DID YOU KNOW?

Matthew, Mark, and Luke overlap so closely — in wording, order, even asides — that scholars named the puzzle of their relationship. What is it called?

The answer

The Synoptic Problem. "Synoptic" means "seen together": Matthew, Mark, and Luke can be laid out in parallel columns because they share so much. Explaining exactly who used whom is the problem.

Why it’s interesting

John stands apart — its stories, order, and long discourses don't line up the same way, which is why it's rarely part of the puzzle. The Synoptic Problem is the doorway to almost every question about how the Gospels were written.

Scholarly consensus

You can know the Bible.

Not just the stories, but the history, authorship, and scholarship behind it.