Sources of the Synoptic GospelsPatton, Carl S. (Carl Safford)
Religion
Sources of the Synoptic Gospels
Patton, Carl S. (Carl Safford)
Bible. Gospels -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
The phenomena of peculiar words, ninety-five characteristic of Matthew and
one hundred and fifty-one characteristic of Luke, is also impossible of
explanation upon the theory that either writer copied from the other. If
either one were copying from the other, they would certainly agree against
Mark in some really important matter, and not merely in an occasional word
or phrase. If Luke were copying from Matthew, he would certainly have
incorporated some one of those numerous additions which Matthew makes to
the narratives of Mark.[70]
In addition to any of the more general considerations which have suggested
the possible use of Matthew by Luke, a recent writer has evolved an
ingenious and somewhat elaborate proof for this use, which it may be well
to consider in some detail.
A RECENT ATTEMPT TO PROVE MATTHEW A SOURCE FOR LUKE
Mr. Robinson Smith[71] attempts to dispose both of Ur-Marcus and Q by
maintaining that Luke copied from Matthew. His argument rests upon the
deviations which Matthew and Luke make, respectively, in their common
abbreviations of certain of Mark's narratives. "Where a choice from two or
more Marcan expressions has been made, the first choice falls to Matthew
and the second to Luke."
As examples of these first choices by Matthew and second choices by Luke,
Mr. Smith instances (with the parallel passages in Matthew and Luke) Mk i,
32; iii, 7, 8; x, 29, 33, 34; xii, 3; xiv, 1, 12, 65; xv, 42. The argument
seems to be that Luke having both Mark and Matthew before him, and seeing
that in each of these instances Matthew has chosen a certain part of
Mark's phrase and rejected the rest, himself avoids using that part of the
phrase which Matthew has chosen, restricting himself to the part which
Matthew has left unused. We will take up first the particular instances,
and see whether other, perhaps simpler, reasons suggest themselves for
these deviations; after that we will consider the general argument.
Mk i, 32 (Mt viii, 16; Lk iv, 40): Mark's phrase runs Ὀψίας δὲ γενομένης,
ὅτε ἔδυ ὁ ἥλιος. Of this phrase, Matthew takes the first three words as
they stand. Luke appropriates the remainder, changing into Δύνοντος δὲ
τοῦ ἡλίου. Mark's phrase is here redundant, and Matthew and Luke (as
usual) both reduce the redundancy. But Matthew has omitted the point of
Mark's phrase, since in Matthew's account the events described did not
happen on the Sabbath. Luke has retained the essential part of the
phrase.[72]
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