Due to the size and weight of The Synoptic Gospel and The Red Letter Gospel printed paperbacks at 500 grams, or just over 1 lb., it was decided to create a smaller and lighter version of the text so that it would be less expensive to print and ship around the world.
In March of this year 2020 two new versions of the text were published, a Standard Edition and a Complete Edition.
The main difference between these new versions and the current/previous edition is the way that the verses are displayed. In the old version, now referred to as the Study Edition, the verses are arranged as in a vertical column, with only one TSG verse per horizontal line. The advantage of this format is that it matches the line by line verses of the fifth column merger of the FIVE COLUMN four Gospel harmony, which is useful for references and comparisons, and this format is also easier to read and follow when people are reading verses together in a Gospel study group or reading circle.
The new Standard and Complete Editions present the text of the The Synoptic Gospel verses in a horizontal display format with paragraphs, as in a regular book, so that it reads like a novel. The benefit is much less empty white space, and this results in fewer pages. Both The Synoptic Gospel and the The Red Letter Gospel now include a both Standard Edition and a Complete Edition.
The new light-weight Standard Edition uses a 5.5 x 8.5" (14 x 21.6 cm) format with a slightly smaller font. To achieve a page count of 192 pages - which is exactly 50% of 384 pages of the previous Study Edition - many features are not included in the new Standard Edition, including:
- the 10 individual Tables of Chapter Contents that begin each Chapter
- the 9 maps of Israel and Jerusalem that begin each Chapter (although a single map of Israel and of Jerusalem is included)
- the 300+ references to the Old Testament Scriptures, and additional people & places
- the 7 Articles about why the FIVE COLUMN four Gospel harmony was created, and how The Synoptic Gospel was compiled
- the Gospel Verse Cross-Reference (Appendix) which shows if any verse from the four Gospels is part of a parallel set, and where the original verse can be found
The new Standard and Complete Editions are available in bookstores, churches and libraries through Ingram Content Group LLC, and also on Amazon (if you can find them on Amazon Search...). Through these partners the new editions of The Synoptic Gospel and The Red Letter Gospel are available around the world.
Due to their lighter weight, the cost is much lower to ship these beautiful new Editions around the world!
