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The Synoptic Gospels

In Biblical studies, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are often grouped together as the Synoptic Gospels, or simply the Synoptics. This designation reflects the close relationship they share, narrating many common stories about Jesus. Scholars have noted such similarities that some suggest the existence of a shared source document, referred to as “Q” (from the German word Quelle, meaning “source”), or propose that the Gospels may be interdependent for their content.

This LibGuide aims to provide researchers with key resources to deepen their understanding of the Synoptic Gospels, as well as explore the Synoptic Problem. For students seeking commentaries on each individual Gospel, please visit the New Testament Commentaries LibGuide.

You can view all Synoptic Gospels Resources, or use the search or click the buttons above to view General Synoptic Gospels as a whole or view specific books on each individual Gospel.

Note: This is only a portion of the Seminary Bookshelf’s resources on these topics. Use the search to access all available materials.

Subject: Synoptic Gospels

Luke the Priest : The Authority of the Author of the Third Gospel by Rick Strelen

“This book focuses on the authority and status of the author of Luke-Acts. What authority did he have to write a Gospel, to interpret the Jewish Scriptures and traditions of Israel, to interpret the Jesus traditions, and to update the narrative with a second volume with its interpretation of Paul and the other apostles who appear in the Acts narrative? Rick Strelan constructs the author as a Jewish Priest, examining such issues as writing and orality, authority and tradition, and the status and role of priests. The analysis is set within the context of scholarly opinion about the author, the intended audience and other related issues.” – Routledge

Luke the Theologian by François Bovon

“In this completely revised and updated edition, François Bovon provides a critical assessment of the last fifty-five years of scholarship on Luke-Acts. The study divides thematically, with individual chapters covering the subjects of history and eschatology, the role of the Old Testament, Christology, the Holy Spirit, conversion, and the church. Each chapter begins with a consideration of the exegetical and theological problems unique to each theme in Luke-Acts before providing a detailed survey and critique of contemporary English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian New Testament scholarship.” – Baylor University Press

Mark as Story: Retrospect and Prospect by Kelly R. Iverson and Christopher W. Skinner, eds.

“Mark as Story: An Introduction to the Narrative of a Gospel, originally published in 1982 and extensively revised in 1999, was a turning point in Gospel studies, both for the contribution it made to Markan scholarship and for the methodological insights that it advanced. This volume celebrates Mark as Story and offers critique, engagement, and exploration of the new hermeneutical vistas that emerged in the wake of this pioneering study. In these essays, leading international Markan scholars discuss various texts and themes in the Second Gospel, reflect upon the rise of narrative criticism, and offer a glimpse at future trends in Gospels research.” – SBL Press

Methods for Matthew by Mark Allen Powell, ed.

“Today’s biblical scholars study the Gospel of Matthew with a wide variety of methods that yield diverse and exciting insights. Methods for Matthew offers a primer on six exegetical approaches that have proved to be especially useful and popular. In each case, a prominent scholar describes the principles and procedures of a particular approach and then demonstrates how that approach works in practice, applying it to a well-known text from Matthew’s Gospel. As an added bonus, each of the chosen texts is treated to three different interpretations so that the reader can easily compare the results obtained through one approach to those obtained through other approaches. The reader will learn a great deal about two stories from Matthew (‘the healing of a centurion’s servant’ and ‘the resurrection of Jesus’) and the reader will also learn enough about each of these six approaches to understand their function in biblical studies today.” – Cambridge University Press

Parallel Lives of Jesus: A Guide to the Four Gospels by Edward Adams

“In this highly readable introduction to the Gospels, Edward Adams demonstrates how the four canonical Gospels function separatelyâ€”as unique accounts of Jesus’ lifeâ€”and as narrative renditions of a shared story: the Fourfold Gospel. Building on the premise that the Gospels are ancient biographies or “lives of Jesus,” Adams examines parallel Gospel passages, highlighting the similarities and differences between them. He begins by approaching the four Gospels generally, then looks at each of them individually, and finally considers six key Gospel passages to further explore the unity and plurality of the Gospels in a more focused way. Adams’s lucid prose helps to make this text ideal for beginning students of the Gospels.” – Westminster John Knox Press

Reading Mark in Context : Jesus and Second Temple Judaism by Ben C. Blackwell, John K. Goodrich, and Jason Maston, eds.

“Over the last several decades, the Jewishness of Jesus has been at the forefront of scholarship and students of the New Testament are more than ever aware of the importance of understanding Jesus and the Gospels in their Jewish context. Reading Mark in Context helps students see the contour and texture of Jesus’ engagement with his Jewish environment. It brings together a series of accessible essays that compare and contrast viewpoints, theologies, and hermeneutical practices of Mark and his various Jewish contemporaries. Going beyond an introduction that merely surveys historical events and theological themes, this textbook examines individual passages in Second Temple Jewish literature in order to illuminate the context of Mark’s theology and the nuances of his thinking.” – Zondervan

Reading the Gospel of Mark as a Novel by Geer van Oyel

“The world is flooded with novels about secret messages or hidden texts. They all pretend to reveal the ultimate truth of Jesus. In this book, Geert Van Oyen goes back to the oldest gospel and explores its story as a challenging and revolutionary message for any reader. By employing a narrative critical approach Van Oyen demonstrates how the narrator accompanies readers in their quest for the identity of the protagonist Jesus. Along the way readers will discover that faith in Jesus is not a matter of theoretical truth but of practical experience. Who can remain indifferent when they hear the paradox at the heart of the gospel: “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all”?” – Wipf & Stock

Reading the Synoptic Gospels by O. Wesley Allen

“This revised and expanded introductory text introduces students of the Bible to the layers of meaning that can be uncovered by serious study of the synoptic gospel texts. Included are two new chapters introducing ideological exegetical approaches to the gospels and a concluding chapter that helps the student synthesize the exegetical discoveries they have made using the methods taught in the book.” – Chalice Press

Studies in Matthew and early Christianity by Graham Stanton

“Over the course of his distinguished career, the late Graham Stanton, former Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge, wrote extensively on New Testament and early Christian themes. This volume presents a collection of twenty-six essays, including one previously unpublished, and encompasses some of his most prominent contributions to scholarship. Stanton’s work as an interpreter of the Gospel of Matthew is well known, and thus Part I includes seven essays on Matthew. Part II (‘New Testament Studies’) collects twelve studies on various New Testament themes, ranging from the exegetical to the methodological and programmatic. Toward the end of his life, Stanton was engaged in writing a book on Justin Martyr in the context of early Christian and Jewish dialogue. Though he did not live to complete the project, he published a number of preliminary studies that are included in Part III, together with a previously unpublished paper investigating ‘Justin on Martyrdom and Suicide’.” – Mohr Siebeck

Studies in Matthew’s Gospel: Literary Design, Intertextuality, and Social Setting by W. J. C. Were

“These Studies in Matthew’s Gospel by Wim J.C. Weren are the result of scholarly work carried out using recent methods in Biblical exegesis such as structural analysis, text semantics and intertextuality.” – Brill

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