ONE - Divine Version is an authoritative consolidation and
reconciliation of the four separate Christian Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John. Authoritatively documented to the source works with 3,000 references
to the source Gospels.
Christians know that there are four separate Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John. The Gospels describe the life of Jesus, including his teachings and
the circumstances of his death.
Each of the four Gospels has some of the same
details, as well as different details. For example, the story of the Magi
visiting Jesus at birth is only told in Matthew, and the story of the Shepherds
is only told in Luke. The story of Doubting Thomas is told only in John.
Matthew and Luke share the story of the Poor Woman's Gift, while Matthew and
Mark share the story of the Greatest Commandment. Only Luke has the
"Father forgive them..." quotation from Jesus on the cross. These are only
a few examples.
Therefore, to read the entire life and teachings
of Jesus, a reader must read all four Gospels, and the particular circumstances
in each story must be remembered and conjoined in the reader's mind. In
reality, only scholars have the capability to accomplish such a reconciliation
through very detailed study. For the rest of us, we learn about Jesus in
bits and pieces.
If it can be stated in brief, the author has
superimposed all four Gospels onto each other and removed duplication.
What is left is simply all parts of the four Gospels that are the same and all
parts that are different. As a result, in 230 pages, the reader receives
the entire message of Jesus with greater clarity and impact. Although some
will find this work an accurate reflection suitable for their entire study of
Jesus, this work is intended to supplement and not to replace the divine works;
however, after reading this work, because of its clarity, impact and ease of
reading, the reader should have a far greater understanding of the original
Gospels.
For the preacher, student and scholar, the author
has documented the unification process in a 50-page Unification Index that
contains over 2,900 references back to the original source Gospels. Each
of those 2,900 references sources back to as many as four of the source Gospels,
depending upon how many sources were used for the particular text.
Let us illustrate with one representative example:
In Matthew 18:21-22, the command to forgive is as
follows: "Then Peter approaching asked him, 'Lord, if my brother sins against
me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?' Jesus
answered, you should forgive him, not seven times but seventy-seven times."
In Luke 17:3-4, it is as follows: "Be on
your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive
him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times
saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him."
Luke, of course, has an express condition of repentance. A reader of the
Gospels must put these two different verses together in his or her mind to gain
a full understanding of the message. In ONE, the text reads as follows:
[1707]
Then Peter approaching asked him, "Lord, if my
brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven
times?” [1708] Jesus
answered, [1709] “Be on
your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive
him. [1710] And if he wrongs you seven
times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should
forgive him. [1711]
I say to you, not seven times
but seventy-seven times."
The different fonts are used here for illustrative purposes.
See
ONE:1707-1711. It reads in the unified text very smoothly as follows:
[1707] Then Peter approaching
asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive
him? As many as seven times?” [1708] Jesus answered, [1709]
“Be
on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents,
forgive him. [1710] And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and
returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.
[1711] I say to you, not seven times
but seventy-seven times."
In this way, ONE reads as easily as novel for the casual
reader, with greater impact and clarity, and the preacher, student and scholar
and source the [1707-1711] references back to the Unification Index, and then
back to the divine works. See more
unification samples.
We recommend that Christians start with the Divine Version. Christians can
then, only if they are so inclined and philosophically open-minded, follow-up
with the Universal Version. The opposite is true for non-Christians.
We recommend that non-Christians start with the Universal Version, then, if they
are so inclined and philosophically open-minded, follow-up with the Divine
Version.
ONE is a truly unique and important work that
everyone should read.
Copyright 2006.
Original Printing.
320 pages, including 56 page Unification Index
7.5" x 5" x .75"; 15 oz.
ISBN-10: 0-9789906-0-9; ISBN-13: 978-0-9789906-0-2
Softbound.
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Sample).
Other Works by Gregg R. Zegarelli: ONE - Universal Version
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