A GOSPEL WITH NO NAME

 

A GOSPEL WITH NO NAME

Brett A. Todd

As previously explained, Matthew and Luke used the Gospel of Mark to write their own stories, Luke states in his first chapter that he used other sources as well to write his gospel story (Luke 1:1-2).   We also mentioned there were many other gospels other than Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John that did not find acceptance among the majority of Christians and were more than likely lost in time.  However, there is one of those gospels, a “gospel with no name” that did find its way into Matthew and Luke, Bible scholars call this gospel, “Q”. 

“Q” is short for the German word “Quelle'' which means source.  Most scholars agree, not only did Matthew and Luke have the Gospel of Mark lying in front of them as they were writing their Gospel story, but they also had this “gospel with no name”.  Here it is important to draw attention to the fact that “Q” is found in Matthew and Luke and not in Mark. To be straight with you, the use of “Q” material is not as easy and clear-cut as it may sound, rather, it can be a very complicated study for a variety of reasons which we can discuss another time.  Perhaps the best way to see both Matthew and Luke using “Q” is to give you a sample parallel.  Again, remember, Mark does not contain these verses.

Matthew 6:24

No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. [Emphasis added]

Luke 16:13

No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. [Emphasis added]

As one looks at the Matthew and Luke reading above, it is evident both Matthew and Luke were using the same “Q” source, the gospel with no name.  The readings are almost identical except for two words, “one” and “slave”.  This is true in the New Testament Greek language as well.  In modern academics, we would call this plagiarism.  Someone was copying from someone, and that someone was Matthew and Luke copying, the gospel with no name, “Q”.

The development of Matthew and Luke was not an easy one-step quick publication.  Just copying “Q” and Mark by rewriting these Greek words alone was a feat in itself.  More important for our topic today, it took Matthew and Luke a great amount of time and effort to take these two sources and choose what they were going to share as well as arrange how they would arrange their own storyline.  This was all done by hand.  There were no computers or printers in those days.

Here is what we do know: when Matthew and Luke are in agreement with each other by sharing familiar stories and verses, but not Mark, they were using the gospel of “Q”.  When Matthew, Luke, and Mark were in agreement, Matthew and Luke were copying the Gospel of Mark.  With the use of “Q”, one could say that in our Bible, there are not just four Gospels, but there are five.

In our next study, we will ask the question: The Apocalypse: Did Jesus and his followers really believe the end of the world as they knew it would end in their lifetime?