Selah! Harmony Commentary of the Four Gospels {ebook Volume 1}

By Henry R. Pike

Books have been written to prove anything, everything, and nothing. Others have just been written. This endeavor, born out of fourteen years of hard work, surveys the life of Christ as recorded in the four gospels. It contains a defense of the Authorized Version of the Bible, especially the four gospels, but is void of the rancor often employed by some in dealing with this subject. In courteous but straight talk, Dr. Henry R. Pike deals with several of the pseudo beliefs regarding divine inspiration of Scripture, the unsaved “textual critics,” and the sensational date-setting eschatology, which is the handmaid of radical dispensationalism. The apostate ecumenical movement, false cults masquerading as Christians, and the Papal system of religion are defined for what they were and are. His treatment of the church fathers and certain “heroes of the faith,” such as Augustine, Calvin, and Luther, many of the Reformers, the radical wing of the Anabaptists, the impure Puritans, C. S. Lewis, and other “stalwarts of Christianity” will shock some readers! There are several enlightening paragraphs dealing with apostate hymnology that has cunningly infiltrated Christian worship and a look at the Mega Church phenomena. The popular myth that only Christians founded America is exploded. Various early “American heroes” such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and others are frankly discussed. Unlike most of today’s “best sellers,” the author pointedly deals with sin’s terrible consequences and the curse of unbelieving academic theological heresy. An apologetic stance defends the major doctrines of the Christian faith. Cogent and relevant social, political, religious, and moral issues are considered, whether closely, distantly, or not at all related to the immediate subject under discussion. With candid frankness, the author gives just about everyone their due, including himself and the Baptist community of which he is part. Because this work is built upon the four gospels, all of them written about the same Man, there are many repetitions. To mitigate this repetitive boredom one frequently finds a courteous bluntness that will disturb some readers but comfort others. Numerous extraordinary missionary experiences of the author give this work a spark of genuine gospel excitement. Amid colorful flashes of alternating humor mixed with pungent straight talk, some of these Sections hit like a piece of velvet wrapped around a hammer. There are helpful explanations of odd customs and manners found in ancient Hebrew literature, blended with practical common sense exegesis. The biblical teaching of real salvation through repentance and faith in Christ is preeminent. These pages contain a continual appeal for readers to consider the destiny of their souls and hurry to the Son of God for forgiveness and eternal life. Those who are seriously concerned about why the Lord Jesus came in the world, what this offers them, and how to prepare for eternity may find help in this volume. Though written as a harmony commentary of the four gospels and relative events, this material also may be used for causal reading and devotional exercise.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ambassador International
• Release date: Oct 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9781620200414

Book preview

SELAH!

Harmony Commentary of the Four Gospels

(with connotations on historical and relevant social, moral, religious, and political issues)

The King James or Authorized Version of the Bible, the Fourth Edition of 1769

The above edition of the 1611 Authorized Version was published in 1769 under the supervision of Dr. Benjamin Blayney (1728-1801).

This is the King James Bible that is popularly used today.

By Missionary Henry R. Pike, Ph.D.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Publisher's Note

Dedication

How to Use this Harmony Commentary

Author's Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Appendix One

Appendix Two

Appendix Three

Appendix Four

Appendix Five

Appendix Six

Appendix Seven

Appendix Eight

Selah!

Harmony Commentary of the Four Gospels

© 2012 by Missionary Henry R. Pike, Ph.D.

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

Selah! ISBN: 978-1-62020-040-7

Selah! (ebook volume 1) ISBN: 978-1-62020-041-4

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (Authorized Version), fourth edition, 1769.

Part of the material in this volume is due to the appropriation of other works by copying fractional portions from these sources. This has been used to criticize, confirm, teach, buttress, and clarify different statements in the Footnotes-Commentaries. All such quotations help support key points or introduce topics for further discussion. I have sought to keep all citations within the limits of the Copyright Policy for fair use. In some publications cited, the source details were illegible, untraceable, or missing. Upon written notice regarding oversights, omissions, or incorrect citations from copyright material used, these will be corrected in any future printings. This book may not be reproduced in any form beyond the copying permitted by Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Permission is granted for quotations of approximately two hundred words in reviews and articles. Persons citing from copyright materials used in this work that go beyond the fair use policy should seek permission from the individual copyright holders. Recognition of the copyright material used is located in the Selected Bibliography.

Cover Photos

Top: Scenes in the land of Israel

Bottom: Sea of Galilee

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Publisher’s Note

Due to the size of Selah! and ebook restrictions, the Selah! ebook has been broken into volumes as noted below:

1. Volume 1 – Chapters 1 – 5

2. Volume 2 – Chapters 6 – 10

3. Volume 3 – Chapters 11 – 15

4. Volume 4 – Chapters 16- 20

Each ebook includes the author’s instructions on how to use the commentary as well as the appendices.

The bibliography for Selah!  can be found in Volume 4.

DEDICATION

We live, work, die, and leave our memories behind. This book is given as a lasting memory to our four children and six grandchildren. The latter gave us a new outlook on life and a better understanding of our failures and successes as young parents. The crowns of this old couple, still happy sweethearts after fifty-eight years of marriage, are Timothy, Jeremy, Christy, Cody, Caroline, and Nicholas. All of us leave behind a composite of memories. Both sadness and joy are the life companions of all men. They are part of the time woven fabric of human existence. The legacy of genuine Christians should be that of Prov. 10:7, "The memory of the just is blessed. Beloved children and greatly beloved grandchildren, meet Mom and Dad and Papa and Nana" in heaven when your earthly days have ended. You know the way; He is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. How joyful when we reach the end of life and find that everything God has done, be it ever so dark and mysterious, will bring eternal thanksgiving from our lips and honor to His Name. Keep remembering that true Christians see the future in the present!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

During the years spent in building this harmony commentary, we have passed through one storm after another. Our oldest son incurred a major heart attack from which he never fully recovered. My wife suffered a massive stroke while we were out of state in meetings. She is a genuine miracle in view of the enormity of this monster malady, brain surgery, and her amazing recovery to this moment. Prior to these things, my second son fell ill with leukemia in Johannesburg, South Africa. He also miraculously survived the ravages of this deadly disease. I have passed through eight surgeries and am now, at the ripe old age of eighty, confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of my earthly days. These ills of human life have driven us deeper into God’s loving arms. It was out of this stormy background that Selah! Harmony Commentary of the Four Gospels was born. The tears of God’s children are the diamonds that make heaven shine.

Many people have helped to make this book possible. Giants of the faith, some of them now in heaven enjoying God forever, from whose works I have drawn, are given the salute of Christ. These pages would never have been written had my Sunday school teacher, the late Mrs. Ruth Gifford, not led me to the Savior in 1946. Among my numerous helpers are the following:

First, is my precious wife of fifty-eight years, Addien, who supports me in everything, along with our sons, David, Timothy, Phillip, and daughter, Rosemary. My grandsons, Timmy, Jeremy, and Cody, often rescued me from those confounding computer problems. Standing up front among our helpers are Bill and Mary Chappell. Mary spent many hours typing and assisting with layout designs. Bill drove me back and forth to the doctors amid my various illnesses while this work was being written. Our long list of helpers includes Chris Taylor, Kenny Waldrop, Luke and Katelyn Bundy, Frankie Tye, Janice Morgan, Sam Clark, Eddie Ledford, Grace Heimendinger, Tommy Kyser, Bonnie Links, Jerald Manley, Donna Kagel, Tony and Daisy Fowler, Lee Lawrence, Judy Gilbert, Eulala and Chuck Fletcher, Victoria Ralph, Brownie Rogers, Ron Thompson, Kenny Layne, Jan Hall, and Julie McCrum. Thanks also to Joan Cosby, Daniel and Debbie O’Renick, Chuck Garrett, Vaughan Thandroyan, Johnny Campbell, Pastor James Mills, and Bronston Baptist Church along with Freedom Baptist Church, and pastor Ed Parton gave financially to the publication of this book. Kenny O’Dell, Alex Wheeler, Dr. Chrissy Heise, and Mike and Sharlotte McGary also helped. Dean Wilson, Ron Widner, Fred and Pat Chapman, Timothy Green, Bill and Frances Mosley, Kevin Anderson, and Dr. Sarah White deserve a salute of gratitude. Dawn and Kevin Deuter, Howard Gough, Dr. Leigh Anne Randall, and Marie Hunter, all of them in far off Australia, perused many pages. Anne Smith’s work was a great blessing despite many long distance collect phone calls! Peter and Ruth Thomas read hundreds of pages, made corrections, and offered many timely suggestions. Sherman Dye, Tony Miller, and Sam Lowry gave me wise counsel regarding printing requirements. Some have chosen to be anonymous.

Sandra King, our Australian daughter, while helping nurse my wife out of a stroke, did hours of manuscript reading. Daniel Black, a helpful friend rescued the whole effort from being lost in computer mayhem and laid out the final format. Neva Huff did a comprehensive perusal of this work.

Lastly, Professor Stan Eby and Rebecca Weier, assisted in many ways. Other Christians shared in building this harmony commentary. After fourteen years of labor, I cannot remember all my helpers. Happily, God knows their names and addresses. For all who made this book possible, the Bible has a unique message recorded in Heb. 6:10. Thank you!

HOW TO USE THIS HARMONY COMMENTARY

The miracle of Christ’s coming into the world resulted in a different style of historical religious literature. Though all Scripture was given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the four gospels are the crown of all biblical writings. A reliable harmony of these gospels is the first tool necessary in studying the life of Christ. One cannot properly understand the record of His earthly years without this resource. Nahum Tatian, a heretical Gnostic who lived for a time in Syria, composed the most ancient harmony known. Shortly after A.D. 150, he wrote a Diatessaron, meaning a harmony in four parts. Being a Gnostic, he doctored his work, leaving out references to the deity of Christ. None of it survived the ravages of time, but other ancient writers mentioned it in their writings. Over the centuries, hundreds of harmonies were produced, often taking varying approaches to the Master’s life and work. The Selah! Harmony Commentary of the Four Gospels is another attempt to harmonize (as far as possible) the records of Jesus’ life. This book has two major differences; first, it contains a massive commentary, and second, the author holds to the absolute inspiration of the four gospels as well as the entire canon of Holy Scripture. As explained later, God did not intend that all four gospels be totally harmonized. If so, we could dispense of three and use just one. The following briefly explains the methodology, literary tools, and techniques employed in producing this work.

Text: The Authorized or King James Version, fourth edition of 1769.

Authors’ names attached to the four gospels: It is incorrect to think that the names of the gospels prove that these men wrote them. Several centuries beforenameswere added, the belief existed that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote these documents. Their names were later attached at the heading of each book. Consequently, in time, the Holy Spirit, not men, vindicated their authorship.

The length of His ministry: This has been determined by the number of Passover celebrations the Savior attended. The author understands that the feast of John 5:1 has reference to this great annual event in Hebrew history. I have reckoned the length of His ministry, beginning at His baptism with four successive Passovers following. Writers have used this approach for centuries. This is discussed at the beginning of Section 52, footnotes a, b, and c. The author conjectures that Christ died at approximately thirty-four years old. His early years were in the reign of King Herod the Great. He was reasonably somewhere under two years old when Herod slaughtered the infants and Joseph fled to Egypt with his family. Shortly after Herod’s death in 4B.C., they returned to the land of Israel.

Disclaimer: British spellings remain as they are. For example the word fullness is spelt as fulness, the style used in the Scripture texts. Errors in quotations and some spellings (unless of serious nature) taken from the documentation sources have been retained as originally printed. A few quoted misspellings are tagged by the grammatical tool sic. Having read hundreds of books over the years, the author drew some of this work from a rusty memory and cannot now precisely document them. Quotations from an author are not my endorsement of all his theological beliefs. Citations from John Gill, F. W. Farrar, John Lightfoot, Adam Clarke, A. T. Robertson, Joachim Jeremias, and Alfred Edersheim illustrate this. The Soncino Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, the works of Josephus, Joseph Klausner, George Foot-Moore, Will Durant, and all other pseudo, or non-Christian sources are used for historical purposes, not theological. Doctor C. I. Scofield’s comments in his footnotes at John 5:3; Mk. 11:26; Acts 8:37; Col. 2:2; and 1John 5:7 reflect that he was slightly poisoned by German higher criticism.

Quotation marks, capitalization, and font styles: Quotation marks are inserted throughout the text of the four gospels. They help the reader to determine who is saying, what in the biblical passages. Capitalizations are used in the Footnotes-Commentaries when they speak of the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God, whether it is Christ the Word, or the Scriptures. Pronominal mentions of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are also in the uppercase. No punctuation marks exist in biblical manuscripts, including the Textus Receptus.Translators added these later. All words spoken by Satan and demons are in a heavy Gothic font to reflect their malevolent intentions toward God, man, and creation.

Color system: All of Christ’s Words are in red letters. This idea originated in 1899 with a German immigrant, Dr. Steven Klopsch, and was used in the first edition of the Christian Herald Magazine. Old Testament quotations or allusions in the four gospels and selected mentions of Jesus as the Messiah are set in dove gray backgrounds with a dark letter font. The three times that God spoke audibly to Christ are shaded in gray with red font. The four Passovers Jesus attended during His ministry are set in a gray background. His entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and the major events to His ascension are shaded in gray or typed in heavy red or black font. These two colors are used in some chapter and Section headings. Italics, gray backgrounds, or heavy black and red fonts emphasize certain words and subjects. Peter’s three denials, Pilate’s five innocent verdicts, Jesus’ seven sayings from the cross, and the five different mentions of the Great Commission are all set in a gray background with red letters.

Many repetitions and helps: Four histories, written about the same Man, contain numerous repetitions. This work has hundreds of these. Repetitions are not that painful, unless they become tautological. The gospels reveal that Jesus repeated Himself; even decades after His ascension (compare Matt. 13:9 with Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, and 29). Portions of the Footnotes-Commentary in one Section may be repeated in another Section. I reasoned it best to reiterate many things, instead of continually sending the readers back and forth through this work by using the ibid back-reference tool. The hundreds of cross references, many doublets, triplets, and quadruplicates will make this work difficult for some. Most references are identified by See Section ..., Note ..., or Refer to Section ..., and so forth. Frequent mention is made of the learned academicians, great scholars, and experts. These terms point mostly to the unsaved religious intellectuals who think they are qualified to translate and censure the Bible, a book in which they do not believe in the first place. Nothing rude is intended by these descriptive terms. Across the top of each Section is a long narrow Information Box briefly stating what is in that particular Section. The twenty chapters in this harmony commentary vary in length due to their contents.

Finding paragraphs easily: MostFootnotes-Commentary headings have numerous sub-paragraphs. These are marked by 2p-, 3p-, meaning second and third paragraphs. This literary tool will aid readers to locate quickly the desired sub-paragraphs under any of the Footnotes-Commentary headings. Some of these paragraphs are independent thoughts not connected with previous subjects.

Departures and styles used: Frequently,I have bypassed some of the standard methodology used in literary presentations. The ibid notation, referring to a text or book previously quoted, has been excluded. I chose to repeat the book title and author’s name. This will save the astute much reader time in backtracking through hundreds of pages to locate the original source. Technical theological terms have been avoided as far as possible. The grammatical tools, i.e., cit., e.g., op., cf., ampersand (&) except in book titles and the ellipsis, are used sparingly. The old term passim meaning here and there, is found in a few places. Symbols such as ►, ◙and ●, along with the asterisk identify or connect specific topics. Not every statement is documented. Such acute preciseness would require many extra pages and lay an unnecessary burden upon the readers. Academicians have the tendency to over-document their works, believing this demonstrates their great knowledge and vast research capabilities. Too much of this is a nuisance for the average reader. I have sought to mitigate this boredom. Devotional, exegetical, homiletical, and historical methodologies with literal and allegorical hermeneutics have been used. The Supplements attached to Section 23 and Section 38 are without Footnotes-Commentary.

A one-volume work: Every versein thefour gospels is in the twenty chapters of this work with hundreds of references and comments. Explanatory words are indicated by brackets within the Scripture texts and by inverted commas after the texts. The two longest Sections are The Sermon on the Mount, Sections 44–47, and the Olivet Discourse, in Section 163 with its parallels in Mk. 13 and Lk. 21. Chapters 1 and 8 are divided into four parts for precise explanations. Ancient Hebrew customs and manners are frequently explained. The genealogies of Christ are given from five slightly different angels in Chapter 3. They reveal that He was from the Hebrew nation; their promised Messiah. There are eight Appendices to expand specific topics, a General Subject Index, and a Selected Bibliography.

The world’s most hated Man: Theological liberalism with its cavalier attitude presents Jesus as another nice guy religious figure. He is unsaved mankind’s most despised person because He is the world’s only Savior. Never in the past two thousand years has the Son of God been so publicly ridiculed and blasphemed as He is today. The da Vinci Code and The Lost Gospel According to Judas Iscariot scandalized His perfect character. Islam fiercely hates His death and resurrection. He is maligned by the educational, political, and entertainment systems. Both the History and National Geographic television channels present Him as an ignorant Jew, trying to find His purpose in life. Experts are summoned from America’s hellhole seminaries to decide whether He arose from the dead! To pray publicly in His divine Name may insult the godless and bring litigation. Cultural and spiritual corruption is poisoning America. In this book, sin and Satan are described as they are. I have sought to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), while at the same time tell the truth without varnishing sin and its disastrous results in the bodies and souls of men. Unsaved theological academicians are slouched into a no-such-thing-as-sin posture. They pander to a Hollywood-style Jesus. The religious best sellers avoid controversial issues and are always positive. Naming sin, its effects, damnation, and hell are taboo. We shun habitual negativity, yet negatives are part of life. God gave Ten Commandments. (They have now become The Ten Suggestions.) Eight of these are negative and two are positive. Jesus was sorely abstract when confronting religious hypocrites. This book has negatives when dealing with apostasy and sin. We hold that all that is truly noble, good, and lofty in civilization is the fruit of Christ’s appearing among men.

If a genuine Christian seeks to live according to Scripture, he is politically incorrect. He is branded as a fundamentalist or the religious right. Dealing biblically with abortion, adultery, fornication, sodomy, same sex marriages, heresy, radical Islam, apostasy, false religions, and corrupt politics is hate crime language. Satanic tolerance is the god that rules American society. The confused masses are conditioned to be nice to sin and the Devil. Hell and damnation preached from the pulpit are insultingly inappropriate. Yet, the habitual use of these two words in the public domain is acceptable. The humanistic tolerance of today is not the highest expression of freedom. The vice of human indecision has turned millions of Christians into cowards. It is the seedbed of anarchy toward God. Men have enthroned themselves in their hearts. Immoral moralists have recast decency into a dirt mold. They connive to silence those who oppose their evil, believe in Christ, and stand for purity and right. Supporting wickedness is an act of individual cowardice. Once Americans believed that every man had the right to his opinion. Today, every man’s opinion is right! Where are the responsibilities and absolutes that are required of every man? Everything is fluid, relevant, and compatible. Men protest, We have our rights! Yes, even the right to go to hell. Sound reasoning is enslaved by passions and the will of the people. Animals do not practice what some do in the name of civil liberties. In public functions, traditional prayer is being replaced by a moment of silence. A man can almost marry his cow with court approval and possibly government tax support. Are America’s freedoms licenses to future doom?

Rejecting ecumenical pluralism. This work contains no ecumenical inter-faith appeal. Apostasy is rejected because Scripture teaches it is wrong. Cults, sects, religions, denominations, philosophies, educators, academicians, theologians, and politicians who oppose foundationalBible teachings are the enemies of God and men. We are not one global family. Sin has divided humanity beyond repair; all need Jesus Christ. Man is not the measure of all things. He is a failure without the Savior. An apologetic stance upholds the major doctrines of Scripture. Calvinism, Arminianism, and academic infidelity are demonic departures from sound biblical doctrine. I have sought to mitigate my judicial opinions with Christian candor and calm. If describing Satan and his imps for what they are is unchristian, then this book is unchristian. Contemplating heaven or hell and the destiny of men, demands brutal honesty. Thus, it has been impossible to write in a total dispassionate style. In spiritual matters, most people prefer a sweet lie to the bitter truth. A Christian who disbelieves the total inspiration of Scripture cannot be trusted very far with spiritual issues. Soon, he will miss the mark, for he has no infallible guide. Education without Christ and God’s Word makes unsaved religious men clever devils.

Personal experiences and other points: Selected events from my Christian life are included to enhance particular subjects. Comments that are relevant in today’s social, economic, political, moral, and spiritual crises will frequently appear. Some of these are repeated later in other Sections. Questions regarding chronology are touched upon several times. A few Hebrew and Greek words are used for clarification not correction. King Herod died in 4B.C. Christ was born shortly before this date. About the first five or six years of our Savior’s life lapsed back into theB.C. era of King Herod. As mentioned, it is assumed that Jesus died at thirty-four years of age in about A.D.30. Thus, His death was approximately forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D.70. Accuracy, without pretending to know all the answers, let alone the questions, has been the prime goal. No work of man is infallible, but genuine effort should be expended to make it the best that he can produce. In a book this large, so extended, and intricate, the author could not escape all errata. Over time, some will find problems, inadvertent inaccuracies, errors, and questions that need answering. My conjectures are given as possibilities, not facts. Most of these appear in italics. I have prayed for heavenly help from the start to finish. Now, I ask all readers for patience and pardon where necessary. The world crowns success; the Lord of heaven crowns faithfulness. To wear the diadem of His approval is the highest honor for any true Christian.

In the Bible, God established all divine doctrine that He wants us to know. It is found nowhere else. The history of this afterward is the story of divine preservation. Intermittently, this work carries an appeal to prepare for eternity. The gospel brings life and immortality into the darkness of sin for all who receive Christ as personal Lord and Savior. At death, we step through one door and enter another called eternity. This cannot be spent! The prudent person will ponder this inevitable fact and hurry to Jesus, the Son of God, for forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. Selah! Think of that.

AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION

The King James Version of the Bible and related subjects

Matthew’s book is considered to be the first written and therefore, the oldest of the four gospels. In this harmony commentary, the other three are harmonized (as closely as possible) with his record and not that of Mark. Their histories give portions of the life of Christ but hardly all of it. At times, their entries in the four narratives are not in any particular chronological order, while at other times they are. Variations of subject matter reveal the absence of personal collaboration. The four gospels are brief, informal, yet dramatic and powerful. Infidel critics consider them inartistic, nonconforming, and disjointed. These opinions demonstrate that "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). For example, writing by divine compulsion, not human choice, or genius, Matthew recorded a deed of Christ at one place in his history, while Mark or Luke penned it at another; yet God directed each one in what He wanted written about the life of His Son and where He wanted it placed in their books. In all such cases, the events, themselves were of greater importance than the order in which they occurred. Examples of how the four writers often placed the same events into different chronological slots are listed just before Section 29 under the heading From This Point Forward. Due to the unique style in which God had the gospels written, it is impossible to build one complete unitary harmony of all four. If this were done, we could dismiss three of them and use only one. The Holy Spirit purposely inhibited this. We have four gospels; they are similar yet different. God arranged it this way so those who study the life of Christ have a broader view of His Son. Because the beauty of Christ’s life transcends all of earth’s mortals, to record a brief part of it in absolute accuracy is an accomplishment of grace that excels all literary innovations.

Divine authority directed all four evangelists in what they wrote regardless of where they may have gotten it; whether from memory, the testimony of others, or straight from God. Similarities in vocabulary, sentence constructions are normal, since they all wrote on the life of Christ. Skeptic theologians tell us that John penned his gospel as a helpful supplement to the other three in an attempt to fill in the gaps they left. John wrote as the Holy Spirit directed. He recorded many things not given by the other three evangelists. Whatever his work did or did not do for the other three is a matter of individual understanding. All four gospels intermittently supplement one another, even though the human authors wrote independently. For a discussion of when the gospels were written, see Appendix Seven. A German literary critic, Gottlob Storr (died 1805), popularized the myth that Mark wrote his gospel first; then Matthew and Luke borrowed, swapped, and chopped all they could from him. Needing more material, they went to a mythical source. No one knows where this was or what became of it. Unbelieving theologians named this nonexistent thing Q or logia. It was another academic delusion hatched by the unsaved literary authorities who reject an inspired Bible.

The surly conjectures of greatly learned minds that toyed with the Scripture originated in Europe among unregenerate religionists. These men disdained a Bible that is trustworthy and demoted Christ to the rank of world thinkers and philosophers. Rationalism, whether it is the German, British, or American variety, has never been the friend of Christ, God’s Word, or the souls of men. It purports to believe in God, on the one hand, yet discredits His Word, and ballyhoos divine inspiration on the other. How troubling to hear great ministers stand and struggle to explain to their congregations why dozens of verses and hundreds of serious words have been dropped out of the easier to understand versions they use. The next several paragraphs briefly relate the story of unsaved religionists, who attempted to critique the four gospels. Beginning with the premise that the Scriptures were fabricated, the message of the inspired four gospels flew in the face of the superior learning of these professional infidels. Frustrated by the darkness of their unconverted souls, early critics of Scripture named their inability to understand how God gave the first three gospels, the synoptic problem. This pseudo science was the offspring of Old Testament higher criticism. Called innovations in philosophy, higher criticism originated with Satan. He planted it into the minds of two Catholics, Richard Simon (died 1712), and Jean Astruc (died 1766). It was another