The Synoptic Problem

The Synoptic Problem [∞]

The Synoptic Problem

When you read the four Gospels—Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John—you might notice that the first three, called the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), tell the story of Jesus in a similar way, while John’s Gospel feels very different. John focuses more on themes and ideas, almost like he’s speaking in riddles, rather than just telling a straightforward story like the others.

People who study the Bible often compare Matthew, Mark, and Luke to see how they’re alike and different. Some think the authors of these Gospels might have copied parts from each other or from a shared source. This makes sense when you see the exact same wording in parts, but it doesn’t explain why they sometimes change details.

If God dictated the Gospels word-for-word, why would there be differences between them? Did God make mistakes, or did the writers hear Him wrong? On the other hand, if the writers weren’t inspired by God, how do we know which Gospel to trust, and how do we know they reflect what God wanted to say?

Some Bible scholars make these questions even harder by saying the Gospel writers used a now-lost document, which they call Q, as their source. But if Q was real and important, why didn’t God protect it? And why would the Gospel writers change things if Q was so authoritative?

The real problem is that many scholars misunderstand the Bible’s genre—what kind of writing it is. For example, if you read a poem, you don’t expect it to tell facts like a history book. If you think the Bible is just literal history, you might miss its deeper meaning. Jesus said all Scripture speaks about Him, but some people ignore this and treat parts of the Bible as just old stories about what happened.

When we see the Bible in its proper context—as writings inspired by God to reveal His plan and point to Christ—all these supposed “problems” disappear. The Gospels aren’t random copies or inventions. They are unique perspectives on how God fulfilled His promises through Jesus.

Contents

1. Author's Original Ideas (Not AI) 1.1 John as Mystical and Thematic 1.2 Critique of the Copy Theory (Q Hypothesis) 1.3 Criticism of the Literal-Historical Genre Label 1.4 Scholars as Subtly Hostile Toward God 1.5 God’s Intentional Use of Variation in the Gospels 1.6 Q Undermines God’s Authority 1.7 All Problems Resolve by Correctly Identifying Genre 1.8 Key Takeaway

Author’s Original Ideas (Not AI)

The passage introduces several novel ideas that challenge traditional approaches to interpreting the Gospels and biblical scholarship. Here’s a breakdown of the key ideas:

1. John as Mystical and Thematic

• Novel Idea: While Matthew, Mark, and Luke are often grouped together for their literal and sequential storytelling, John’s Gospel is highlighted as intentionally mystical or thematic rather than straightforwardly historical.
• Significance: This suggests that John’s unique style reflects a deeper, more symbolic approach to portraying Christ, which may complement rather than contrast with the other Gospels.

2. Critique of the Copy Theory (Q Hypothesis)

• Novel Idea: Scholars often assume the Gospel writers copied from a shared source (like the theoretical "Q document") or from each other. The passage rejects this view, arguing it undermines the divine inspiration of the Gospels.
• Significance: The critique challenges the necessity of Q and defends the originality of the Gospels as divinely inspired and distinct rather than derivative works.

3. Criticism of the Literal-Historical Genre Label

• Novel Idea: Identifying the Bible as purely literal-historical is labeled as a fundamental error. Instead, the passage suggests a different genre that focuses on Christ as the central figure.
• Significance: This reframes the Bible not as a mere record of history but as a Christocentric revelation, where every part has a theological and symbolic meaning pointing to Jesus.

4. Scholars as Subtly Hostile Toward God

• Novel Idea: Theologians’ assumptions about the Bible’s genre and source materials (like Q) are described as a form of subtle hostility toward God because they misrepresent Scripture and ignore Christ's centrality.
• Significance: This is a provocative idea that questions the motives and assumptions of modern biblical scholarship, suggesting they unintentionally undermine faith in divine inspiration.

5. God’s Intentional Use of Variation in the Gospels

• Novel Idea: The differences among the Gospels are not mistakes or signs of human error but intentional variations allowed by God to reflect different perspectives and purposes.
• Significance: This shifts the focus from explaining differences as flaws to viewing them as part of a deliberate divine design.

6. Q Undermines God’s Authority

• Novel Idea: The theory of Q is not only unnecessary but also harmful because it implies that God was unable to preserve an important source document or that it wasn’t authoritative enough to protect.
• Significance: This is a direct challenge to the validity of the Q hypothesis, reframing it as a theological problem rather than just a historical debate.

7. All Problems Resolve by Correctly Identifying Genre

• Novel Idea: Many debates and perceived inconsistencies in the Gospels disappear when the Bible is seen through the lens of its proper historical context and genre, with Christ at the center.
• Significance: This idea calls for a complete rethinking of how the Bible is read and understood, proposing that theological meaning (especially Christ as the focus) takes precedence over rigid historical or literary classifications.

Key Takeaway

The passage introduces a bold framework for interpreting the Gospels:

• Rejecting the Q hypothesis and the literal-historical genre,
• Emphasizing the divinely inspired, Christ-centered nature of Scripture,
• Reinterpreting variations in the Gospels as purposeful rather than problematic.

These ideas encourage a shift away from purely academic or critical approaches toward a theological reading that sees every detail of Scripture as pointing to Christ.

Gospel unity [∞]

Gospel Unity and the Progressive Revelation of Doctrine

The Gospel of John should not be viewed as distinct from the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Instead, it represents the fourth snapshot of theological understanding within the Hebrew church, which was later passed to the Gentile church. The unity of the Gospels reflects a progressive revelation of doctrine, rooted in the mystery of Christ and His fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

1. The Origins and Purpose of Mark’s Gospel

Mark's Gospel captures the testimony of Peter and represents the earliest stage of the church’s doctrinal development. It arose after the resurrection of Christ, when the disciples, having received the Holy Spirit, began to perceive the unity of Scripture as a testimony to Jesus. Though Peter understood the fulfillment of prophecy in Christ, his attempts to teach in riddles (e.g., handling serpents or drinking poison) were misunderstood, leading to certain passages being omitted by some churches.

2. Matthew and Luke: Expanding the Understanding of the Mystery

Matthew, written a decade later, reflects a growing comprehension of the mystery. Matthew's Gospel begins with Abraham, emphasizing Israel as a parable for the nations and unveiling Christ’s fulfillment of Israel’s history.

Luke, written a further decade later, deepens this trajectory, beginning with Adam and emphasizing the universality of Christ’s mission. By this time, the apostles had identified figures before Abraham as types of Christ, and Luke sought to preserve the testimonies of eyewitnesses to Christ’s life, integrating this material with Mark and Matthew.

3. John: The Culmination of Theological Insight

John’s Gospel, the last to be written, represents the most advanced theological perspective of the Hebrew church. Written at Peter’s request, it aims to preserve the mystery for future generations. Unlike the Synoptics, John uses advanced Hebrew interpretative techniques, such as notarikon, to reveal Christ as the “life of God on earth,” beginning his account with a reflection on Genesis 1:1.

4. The Gentile Church and Paul’s Unique Contribution

The Gentile church, reliant on the Septuagint, struggled to unpack the Old Testament’s mysteries without Hebrew context. Mark served as an outline for teaching, supplemented by the insights of messengers familiar with Hebrew scripture.

Paul’s distinct contribution lay in his focus on the bride of Christ, revealed to him post-resurrection. While the apostles primarily searched the Old Testament for prophecies of Christ’s death and resurrection, Paul emphasized the bride’s life in Christ. This approach complements, rather than diverges from, the Gospels’ focus on Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

5. Gospel Unity and the Emmaus Sermon

The four Gospels collectively embody the Hebrew church’s effort to reproduce the sermon on the road to Emmaus, where Christ revealed how all Scripture speaks of Him. Each Gospel reflects a stage in the church’s growing understanding of the mystery, from Peter’s foundational insights in Mark to John’s advanced theological synthesis.

6. Criteria for Canonical Inclusion

For any additional Gospel to align with the four canonical accounts, it must meet the following criteria:

• It must be authored by an eyewitness to Christ’s life.
• It must recapitulate the Old Testament mystery through Christ’s life.
• It must originate within the Hebrew church and be received as authoritative by the Gentile church.

Conclusion

The Gospels are not disparate accounts but unified snapshots of the Hebrew church’s theological development, reflecting Christ’s fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. John’s Gospel, far from being a separate entity, represents the culmination of this doctrinal journey, emphasizing the unity of the Gospel message across all four accounts. This progression underscores the divine inspiration and intentional design behind the New Testament canon.