the synoptic problem - santa margarita catholi.PPTVIP

The Synoptic Problem What is the Synoptic Problem? Remember: Matthew, Mark and Luke are known as the three “Synoptic” Gospels. Synoptic comes from Greek, “seen together” They are called the “Synoptic Gospels” because they contain many of the same stories about Jesus, they follow a very similar sequence of events and often use similar or identical wording. John’s Gospel is NOT a Synoptic Gospel. What is the Synoptic Problem? When the four Gospels are printed in parallel columns, with similar materials located alongside each other, it becomes clear that the first three have such similarities in content and order that they can be seen syn-optically. What is the Synoptic Problem? There are passages in Matthew, Mark and Luke that are EXACTLY the same. However, the Gospels also disagree on some accounts. Some stories appear in all three, some appear in two of the three and others appear in only one Gospel. When the Gospels tell the same story, sometimes they word it EXACTLY the same; other times, they are worded completely differently. What is the Synoptic Problem? The Synoptic Problem is the problem of accounting for the similarities and differences between the three Synoptic Gospels. i.e. Why are they different? What does this tell us about the sequence of the writing? Who influenced who? The similarities between the Gospels are almost impossible to account for, unless the Gospels are derived from a common source. Newspapers are a modern parallel. Think of this as a game of Clue. This is how the Gospels are structured. If we’re imagining the synoptic problem as a game of Clue, this is the “crime scene.” For many centuries, theologians have struggled to solve this mystery. We’ll come back to this in a few slides after we talk about the solutions to this mess. Triple Tradition Example:The Plot to Kill Jesus Luke 22:1-2 “Now the feast of the Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was drawing near, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to put him to