11 votes
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Markan priority, Q, and the parable of the mustard seed

A fundamental problem of this question is the a priori of "the current consensus of the writing of the gospels". Such a consensus does not exist. This two-sources-theory is just one of several ...
LаngLаngС's user avatar
10 votes
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What are the arguments against Marcan Priority?

This post will review: The positive case (arguments that Mark was written 2nd or 3rd) The negative case (a critical assessment of arguments used to advance Markan Priority) An abductive case (is ...
Hold To The Rod's user avatar
10 votes
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Why the change in language between Luke 11:13 and Matthew 7:11?

There is actually no Greek manuscript that explicitly states what the NIV implies in Matthew 7:11: "how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts ...". The Greek simply contains the ...
user33515's user avatar
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8 votes
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When was the Gospel of Mark written?

Executive Summary The Gospel of Mark was probably composed in Rome shortly after the death of Emperor Claudius (died AD 54). I will use the writings of Clement of Alexandria & Paul's epistle to ...
Hold To The Rod's user avatar
7 votes
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Does anyone know precisely whether the gospel of Matthew was written before or after AD 70?

The Gospel of Matthew does not come with a copyright date=); however, we can make some pretty reasonable inferences from the available data. The budget answer is to say that Matthew was written post-...
Hold To The Rod's user avatar
6 votes

How did Matthew and Luke get different prices for sparrows?

There is no reason to believe that Jesus used the sparrow analogy exactly one time in his ministry. As a preacher who went from town to town, he likely repeated many of his messages and had no reason ...
Ben Mordecai's user avatar
6 votes

This question is not what does "I am" mean in Mark 14:62, but is the meaning of it affected by Luke 22:70?

In Luke 22:70, the last clause is literally, "You say that I am", but this does not capture the force of what Jesus said and meant. I note the helpful remarks of the Pulpit commentary: And ...
Dottard's user avatar
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5 votes

What is the longest uninterrupted word-for-word agreement between Matthew and Mark?

31 words This question is somewhat complicated by textual variants & minor changes in inflection, but a pretty safe answer would be the agreement found discussing the fates of the disciples in ...
Hold To The Rod's user avatar
4 votes

How Is the Date of Composition of the Gospels Estimated?

There are 9 principal means by which the Gospels are dated. (and perhaps a dozen less-utilized means—we’ll stick with the 9 for now) 1. Synoptic problem If the synoptic problem can tell us the ...
Hold To The Rod's user avatar
4 votes

What are the arguments in favor of Markan priority?

I think "editorial fatigue" advanced by Mark Goodacre is probably the best evidence for Markan priority because it's the most straightforward, showing quite plainly the exact direction of ...
mikj212's user avatar
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4 votes

Why the change in language between Luke 11:13 and Matthew 7:11?

Beautiful question. Luke 11:13 εἰ οὖν ὑμεῖς πονηροὶ ὑπάρχοντες οἴδατε δόματα ἀγαθὰ διδόναι τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ πατὴρ [ὁ] ἐξ οὐρανοῦ δώσει πνεῦμα ἅγιον τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν πνευμα ...
N.Ish's user avatar
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4 votes

Markan priority, Q, and the parable of the mustard seed

As one answer already noted, and your comment later in the question indicates there is not a anything like a real consensus to the how to solve the synoptic problem. In the question you mention the ...
Ken Banks's user avatar
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4 votes

If Matthew was an eyewitness why would he rely on Mark?

I'll offer an answer 2 ways--although I do not hold the view that Matthew copied Mark, it is a very common viewpoint. First I'll evaluate the question as stated. Second, I'll offer an alternate ...
Hold To The Rod's user avatar
4 votes
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Interpreting the variants in Jesus teaching on the unpardonable sin

There are hundreds of examples in the Synoptic Gospels where two authors have the same story in slightly different words. To be sure, they tend to agree more closely when quoting Jesus than they do ...
Hold To The Rod's user avatar
4 votes

Interpreting the variants in Jesus teaching on the unpardonable sin

The surrounding material and teaching about a house divided and the seven spirits, etc, suggests that it may have been the same incident reported by two different eye-witnesses. Whether this is true ...
Dottard's user avatar
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4 votes
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Why do Matthew & Luke report that Joseph (Jesus' stepfather) had two different fathers?

The genealogies There have been many explanations proposed to answer the contradiction. The 2 most popular are: Matthew gives Joseph's genealogy and Luke gives Mary's (the inverse is sometimes ...
Hold To The Rod's user avatar
3 votes

Markan priority, Q, and the parable of the mustard seed

Markan priority has very strong evidence and is held by almost all critical scholars. But although the two source theory (i.e. that Matthew and Luke independently used Mark and Q but not each other) ...
Noah's user avatar
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3 votes

How did Matthew and Luke get different prices for sparrows?

In Matthew's record of Jesus' words, sparrows are so cheap that you get two for a penny, not one. And if one of such insignificant items falls to the ground, the disciples' Father knows of it. In ...
Nigel J's user avatar
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3 votes

What are the arguments against Marcan Priority?

An argument against Markan priority is the belief that the four New Testament gospels were originally written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John respectively. That being the case, it is inconceivable ...
Dick Harfield's user avatar
3 votes

Did Jesus re-visit John after his wilderness experience?

The scene definitely depicts Jesus returning from the wilderness to "Bethany, across the Jordan, where John was baptizing." As the question says, the Gospel of John is not recording the baptism event ...
Johannes's user avatar
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3 votes

How do those who reject Q explain Matthew 5:38-48 and Luke 6:27-36?

From UBS5: The blue passage(s): Matthew 5:39-40 ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν μὴ ἀντιστῆναι τῷ πονηρῷ· ἀλλ᾿ ὅστις σε ῥαπίζει εἰς τὴν δεξιὰν σιαγόνα [σου], στρέψον αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην· καὶ τῷ θέλοντί σοι κριθῆναι ...
3 votes

How do those who reject Q explain Matthew 5:38-48 and Luke 6:27-36?

Premises of this response: There was no Q document (per the OP) Luke (writing to a gentile audience) used Matthew’s Gospel (written to a Jewish audience) as a source. For a more thorough discussion ...
Hold To The Rod's user avatar
3 votes
Accepted

What are the arguments in favor of Lukan Priority?

The most prominent recent attempt to argue for Lukan Priority is the work of Robert Lindsey. His work, A Hebrew Translation of the Gospel of Mark, is available here, and has been taught & ...
Hold To The Rod's user avatar
3 votes
Accepted

This question is not what does "I am" mean in Mark 14:62, but is the meaning of it affected by Luke 22:70?

You are struggling with the Hebrew idiom "You say," אַתֶּם אוֹמְרִים, which means "Yes, indeed ... just as you have asked in your question." That is exactly how those questioning ...
Perry Webb's user avatar
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2 votes

What are the arguments in favor of Matthean Priority?

There is another theory giving the Gospel of Matthew a partial priority. This theory is that the Gospel of Matthew has evolved, knowing more than one redaction. One first redaction was similar to what ...
SDG's user avatar
  • 539
2 votes
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What are the common solutions to the minor agreements of Matthew and Luke?

An excellent discussion of this question can be found in “The Synoptic Problem – Four Views” (hereafter “Four Views”), edited by Porter and Dyer. (See esp. pp. 39-40, 54-56, 80-82, 119-125) Andreas ...
Hold To The Rod's user avatar
2 votes

What are the common solutions to the minor agreements of Matthew and Luke?

The best solution is that Luke was fully aware of Matthew, and had a copy of Matthew in front of him as he wrote. Two verses before this, we are told Peter "outside wept bitterly". The word ...
k marek's user avatar
  • 31
2 votes

When (and where) was the Sayings Gospel of Thomas written?

Date of writing of Gospel of Thomas 1. Argument in favour of earlier date of the Gospel of Thomas Helmut Koester and scholars sharing similar position considers that Gospel of Thomas is an earlier ...
Ashish Kumar's user avatar
2 votes

When was Peter's mother-in-law healed? Chronological contradiction?

The Synoptic Gospels present numerous events in different sequences. Why? The Argument from Order The argument from order is used by students of the Synoptic Problem, but it may also be applicable ...
Hold To The Rod's user avatar

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