Synoptic Gospels

In the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark, and Gospel of Luke, are called the Synoptic Gospels because they share many of the same stories. The Gospel of John is not a Synoptic Gospel because it records events in different orders, has many different stories, and uses different style and structure.^[source?]

Special Contents

The Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke both include a story on the birth of Jesus, but they are distinct stories. The Gospel of Mark doesn't have any such story and starts at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus with his baptism by John the Baptist.

The Synoptic Problem

The three Synoptic Gospels are very similar in order, structure, wording, and content, which is why most scholars believe that they were based on the same or similar sources, or that some of them were based on the others.^[1]

Many scholars believe that Matthew and Luke used Mark as a source (Marcan Priority),^[2] but this doesn't explain on its own why Luke and Matthew share a lot of material that Mark doesn't have.

Most scholars have explained this with the Q source, but it is only hypothetical, and no manuscripts of it have been found, though attempts at reconstruction have been made. For this reason, a growing number of experts in recent years have chosen to believe in other ideas like Matthean Posteriority,^[3] which is the view that Matthew used Mark and Luke used Matthew.

Some theories^[which?] have been put forward relating the Gospel of John to the three Synoptic Gospels, but usually only to the extent that the Gospel of John comes after them and is based on them.^[source?] A minority of scholars^[who?] believe that the Gospel of Luke comes from the 2nd-century and is based on the Gospel of Marcion.^[source?]

References

↑ Goodacre, Mark (2013). "Synoptic Problem". In McKenzie, Steven L. (ed.). Oxford Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199832262. Archived from the original on 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
↑ Goodacre, Mark 2001. The Synoptic Problem: a way through the maze, p16. London: T&T International. ISBN 0567080560
↑ The Synoptic Problem 2022: Proceedings of the Loyola University Conference. Peeters Pub and Booksellers. 2023. p. 5. ISBN 9789042950344.

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[1] Goodacre, Mark (2013). "Synoptic Problem". In McKenzie, Steven L. (ed.). Oxford Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199832262. Archived from the original on 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2026-06-07.

[2] Goodacre, Mark 2001. The Synoptic Problem: a way through the maze, p16. London: T&T International. ISBN 0567080560

[TSP2022-3] The Synoptic Problem 2022: Proceedings of the Loyola University Conference. Peeters Pub and Booksellers. 2023. p. 5. ISBN 9789042950344.

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