{"id":885,"date":"2019-02-25T16:58:53","date_gmt":"2019-02-25T15:58:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/?p=885"},"modified":"2019-02-25T16:58:53","modified_gmt":"2019-02-25T15:58:53","slug":"the-synoptic-problem-how-were-the-gospels-written","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/?p=885","title":{"rendered":"The Synoptic Problem – How Were the Gospels Written?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This was not a sermon but rather a discussion of the Synoptic Problem – how is it that Matthew, Mark and Luke’s Gospels are so very similar in places and yet so different in others? These were the notes for the discussion.<\/p>\n

What Luke says
\nLuke 1:1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eye witnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. <\/p>\n

The Similarities and Differences between Matthew, Mark and Luke
\n1.\tSimilarities in Wording<\/p>\n

Matthew 19:13\u201315
\n\tMark 10:13\u201316
\n\tLuke 18:15\u201317<\/p>\n

Matthew 22:23\u201333
\n\tMark 12:18\u201327
\n\tLuke 20:27\u201340<\/p>\n

Matthew 24:4\u20138\tMark 13:5\u20138
\n\tLuke 21:8\u201311<\/p>\n

2.\tSimilarities in Order<\/p>\n

Matthew 16:13\u201320:34
\n\tMark 8:27\u201310:52
\n\tLuke 9:18\u201351\/18:15\u201343<\/p>\n

Matthew 12:46\u201313:58
\n\tMark 3:31\u20136:6a
\n\tLuke 8:19\u201356<\/p>\n

3.\tSimilarities in Parenthetical Material \u2013 Let the Reader understand Matthew 24:15 Mark 13:14.<\/p>\n

4.\tSimilarities in OT Quotations \u2013 not following Hebrew or Greek OTs e.g. Matt 3:3 Luke 3:4<\/p>\n

NOT just down to \u201cthe verbal inspiration of the Holy Spirit\u201d \u2013 explains similarities, not differences.<\/p>\n

Mark is the shortest in length. Of Mark\u2019s 11,025 words, only 132 have no parallel in either Matthew or Luke. Percentage-wise, 97% of Mark\u2019s Gospel is duplicated in Matthew; and 88% is found in Luke. On the other hand, less than 60% of Matthew is duplicated in Mark, and only 47% of Luke is found in Mark. There is much important material found in both Matthew and Luke that is absent in Mark. In particular, the birth narrative, Sermon on the Mount, Lord\u2019s Prayer, and resurrection appearances<\/p>\n

For examples of exclusively Mark-Luke parallels, note the following: the healing of the demoniac in the synagogue (Mark 1:23-28\/Luke 4:33-37); the widow\u2019s mite (Mark 12:41-44\/Luke 21:1-4).
\nFor examples of exclusively Mark-Matthew parallels, note the following: the offending eye\/hand (Matt. 5:29-30 and 18:8-9\/Mark 9:43-47); the details about the death of John the Baptist (Matt. 14:3-12\/Mark 6:17-29); Jesus walking on the water (Matt 14:22-33\/Mark 6:45-52); Isaiah\u2019s prophecy about a hypocritical people and Jesus\u2019 application (Matt 15:1-20\/Mark 7:1-23); the Syrophoenicean woman pericope (Matt 15:21-28\/Mark 7:24-30); the healing of the deaf-mute (Matt 15:29-31\/Mark 7:31-37); the feeding of the four thousand (Matt 15:32-39\/Mark 8:1-10); Elijah\u2019s coming (Matt 17:10-13\/Mark 9:11-13); the withering of the fig tree (Matt 21:20-22\/Mark 11:20-26); the soldiers\u2019 mockery of Jesus before Pilate (Matt 27:28-31\/Mark 15:17-20).<\/p>\n

Possible Answers to The Synoptic Problem<\/strong>
\nThe Gospels are so similar, yet so different, because of a literary dependence between them.<\/p>\n

Augustine (5th Century) Matthew wrote first, Mark used Matthew, Luke used Mark<\/p>\n

The Two Gospel hypothesis (Griesbach 1789)
\nMatthew wrote first, Luke used Matthew, Mark used Luke and Matthew.
\nAgrees with the Early Church tradition that Matthew was written first. It can explain the agreements between the Gospels, especially where Matthew and Luke agree and Mark doesn\u2019t. But it doesn\u2019t explain the differences between accounts. Why would Luke miss out so much of Matthew. And why would Mark have bothered to write anything at all? <\/p>\n

The Two Source Hypothesis (Holtzmann 1863 Streeter 1924) The widely held view today.<\/strong>
\nMark wrote first
\nMatthew and Luke each used Mark plus another source or sources called Q.<\/p>\n

Why do we think Mark wrote first?
\n1.\tMark is the shortest and so much of Mark is in both Matthew and Luke.
\n2.\tMark missed out so much from Matthew and Luke but adds redundant material.
\n3.\tMark has the poorest Greek and the least developed theology.
\n4.\tMark has Aramaic expressions (Mk 3:17; 5:41; 7:11, 34; 14:36; 15:22, 34) which are not in Matt or Luke.
\n5.\tMark has harder readings theologically \u2013 limitations of Jesus\u2019 power (cf. Mk 1:32\u201334; 3:9\u201310; 6:5\u20136
\n6.\tThe lack of verbal agreements of Matthew and Luke against Mark
\n7.\tThe absence of agreements in order with Matthew and Luke against Mark
\n8.\tThe argument from REDACTION. We can see reasons why Matthew and Luke might have changed from what they read in Mark, but no sensible reasons why Mark would have written what he did if he had Matthew and Luke.<\/p>\n

Arguments 6, 7 and 8 are the most persuasive for scholars.<\/p>\n

The existence of Q
\nMatthew and Luke have in common about 235 verses not found in Mark.52 The verbal agreements between these two is often striking e.g., Matt 6:24\/Luke 16:13; Matt 7:7-11\/Luke 11:9-13
\nBut the non-Mark material appears in different places in Matt and Luke, and sometimes it differs. Matt 6:10 v Luke 11:2 Matt includes but Luke misses out, \u201cyour will be done on earth as in heaven.
\nQ could have been one document, or a collection of documents, Matthew and Luke both having some but each having some others. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This was not a sermon but rather a discussion of the Synoptic Problem – how is it that Matthew, Mark and Luke’s Gospels are…<\/span><\/p>\n

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