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Yeshua in Context >> Synoptic Relationships

How We Know Mark Was the Earliest Gospel

How did students of the four Gospels determine that the earliest of them is Mark? The answer is fairly simple and the case is overwhelmingly clear. How certain is the conclusion? It is so certain that only a small percentage of scholars hold to any other theory. The large agreement among different interpreters of the Gospels that Mark came first is for a simply reason. That reason is what happens when you lay side by side the three "Synoptic" Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These three Gospels have been called "Synoptic," a word which means "seeing together," because they share in common a large amount of material, follow the same basic order, and stand apart from John, whose Gospel is unique among the four. ... Read entire article >>

Filed under: 1a - Intro to the Gospels , Formation of the Gospels , Gospels as History , Study Tips , Synoptic Relationships

List: Teachings Unique to Luke

Anointed to Proclaim to the Poor - Lk 4:18-21 Prophets and Gentiles - Lk 4:24-27 Two Debtors - Lk 7:41-43 Satan Falls as Lightning - Lk 10:18-20 Good Samaritan - Lk 10:25-37 One Thing - Lk 10:41-42 Judge at Midnight - Lk 11:5-13 Rich Fool - Lk 12:16-20 Watchful Servants - Lk 12:36-38 Faithful Manager - Lk 12:42-48 Barren Fig Tree - Lk 13:6-9 Lowest Place at the Banquet - Lk 14:7-11 Banquet for the Lowly - Lk 14:12-14 Great Banquet - Lk 14:15-24 Counting the Cost - Lk 14:25-33 Lost Sheep - Lk 15:1-7 Lost Coin - Lk 15:8-10 Prodigal Son - Lk 15:11-32 Dishonest Manager - Lk 16:1-13 Lazarus and the Rich Man - Lk 16:19-31 Humble Servants - Lk 17:7-10 Unjust Judge - Lk 18:1-8 The Pharisee and the Tax Collector - Lk 18:9-14 The Minas - Lk 19:11-27 ... Read entire article >>

Filed under: 1a - Intro to the Gospels , Gospel Genres , Synoptic Relationships , Teaching of Yeshua

Q Theory

If you've not read much about "the synoptic problem" (theories about where Matthew, Mark, and Luke came from), this post may not be for you. These are simply some quick notes about Q Theory and Mark Goodacre's case against Q -- and I am persuaded by Goodacre that Q is a myth. Q is an imagined document which scholars think they see in the background of Yeshua-sayings that are shared only by Matthew and Luke (they don't occur in Mark). The Q theory is that Matthew and Luke each independently used Mark and this lost source of sayings which scholars call Q. Let me break that down. The theory is that Matthew did not know Luke and Luke did not know Matthew. The sources they had included Mark and Q (and both ... Read entire article >>

Filed under: Background to Gospels , Formation of the Gospels , Synoptic Relationships

Had It Not Been for Luke's Gospel . . .

I'm reading Mark Goodacre's The Synoptic Maze, a great, short, bullet point summary not only of the relationships between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but also of Goodacre's theories on dispensing with Q. Great stuff and his tables are very helpful. Why don't more people make lists and tables of data? I also recently finished my second year of reading through and commenting on a daily portion of Luke in my Daily D'var email list (email me at yeshuaincontext at gmail if you'd like to be on the Daily D'var email list). Luke's gospel has a lot of material not in Matthew and Mark (this is a well-known fact). Luke is the second-most unique of the four gospels (John takes the prize, of course). Have you ever thought of the things you ... Read entire article >>

Filed under: Luke's Gospel , Synoptic Relationships