A Synopsis of the Four Evangelists

Collection ID

BIB.000400

Type

Bible - Printed Book

Date

1815

Geography

(United States)

Language

English

Medium

Printed on Paper

Dimensions

8.7 × 5.7 × 1.2 in. (22 × 14.6 × 3 cm)

Exhibit Location

Not on View

Charles Thomson was the first secretary of the Continental Congress and the first person to translate the Septuagint into English. After completing his Bible in 1808, Thomson began work on this “Synopsis” of the four Gospels, which combined the separate Gospel accounts into a single text. He had grown dissatisfied with previous attempts to harmonize these books. He hoped his work would help demonstrate the consistency of the Gospels, and therefore their reliability when describing Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. In addition to the harmonized text, Thomson also included explanatory notes and an index that allowed readers to locate where he had arranged each verse of the original books.

Printed in 1815 by William McCulloch, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Acquired after 1815 by Thomas C. James, unknown owner.[1] Acquired by 2009 by Gene Albert (Christian Heritage Museum), Hagerstown, Maryland; Purchased in 2010 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Donated in 2019 to The Signatry, Overland Park, Kansas, under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

Notes: [1] Thomas C. James’s signature is located on the front pastedown. No further information is currently available about this individual.

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