The Synoptic Problem

The Synoptic Problem

The Synoptic Problem is the term used by New Testament scholars to describe the study of the similarities and differences between ' the three Synoptic Gospels in an attempt to explain their literary relationships (Goodacre 16 . Of the four gospels contained in the New Testament , three , namely Matthew , Mark and Luke are known as the Synoptics . This is because there appears to be a literary relationship between these three that is not shared by the fourth gospel , that of John . Johns differs from the Synoptics in style , form as in

the chronology of Jesus ' life . The terms Synoptic Problem ' and Synoptic Gospels ' are comparatively recent . Until the eighteenth century scholars focused on harmonizing the content of the gospels and even in the nineteenth century bookshops were full of books minimizing any differences between the gospels , according to Goodacre (14 . Then a German scholar called Johan Jakob Griesbach wrote a book in which he compared Matthew , Mark and Luke by placing similar passages alongside each other comparing and contrasting accounts , which he called a Synopsis . A synopsis is a type of summary in which material is viewed together ' by placing parallel passages in colums (Goodacre 15 . Griesbach showed that Matthew , Mark and Luke share a common framework and a great deal of content . They thus appear to have a close literary relationship (Harris 112 . Why do scholars study the Synoptic problem ? Most do so to gain a better understanding of how the gospels were shaped and to identify what...