Publisher's Synopsis
Endorsed By: Julie B. Beck, Fifteenth Relief Society General President John Bytheway, Author / Popular Speaker / University Instructor Orson Scott Card, Award Winning Author, Critic, Public Speaker, Essayist and Columnist Thomas R. Valletta PhD, general editor for "The Book of Mormon, New Testament, Old Testament, Church History and Great American Documents for Latter-Day Saint Families. John A. Peterson PhD, Institutes of Religion Instructor This work represents an attempt to take the four gospel sketches and combine them into a plausible reconstruction of a complete life and ministry of the Savior in a single narrative format. It seemed appropriate to incorporate additional credible information of the Savior's life, including: excerpts from the Joseph Smith Translation, pertinent Greek translations, the scriptures of the restoration, historical, cultural and archeological discoveries, as well as prophetic commentary. It is hoped that these additional resources will bring depth, color, and clarity to this reconstructive portrait. I acknowledge that what I have done with this work is very different from conventional approaches but it is not entirely unique and not without precedent. In c. 160-175 A.D. an Assyrian born scholar and theologian named Tatian, a pupil of Justin Martyr, wrote his famous Diatessaron, combining the four gospels into a single narrative, versions of which persisted through to the 1300's as authoritative. It is widely held that Tatian undertook his work as an apologist in an effort to eliminate the discrepancies found between the gospel accounts. Unlike the motives ascribed to Tatian, I harbor no illusions of replacing or superseding the original gospel accounts as an apologist. While this work draws primarily from scripture, I do not consider it an extension of the scriptural cannon. In my view, it is a personal study aid only. The four Gospels will always stand as independent witnesses, each with a unique perspective which reveal insights only accessible by maintaining their integrity. It is hoped that this work will encourage the reader to undertake an in-depth study of the individual gospels or, having already done so, provide a synthetic perspective which also reveals unique insights. At the urging of family and friends, I offer this interpretation of the mortal life and ministry of Jesus Christ. It represents physical evidence for my children and subsequent posterity of my love for the Lord and His prophets. I hope it will be meaningful to them and to you as well. This book is neither definitive nor authoritative; it has been compiled with the best information I was aware of at the time, and is subject to revision. May we be so blessed as to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ more fully until such time as "[we] shall know even as also [we are] known (1 Cor. 13:12)." John B. Weaver 9/2/15
