Understanding the Synoptic Gospels: The Synoptic Problem Explored

By Michael Jacobus Van Den Berg

✨ Introduction: One Story, Three Voices

Why do Matthew, Mark, and Luke sound so similar—yet not quite the same?

This has puzzled Bible readers for centuries. These three Gospels are called the Synoptic Gospels, a term from the Greek synoptikos, meaning “seen together.” The similarities in structure, content, and even wording raise an ancient but relevant question:

How are these Gospels related to each other?

This puzzle is known as the Synoptic Problem, and solving it helps us better understand how God’s Word came together in human hands.

Let’s walk through the issue, explore the major theories, and see why one solution—the Two-Source Hypothesis—makes the most sense.

📚 What Is the Synoptic Problem?

The Core of the Mystery:

Matthew, Mark, and Luke share many of the same stories.
Sometimes, they even use identical Greek phrases.
But… there are also key differences in wording, order, and even emphasis.

✍️ More than 90% of Mark’s Gospel appears in Matthew, and over 50% in Luke.
(Source: Britannica)

Four Literary Clues (from scholar Robert Stein):

Verbal Agreement: Identical phrases hint at shared sources.
Sequence Consistency: The same order of events appears across the Gospels.
Shared Commentary: All three include the same small side-notes.
Luke’s Preface (Luke 1:1–4): Luke clearly says he investigated sources.

These facts suggest the Gospels were not written in isolation. But if they’re related, who copied whom? And what were they working from?

🧎‍⬛ The Four Major Theories

Let’s break down the most well-known explanations.

📘 1. The Two-Source Hypothesis (Most Popular)

Summary:
Mark wrote first.
Matthew and Luke used Mark.
Matthew and Luke also used a second, hypothetical source called “Q” (from Quelle, German for “source”).

✅ Strengths:

Explains why Mark is shortest and rawest.
Accounts for identical phrases in Matthew and Luke not found in Mark.
Recognizes distinct goals of each Gospel writer.

❌ Weaknesses:

“Q” has never been found—it’s purely theoretical.
Assumes Matthew and Luke didn’t know of each other’s work.

📗 2. The Farrer Hypothesis

Summary:
Mark wrote first.
Matthew used Mark.
Luke used both Mark and Matthew.

✅ Strengths:

Simpler—no “Q” needed.
Explains similarities as Luke drawing from both earlier Gospels.

❌ Weaknesses:

Luke skips key teachings from Matthew (like the Sermon on the Mount).
Doesn’t fully explain exact verbal agreements.

📙 3. The Griesbach Hypothesis (Two-Gospel Theory)

Summary:
Matthew wrote first.
Luke used Matthew.
Mark condensed both Matthew and Luke.

✅ Strengths:

Matches early church tradition (Matthew first).
No need for “Q.”

❌ Weaknesses:

Mark’s rough grammar makes little sense if he had access to two polished sources.
Why would Mark leave out major content like the Lord’s Prayer?

📒 4. The Augustinian Hypothesis

Summary:
Follows the Bible’s order: Matthew → Mark → Luke.

✅ Strengths:

Honours Church Fathers like Augustine.
Doesn’t rely on lost sources.

❌ Weaknesses:

Doesn’t match modern scholarly analysis.
Can’t explain Mark’s primitive style if he had Matthew as a guide.

📊 Comparing the Theories at a Glance

Theory	Assumes First Gospel	Uses “Q”?	Strength	Weakness
Two-Source	Mark	✅	Scholarly support, detailed flow	“Q” is missing
Farrer	Mark	❌	Simple, skips “Q”	Omits key teachings
Griesbach	Matthew	❌	Traditional order	Language inconsistency in Mark
Augustinian	Matthew	❌	Supports early church view	Lacks textual evidence

🔍 Why It Matters

The way we understand the Gospels shapes how we interpret Jesus’ life and message.

It affects how we preach the Gospel.
It influences how we teach biblical literacy.
It calls us to deepen our faith in both the divine inspiration and human authorship of Scripture.

📖 “Although the search for the most comprehensive solution is still ongoing, the Two-Source theory can be used for the time being as a sound basis for understanding the shared work between the synoptic Gospels.”

🧠 Final Thought: Faith Meets Scholarship

The Synoptic Problem isn’t a threat to faith—it’s a gateway to a richer understanding of how God’s Word was written, compiled, and passed on to us.

It invites us to marvel not just at what’s in the Gospels—but how they echo, support, and illuminate each other.

📌 References & Further Reading

Zondervan Academic – Synoptic Gospels
Bible.org – The Synoptic Problem
Catholic Answers – Thoughts on Q
Encyclopedia Britannica – Gospel According to Mark

🎨 Want to see a visual diagram of all four hypotheses? Click here to view the Synoptic Problem Chart.

The Scroll Unrolled