Vorwort
This Harmony of the Gospels has deep roots. It all began in 1859, when John A. Broadus started teaching on the life of Jesus at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His young colleague A. T. Robertson suggested he turn those decades of teaching into a written Harmony. Broadus took the idea and ran with it – and in 1893 the first edition was published.
What made it stand out was its approach. Earlier harmonies organized the Gospel accounts around the Jewish feasts. Broadus broke with that tradition and followed the natural, chronological progression of Jesus’ ministry instead. The book found a wide audience and went through many large editions.
In 1922, A. T. Robertson revised the Harmony. He updated it in light of the growing field of synoptic criticism and added new notes and analysis. It became an even more useful tool for students and teachers.
In 1988, Robert L. Thomas and Stanley N. Gundry took the work a step further. Building on Robertson’s 1922 revision, they expanded the footnotes, added explanatory and chronological notes, and broke some larger sections into smaller, more manageable units. They kept the original paragraph numbering and introduced lowercase letter suffixes (a,b,c,…) for subdivisions.
Our work builds directly on the 1988 edition by Thomas and Gundry. We are grateful for everything they and their predecessors contributed. We adjust the chronological order of individual Gospel sections where, after thorough study, we find good reasons to do so. The existing numbering system remains in place, and we add new subsections as needed. This is an ongoing process. You can always find the latest version on the website https://harmony-bible.com
Our goal is straightforward: we want to offer this Harmony as a chronological study Bible in as many languages as possible. We believe people everywhere deserve the chance to know Jesus, by reading his story in the chronological order. Jesus is our role model. We want to live as sent ones in the world with the same passion he had, maintaining a vibrant relationship with God and making disciples.
Simon & Conny Löffel
Founders Passion, Switzerland