Synoptic Problem

Place and Content in Scripture

The Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, and the Gospel of Luke recount the life of Jesus in a similar order and with similar wording. For this reason the three books are called the "Synoptic Gospels." For example, the account of the healing of the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26) appears in all three books in nearly identical language. At the same time, some material, such as the Lord's Prayer, appears only in Matthew and Luke, while other material appears in only one book, such as the account of the Magi (Matthew 2) or the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). The Synoptic Problem asks why the three books are so alike and yet so different. The Gospel of John differs considerably in structure and content and is usually not included in this discussion.

Background

The term "synoptic" means "seeing together." It derives from the Greek synopsis ("a view at a glance"). The term is said to have come into wide use after the eighteenth-century German scholar Johann Jakob Griesbach published a synopsis arranging the three Gospels in parallel columns. In his prologue, Luke states that many had written accounts before him and that he had carefully investigated what had been handed down by eyewitnesses (Luke 1:1-4). Early Christian writings also preserve the traditions that Matthew compiled the sayings of the Lord in Hebrew and that Mark was the interpreter of Peter.

Major Hypotheses

• Matthean priority: Holds that Matthew was written first and that Mark and Luke followed. The view traces back to Augustine, who regarded Mark as an abridger of Matthew.
• Griesbach hypothesis: Holds that Matthew was written first, followed by Luke, and that Mark drew on both.
• Two-source hypothesis: Holds that Mark was written first, and that Matthew and Luke used Mark together with a source called "Q" (from the German Quelle, "source"), presumed to have been a collection of Jesus' sayings. It is the most widely accepted view in scholarship today.
• Farrer hypothesis: Accepts that Mark was written first but dispenses with Q, holding instead that Luke drew on Matthew.
• Independence hypothesis: Holds that the three authors did not consult one another's works but that each wrote on the basis of oral tradition and eyewitness testimony.

Interpretation and Debate

Q is a scholarly hypothesis; no manuscript of it has ever been discovered. It is therefore inaccurate to speak of it as a document whose existence has been confirmed. Positions on this question divide less along denominational lines than according to how one understands Scripture. Many evangelical scholars accept Markan priority, holding that the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (God's guidance of the writing of Scripture) worked through the process by which the authors made use of sources. By contrast, some conservative scholars believe that hypotheses of literary dependence could undermine the tradition of apostolic authorship of the Gospels and the doctrine of biblical inerrancy, and they therefore support the independence hypothesis or Matthean priority. In critical scholarship, this discussion has given rise to continuing research into the theological emphases of each Gospel writer.