THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM
OK – here’s a first-rate detective puzzle for us to work on. As you know, there are four Gospels in the NT that tell the story of Jesus’ life. However, they each tell it a bit differently. John is quite different (more theological and with a different timeline) and is usually studied separately. The other three, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are very much alike and are usually referred to as the “Synoptic Gospels” because they seem to see Jesus with a uniform eye. However, when we look closely, we see that they differ quite a bit. Sometimes they say the same thing exactly, while at others they say things a bit differently, while at still others they are very different from one another. Why? This is what the scholars call the “Synoptic Problem.”
So here’s the deal. In many places both Matthew and Luke repeat Mark verbatim. Scholars are agreed that Mark was in fact the earliest Gospel. In other places they each seem to be drawing on their own sources or information. And here’s the kicker: There are places where Matthew and Luke are exactly the same, but differ from Mark. This raises the question, what was their common source in addition to Mark? Scholars tag this mystery source “Q,” from the German word ‘Quelle’ for “source.” No one has ever claimed to have found this other source.
However, by extracting all the passages where Mathew and Luke agree but differ from Mark we come up with “Q.” Professor Marcus Borg, a first-rate NT scholar, has put these passages together in book form: The Lost Gospel of Q, so you can read it for yourself. Q is mostly accounts of Jesus’ ethical teachings and spiritual insights. It contains no miracle stories or conflicts with the Jewish leaders. Also, it has nothing to say about Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
An important thing to remember is that Paul’s letters, which make up the majority of the NT, were written well before any of the Gospels (by twenty or thirty years). Thus, consulting his letters casts no light on the “Synoptic Problem.”
All of this does bear on the problem of the synoptics in relation to the issues surrounding the authority of the Bible, especially with respect to any questions having to do with its so-called “inerrancy.” It would seem to make no sense to claim that the Bible is without error when we are uncertain as to which documents, along with their scads of copies, we are talking about. Whatever authority the scriptures have lies in their historical context and spiritual content.
What Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16 about all scripture being “inspired of God” must apply only to the Old Testament since none of the New Testament had been written yet. In addition, it must apply to all the copies and ancient translations thereof since that for practical purposes is all any people had. The notion of inspiration must somehow apply to the message of the scripture, not to its words.