Why Four Gospels? (Signed. First Edition. Very Rare.)
Louisville, KY: Pentecostal Publishing Company, 1915. First Edition. Hardcover. This copy is extremely rare, and signed by the author on the front flyleaf: "Francis Dwight VanValkenburgh, Kent's Hill. Maine. Sept. 13. 1914." VanValkenburgh was a member of the Little Rock and Louisiana Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The book's introduction is by Rev. H. C. Morrison, President of Asbury College, and editor of the Pentecostal Herald.
Although we're unable to say for sure, the location of "Kents Hill, Maine" VanValkenburgh noted within his signature, suggests he may have had affiliation with the Maine Wesleyan Seminary, now known as Kents Hill School. At the time, Kents Hill was a prominent Methodist-affiliated institution, driven by high intellectual and religious activity. Given the author's theological focus, it is possible that he served there in some capacity, but again, we cannot definitively make this claim with certainty. It was also common for clergy and educators of the period to move between New England's academic centers and the "Holiness" movements' publishing hubs in the South and Midwest.
This work provides a defense and explanation for why there are specifically four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), in the New Testament. Very rare, only one edition in sixteen libraries was found of this book on OCLC, #8362211.
Bound in navy publisher's cloth with white stamped lettering on the cover and spine. Author's signature on the front flyleaf. Frontispice portrait of Rev. F. D. VanValkenburgh in black and white. 102 pp.
CONDITION: Mild external wear with some erosion of the lettering on the cover. Discolored endpapers. Leaves have lightly toned throughout. Unmarked except for the author's notations and a previous owner's name stamp within the endpapers and title page. Binding is solid. A very nice, very special, rare copy. Full refund if not satisfied. Very Good.
Item #080183
Price: $250.00