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The synoptic gospels consist of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The word synoptic is from the Greek and means “seen together” or “from the same eye”. These three gospels share a considerable amount of information that is not found in the gospel of John; hence the name synoptic. John’s gospel contains roughly 10 percent of the same information. The synoptics are all written in thrid person, as if the authors were there observing the events at the time they were happening. However, Luke never met Jesus. He only became a follower after Jesus’ death. He left his profession as a physican to travel and spread the gospel with Paul.
There is no evidence to substantially prove which of these three gospels was written first, however it is the long standing view that the gospel of Mark was written first. Mark’s gospel contains roughly only 10 percent unique content. A whopping 90 percent can be found in Matthew, and Luke’s gospel is at least 50 percent contained in Mark. It is also believed that Matthew and Luke borrowed not only from him, but one other hypothetical source lost to history; known as document Q or “Quelle”. Source Q is believed to have been a written source as Matthew and Luke have the same context and order. The chances of that happening if they were transcribing from oral stories is less likely. All the gospels are authored by annonymous sources, but it’s possible to find clues of who they might have been based on context clues within the gospels.
Who was Matthew?
It is widely accepted that Matthew refers to the tax collector turned follower of Jesus. He is widely accepted as being Matthew one of the twelve apostles. He likely wrote his account 75-80CE/AD to all Jewish Christians.
Based on context clues within the gospel we can see why this is likely the case despite the book technically being annoymous and other scholars suggesting that he wasn’t. This author is the only one disputed and I’m going to provide some further text to study.
Context for Matthew
- Based on Matthew 9:9 “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.” it appears that he is announcing the name of the author of the gospel. We can figure this out by comparing other accounts that state the other author was likely a tax collector. However, he is the only one who gives the tax collector the name Matthew.
- Matthew talks more about money than any other gospel and his account is highly organized. Both of these suggest that the author was not only familiar with money, but his job would have likely required him to be highly organized and meticulous. This would only describe a select few professions. Tax collector being among them. We already knew that Luke was a physican and based on that it’s easy to make the connection to Matthew and tax collector based on knowing the other authors were a fisherman and a young boy.
- The author likely was fluent in several languages based on the account likely being written in Greek and Aramaic and being tailored to Jewish Christians. Matthew also focuses a lot of attention to the prophecies of the Old Testament and how Jesus fulfilled them.
Context against Matthew
- Luke and Mark reference someone named Levi where Matthew references “himself”. This is thought by some scholars to discount the tax collector as Matthew, claiming these are two different people. It’s very possible and likely that Levi is Matthew. Most apostles have two names and Matthew is from the tribe of Levi, which could explain the difference in names between Matthew and the other two..
- Matthew borrowed heavily from Mark and at least one other source (Q). If he truly was an apostle of Jesus why would he need to use other sources to supplement his account, especially one that was not a direct follower of Jesus’ life on Earth? Although Mark wasn’t a follower of Jesus, it is believed that he used Peter’s version of events while writing his gospel. Matthew would have known Peter and had similar experiences if he was truly the apostle.
Who was Mark?
Mark was a follower first of Paul and then of Peter. He spent time in Rome spreading the good news with Paul before becoming the disciple and interpreter for Peter. It is traditionally believed that he used the eye witness accounts of Peter to write his gospel.
Mark was a second generation Christian and fisherman. He likely wrote his account somewhere between 65-70 CE/AD. He wrote to a Gentile community undergoing constant pursection in Rome for their faith.
Who was Luke?
Luke was a Gentile Christian and former physician who left his work to follow Paul. His account was likely written during 80-85 CE/AD. He wrote to “Theophilus” which means lover of God and could represent the entire world. Due to Luke’s job his gospel takes more of a scientific and orderly approach to the accounts of Jesus. His stories are longer and he gives more details and narratives than the others. He is also the only synoptic gospel to write more than one book. Luke is also credited with writing the Book of Acts.
What is Triple Tradition?
Triple tradition refers to the common content found within the three gospels. We already know most of Mark is found within the gospels of Matthew and Luke. To expand on that, there are roughly 30 common stories and teachings found in all three. The wording and placement of these parables within each individual gospel are very similar, as well as the historical events and places referenced.
Two examples of these common occurances include the parable of “calming the storm” and “the parable of the mustard seed”. The text from these parables may vary slightly between the gospels, however the parables are still found in roughly the same placement within each gospel. The varied lengths in these parables is contributed to the different use in language, the added narration commonly found in the gospel of Luke, and the sheer shortness of the gospel of Mark. The side by side below does a great job showcasing just how closely these two parables are between the three accounts.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Matthew 13:31-32
“He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that birds of the air come and perch in its branches.’”
Mark 4:30-32
“Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.’”
Luke 13:18-19
Then Jesus asked, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.’”
Jesus Calms the Storm
Matthew 8:23-27
“Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying ‘Lord, save us! we’re going to drown!’ He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’”
Mark 4:35-41
“That day when evening came he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked teh wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be stil!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’”
Luke 8:22-23
“One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’ He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.’”
Double Tradition
This refers to the couple hundred verses that are only shared between Matthew and Luke. This content makes up roughly a quarter of all of Matthew and Luke’s gospels. Two of the most common parables shared by the two include “the return of the unclean spirit”, “the lost sheep”, and “the great banquet”.
Within these common parables Matthew sticks to large blocks of sayings, where Luke incorporates narratives. Luke’s narratives tend to make his passages a little longer and therefore the common verses are in slightly different placements in both gospels. Here is a side by side of the faithful servant.
Return of the Unclean Spirit
Matthew 12:43-45
“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
Luke 11:24-26
“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”
Special M & Special L
This refers to all the content that is unique to Matthew and Luke. Special M or Special Matthew is made up of parables not found in any other gospel. Two examples of these are in Matthew 13. They both refer to the kingdom of God. They are the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl (Matthew 13:44-46) and the parable of the net (Matthew 13:47-50). Special Luke or Special L is compiled of healings and parables. The most famous one being the parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-32.
Conclusions
It is hard to say with absolute certainty who wrote the synoptic gospels, when they wrote them, and where. However, the major similarities among all three point to truth.The synoptic gospels are three separate books that share common ideas, stories, and events witnessed by others during the time of Jesus. These books were written over many years following Christ’s death and resurrection, yet they contain the same truths and wonders about Jesus and his followers.
We can learn a great deal from comparing the gospels and by diving deep into the context. Comparing the similarities and differences we can seek out the truths that lay within. The similarities between these three books only solidify for me what I already know, which is Jesus did indeed walk this Earth and some day He will return again.
