Is There a Synoptic Problem? : Rethinking the Literary Dependence of the First Three Gospels. By Eta Linnemann. Translated by Robert W. Yarbrough. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1992, 219 pp. Back when I began my own journey in wrestling with the Synoptic Problem (SP), I found that Eta Linnemann was frequently…
Last year, I surveyed the opinions of various scholars who either “broadly discounted the Gospels as providing chronological accounts” or who specifically discounted Matthew’s chronological sequence of events, in favor of Mark’s ordering of events. In contrast, I suggested that “if we accept that Matthew was published first, coincident with…
On the premise of Matthean priority and that Mark leveraged Matthew, can we understand Mark to be alluding to some of Matthew’s OT citations? He Lifted Her Up. Am going to start by confessing that this potential allusion is subtle, so I will not be offended if some of you…
On the premise of Matthean priority and that Mark leveraged Matthew, can we understand Mark to be alluding to some of Matthew’s OT citations? The Time is Fulfilled. Matthew 4:12–17 reports that after hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus withdrew into Galilee, so that what was spoken by the…
On the premise that Matthew was published coincident with the events of Acts 10–11, and that Matthew was one of the Scriptures which Paul examined in the synagogues on his missionary journeys, and also that he left copies with each of the churches, how does this paradigm serve to change…
The life of study is austere and imposes grave obligations. It pays, it pays richly; but it exacts an initial outlay … The athletes of the mind, like those of the playing field, must be prepared for privations, long training, a sometimes superhuman tenacity. We must give ourselves from the…
On the premise that Matthew was published coincident with the events in Acts 10–11 and Mark shortly thereafter, with full knowledge of Matthew’s Greek text, I have been evaluating the passages which Mark chose to resequence–from Matthew–into earlier settings within his own narrative. Refer to “Mark’s resequenced episodes, assuming Matthean…
As I have searched out those who affirmed an early publication of Matthew, I have particularly appreciated the writings of Thomas Townson. Born in Essex, Townson (1715–1792) was educated at Oxford’s Magdalen College, was ordained in 1742, ministered in Blithfield, and for an extended period was the Rector of the…
Which of Mark’s episodes were resequenced, on the assumption that Mark had Matthew’s Gospel available to him? For this exercise, I am excluding some of the teaching events, such as the parables, as Jesus may well have taught things at multiple times. Plus, the narrative summary statements are also excluded.…
In a prior blog post, “The two-part story of the withered fig tree,” I argued that the Matthean and the Markan accounts can be harmonized by realizing that Mark is employing a flash-forward. According to Matthew’s account, it is after the temple cleansing that (1) Jesus curses the fig tree,…