Harmony of the Gospels in Rhyming Verse

The Harmony of the Gospels in Rhyming Verse is a chronological record of the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. The book is an epic poem that contains divisions and sub divisions.  Each incident is accompanied by the reference texts in which the event is recorded by any or all of the gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The reader  will also find a  table for locating any passage in the Harmony, so that  a  preacher or teacher can use poetry to supplement  a gospel  passage with a rhyming parallel to enrich his exegesis. 

The Chronology and the divisions of the poem are based upon the work of the renowned John A Broadus and his student, A. T. Robertson, whose publications date back to 1893 and 1903 respectively. They printed all four gospels, skillfully arranged in parallel columns, in order to portray the course and development of Christ’s life and ministry. The NIV Harmony of the Gospels is a revised Edition of their work, edited by Robert L. Thomas and Stanley N. Gundry.

By adopting the outline of these scholars, Rev. Taylor has  combined the four parallel columns into the most ancient form that harmonists have used. Tatian, who lived about A.D. 170, wove the four gospels into one continuous narrative called the Diatesseron.. Scores of harmonists, especially since the Protestant reformation, have followed in his steps. Although his work is done in the Diatesseron mode, Pastor Taylor’s book is unique in that it is an epic poem, written in rhyming verse.

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Bible scholars have noted that eighty to ninety percent of Jesus’ words were originally in poetic form. This does not mean that they were in rhyming verse, but the meter, balanced lines, parallelism and so forth, created a great memory help. Since most of these qualities have been lost when the Greek text has been translated into the English language, a paraphrase in rhyming verse provides a similar aid for memory enhancement.

Christian missionaries have reached the most remote tribes to translate the Scriptures into foreign languages. This book represents an effort to translate the story of Jesus into a different language, the poetic language of rhyming verse. It is an English paraphrase. It is a restatement of the life of Jesus, found in the four gospels and unified in a sequential poem.

Harmony of the Gospels In Rhyming verse

An Epic poem on the Life Of Jesus Christ, by Roland S. Taylor

“Looking at the book I’m amazed at the amount of work you have done in order to place the gospel content in a poetic mode. As an individual who found poetry and meter extremely baffling, far more difficult to understand than philosophy or physics, this book amazes me. It will be a joy to read and meditate on.”

Dr. Dale V. Salioo, Executive Minister. Churches of the Pacific Southwest, American Baptist.

“Roland S. Taylor has assembled a mammoth work of formal verse that harmonizes with the Gospels - literally and figuratively. The hallmark of his verses is control while working with rigorous meter and eloquent rhyme, as in this excerpt:

‘While thousands upon thousands milled around,

And crushed each other by their surging size,

He told his own disciples to confound

The teachers who dispense their pious lies.

From “Warning the Disciple about Hypocrisy.”

The Rev. Taylor demonstrates in this epic work his devotion not only unto Lord but unto art.”

Michael Bugeja, Ph. D. Associated Director, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Ohio University. Author of The Art and Craft of Poetry.

Pastor Roland Taylor is a semi-retired Baptist preacher with a rich background in ministry. He was born the son of missionary parents, who instilled in him  a love for the Bible, especially the story of Jesus. Although his father died on the mission field when Roland was eight years of age, the boy never deviated from the faith of his godly father and mother. 

Much of his early training, grade school through high school, was acquired in a Los Angeles Christian school, called Culter Academy.  Because Roland was chosen to represent the school as a member of a boy’s quartet, he learned a wide variety of poems set to music. Singing these songs in churches throughout California,  developed a deep love for poetry and song; A love that he nurtured  during his formal education in the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, the  California Baptist  College and the American Baptist Seminary of the West.

Having graduated from both college and Seminary, Magna Cum Laude, he was called to the First Baptist Church of Brawley, California. His second pastorate was in the Spring Valley Baptist Church of California. He then served the Crossroads Baptist Church of Denver, Colorado for 29 years before retiring. After retirement, he went to the First Baptist Church of Grand Junction to serve as interim pastor for a year.

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Throughout his many years as a senior minister, Roland has been known as a singing evangelist. He has traveled extensively, both in the United States and abroad. He has taken his message in poetry and song to scores of churches of varied denominations as well as service clubs.

During retirement he has continued his speaking and singing ministry. Much of his time is spent in writing poetry. His poems are devoted in large measure to biblical themes. Roland  and his wife Gayle, live in Rancho Mirage, California. They have enjoyed traveling to many far away places with strange sounding names, but their favorite destinations are the homes of their three children and their five grandchildren.

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