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The Chronological Life of Christ : From Glory to Galilee
Mark Moore has written a commentary utilizing examples that give a clear understanding as to how each text fits into today's world. For the student or teacher who wants to be true to the Word, The Chronological Life of Christ is a dependable resource.
416 pages, Paperback
First published June 3, 1996
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About the author
Mark E. Moore
44 books41 followersMark E. Moore is a teaching pastor at Christ's Church of the Valley in Phoenix, Arizona, one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic churches in America. Here he leverages two decades in a college classroom teaching New Testament. His goal is to make Scriptures accessible and relevant to people trying to make sense of Christianity. His two worlds of academic Bible study and practical Christian living come together in this powerful tool called Core 52.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 14, 2024
AN EXCELLENT "BLENDING" OF THE GOSPELS COMBINED WITH A COMMENTARY ON ASPECTS OF JESUS' LIFE
(This review is only of Volume 1; the 430-page 1996 paperback edition.)
He states in the Introduction, "This is [Jesus'] story as told by four witnesses... In this volume, we have woven their testimonies together to get the 'big picture' ... there are good reasons to harmonize the four Gospels into a composite whole: (1) Each Gospel has a unique flavor. We don't 'taste' it merely by looking at each book individually... (2) The Gospels are... true historical records. Therefore, we have treated them much like we would treat witnesses in a court of law... (3) The study of individual Gospels highlights each Evangelist's theology... (4) Studying the Gospels harmonistically is nothing new... harmony studies stand in a long and noble line of tradition... In fact, one might even make a case that Luke and perhaps also John, wrote with an eye on the other Gospels." (Pg. 11-12)
He explains the different genealogies in Matthew and Luke thusly: "A third theory suggests that Luke's record does not belong to Joseph at all but, in fact, lists Mary's family. Assuming that there was no male heir and that she was the oldest child, she would become the heiress .. when she married Joseph, he ... would become the heir to this line as well... A fourth theory, suggests that Mary's line is given in Luke. Joseph, however, is not a part of the genealogy but merely a parenthetical comment of Luke 3:23... The last theory would allow Matthew's genealogy to speak of biological, rather than legal or collateral descent... Besides, Matthew's interest in Jesus' relationship with the OT would be more strongly supported if his genealogy was Joseph's real descent ... giving Jesus legal claim to the Davidic throne." (Pg. 31-21)
Of the Census of Quirinius in Luke 2, he comments, "The most famous census of Quirinius was in A.D. 6 while he was governor of Syria... Yet this is ten years too late for the birth of Christ. Is Luke off by a decade? There are two possible solutions. First, Quirinius was a military leader in Syria (8-4 B.C.) before he became the actual governor of Syria in 6-7 A.D. The word translated as 'governor' would be understood as 'leader.' Hence, Luke would be saying that this was the first census taken during Quirinius' military leadership, not the second census taken during his governorship. A second, and perhaps simpler, solution is to translate the word as 'before' rather than 'first.' Hence, Luke is saying that this was not the famous census during the reign of Quirinius, but the one before that." (Pg. 52)
He suggests, "Our traditional nativity scenes picture Mary and Joseph put out in a barn by an insensitive or at least overbooked innkeeper... this is hardly possible. First, Palestinian hospitality is great. Certainly someone would have made room for the couple, especially since she is about to burst and this was his ancestral city!... this word is better translated as 'guest room' (cf. Lk 22:11)... Hence, we would suggest that Jesus was born in a private home, not in a barn." (Pg. 53)
Later, he adds, "The Magi follow the star to the very house of Joseph and Mary. This obviously took place much later than the visit of the shepherds. After all, Herod wanted to kill the baby boys up to two years of age." (Pg. 64) He observes, "Matthew describes Jesus 'sojourn' in Egypt. Luke, however, simply says that the holy family returned to Nazareth right after his presentation in the temple. It is not that it disagrees with Matthew, but that he merely compresses the narrative by leaving out this detail of Jesus' life." (Pg. 66)
This is an excellent study of many "detailed" issues in Jesus' life, that will be of great interest to anyone (particularly conservatives) studying the life of Jesus.
(This review is only of Volume 1; the 430-page 1996 paperback edition.)
He states in the Introduction, "This is [Jesus'] story as told by four witnesses... In this volume, we have woven their testimonies together to get the 'big picture' ... there are good reasons to harmonize the four Gospels into a composite whole: (1) Each Gospel has a unique flavor. We don't 'taste' it merely by looking at each book individually... (2) The Gospels are... true historical records. Therefore, we have treated them much like we would treat witnesses in a court of law... (3) The study of individual Gospels highlights each Evangelist's theology... (4) Studying the Gospels harmonistically is nothing new... harmony studies stand in a long and noble line of tradition... In fact, one might even make a case that Luke and perhaps also John, wrote with an eye on the other Gospels." (Pg. 11-12)
He explains the different genealogies in Matthew and Luke thusly: "A third theory suggests that Luke's record does not belong to Joseph at all but, in fact, lists Mary's family. Assuming that there was no male heir and that she was the oldest child, she would become the heiress .. when she married Joseph, he ... would become the heir to this line as well... A fourth theory, suggests that Mary's line is given in Luke. Joseph, however, is not a part of the genealogy but merely a parenthetical comment of Luke 3:23... The last theory would allow Matthew's genealogy to speak of biological, rather than legal or collateral descent... Besides, Matthew's interest in Jesus' relationship with the OT would be more strongly supported if his genealogy was Joseph's real descent ... giving Jesus legal claim to the Davidic throne." (Pg. 31-21)
Of the Census of Quirinius in Luke 2, he comments, "The most famous census of Quirinius was in A.D. 6 while he was governor of Syria... Yet this is ten years too late for the birth of Christ. Is Luke off by a decade? There are two possible solutions. First, Quirinius was a military leader in Syria (8-4 B.C.) before he became the actual governor of Syria in 6-7 A.D. The word translated as 'governor' would be understood as 'leader.' Hence, Luke would be saying that this was the first census taken during Quirinius' military leadership, not the second census taken during his governorship. A second, and perhaps simpler, solution is to translate the word as 'before' rather than 'first.' Hence, Luke is saying that this was not the famous census during the reign of Quirinius, but the one before that." (Pg. 52)
He suggests, "Our traditional nativity scenes picture Mary and Joseph put out in a barn by an insensitive or at least overbooked innkeeper... this is hardly possible. First, Palestinian hospitality is great. Certainly someone would have made room for the couple, especially since she is about to burst and this was his ancestral city!... this word is better translated as 'guest room' (cf. Lk 22:11)... Hence, we would suggest that Jesus was born in a private home, not in a barn." (Pg. 53)
Later, he adds, "The Magi follow the star to the very house of Joseph and Mary. This obviously took place much later than the visit of the shepherds. After all, Herod wanted to kill the baby boys up to two years of age." (Pg. 64) He observes, "Matthew describes Jesus 'sojourn' in Egypt. Luke, however, simply says that the holy family returned to Nazareth right after his presentation in the temple. It is not that it disagrees with Matthew, but that he merely compresses the narrative by leaving out this detail of Jesus' life." (Pg. 66)
This is an excellent study of many "detailed" issues in Jesus' life, that will be of great interest to anyone (particularly conservatives) studying the life of Jesus.
Displaying 1 of 1 review