Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries PMIN 206 The Synoptic Gospels Dr. Catherine Murphy THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GOSPEL TRADITION 1 The Development of the Gospel Tradition oral & written traditions developing 6 BCE 29 CE 51 60 70 80 90 100 120 JESUS Paul Mark Matthew Luke–Acts John Synoptic Gospels syn = with • optic = seeing These three share a lot of material; they “see” the story of Jesus “with” each other 2 Defining Synoptic Matthew, Mark and Luke “see the story with each other” Matthew 9:18-19 Mark 5:22-24 Luke 8:41-42 While he was saying these things to And one of the And behold, a man synagogue leaders named Jairus comes came named Jairus, who them, behold, a ruler came in and was a ruler of the synagogue; and [ and] knelt before him, seeing him falls at his feet and falling at the feet of Jesus saying, implores him repeatedly, he implored him to come into his “My daughter “My little daughter house, that he had an only daughter, about twelve years, and she has just died; but come and is at the point of death. Come so that was dying. lay your hand on her, and you might lay the hands on her, so that she will live.” And Jesus she may be made well and live.” And he As he rose and followed him, with his went away with him. went, disciples. the people choked round him. 3 1
What about John’s Gospel? § Only a handful of stories overlap § The parallels rarely parallel in vocabulary § There are entirely different stories recounted nowhere else § The style and details are quite different 4 Ways John Differs from the Synoptics § Jesus preexisted with God as the Word (John 1:1-5) and is conscious of it as a man (John 17:5) § John the Baptist does not baptize Jesus; they have simultaneous baptizing missions § the public ministry largely takes place in Jerusalem (3 trips), not Galilee § the kingdom of God teaching is largely absent § Jesus speaks in long discourses rather than episodic narrative and parables, and mostly about himself § there are no demonic possessions or exorcisms § there are very few miracles, and those include unique ones (Cana, man born blind, raising of Lazarus) § Jesus is arrested for reaction to raising Lazarus, not for cleansing Temple § there is no trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus is not accused of blasphemy, and he dies on a different day John’s passion narrative exhibits only a 15.5% overlap with Mark’s passion narrative Raymond Brown, Introduction to the New Testament (New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1997) 364-5 5 But John & Mark Share Some Interesting Features … 1. Structure emphasizes the passion narrative Mark John % of gospel before entry 63.8% 61.7% Triumphal entry into Jerusalem Mark 11:1–16:8 John 12:12–21:25 % of gospel in Jerusalem 36.2% 38.3% % of gospel before arrest 87.2% 84.1% Arrest Mark 14:43-52 John 18:1-14 % of gospel after arrest 12.8% 15.9% 2. Focus on the revelation of the hidden messiah 6 1
Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries PMIN 206 The Synoptic Gospels Dr. Catherine Murphy THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM & ITS SOLUTION 7 The Synoptic Gospels § Synoptic Gospels = Matthew-Mark-Luke 8 So What’s the Problem? The Synoptic Problem § Matthew-Mark-Luke are SO similar that they must share some sources in common § But they are also different from each other § So how do we explain their literary relationship? This question is called the synoptic problem 9 3
The Synoptic Gospels: The Evidence Case 1 Some material is shared by Mark, Matthew and Luke. This is called the Triple Tradition. Matthew 9:18-19 Mark 5:22-24 Luke 8:41-42 While he was thus speaking to them, behold, a ruler came in Then came one of the rulers of the And there came a man named Jairus, synagogue, Jairus by name; who was a ruler of the synagogue; and knelt and seeing him, he fell and falling before him, at his feet, and besought him, at Jesus ’ feet he besought him to saying, “ My daughter has just saying, “ My little daughter is at the point come to his house, for he had an only died; of death. daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. but come and lay your hand on her, Come and lay your hands on her, so and she will live. ” that she may be made well, and live. ” And Jesus rose and And he As he followed him, with his disciples. went with him. went, the people pressed round him. 10 The Synoptic Gospels: The Evidence Case 2 Some material is not in Mark at all, but is identical in Matthew and Luke. This is called the Double Tradition. Matthew 10:37-38 Mark Luke 14:25-26 Now great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them, “ If any one “ He who loves father comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own more than me is not worthy of me; life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does and he who does not take his cross and not bear his own cross and come after me, follow me is not worthy of me. cannot be my disciple. 11 The Synoptic Gospels: The Evidence Case 3 Some material is only in Matthew, and some material is only in Luke. Matthew Mark Luke 15:11-32 And he said, “ There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, ‘ Father, give me the share of property that falls to me. ’ And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘ How many of my father ’ s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger!... ” 12 4
The Synoptic Gospels The Consensus Solution: The Two-Source Hypothesis The theory that the authors of Matthew and Luke used two shared sources for their gospels • the Gospel of Mark and • Q (from Quelle , German for “source” – a list of sayings of Jesus) in addition to their own unique material. The theory is one way of accounting for the synoptic problem. 13 The Synoptic Gospels Why It’s the Consensus View 1. Markan Priority The style and theology of Mark’s gospel is rough. It’s easier to ¨ explain how later authors “cleaned up” Mark than to argue that Mark abbreviated the other gospels and created an inferior narrative. Matthew and Luke have all of Mark except 3 verses, and largely ¨ follow Mark’s order. Meanwhile, there ’ s a lot in Matthew and Luke that doesn’t appear in the other or in Mark. 2. “Q” (Q stands for Quelle, the German word for source) It’s reasonable to imagine that a list of Jesus’ sayings would have ¨ circulated. We’ve never found it, but the Gospel of Thomas is like it. ¨ 14 The Formation of the Gospels: A Sketch M L Luke Matthew 15 5
The Synoptic Problem Other Possible Solutions Farrer Theory Matthew Mark Luke Two-Gospel Hypothesis Luke (or Griesbach Hypothesis) Matthew Mark Matthew A Protogospel Mark Protogospel Luke 16 The Synoptic Problem The Two-Source Hypothesis Q Mark M L Matthew Luke Parables: Some of the contents: Wheat and Weeds (13:24-30, 36-43) Infancy stories (ch. 1–2) Hidden Treasure (13:44) Parables : good Samaritan, friend at Pearl of Great Price (13:45-46) midnight, rich fool, beatings, barren tree, The Net (13:47-50) guests/hosts, counting cost, lost sheep/ coin/son, shrewd manager, rich man and Unforgiving Servant (18:21-35) Lazarus, widow and judge, Pharisee and Laborers in the Vineyard (20:1-16) tax collector Two Sons (21:28-32) Miracles: miraculous catch of fish, raising Wise & Foolish Virgins (25:1-13) of widow’s son, crippled woman, man with dropsy, ten lepers Passion Narrative: trial before Herod, Emmaus, ascension 17 Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries PMIN 206 The Synoptic Gospels Dr. Catherine Murphy Q: SCOPE, COMMUNITY, TEACHING 18 6
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