1.4.

The Synoptic Gospels

0.1.1. Meaning of Synoptic Gospels and the Synoptic problem

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are called Synoptic. They tell basically the same story in the
same sequence, and often in the same precise wording. They can be studied side by side, in a book called
a synopsis seeing together and from this type of aid for study they get their collective title. The
three gospels are so remarkably alike. The motives for such close copying are difficult to ascertain, but
the first assumption is respect for their sources or predecessors.

Whatever the reasons, the Synoptics are so close to one another that virtually all students of them have
concluded that the relationship depends on direct literary copying from one gospel to another, or from
common sources. We shall so study the question of why these three accounts of the Gospel are so closely
parallel1; that is, why they agree with one another the way they do.
View parallelism: Mt 8:14-15; Mk 1:29-31; Lk 4:38-39

MATTHEW MARK LUKE

14 29 And immediately he left 38 And he arose and left
And when the synagogue, the synagogue,

and entered the house of Simon and and entered Simon's house.
Jesus entered Andrew,
Peter's house, with James and John.
30
he saw his mother-in-law Now Simon's mother-in-law Now Simon's mother-in-law
lying sick lay sick was ill
with a fever; with a fever, with a high fever,
and immediately and they besought
they told him of her. him for her. 39
31 And he stood over her
15 And he came and took her and rebuked the fever,
he touched her hand, by the hand and lifted her up, and it left her;
and the fever left her, and the fever left her; and immediately she rose
and she rose and served him. and she served them. and served them.

1
See: HUCK, A. (1972). Synopsis of the first three gospels. Oxford : Basil Blackwell.
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People have been studying the interrelationships of the Synoptics for centuries. Biblical scholars have
come up with diverse synopses of the three gospels. J.J. Griesbach (1744) is famous to have come up
with the first critical synopsis which enabled scholars to study the literary relationships among the
gospels. (See HUCK, A. (1972). Synopsis of the first three gospels. Oxford : Basil Blackwell).
Griesbachs synopsis, like the many other synopses published subsequently, allows all three gospels to
be studied side by side and thus simultaneously. The use of a synopsis is crucial for the study of the
synoptic gospels.

0.1.2. The synoptic problem

How come that the text of the three gospels are so similar? Did they copy from one the other? Which
of the three should be held as the original writing which inspired the writers of the other two? Yet
each gospel has its particular notes which are not found elsewhere? The following example is
eloquent. We compare three periscopes.

Mt 16:24-28 Mk 8:34-9:1 Lk 9:23-27

24 Then Jesus said to his 34 And he called to him the 23 And he said
disciples, multitude with his disciples, and to all,
said to them,

"If anyone "If anyone "If anyone would come after

would come after me, let him would come after me, let him me, let him deny himself and
deny himself and take up his deny himself and take up his take up his cross daily and
cross and follow me. cross and follow me. follow me.

25 For whoever would save his 35 For whoever would save his 24 For whoever would save his
life will lose it, life will lose it; life will lose it;
and whoever loses his life for and whoever loses his life for and whoever loses his life for
my sake my sake my sake,
and the gospel's
will find it. will save it. he will save it.

26 For what will it profit a man,
if he gains the whole world and
forfeits his life?
Or what shall a man give in
return for his life?
36 For what does it profit a 25 For what does it profit a man
man, to gain the whole world if he gains the whole world and
and forfeit his life? loses or forfeits himself?
37 For what can a man give in
return for his life?

38 For whoever is ashamed of 26 For whoever is ashamed of

me and of my words in this me and of my words,
adulterous and sinful
generation, of him will the Son of him will the Son of man be
27 For the Son of man is to ashamed when he comes in his
of man also be ashamed, when
come with his angels in the he comes in the glory of his glory and the glory of the Father
Father with the holy angels." and of the holy angels.
glory of his Father, and then he
will repay every man for what
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he has done.
28 Truly, I say to you,
there are some standing here
who will not taste death before
they see the Son of man coming
in his kingdom."
27 But
9 1 And he said to them, "Truly,
I say to you truly, there are
I say to you, there are some
some standing here who will not
standing here who will not taste
taste death before they see the
death before they see that the
kingdom of God."
kingdom of God has come with
power."

In this example, we see that many of the words appear in all three gospels. The introductions,
however, are a bit different. In Matthew the sayings are addressed to disciples, in Mark to the crowd
with his disciples, and in Luke to all [the disciples].

In addition to the triple agreements Matthew and Mark have some words in common which are not in
Luke. e.g. to his disciples in Mark 8:34; what can a man give in return for his life in Mark 8:37.
Against Matthew, Mark and Luke have will save where Matthew has will find (Mk 8:35);
whoever is ashamed of me and my words in Mark 8:38; the kingdom of God in Mark 9:1, again
Matthews the Son of man in his kingdom. Matthew and Luke agree against Mark in having if
anyone in the first verse, against Marks whoever, and they have come instead of Marks follow
(Mk 8:34). They also agree in not having Marks and the gospels (8:35) or this adulterous and
sinful generation (Mark 8:35). Finally, we not that Luke 9:23 has daily after take up his cross.

1. The nature of the agreements among the Synoptics

To this point we may pose that the literary agreements among the three gospels is likely the result of
either direct copying from one to the other, or of common dependence on the same source or sources.
The agreements in the Synoptics suggest that this/these source(s) were not oral, but written.

2. Solution to the Synoptic problem?

There has not been one solution to the Synoptic problem. Several scholars have come up with diverse
solutions to the problem. We shall not dive in the complexion of these solutions, but we content
ourselves with the following solution that is accepted by many and seems simpler than the rest.

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 Triple Tradition Q (logia)

Mark

M L

Matthew Luke

One might say that those who produced the Gospels as we know them today resorted to two quarries
of material. Matthew, Mark and Luke had access to one of these, which is referred to as the Triple
Tradition; only Matthew and Luke had access to the other, which is often called the Q source (from
Quelle, a German word for source). This source is seen as a collection of logia (plural of the Greek
logion, which means words, sentences). It is difficult to say whether Matthew and Luke had direct
access to the first quarry, or whether they knew of it only through Mark. At all events, it is accepted
that Matthew and Luke knew Marks work, but are independent of each other.

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