ANOTHER LOOK AT THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE SYNOPTICS, THE “SEEING TOGETHER” GOSPELS

The focus of this article is upon the first three Gospels. We will consider how they are approached collectively. It will become clear that they have a similarity of arrangement and content. The main themes are the baptism, temptation, and ministry of Jesus in Galilee, the confession at Caesarea Philippi, and the last journey to Jerusalem. John’s Gospel stands out on its own, as a brief glance will show that its content is largely distinct from the others. Because of their similarities, the opening Gospels have been often named by many scholars the Synoptic Gospels. The actual term synoptic (Latin: synopticus) comes from the Greek σύνοψις, synopsis, which means to see all together, giving an account of the events from the same general aspect. So, our aim is to discuss the precise nature of the literary relationship which the first three Gospels have. This has been named The Synoptic Problem not implying something negative, but understood as something that needs attention and investigation, positive consideration. The article acknowledges that suggestions concerning this subject are put forward tentatively. The relationships set out here form the most widely held view. In this article our aim is to conclude with what we consider to be the helpful contributions of Douglas M. Beaumont.