Featured About part of Mark not included in Luke, the “great omission”

[Multicolored Lemur]

Another Synoptic Puzzle: Luke’s Great Omission

It’s been a while since I wrote anything about the Synoptic Problem, so I thought I would take a closer look at a well-known issue: Luke’s Great Omission. It is almost universally recognized that L…

isthatinthebible.wordpress.com

“ . . . a disruption occurs after Mark’s story of the feeding of the five thousand, as Luke seemingly skips everything from Mark 6:45 to 8:26. Then, from 8:27 onward, Luke resumes his faithful copying of Mark. . . “

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The Bible is interesting. It’s written by real human beings.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

In fact, former President Jimmy Carter said the human element of the New Testament gospels showed that they were real.

I’ll say, showed that they weren’t a forgery. The 4 Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John could still have a lot of lore and legend in them.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

"Q" Source

The "Q" source or "Q" document comes from the German word "Quelle" which translates to "source." This source is widely believed and accepted to be the unknown information from which the...

earlychristianwritings.weebly.com

Wondrously and deliciously complicated.

The “Triple Tradition” is material in Mark, Luke, and Matthew. And please remember, Mark is shorter than these other two gospels.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Fewer in U.S. Now See Bible as Literal Word of God

Coinciding with a general decline in religiosity in the U.S., a record-low 20% of Americans now say they believe the Bible is literally true.

news.gallup.com

Belief in a literal interpretation of the Bible at all-time low among Americans, Gallup reports – Baptist News Global

The conservative evangelical view of the Bible — most hold that it is the literal and inerrant direct word of God — is not shared by 80% of the U.S. population.

baptistnews.com

Please notice the last line of the survey. Among Christians who identify as evangelical or born again, 40% say the Bible is the actual word of God. That’s the second biggest sample group. Whereas 51% say “the Bible is the inspired word of God but not everything in it is to be taken literally.”

 

[Scooter]

The veracity and inspiration of the Bible is not dependent on popular opinion. It is the inerrant and infallible word of God whether men believe that or not.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

Wondrously and deliciously complicated.

The “Triple Tradition” is material in Mark, Luke, and Matthew. And please remember, Mark is shorter than these other two gospels.

I like that diagram you posted. I like it so much that I don't know what some areas mean, but I want to know!

Just checking my understanding. Each pie represents one of the synoptics. I got that much.

But what do the red and gray lines represent? Thankfully, found out that ChatGpt can analyze and explain images!

Here's from ChatGPT:
This image is a **visual breakdown of the relationships between the Synoptic Gospels**—**Mark, Matthew, and Luke**—using pie charts and color-coded segments to illustrate how much content is shared or unique among them. It reflects scholarly analysis often associated with the **Synoptic Problem**, which explores how these gospels are literarily related.

Key Terms:

* **Synoptic Gospels**: The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They are called "synoptic" because they share a similar structure and content, often seen "with the same eye."
* **Triple Tradition**: Material shared by **all three** Gospels.
* **Double Tradition**: Material found in **Matthew and Luke** but **not in Mark**.
* **Unique Material**: Content that appears in **only one Gospel**.

Mark
* **76%** of Mark's content appears in all three (Triple Tradition).
* **18%** is shared with Matthew but not Luke.
* **3%** is unique to Mark.
* **3%** is shared only with Luke.

This supports the theory that **Mark was used as a source** by both Matthew and Luke (known as **Markan Priority**).

Luke
* **41%** of Luke aligns with all three (Triple Tradition).
* **23%** is shared only with Matthew (Double Tradition).
* **35%** is unique to Luke.
* **1%** shared only with Mark.

Matthew
* **45%** matches all three (Triple Tradition).
* **25%** shared only with Luke (Double Tradition).
* **20%** is unique to Matthew.
* **10%** shared only with Mark.


What the Image Means:

This chart shows that:

1. **Mark’s Gospel heavily overlaps** with both Matthew and Luke, reinforcing the view that it may have been written first.
2. The **Double Tradition** (shared by Matthew and Luke but not Mark) hints at another common source, often theorized as **“Q”** (from *Quelle*, German for “source”).
3. Each gospel contains **unique material**, reflecting each evangelist’s unique theological and community context.

---
Scholarly Implications:

This kind of data supports the **Two-Source Hypothesis**:

* Matthew and Luke used **Mark** as a primary source.
* They also drew from another lost source (**Q**) to explain the double tradition.
* Each author also had **unique material** not shared with others.

Let me know if you'd like a simplified version of this or help understanding the “Q source” or other gospel theories!

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Let me know if you'd like a simplified version of this or help understanding the “Q source” or other gospel theories!

Yes, I would like this, course I would!

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Okay, so the “Triple Tradition” makes up 45% of Matthew but only 41% of Luke? I thought these two Big gospels were closer in size.

I’ve read that Luke is the longest gospel as measured by number of words. But that the Gospel of Matthew is a very close second.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

Yes, I would like this, course I would!

Asking Chatgpt that now....
" What It's About:

This image shows how the Gospels of **Matthew**, **Mark**, and **Luke** are **related to each other** in terms of the **stories they share** and the **stories unique to each one**.

Mark
* **Most of Mark** (76%) is also found in both Matthew and Luke.
* A little bit (18%) is shared only with Matthew.
* Tiny amounts are either unique to Mark (3%) or shared only with Luke (3%).

**Conclusion**: Mark is like the backbone—they both used it when writing.



Matthew
* **45%** is shared with both Mark and Luke.
* **25%** is shared only with Luke (this part is what scholars think came from a now-lost source called "**Q**").
* **20%** is unique to Matthew—only found there.
* **10%** is shared only with Mark.

---

Luke
* **41%** is shared with both Mark and Matthew.
* **23%** is shared only with Matthew (again, likely from "Q").
* **35%** is unique to Luke—only found there.
* **1%** is shared only with Mark.

What This Means:
* **Mark** was probably written first.
* **Matthew and Luke** both used **Mark**.
* They also likely used **another common source** (called "Q") that Mark didn’t have.
* Each gospel writer also added their own stories.
""

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Isn’t it possible Mark came later and mostly included material which was found in BOTH of the other two gospels, and was cautious in this regard,


and then with pray, included a modest amount of other material?