Annotations on the Four Gospels: Compiled and Abridged for the Use of Students. in Two Volumes

Annotations On The Four Gospels: Compiled And Abridged For The Use Of Students. In Two Volumes by Heneage Elsley. This scholarly manual offers a verse-by-verse commentary on the Gospels, with cross-references among Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and engages Jewish, Roman, and early Christian contexts. It provides geographic and historical background, analyzes the New Testament text through manuscript evidence, versions, and patristic citations, and surveys the Christian dispensation, including baptism and the Lord's Supper. The volume foregrounds method and interpretation: weighing prophecies, covenantal symbols, and eschatological expectations; examining textual variants; and drawing on authorities such as Josephus, Prideaux, Lightfoot, and Michaelis. It uses Matthew’s opening genealogies as a paradigmatic entry point to illustrate philology, lineage, and inclusion of Gentile and Jewish strands. The work aims to aid students in understanding gospel contexts, critical editions, and doctrinal implications, enabling readers to place Jesus’ teachings and passion narratives within the broader first-century Jewish-Roman world and the early church's interpretive tradition.