Synopsis of the Books of the Bible: Ezra to Malachi
Overview
The second volume continues Darby’s synopsis of the Old Testament, beginning with Ezra. In this volume, Darby includes an interpretation of the Psalms which connects the words of David to Christ’s suffering and death. This volume also contains introductions to the prophets and to the nature of prophecy in general. Some prophecy, he says, is meant to warn Israel, while other prophecy promises future glory. Darby’s impact on the role of prophecy, the process of prophetic interpretation, and the reading of apocalyptic literature in the modern church has been felt ever since.
Top Highlights
“God reveals to us here, not an open interposition on His part in favor of His people, which could no longer take place, but that providential care which secured their existence and their preservation in the midst of their enemies.” (Page 34)
“He punish them for their iniquities: a solemn but very simple principle” (Page 543)
“He still cared for them (which this book proves to us), when they no longer held any position owned of God, and had, on their part, lost all title to His protection, is an extremely touching and important fact in the dealings of God.” (Page 34)
“With the exception of the first two chapters, which go together, each chapter in Amos is a distinct prophecy.” (Page 544)
“their attachment to Zion in their captivity; there was no separation of heart from it in the strange land.” (Page 266)
Darby left a lasting legacy for us today.
—Conservative Theological Journal
To see classical dispensationalist theology at its best, one must read Darby…
—Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Darby was a brilliant man…
—Moody Handbook of Theology
- Title: Synopsis of the Books of the Bible: Ezra to Malachi
- Author: John Darby
- Publisher: Loizeaux Brothers
- Publication Date: 1950
- Pages: 637
John Darby (1800–1882), an evangelist, was known as the father of dispensationalism. He attended Westminster School and Trinity College. Darby became a lawyer, but he practiced law for just one year because he thought it was incompatible with his religious beliefs. He was ordained as a deacon in the Church of England in 1825 and became a priest in 1826.
While a priest, Darby realized he disagreed with the Church of England’s rituals and ideas. He gathered like-minded individuals to form the movement later known as the Plymouth Brethren and left the Church of England in 1832. Darby influenced individuals such as C. I. Scofield and Charles Henry Mackintosh, whose writing contributed to the rise of fundamentalism in America.
Darby has authored several titles, including the 1890 Darby Bible, his Synopsis of the Books of the Bible (5 vols.), and several writings, letters, and notes included in The Collected Writings of John Nelson Darby collection.