes, not beinmg inspired by the Holy Spirit.

In other hand...if we do confront the four witnesses and come to the resukltr that all of them are correct and that we were reading them misundertunding what they said. This is what a harmony is about. A harmony is about to demostrate that the stories on the Gosples are trully Biblical and free of all contradictions.
 
Actually, the differencies in the four renderings of Christ ministry lend to asume that those Gospels are human stories NOT inspired by the Holy Spirit. You are right that the ioutcome is exactly the same that it would hepens with human witnesses. It seems that there is not any divine hand behind those Gospels. Not only that; if you are talking of a legal court; and investiagation will take place; and the confrontation of all witnesses will be made to determine the real truth. The cour will have to determine who is having wrong memories, who is laying, who is overesiceing. If that is the case of the Gospels; then you asume that either Mark, or Metthew, or John, or Luke or all of them were wrong in some details and aspect of waht they have writen.

At the end of the day we have four book in wich we dont know how much we can relay. Can we realy in the rendering of the crucifixion and the resurrection? Ay the end of the day we have four book in the Bibkle that contain mistakes, not beinmg inspired by the Holy Spirit.

In other hand...if we do confront the four witnesses and come to the resukltr that all of them are correct and that we were reading them misundertunding what they said. This is what a harmony is about. A harmony is about to demostrate that the stories on the Gosples are trully Biblical and free of all contradictions.

Every so called "contradiction" I have ever come across or been told about has not been a contradiction in what has been written but the result of poor understanding by the reader. Either deliberate or simply the result of listening to erroneous teaching.

If you want to raise doubts about the Bible being the inerrant word of the Lord do not speak in vague generalities about alleged contradictions, actually provide specific references and exactly why you think they are contradictory and those here can help you properly understand why there is no contradiction. Those who follow Christ deal in specifics and realities not deceptively vague generalities. Truth is always about specific realities, never about vague generalities.
 
I maintain and believe that the 4 gospels are "inspred words" of God. Hence, they are WORDS COMING DIRECTLY FROM GOD. As regards "harmonizing" or reconciling any difference, I can see it is only GOD who can do it. This is "by divine revelation" from His very words. I have yet to find and hear such differences.
 
I know I'm going to regret this but someone has to say it. *sigh* "Inspired" and "Revelation" are very specific theological terms that do not mean "directly from God". In fact, they are pretty much the opposite as they refer to indirect means for God to get His message to us. Let the nitpicking begin.
 
Goinheix, I could not disagree more if you were Satan, himself. Just as mistman pointed out, there are no contradictions in any of the Bible and the only people that make such a charge are those lacking the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, not saved, or they have quenched the Spirit.

fil3232003, Amen!


Banarenth, I completely disagree! We cannot separate Inspiration and Revelation because God inspired every one of the writers to record His Revelation in the Holy Scriptures. If we step off into that arena we are wide open for the origin of new heresy.

May God pour out His blessings on us as we study to be approved.
 
Um....I never separated them bill. I only pointed out that in a theological sense, the words are misused, and because of that often misunderstood.
 
I maintain and believe that the 4 gospels are "inspred words" of God. Hence, they are WORDS COMING DIRECTLY FROM GOD. As regards "harmonizing" or reconciling any difference, I can see it is only GOD who can do it. This is "by divine revelation" from His very words. I have yet to find and hear such differences.

I will apreciate if you dont acuse me of attacking the Bible when i am doing the oposite whilr ypou are stoping me from do it.

In the Gospels there is some aparent conmtradictions. Those aparent contradictions are called harmonic problems. Harmonic problems are do, not to actual contradictions but to a wrong interpretation. Providing the correct interpretation is solving or explaining am harmonic problem. To solve an harmonic problem is to do an harmony of the Gospels.
Brothers as me, concerned in solving the harmonic problems, preaparing a complete harmony, are those defending the Gospels. Those as you, preventing us from presenting the correct interpretations, are the actual enemy.
 
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