Q or Not Q? ─ The So-Called Triple, Double, and Single Traditions in the Synoptic Gospels

Adamczewski (New Testament, Cardinal Stefan Syszynski U., Warsaw, Poland) tackles the thorny issue of the order in which the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written; the degree and type of influence the earlier had on the later; and whether there was a now lost original--designated Q, for German quelle "source"--that they all drew from. He sets out the problem and recently adopted solutions to it, the basic pattern of literary interdependence of the synoptic gospels, Mark's use of sources, Luke's use of sources, and Matthew's use of sources. He concludes that the gospels were composed in that order, Luke of course including Acts, and that they all rework material from the Pauline epistles, rather than diverging from an original text. Among his arguments is the unlikelihood that not only such a crucial text would vanish, but also any mention of it. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The Author: Bartosz Adamczewski received his DD in biblical theology at The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin and his SSL at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. He is lecturer of the New Testament at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw.