MDiv – Bible Survey

Study Guide for “What Are the Synoptic Gospels?”

This guide is designed to review the core concepts presented in the source material regarding the origin, genre, importance, and interrelation of the Synoptic Gospels. It includes a quiz to test comprehension, a set of essay questions for deeper reflection, and a glossary of key terms.

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Short-Answer Questions

Instructions: Answer the following questions in two to three sentences, drawing all information directly from the provided source context.

What is the origin of the English word “Gospel,” and how did the term’s meaning evolve over time?
Why are Matthew, Mark, and Luke called the “Synoptic Gospels,” and how does the Gospel of John differ from them?
According to the book, in what ways do the Gospels differ from modern biographies?
Briefly summarize the non-Christian historical sources for Jesus’s life mentioned in the text and explain why the Gospels are therefore considered the primary source of knowledge about him.
Describe the unique “portrait” of Jesus that the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke each present, including their intended audiences.
Besides the Passion narrative (betrayal, trial, crucifixion, resurrection), list five other major events in Jesus’s life that are common to all three Synoptic Gospels.
What is the “Synoptic Problem,” and what are the central questions it seeks to answer?
Explain the “Two-Document Hypothesis” as a proposed solution to the Synoptic Problem.
According to Merrill C. Tenney, what is the “oral tradition theory,” and what is the main factor that lends it plausibility?
Define “Redaction Criticism” (Redaktiongeschichte) and describe how this school of thought views the role of the Gospel writers.

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Answer Key

The English word “Gospel” derives from the Anglo-Saxon “godspell,” meaning “good tidings,” which is a literal translation of the Greek “evangelion.” Originally, “evangelion” referred to the message or proclamation of Christ, but after the New Testament period, the word “Gospel” came to define a special kind of book that tells the story of Jesus and his teachings, specifically the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
They are called “Synoptic Gospels” because they present a similar account and viewpoint of Jesus’s life. The term “synoptic” comes from the Greek words “syn” (same/together) and “optic” (view). The Gospel of John is different because it focuses more on Jesus’s divinity, his private teachings and discourses, and his ministry in Jerusalem and Judea rather than Galilee.
The Gospels are not modern biographies because
1. they report very little about
  1. Jesus’s birth, childhood, upbringing, or
  2. physical appearance.
2. They also record little of his inner feelings, as their primary purpose is not to satisfy reader curiosity but to proclaim the significance of Jesus and the good news of salvation.
The text mentions brief references to Jesus by Roman historians like Tacitus and Jewish historians like Josephus, though the account by Josephus may have been altered by Christian scribes. Rabbinic traditions are hostile and offer little information. Because these external sources are so limited, the Gospels are considered the only practical and substantive source for our knowledge of Jesus’s life and teaching.
Matthew, writing for a Jewish audience from a prophetic perspective, portrays Jesus as the promised Messiah-King and the Son of David who came to fulfill the Old Testament. Luke, writing for Gentiles and Greeks from a historical perspective, portrays Jesus as the perfect Son of Man and the Servant-Redeemer, stressing that the blessings of salvation are for the entire world, especially the marginalized.
The five events are:
- Jesus’s forerunner is John the Baptist.
- Jesus’s Baptism followed by the Temptation in the Wilderness.
- Ministry in Galilee.
- The choosing of the Twelve Disciples.
- The Transfiguration.
The “Synoptic Problem” is the academic challenge of explaining the close relationship between the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The core questions it raises are: Which Gospel was written first? Did the writers know of each other’s work? Why do they differ in detail despite their similarities? What other sources did they use?
The “Two-Document Hypothesis” proposes that both Matthew and Luke used two primary sources to write their Gospels. The first source was the Gospel of Mark, and the second was a now-lost hypothetical document called “Q” (from the German Quelle, meaning “source”), which is believed to have contained sayings of Jesus.
The “oral tradition theory” is the oldest proposed solution, suggesting that the similarities in the Gospels come from a shared, memorized oral account of Jesus’s life and teachings. The theory is plausible because the message of the Gospel was preached for decades before it was written down, and this constant retelling would have led to a consistent, stereotyped story that formed a common base for the writers.
“Redaction Criticism” (Redaktiongeschichte) is a critical technique that views the Gospel writers as creative authors and theologians, not just compilers. According to this view, the evangelists actively “redacted” (i.e., shaped, edited, and presented) existing traditional materials to craft a narrative that supported their specific historical and theological perspective on Jesus’s life.

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Essay Questions

Instructions: The following questions are designed for deeper analysis. Construct a formal essay for each, using only the information and arguments provided in the source context to support the position.

Discuss the debate surrounding the genre of the Gospels. Analyze the arguments for classifying them as a unique genre versus a form of ancient biography, using evidence from the text.
Howard Marshall states, “We have four portraits, each bringing out its own characteristic distinctive facets of the character of Jesus.” Elaborate on this statement, comparing and contrasting the portrayals of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as described in the source material, including William Barclay’s symbolic interpretations.
Explain the “Synoptic Problem” in detail. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the main proposed solutions discussed in the text: the oral tradition theory, the reciprocal borrowing theory, and the documentary hypotheses (both two-document and four-document).
Merrill C. Tenney suggests that “living contact” between the authors and a common “oral tradition” are crucial elements in understanding the Gospels’ formation that documentary theories often overlook. Synthesize the arguments from across the provided texts to build a case for this perspective.
Trace the development of the Gospel message from the oral teachings of the apostles to the acceptance of four distinct, written Gospels into the New Testament canon. What factors necessitated this transition, and why did the early church ultimately accept four Gospels instead of one or many more?

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Glossary of Key Terms

Term	Definition
Ancient Biography	A form of historical writing in ancient times. Unlike modern biographies, they did not necessarily emphasize the same features but were still taken seriously by readers. Most scholars today classify the Gospels in this genre.
Apocryphal Gospels	Numerous other gospels written after the canonical four, generally of later date and doubtful reliability. They contain fanciful and legendary material and were often written to support the views of particular sects outside of mainstream Christianity.
Evangelion	The Greek title that was translated as “Gospel.” It originally meant a reward for bringing good news and eventually came to mean the good news itself, referring to the message or proclamation of Christ.
Evangelists	A term for the Gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), derived from their role in proclaiming the “evangelion,” or good news.
Form Criticism (Formgeschichte)	A critical school of thought that attempts to get behind the documentary sources to the origin of the material. It contends that the Gospels were compiled from independent anecdotes and teachings about Jesus (e.g., miracles, epigrams) that were circulated by his followers.
Four-Document Hypothesis	An expansion of the Two-Document Hypothesis. It proposes that Matthew and Luke used four sources: the Gospel of Mark, the “Q” source, a source “M” for material unique to Matthew, and a source “L” for material unique to Luke.
Genre	The kind of writing a work of literature is (e.g., poetry, history, letter). Knowing a work’s genre makes it easier to study and interpret correctly.
Gospel	Derived from the Anglo-Saxon “godspell” (“good tidings”). Initially, it referred to the oral proclamation of Christ’s salvation. Later, it came to mean a special kind of book that tells the story of Jesus, specifically the four canonical accounts.
Haggadic Midrash	A form of Palestinian Jewish historiography that takes the form of a narrative commentary expanding on Biblical stories. The source notes that the Gospels do not fit this pattern.
Oral Tradition	The handing down of information by word of mouth. For decades after Jesus’s death, the apostles’ oral teachings were the primary source of information about him before being preserved in the written Gospels.
Primacy of Mark	The theory, held by most modern scholars, that the Gospel of Mark was written first and was subsequently used as a source by both Matthew and Luke.
Q (Quelle)	A hypothetical document (from the German word for “source”) proposed by scholars as a solution to the Synoptic Problem. It is believed to have been a collection of Jesus’s sayings used by both Matthew and Luke, but no such document has ever been found.
Redaction Criticism (Redaktiongeschichte)	A critical method that studies how the Gospel writers acted as “redactors” (editors or authors) who shaped and presented existing traditional materials to fit their own distinct theological and historical purposes.
Source Criticism	The study of the literary sources used by authors to compose their texts. In Gospel studies, this is primarily concerned with addressing the Synoptic Problem.
Synoptic	From the Greek “syn” (same/together) and “optic” (view). It means having the “same viewpoint” and is used to describe the first three Gospels.
Synoptic Gospels	The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They are so-named because they tell the story of Jesus’s life from a similar viewpoint, with much overlap in content and structure.
Synoptic Problem	The scholarly question of how to explain the literary relationship—the extensive similarities and distinct differences—among the three Synoptic Gospels.
Two-Document Hypothesis	The most widely accepted documentary solution to the Synoptic Problem. It posits that Matthew and Luke independently used two sources: the Gospel of Mark and the hypothetical “Q” document.