How to Quickly Spot Differences in Gospel Accounts

The Gospels tell the rich story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection from four different perspectives—but discovering the similarities and differences in the Gospel accounts can seem like a hefty task.

With the Parallel Gospel Reader, you can find those similarities and differences quickly.

The Parallel Gospel Reader allows you to easily compare passages in Matthew’s, Mark’s, and Luke’s versions of the Gospel accounts—like Jesus cleansing the temple. You’ll learn that Mark’s version in 11:15–19 is the longest, and he is the only one who includes a reference to the nations (11:17).  

To start, click the Tools menu, scroll to Interactive Media, then click Parallel Gospel Reader in the dropdown. 

You can enter a specific biblical passage in the reference box or scroll and expand the reference you want to explore. To display two different Parallel Gospel Readers and compare other nuances between the accounts side by side, click the More icon in the top-right to open the Panel menu, then select Duplicate This Panel. 

That’s it!

You can even take a closer look at the Greek version of these accounts at the same time. See how.

To dig deeper into Mark 11:15–19 and its parallels, open the Passage Guide to Mark 11:15–19 and expand the Parallel Passages section—or explore these resources:

• If you have Logos Bronze or higher, your library already includes Composite Gospel: Parallel Passages. This tool is not a harmony per se, but it aims to suggest the best possible coordinated arrangement of the Gospel sources as they have come down to us. Open it in Logos.
• Harmony of the Gospels (Kendell Easley and Steven L. Cox) is a fresh update of the classic harmony produced by A. T. Robertson. The Logos edition enables you to choose which translation to use for studying the harmony of the Gospels.
• Mobile Ed: The Jesus of the Gospels (Dr. Mark Strauss) investigates the issues surrounding the historical Jesus. Gain confidence in the reliability of the Gospels and strengthen your faith in God’s self-revelation in the person of Jesus.

Visit the Logos Help Center for more on how to get the most out of your Logos Bible Software, or click here to learn more about the Parallel Gospel Reader interactive. 

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The Parallel Gospel Reader is available in Logos Starter and up.

Have Logos Starter or above but don’t see the interactive on the Tools menu?  It may be because you don’t have it downloaded. Simply open your Logos library, search for “Parallel Gospel Reader,” right-click, and select Download.