This document discusses the Synoptic Problem regarding the similarities and differences between the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It presents the Two-Source Hypothesis as the most plausible solution, which proposes that Mark was the earliest gospel and was used as a source by Matthew and Luke, who also drew from another lost source called Q. Key evidence for the Marcan priority view includes Mark being the shortest gospel with the simplest Greek and some harder readings.

1. BIBS 215
The Bible &
Religious
Education

2. BIBS/X 215 EXAM!!
Wednesday June 5th
6.30-8.30pm
Two hours

3. Section A
Essay, 30 mins, 10 marks
Section B
Essay, 30 mins, 10 marks
NB: Each question in Section A & B
has a practical component
Section C
Four Paragraphs,
15 mins each, 5 marks each

4. Section A
Essay, 30 mins, 10 marks
Section B
Essay, 30 mins, 10 marks
NB: Each question in Section A & B
has a practical component
Section C
Four Paragraphs,
15 mins each, 5 marks each
A B
C C
C C

5. Section A Essay, 30 mins, 10 marks
Old Testament
(a) EITHER Abraham OR Moses
(b) Creation Accounts
(c) Prophetic Tradition - Amos
(d) EITHER Poetry OR Wisdom

6. Section B Essay, 30 mins, 10 marks
New Testament
(a) Parables - Matthew
(b) Miracles - Luke
(c) EITHER Mark OR John
(d) Paul - Life & Letters

7. Section C Four Paragraphs, 15 mins each, 5 marks each
(a) Worlds of the Text
(b) Bible as Library
(c) Canon - OT OR NT
(d) Female Characters
of Genesis OR Exodus
(e) Ten Commandments
(f) Psalms
(g) World of the NT
(h) Infancy Narratives
(i) Synoptic Gospels

9. Go on!!
Read it in one sitting!!

10. The Gospel of Mark
shortest and simplest
most neglected
“Readers’ Digest” version of
Matthew and Luke??
Probably the FIRST gospel!!

11. Who was Mark?
all gospels anonymous
Testimony of Papias:
Bishop of Hieropolis
c. 130-140CE
Quoted by Eusebius [4th
C]

13. Who was Mark?
Testimony of Papias:
(1) Mark as author
(2) Indebtedness to Peter
(3) Events not in chronological
order
(4) Material adapted to audience

14. Who was Mark?
Audience -
Gentile, Roman church
Mark 15.21
Date - probably 60-65 CE
Persecutions of Nero

15. Character of Mark’s Gospel
1. Action-oriented Presentation of Jesus
• miracles = 1/3
• Jesus on the move!
• “immediately” 42x
• Slows down after 11.1

16. Character of Mark’s Gospel
2. Humanity of Jesus
• anger (3.5, 9.19,10.14)
• grief/fear (14.33ff)
• amazement (6.6)
• weariness (4.38)
• frustration (6.5f)
• compassion (1.41,
6.34,8.2)
● limited knowledge
(13.32)

18. Character of Mark’s Gospel
3. Messianic Secret
• revelation ...
- proclamation of KoG
- performs miracles
- calls for faith
BUT!

19. Character of Mark’s Gospel
3. Messianic Secret
•concealment ...
- silences demons
(eg. 3.11f)
- silences the healed
(eg. 1.43ff, 7.36,
8.26)
- silences disciples
(eg. 8.30, 9.9)

20. Character of Mark’s Gospel
3. Messianic Secret
WHY?!
•appeal to inner eye/ear
(eg. 8.18)
•Nature of his identity as
Messiah

21. Character of Mark’s Gospel
4. Sovereignty and Suffering
“the sorrowful gospel”
Son of Man - the powerful
powerless one
“a passion narrative with
an extended introduction”
Disciples too (8.34)

22. Character of Mark’s Gospel
5. Discipleship failure/faith
Failure to ...
•understand Jesus’ teaching
(eg. 4.13, 7.18, 8.17ff)
•grasp meaning of miracles
(eg. 4.38ff, 6.52)
•understand Jesus’ destiny
(eg. 8.32f, 9.10f)
•fulfil discipleship tasks
(eg. 9.14-29, 14.10ff, 16.8)

23. Character of Mark’s Gospel
5. Discipleship failure/faith
Compare with Matthew and Luke
•Walking on the Water
(Mt 14.33 cf. Mk 6.52)
•Predictions of His Death
(Luke 9.45 cf. Mk 9.32)

24. Character of Mark’s Gospel
5. Discipleship failure/faith
WHY?!
Pastoral reasons?
Persecutions of Nero?

25. Structure of Mark’s Gospel
Caesarea Philippi (8.27ff)
PRIOR to this ...
•Galilean focus
•Messianic identity
•Miracles, parables etc
•“Who is this man?”
(eg. 3.21, 6.2, 6.14f)
“You are the Christ!” (8.29)

26. Structure of Mark’s Gospel
Caesarea Philippi (8.27ff)
AFTER this ...
•Jerusalem focus
•Messianic destiny
•Private instruction of
disciples
•What kind of Messiah is
this?

27. True knowledge of Jesus
entails
combining insight into his
identity as Messiah
with an understanding of his
destiny as a Messiah
of suffering, death and
resurrection
- and committing oneself
to follow the same path.

28. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John

29. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Similarities ...
Differences ...

30. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …

31. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
A little more complex
than that ...

32. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Gospel of John
92% material is unique
Only 2(3?) miracles have
synoptic parallels
eg. Feeding of the 5000, but
even different word for “fish”!
No true parables (yet parables
form one-third of Jesus’
teaching in synoptics!)

33. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Matthew, Mark & Luke ...
“synoptic gospels”
to “see” (optic) in a “similar” way (syn)
ie. “to view together”

34. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Similarities ...
CONTENT:
Of Mark’s 661 verses aprox. 90% are found in
Matthew and Luke.
Matthew & Luke have 235 vv in common.

35. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Similarities ...
ORDER:
All three have similar order of events, and
often identical groupings of stories.
ie. Mk 2.1-3.6, Lk 5.17-6.11, Mt 9.1-17&12.1-14

36. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Similarities ...
WORDING:
Verbatim agreements in the Greek, even with rare
words/phrases, or editorial asides
(eg. Mk 2.10, 13.14)

37. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Differences ...
CONTENT:
Each gospel has unique material eg. Visit of
Wise Men (Mt 2.12), Annunciation (Lk 1), parable
of weed growing secretly (Mk 4.26ff).

38. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Differences ...
ORDER:
Same stories but different order (Mk 1 ~ Mt 8)
Same story but different order (Temptation)
Same saying, diff context (Mk 11.23 ~ Mt 17.20)

39. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Differences ...
WORDING:
Range from slight variations to significant
differences
(ie. Lord’s Prayer & Beatitudes)

40. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
For example ...
• (1) The Temptation of Jesus
(2) The Transfiguration

41. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
The synoptic problem:
How to best explain both the striking
similarities & the significant differences … ?

42. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
SOLUTION:
Need to consider the possible ways in which the
gospel writers used the sources of material –
written and oral – that were available to them
when they wrote their gospel ...

43. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
SOLUTIONS:
German biblical scholar Johann
Griesbach (1745-1812)
Griesbach Hypothesis (1789)
•Matthew written first
•Luke used Matthew
•Mark used both –
seen as a “Reader’s
Digest Condensed Version”

44. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Griesbach Hypothesis (1789)
Problems ...
•Why would Mark leave out
significant material, such as Lord’s
Prayer, birth narratives
and resurrection?
•Why would he include other
insignificant information,
such as 6.39 or 4.38?

45. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
SOLUTIONS:
Two- (or Four-) Source Hypothesis
•Marcan priority
•Mark was the primary
source for Matthew
and Luke
•Matthew and Luke also
used another source,“Q”
•Matthew and Luke also
had material unique
to them, “M” and “L”

46. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Marcan priority:
•Shortest Gospel
•Poorest Greek (eg.4.41)
•Harder Readings
(eg.2.26)
•Theology less developed
(eg. “Lord” “Christ”)

47. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Conclusion
Why is this important?
•Gives us insight into the purposes and
theologies of each writer -

48. Synoptic Problem
Similarities …
Conclusion
No solution solves all problems!
Go with simplest and most plausible option
ie. Marcan priority