The Growth of the Gospels [antikvár]

A Word Before You Start This book has limited aims. It is not an introduction to Bible study. It will not explain everything you ever wanted to know about the Gospels. It will try to help you understand why the Gospels came to be written and how they gradually took their present shape. It will try to give you a "feel" for the Gospels and prepare you for your prayerful reading of them. All you will need before you as you read this book is a Bible. But you must use that Bible as you read here. There is no substitute in the learning process for your own verification of what you are told. Page through the Gospels, make your own comparisons between them, note how the evangelists build on their predecessors. Ask why one or other Gospel writer added some phrase or section to his source or omitted part of what he found there. This the only way you will gain insight into the mind of the sacred author and make his Gospel speak to you personally. When you finish your task here, move on to the works listed in the bibliography. There you can expand your knowledge, correct false impressions (hopefully, none derived from this book), and gain deeper insight into the complexities of the simple Gospel message. But this book would have you do the work, with a little guidance, so open your Bible and let's have at it. Vll