Sources of the Synoptic Gospels

The Synoptic Problem is one of the most enduring puzzles in biblical scholarship: how did the three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke come to share so much material yet differ in crucial ways? Carl S. Patton's 1915 study tackles this question with rigor and intellectual honesty, examining the scholarly consensus that Matthew and Luke both used Mark as a foundation while also drawing from a lost common source scholars call Q. Patton navigates this labyrinth of literary dependence with careful attention to how each evangelist shaped their material for different theological purposes. The book captures a pivotal moment in biblical scholarship when source criticism was transforming our understanding of how the Gospels came to be written, revealing the complex web of editorship, tradition, and creativity behind the New Testament's foundational texts. For anyone curious about the detective work behind the Bible, this remains a fascinating window into the origins of modern Gospel studies.