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RECORDS OF THE

LIFE OF JESUS

Books by

H. B. SHARMAN

JESUS AS TEACHER

RECORDS OF THE LIFE OF JESUS

SON OF MAN AND KINGDOM OF GOD

STUDIES IN THE RECORDS

PAUL AS EXPERIENT

Harper and Brothers

TEACHING OF JESUS ABOUT THE FUTURE University of Chicago Press

JESUS IN THE RECORDS

Association Press

LIFE OF JESUS

Book I: The Record of Mt-Mk-Lk
Book II: The Record of John

By

HENRY BURTON SHARMAN, PH.D.
Honorary Lecturer in the Department of History
Yenching University, Peking, China

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EXONTEX
AIA ANIOTEN

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HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS

NEW YORK AND LONDON

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THE PURPOSE

The purpose of the book is to present the records of the life of Jesus in that form which will make most fully available the contributions of the several sources, both individual and collective, to an understanding of the actual career of Jesus. It has been the aim so to set forth the material as to provide primarily for an historical rather than a critical knowledge of the records. Stated in another way, the foremost intention has been to produce, in the language and in the order of the original records, a Life of Jesus. But it is thought also that, in the pursuance of that aim, the literary phenomena of the records have been so exhibited as to provide the basis for somewhat thorough critical study of the source relationships of these records.

THE METHOD

At no point throughout the work has any theory or hypothesis as to any literary or other relation of these records to one another had any part in the determination of the arrangement or the showing forth of the material. Mark is placed in the order of Mark; Luke is placed in the order of Luke, and John in its own order. In the case of Matthew only has any departure in order been made, and there for three chapters only (8-9-10) of the twenty-eight of that record. The departure made in that case was not based on any theory as to the source relations of the records, but resulted simply from the decision to conform Matthew in these chapters (8-9-10), as Matthew of itself is conformed throughout the rest of its structure, to that order of events on which Mark and Luke are in complete agreement. It will be evident, therefore, that not only has no theory of the relations of these records had any place in the work but also that the book cannot be regarded as a harmony of the records.

THE FORM

Those portions of the text that appear in roman type represent each record in its own chronological order, except that chapters 8-9-10 of Matthew, though in roman type, are not in the Matthew order,1 but are conformed to the order of Mark-Luke. Those portions of the text that appear in italic type are not in the sequence of the records from which they come, but are placed where they stand in order that they may be studied there in relation to the record that does stand chronologically at that point. If, therefore, the reader will pass over what stands in italic type, the book may be used for the independent consecutive study of any one of the four individual records.2

* It should be observed that even within these chapters the Matthew order of events corresponds in considerable measure to that of Mark-Luke, for example, the consecution of §§ 50-52 and of §§ 29–31.

In the case of the apparent (though not real) confusion in the Matthew order resulting from the conforming of Matthew 8-9-10 to the order of Mark-Luke, guidance is given by indicating in parts of Matthew the place of the succeeding portion by means of the notation (+§ 26) and the like at the end of the section, and for backward reference (§ 23+) and the like at the head of the section.

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