CMP Review 2024-12-29

The richness of Bible lessons with Charlotte Mason’s The Saviour of the World poetry volumes eluded me until I read a Parents’ Review article by House of Education graduate Eleanor M. Frost. Then all the pieces fell into place. Writing in 1913, Miss Frost explained:

The New Testament work was the chronological study of part of Christ’s earthly Ministry, and this was taken from The Gospel History, with the corresponding notes from each Gospel in the ‘Commentary.’ For instance, suppose the lesson to be on the healing of Peter’s Wife’s Mother; the pupils would read the story in The Gospel History, then compare the accounts of this miracle in St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke, using the Notes in [J. R. Dummelow’s] The One Volume Commentary, next they would read the corresponding poem in Volume II. of The Saviour of the World. Studying the Gospel stories thus, the pupils get the four points of view about Our Lord and also the illustrative poems which help them to think and feel.

Thus a full lesson combines a “synthetic” study facilitated by The Gospel History and The Saviour of the World with an “analytic” study facilitated by the Dummelow commentary. It is a powerful learning experience.

Preparing such a lesson, however, takes time. It can be difficult to find the appropriate passages in the Dummelow commentary. So the Charlotte Mason Poetry team has decided to help. Starting today, our weekly poem from Miss Mason also includes the relevant commentary from Dummelow.

Now in one place you can find everything you need: the Gospel History reading, the commentary, the poem, and a beautiful audio recording of the poem. We hope it helps you unlock the depth of these Bible lessons with your children.

But here’s the biggest secret of all: it’s not just for your children. Why not begin your own personal study of the Gospels with Miss Mason? With insights from Dummelow, a synthetic and analytic study might just change your life. Find it here.

@artmiddlekauff