The Synoptic Question

The full steelman. A · Two-source: Mark first; Matthew and Luke used Mark + a shared sayings source (Holtzmann 1863; Streeter, The Four Gospels, 1924, PD-era). Evidence marshaled: most of Mark reappears in the others; Mark's harder readings. B · Farrer: Markan priority without Q — Luke used Matthew (Farrer, "On Dispensing with Q," 1955; Goodacre, The Case Against Q, 2002 — cite-only). C · Two-gospel/Griesbach: Matthew first, Luke second, Mark conflates both (Griesbach 1789, PD; Farmer, The Synoptic Problem, 1964 — cite-only) — agreeing with patristic order. D · Augustinian: canonical order is writing order; Mark abbreviates Matthew (De Consensu 1.2.4, PD) — the near-universal pre-modern view. E · Independence: the agreements come from eyewitness testimony and fixed oral tradition, not copying (Linnemann, Is There a Synoptic Problem?, 1992 — cite-only; on eyewitness character generally, Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2006 — cite-only). No adjudication; the reader weighs the same data every school must explain. Source: four-gospels brief §6.