Gospels In One
This website takes all four Gospels from the King James Version (KJV) and the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) (also know as the Inspired Version) and combines them into one account of the life of Jesus Christ. The Gospels are divided into events. The accounts of each event are combined to provide one complete account of the event. It is impossible to know the exact order of the events, so the event order usually follows the Harmony of the Gospels in Study Helps of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Go to The Life of Jesus Christ.
Text in [square brackets] provides a modern translation of certain words and phrases. When Scripture is quoted, the reference is also given in [square brackets], with links to the Scriptures at ChurchOfJesusChrist.org. Paragraph divisions are not in the Greek text; the paragraph divisions follow the King James Version of Blue Letter Bible, with some additions when JST verses are added. Footnotes are shown at the end of the paragraph or event. Some events have notes at the end of the event.
Display Options
There are various display options to assist you in your study of the Gospels. Here is a list of the options and what they do.
Show JST: has two options, bold and italics, one or both can be checked.
Color Each Author: This shows each author's words in a different color so you can see which author's words were used in the combined account.
Show Verse Numbers: When selected the verse numbers will be displayed. The verse number shown is from the account used as the basis for that part of the account. Adjacent verses many have very different numbers since one verse may be based on Matthew's account and the next verse based on Luke's account.
Show Hover Text: When this is selected a bubble with the verse reference will be shown for the text where the cursor is located. It automatically turns on Color and Verse Numbers.
Show Event Sources: This displays references for the verses from each account (both KJV and JST) used to create the combined event. These are shown immediately below the event name. Links for the KJV are to ChurchOfJesusChrist.org and links for the JST are to Centerplace.org
Show Title and Event text: Each event has a title and the events are grouped into sections. These titles can be turned on/off. The event text can also be turned on/off to provide an outline of sorts. Clicking on a title will hide/show the text of that section or event.
Paragraph/Verse Mode: In verse mode each verse starts on a new line with paragraph markers (¶) showing where paragraphs start. In paragraph mode multiple verse are combined into one paragraph and the paragraph markers are not shown.
Main Text Font: Either san-serif or serif font can be selected for the main text. Headings will be shown in the other font.
Details
Many people have undertaken to create a harmony of the Gospels. Some only combine whole verses; however, this may leave out details from other accounts that can add meaning and understanding to the event. I have chosen to combine parts of verses from the KJV and JST to include as much detail as possible. As I created the combined account for an event I would identify a verse from the KJV as a base for that part of the event. I then added to that verse details from the JST for that verse and from other accounts and the JST for the other accounts. The added details might be one word or it could be a long phrase or sentence. I might use a verse from Matthew for the base for part of the event and next to it I might use a verse from Luke for the base for that part of the event, so the verse numbers are often not sequential.
When the accounts describe things differently, I have included the word or phrase used by the majority of sources in the text and then, in parentheses, included the term used by one author. When viewing the text with a different color for each author, the term in parentheses will be colored appropriately for that author.
Sometimes the order of details within an event differ between accounts. I have use the order used by the majority of sources, when there is a even number of sources and no majority, then I have chosen the order that seems to fit the best with the event. I have tried to ensure that the details of from each event are included at the appropriate place in the event.
The JST modernized some of the spelling of words and punctuation. I have not highlighted these changes when the only difference was spelling or punctuation. The KJV often has a colon (:) in the middle of sentences. The JST changed these to a comma (,), semicolon (;), or period (.), and these changes have been made to match the JST. Sometimes the JST changed a semicolon (;) to a comma (,); some of these changes have also been included. The following words have been changed to match the JST:
| KJV | JST |
|---|---|
| to day | today |
| to morrow | tomorrow |
| for ever | forever |
| like wise | likewise |
| shew | show |
| any thing | anything |
| whose soever | whosesoever |
In the process of combining accounts and making them read smoothly, I have occasionally added a word. I added "and" 28 times, "or" was added once, and "his" was added once. There were two times when parentheses were added around a phrase from another author's account so the detail could be properly placed while still allowing the sentence to flow normally. When the text is displayed with a different color for each author, these added words and parentheses are shown in black, indicating that they have been added.
Disclaimer
This material is neither made, provided, approved, nor endorsed by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Any content or opinions expressed, implied, or included in or with the material are solely those of the owner and not those of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Contact
If you have suggestions or comments, or if you find an error, please let me know. I want to make this a useful and accurate study tool. Please email Derrick at gospelsinone(at)gmail.com. Thanks!