New series: The synoptic Gospels and the nature of Scripture

Over the next few weeks, I plan to have a look at some examples of parallel passages in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), and to ask the question what they tell us about the nature of Scripture. I find this a fascinating subject and I hope you will too. But I also think it is a good way to proceed. God has given us four Gospels, three of which overlap very significantly. If that wasn’t an invitation to ask these kinds of questions, I don’t know what would be. So with the firm assumption that Matthew, Mark, and Luke as we have them are truly the word of God to us, what I want to do is to look at some parallel passages, in order to discover more about what kind of word it is that God has given us. Sound good? Here’s an outline of what I want to look at:

1. Luke 3:7–9 || Matthew 3:7–10. The case for underlying sources.

2. Matthew 5:3–12 || Luke 6:20–26. The possibilities of oral tradition.

3. Luke 7:1–10 || Matthew 8:5–13. Editing and “errors” (Part 1)

4. Matthew 21:1–22 || Mark 11:1–26. Editing and “errors” (Part 2)

5. Matthew 24:15–22 || Mark 13:14–20 || Luke 21:20–24. Editing and “errors” (Part 3)