The Synoptic Gospels: A Journey Into the Kingdom, Volume I: From Bethlehem to the River Jordan

In this first volume of The Synoptic Gospels: A Journey Into the Kingdom, Ed Bleynat has created a much needed guide for those seeking to better understand the stories of Jesus as told in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Bleynat has drawn on many historical resources, from his ancestors, the ancient Waldenses; to medieval theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas; to the great reformer, Martin Luther; to Thomas Jefferson, with his marketplace of ideas and commitment to the centrality of religious liberty to American life. His more contemporary resources include theologians and scholars such as Paul Tillich, C.S. Lewis, John Dominic Crossan, and Luke Timothy Johnson. From Bethlehem to the River Jordan spans from the synoptic birth narratives to the baptism of Jesus. The author places these three Gospels in their historical contexts and explores the similarities and differences among them. It is in these places that he invites the reader to find the meaning behind and within the gospel texts. This is an invaluable and welcome resource for individual or group study and discussion of the Bible. Includes an extensive index, detailed maps throughout, and a comprehensive biblical and Church timeline.