Introductions to the Books of the Bible
From the NIV Study Bible.
Copyright 2002
© Zondervan.
All rights reserved.
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· From the NIV Study Bible
· About the Book Introductions & Main Listing
The Synoptic Gospels
A careful comparison of the four Gospels reveals that Matthew,
Mark and Luke are noticeably similar, while John is quite
different. The first three Gospels agree extensively in
language, in the material they include, and in the order
in which events and sayings from the life of Christ are
recorded. (Chronological order does not appear to have been
rigidly followed in any of the Gospels, however.) Because
of this agreement, these three books are called the Synoptic
Gospels (syn, “together with”; optic,
“seeing”; thus “seeing together”). For an example of agreement
in content see Mt 9:2–8; Mk 2:3–12; Lk 5:18–26. An instance
of verbatim agreement is found in Mt 10:22a; Mk 13:13a;
Lk 12:17. A mathematical comparison shows that 91 percent
of Mark’s gospel is contained in Matthew, while 53 percent
of Mark is found in Luke. Such agreement raises questions
as to the origin of the Synoptic Gospels. Did the authors
rely on a common source? Were they interdependent? Questions
such as these constitute what is known as the Synoptic Problem.
Several suggested solutions have been advanced:
- The use of oral tradition. Some have thought
that oral tradition had become so stereotyped that it
provided a common source from which all the Synoptic
writers drew.
- The use of an early Gospel. Some have
postulated that the Synoptic authors all had access to
an earlier Gospel, now lost.
- The use of written fragments. Some have
assumed that written fragments had been composed concerning
various events from the life of Christ and that these
were used by the Synoptic authors.
- Mutual dependence. Some have suggested
that the Synoptic writers drew from each other with the
result that what they wrote was often very similar.
- The use of two major sources. The most
common view currently is that the Gospel of Mark and
a hypothetical document, called Quelle (German
for “source”) or Q,
were used by Matthew and Luke as sources for most of
the materials included in their Gospels.
- The priority and
use of Matthew. Another view
suggests that the other two Synoptics drew from Matthew
as their main source.
- The priority and use of Luke. A similar
view suggests that the other two Synoptics drew from
Luke as their main source.
- A combination of the above. This theory
assumes that the authors of the Synoptic Gospels made
use of oral tradition, written fragments, mutual dependence
on other Synoptic writers or on their Gospels, and the
testimony of eyewitnesses.
- Complete independence. Some hold that
the Synoptic writers worked independently of each other.
According to this view, the similar—sometimes even verbatim—choice
and order of words and events are best explained by the
infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit on the authors.
Dating the Synoptic Gospels |
Assumption A
Matthew and Luke used Mark as a major source
View No. 1:
Mark written in the 50s
or early 60s a.d.
(1) Matthew written in late 50s or the 60s
(2) Luke written 59–63
View No. 2:
Mark written 65–70
(1) Matthew written in the 70s or later
(2) Luke written in the 70s or later
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Assumption B
Matthew and Luke did not use Mark as a source
View No. 1:
Mark could have been written
anytime
between 50 and 70
View No. 2:
Mark written 65–70
(1) Matthew written in the 50s (see Introduction
to Matthew: Date and Place of Writing)
(2) Luke written 59–63 (see Introduction to Luke:
Date and Place of Writing) |
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