Meet the Storytellers Part 3

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Here is a working example of a synopsis. The story of the calming of the
storm. Mark's unique details tend to be, by necessity, non-essential
ones. Were Matthew and Luke trimming away trivial narrative details in
favour of the extensive material they wished to add elsewhere? Anyway,
Mark must have had an independent source (traditionally, Peter)
spanning nearly his entire Gospel.
Now it has to be said that although this study of the material has been
going on since the mid-19th century, what I present to you tonight will
be partly prejudice. This solution to the Synoptic Problem is the one
that has gained traction during past century. It’s the one I was taught.
It is certainly the one most accepted today among New Testament
scholars. But there are other solutions - e.g. ones that argue for a
Matthean priority.
We have touched here on the simplest theory. But
logic pushes ahead with the thought that this is too
simple. There is so much material that is identical
in Matthew and Luke, but does not come from Mark.
Who is Q?
The Mystery of Q
Even if Matthew and Luke are independent the Q hypothesis states that they
used a common document. Arguments for Q being a written document
include:
• Sometimes the exactness in wording is striking.
• There is sometimes commonality in order between the two, for example
the Sermon on the Mount
• The presence of doublets, where Matthew and Luke sometimes each
present two versions of a similar saying but in different context, only
one of those versions appearing in Mark. Doublets may bea sign of two
written sources, i.e., Mark and Q.
• Luke mentions that he knows of other written sources of Jesus' life, and
that he has investigated in order to gather the most information.
The fact that no Q manuscripts exist today does not necessarily argue
against its existence. Many early Christian texts no longer exist, and we only
know they did from their citation or mention in surviving texts. Unless
someone finds a clay pot in the desert with surviving manuscript, I fear we will
never know much more than we do.