HARMONIES (haem6-nIz). The object of Har rnonies is to arrange the Scriptures in chronological order, so that the mutual agreement of the several parts may be rendered apparent, and the true suc cession of events clearly understood. With this view various scholars have compiled harmonies of the Old Testament, of the New, and of particular portions of both. Harmonies of the Old Testa ment exhibit the books disposed in chronological order, as is done by Lightfoot in his Chronicle of the Times, and the Order of the Texts of the Old Testament, and by Townsend in his Old Testa ment Arranged in Historical and Chronological Order. Harmonies of the New Testament prescnt the gospels and epistles distributed in like order, the latter being interspersed among the Acts of the Apostles. In this way Townsend has proceeded in his valuable work entitled, The New Testament arranged in Chronological and Historical Order.
Books, however, of this kind are so few in num ber, that the term harmony is almost appropriated by usage to the gospc/s. It is this part of the New Testament which has chiefly occupied the attention of those inquirers whose object is to arrange the Scriptures in their true order. The memoirs of our Lord written by the four Evangelists have chiefly occupied the thoughts of those who wish to chow that they all agree, and mutually authenti cate one another. Accordingly, such compositions are exceedingly numerous. To adopt any one im plicitly, is more than the enlightened inquirer can consent to do. We should therefore rccommend a minute examination of the works prepared by Newcome, Greswell, Michaelis, De Wette and Liicke, Clausen, Robinson, Andrews, etc.
S. D.