The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

How exactly would the history of those days leading up to the crucifixion of Christ look like if all of the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were chronologically combined? Upon first opening John Douma’s book, The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John: Merged into One Historic Calendar of Events, you are immediately taken aback as what lies before you is probably one of the most intriguing perspectives and timelines you’ll ever come across leading you straight to the question of why the Bible wasn’t constructed this way in the first place. Of course, with a timeline such as this, one can only imagine the time spent calculating the correct order, let alone combining all of the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, a feat all their own. Douma has provided a great service to historians and scholars as historiographies are an invaluable tool, especially concerning research, where time is often of the essence.

“Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.”

The formatting is quite peculiar, as it appears to be hand typed, and is quite nostalgic in a way adding depth and character to what is already an extremely old book, while providing readers a story that is more easily understood. Douma adds his own line of questioning throughout the book without sounding biased or blasphemous. Many of his questions actually intrigued me enough to do a little research of my own.

While this isn’t an every book that most would just pick up and read for fun, it is most intriguing, whether you are religious or not, and a must read for anyone with an interest in ancient history.

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