Li Jing had transmigrated, finding himself in a modern world where everyone practiced cultivation. Everything here relied on the Spiritual Qi obtained from personal cultivation. Without family or money, and utterly clueless about how to cultivate, life was extremely difficult. However, things changed when Li Jing walked into a Soul Chicken Store and discovered that he could see the health bars of the spirit chickens... (The worldview in this story is completely fictional, so do take it with a grain of salt.)
LESSON THREE THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS AND THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM It used to be thought that St. Matthew, St. Mark and St. Luke wrote their gospels independently of one another but then a closer examination of the Synoptic gospels reveals that they agree too closely to make independent writing possible. The three gospels have virtually a common outline, similar contents and even used identical words in some passages. On the other hand there are also notable dissimilarities in these gospels. How can we explain these similarities and dissimilarities in the Synoptic gospels? This is what raises the problem! The Synoptic problem, as it is often called, may be stated as follows: - If the three gospels were absolutely independent of one another why are the three books so much alike? - If on the other hand they borrowed or copied from one another why do they differ in some ways? - If the writers used some common sources what are these sources? How did they get their sources? And how much (proportion) of these sources were used by each of the writers? We shall examine this complex problem by examining first, the similarities and dissimilarities in the Synoptic Gospels. 1. Identify the Similarities and Dissimilarities of the Synoptic Gospels Similarities - Similarity in Order: All the three gospels agree, to a large extent, in presenting the story of Jesus under the same broad chronological outline or order of events (pericopes). They began with Jesus' baptism and temptation, then His work in Galilee, His ministry outside Galilee, His journey to Jerusalem and his last days in Jerusalem. Some helpful periscopes Mt 16: 13-20: 34 Mk. 8:27-10: 52 Lk. 9: 18-51/18:15-43 Mt 12: 46-13:58 Mk 3: 31-6: 6a Lk 8: 19-56 - Similarity in content: The Synoptic gospels have common subject matter: They all recorded key narratives such as the baptism of Jesus, the choosing of the twelve disciples, the storm on the lake, the feeding of the five thousand, the transfiguration, the denials of Peter, the crucifixion and burial of Jesus, the women's visit to the tomb and many others. They also share parables such as that of the Sower, the mustard seed and sayings such as the question on divorce, the prediction of the destruction of the Temple, warnings of trials and tribulations and so on. - Similarity in Wording: In some sections the three gospels have remarkable verbal agreement. A count of parallel words in parallel verses of Mark and Luke reveals that 55 percent of the language of Luke is in the words of Mark while 59 percent of Matthew's