BIBLE, N.T. GOSPELS. ENGLISH. 184 NOTES ON THE GOSPELS, CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY; CORPORATING WITH THE NOTES, ON A NEW PLAN FOUR GOSPELS. BY MELANCTHON W. JACOBUS, ROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE IN THE WESTERN THEOLOGICAL & BROTHERS BROADWAY. 1868. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 18348, by MELANCTHON W. JACOBUS, la the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of the State of Now York. 562839 In Infancy At 12 Years of Age a flis 30 Year hullis 31 Year... In His 32nd Year luths 33rd Year At 33 Years & over. THE 35 THE TRAVELS OF OUR 36 LORD. 319 From Bethlehem to Jerusalem, Flight into Egypt, Return to Nazareth. From Nazareth to the Jordan Wilderness of Judea, Galilee (Cana&c) 2nd fircuit in Galilee, Capernaum&c. 3d Circuit in Galilee Perea, NE. Coast of Tiberias, Capernaum. Region of Tire & Sidon, The Decapolitan towns: Capernaum, Samaria Jerusalem Perea Jericho Bethany. Jerusalem, Gethsemane, Calvary. HOLY LAND IN THE TIME OF CHRIST Corrected from the Latest AUTHORITIES. Scale of British Miles Sidon Sareptat Ptolemais T E A LES NAPHTAL Chordi M.Carmel Cana Cesarea Palestine Galileeagdala Tibering ZEBULON, Antipatriso MTabor AURANT TISS Raimoth Gadara Joppa Gaza Azotus Emmuus Alvary Bethpage JERUSALEM KINGDOM OF Bethlehem ARCHELAUS Hebron Bethel Arnou o Bethany SEA Macherus OR LEAD Girth Beersheba IDUME A 35 Longitude East from Greenwich86 32 PREFACE. THE aim of these Notes has been to bring together the results of Biblical investigation (so much increased of late), and to lay them in the very path of Sabbath school teachers and scholars, for their weekly lessons. It is believed that the plan of furnishing to their hand, from various and voluminous sources, the apparatus and material called for, will make the exercise attractive, and will both encourage and facilitate the study of God's word. This plan, therefore, takes up the Questions of the American Sunday School Union, so extensively in use, and especially the "Consecutive Union Question Book," lately issued, on the Gospels, to prepare Notes with the Questions in cye, and to weave around these Questions the material for more. The book accompanies the Questions without being dependent on them. The author hopes to stand thus in the avenue of so much scriptural instruction, and to be himself a party in the pleasant work, if so be he may be partaker, also, of the reward. He has not done the teacher's work for him, but has gathered for his use that which shall help him in his study, and make it satisfactory; while he has planned, by this means, to introduce to his notice what he needs to know, beyond all that the Questions call for. Teachers so often have not the time for searching commentaries, or for reading discussions and diffuse annotations, that they may easily slight the study, or be discouraged in the good work. Such a Hand-Book, therefore, has been welcomed by many ministers, teachers and superintendents, with whom the author has conversed in the course of its preparation. And while the pupils in Sabbath schools and Bible classes have been mainly afloat, with Questions which are often themselves dark, and oftener such as no one seems precisely to answer, it is believed that an important good may be hereby attained, in bringing scholars to their classes well prepared-and that not only on the Questions, but on other collateral questions suggested by the Notes. May it not also lead to the systematic study of the Gospel Histories, in parochial and other schools, and in family instruction, that the Notes have the advantage of Questions so well approved and every where so accessible as those of the S. S. Union-and these Questions arranged in short Lessons, within the reach of a daily or weekly exercise? Another novel feature of these Notes is, the method of bringing to view a Harmony of the Four Gospel narratives. The common plan has been that of Calvin, Doddridge, Townsend and others-to bring together the parallel passages from the different Evangelists, and to comment on them, thus, in their order. Such a plan must always have the disadvantage of breaking the text, omitting some portions from each Evangelist, and destroying their respective characteristics. But this plan brings a Harmony into practical ase, by placing it where it applies, and where it must all along suggest to the reader, in Captions of the Notes, the many important hints it gives. Furthermore, it goes over the other three Evangelists in the very act of examining one-bringing to view, in their place, the additional records of the othersand thus keeps up the thread of the whole history. It has also this advantage, of giving plain, brief captions to each paragraph, which call attention to the items, and of showing their order by the sections numbered throughout. |