CSB Christ Chronological — B&H Publishing
An essential resource for deeper study of the four Gospels
If you have been studying the Bible for any length of time, in any context, you probably have noticed that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are different in many ways. Sure, they have different authors, sharing their differing perspectives, but there are also differences in the stories chosen, secondary details of those stories, the placement within the narrative… a comparison of the four Gospels gets very complicated, very fast. These variances produce some of the most common objections from skeptics who dispute the Bible’s reliability, so I feel that it is extremely important for those who believe in the Bible’s infallibility to have a mental framework for answers to these questions. I have been wanting to gain some of that knowledge so that I can more thoroughly answer questions about the four Gospels that I or others might have. The CSB Christ Chronological was a huge resource for progress toward that goal.
The CSB Christ Chronological is a book published by B&H that has taken the texts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, broken them down into component pieces, arranged them in chronological order, and placed the texts in parallel columns when passages overlap. Each Gospel is color-coded (Matthew = blue; Mark = green; Luke = red; John is purple) with a key at the bottom of every page and color-coded references by the section title so that you always know what Gospel you are reading and where to find it in your Bible. Sometimes the passages are broken down based on headings similar to the ones you may find in your Bible, but sometimes it is more specific than that. For instance, there may be an event that occurs in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and this is placed in four columns side by side. However, Luke may include a brief event immediately afterward that the other Gospels make no mention of, so his short passage would get a heading of its own. See the picture below for an example of what this looks like in the book.
While most of the CSB Christ Chronological consists of the texts of the four Gospels arranged in this nature, there is more: an introduction to the book itself, which helps the reader understand some of the major concepts of textual criticism as it relates to the Gospels, and an introduction for each section in which there are two or more Gospels side by side. These frequent introductions give a brief comparison of the Gospel accounts and, when necessary, provide context for the variances between them. These are extremely helpful in pointing out what to look for in the succeeding passages and how biblical scholars have answered critics of the accounts.
The result of this design is a book that is not only extremely valuable to students of the Bible but is also beautiful and practical. The colored columns provide a gorgeous aesthetic which makes every page a unique sight. The book is also wider than a standard Bible or most other books, which has the added bonus of staying open very easily without having to be held. I would leave it open on the table or my desk and not have to worry about losing my place.
I think that my favorite part, however, was the experience of reading the four Gospels chronologically. You really get a feel for the themes of Jesus’ ministry, and the connections between events. For me, it provided a fresh look at already-familiar words, which is always helpful and I believe God uses that novelty to get through my thick skull sometimes.
My only criticisms of the passage introductions: First, there were a few typos on the order of clearly meaning “Matthew” but writing “Luke” or something similar to that. I had to re-read a few times before it finally clicked that the description of the passage didn’t match what I was reading, but a close reading will solve that confusion. Second, I found myself wanting more commentary, especially on the passages that only appeared in one Gospel. Sometimes I simply had a question about the passage itself and could use my reliable study Bible, but sometimes I wondered why, for example, only Luke would include what seems like an important event. However, it is usually best to keep commentary fairly minimalist, so I respect the decisions of the editors to not answer every possible question I had.
For the reasons outlined above, I think the CSB Christ Chronological is an essential study tool for all pastors, Sunday school teachers, and laypeople who find themselves studying the Gospels frequently. It gives some great insight on the personalities and theological themes of the Gospel writers, and it left me wanting to learn even more about these four great books of our Bible. My next book on this topic will probably be Vern Poythress’ Inerrancy and the Gospels: A God-Centered Approach to the Challenges of Harmonization.
I received a review copy of this book courtesy of B&H Books and Lifeway, but my opinions are my own.
