Major and minor agreements.

Matthew and Luke agreeing against Mark.

Major agreements.
Minor agreements.

Also refer to the list of agreements of Matthew and Luke against Mark.

Potential solutions to the synoptic problem may be broadly divided into two groups:

• Those which require hypothetical sources.
• Those which do not require hypothetical sources.

To the second category belong the Augustinian theory (Matthew-Mark*), the Farrer theory (Mark-Matthew*), and the Greisbach theory (Matthew-Luke*), among others less well-known. The first category covers very many theories, of course, but by far the best-known is the two-source theory (Mark-Q*).

* Refer to my page on synoptic nomenclature for an explanation of this system, which is derived from Stephen Carlson.

It is only in theories of the first category that agreements between any two of the synoptic gospels against the third become an issue; in theories of the second category the third evangelist knew both of his predecessors and was therefore free to agree with one or the other as he saw fit. But, in cases in which it is theorized that the second and third evangelists wrote in ignorance of each other, it becomes essential to explain agreements between them against the first evangelist, whom both knew and followed.

Since by far the dominant theory of the first category has been Mark-Q, the very term agreements has in synoptic studies come to refer to those instances in which Matthew and Luke agree against Mark. To this term the adjective minor is regularly applied, as indicating that these agreements against Mark are usually quite insignificant and probably coincidental. In most standard treatments of the synoptic problem you will find at least one chapter dedicated to the minor agreements.

It is with great care that I employ the word usually in that description. For there are instances in which the agreement simply cannot be chalked up to coincidental editing of Mark by both Matthew and Luke. In those instances, few as they may be, it seems unwise to apply the adjective minor. So I myself like to refer to some of the agreements as major agreements.

To be sure, there will be a degree of subjectivity in deciding which agreements to classify as minor and which as major, but my basic procedure is to separate out those agreements which on the Mark-Q theory must be categorized either as the result of slimly attested (or even unattested) textual corruption, or as an overlap between Mark and Q in the triple tradition, or as an overlap with some other source, including perhaps a strong oral tradition. These cases are the major agreements. Those cases that remain once the major agreements have been sifted out ought to be attributable to coincidental editorial work based on tendencies discernible elsewhere in Matthew and Luke, or perhaps elsewhere in Hellenistic Greek.

I am posting these agreements as I go further along in my synopses, so by no means are all of the agreements represented yet. I am also making an ongoing and cumulative raw list of agreements of Matthew and Luke against Mark.

Major agreements.

These agreements I do not think can be explained away on the Mark-Q hypothesis without recourse to either textual corruption or the influence of Q, or to some other early text or tradition. In other words, they are probably not the result of independent editing. I have not finished excavating these agreements, so no need to panic if you do not see your favorite on the list yet.

Matthew 3.5b = Luke 3.3a: The region of the Jordan.
Matthew 3.7-10 = Luke 3.7-9: The sermon of John, part 1.
Matthew 3.11-12 = Luke 3.16-17: The sermon of John, part 2.
Matthew 4.2-11a = Luke 4.2b-13: The three temptations.
Matthew 4.13 = Luke 4.16: Nazara.
Matthew 5.1 = Luke 6.12a, 17bc: The setting of the great sermon.
Matthew 13.11 = Luke 8.10: To know the mysteries.
Matthew 9.37-38 = Luke 10.2: Lord of the harvest.
Matthew 10.7-8 = Luke 9.2; 10.9: The kingdom has come near.
Matthew 10.9-10 = Luke 9.3; 10.4: No staff, no shoes.
Matthew 10.10 = Luke 10.7: The worthy worker.
Matthew 10.13 = Luke 10.5-6: Peace on the house.
Matthew 10.14 = Luke 9.5: From that city.
Matthew 10.16 = Luke 10.3: Sheep amidst wolves.
Matthew 5.13 = Luke 14.34-35: Casting out the salt.
Matthew 14.13b-14 = Luke 9.11: Healing the crowds.
Matthew 18.7b = Luke 17.1b: Scandals will come.
Matthew 26.63b-64 = Luke 22.67-70: Jesus and the high priest.
Matthew 26.68 = Luke 22.64: Who hit you?
Matthew 26.75 = Luke 22.62: He wept bitterly

The region of the Jordan.

From the introduction of John the baptist. Matthew 3.5b = Luke 3.3a, respectively:

...πασα η περιχωρος του Ιορδανου....

...all the region of the Jordan....

...πασαν περιχωρον του Ιορδανου.

...every region of the Jordan....

The Marcan parallel would be 1.4-5.

The sermon of John, part 1.

At Matthew 3.7-10 = Luke 3.7-9 the first and third evangelists agree against Mark in giving a speech by John the baptist to the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew) or to the crowds (Luke). Within the speech proper, after the introduction, Matthew agrees with Luke in 60 out of 63 words and Luke agrees with Matthew in 60 out of 64 words:

The Marcan parallel would be 1.7-8.

The sermon of John, part 2.

In the sermon of John the baptist Matthew 3.11 and Luke 3.16 agree in the present tense βαπτιζω against the Marcan aorist εβαπτισα in Mark 1.8. Both Matthew and Luke also have John the baptist speak of his own baptismal rite before speaking of the one to come; Mark 1.7-8 has him speak of the one to come before describing his own baptismal rite. Furthermore, Matthew 3.11 and Luke 3.16 have υμας βαπτισει instead of the Marcan βαπτισει υμας.

Both Matthew 3.11b-12 and Luke 3.16b-17 extend the second part of the sermon of John the baptist by some 28 (Matthew) or 27 (Luke) words, of which 25 are verbatim between them:

The three temptations.

Matthew 4.1-11, Mark 1.12-13, and Luke 4.1-13 all place the tempting of Jesus in the desert at the same narrative locus; Matthew and Luke, however, actually describe three temptations at the hands of the devil, while Mark gives no content to the testing at all. The relevant section is Matthew 4.2-11a = Luke 4.2b-4, [9-12], [5-8], 13:

Nazara.

In close conjunction with the preaching of Jesus Matthew 4.13 has Jesus leaving Nazara (Ναζαρα) to settle in Capernaum, while Luke 4.16 has Jesus entering Nazara (Ναζαρα) to teach in the synagogue there.

The relevant parallels would be Mark 1.14-15, 21; 6.1; but this special name for Nazareth appears nowhere in the rest of the gospel, either.

Given that the town name is so differently applied by Matthew and Luke, this agreement would not mean much except that Nazara (Ναζαρα) is not the usual name of the town. The usual name is Nazareth (Ναζαρετ or Ναζαρεθ).

The setting of the great sermon.

Matthew 3.1-4.22 parallels Mark 1.2-20 very closely. For Matthew 4.23-25, however, we have to skip around a bit to pick up the Marcan parallels:

In Matthew notice of the sermon on the mount follows immediately (in 5.1). Notice that, although our global narrative point is Mark 1.21, the local Marcan context is actually 3.7-8, the description of the great crowds coming to follow Jesus. After Mark 3.9-12, which goes almost completely unparalleled in Matthew, Mark now describes the commission of the twelve disciples. Matthew 5.1, then, is parallel to Mark 3.13, a fact to which we shall return later.

Luke has led up to his sermon on the plain a bit differently. With the exceptions of the transposed call of the first disciples (in Mark 1.16-20 = Luke 5.1-11) and rejection at Nazareth (in Mark 6.1-6a = Luke 4.16-30), Luke 3.1-6.11 parallels Mark 1.2-3.6 very closely. At this point Mark and Luke run as follows (in Lucan order):

The unit missing in Mark is the introduction to the sermon on the plain. Notice, though, that Luke 6.12 is parallel to Mark 3.13.

So both Matthew 5.1 and Luke 6.12 are parallel to Mark 3.13 (and let us also look at Luke 6.13a):

In all three gospels at this point Jesus is ascending a mountain and his disciples are coming to him. The local transpositions ought not to obscure the fact that these separate passages are parallel:

I might mention that at this point in Mark Jesus goes into a house (Mark 3.20), which probably means Capernaum (see Mark 2.1). Matthew, after Jesus has finished his sermon, has him heal a leper on his way down the mountain (Matthew 8.1-4) then proceed into Capernaum (Matthew 8.5). Luke, also after the sermon, has Jesus go into Capernaum (Luke 7.1).

But this parallelism means that the context for the sermon on the mount or plain is actually Marcan. That Matthew and Luke would both choose to insert their respective sermons into this same Marcan context is a major agreement against Mark.

To know the mysteries.

Matthew 13.11 = Luke 8.10:

...υμιν δεδοται γνωναι τα μυστηρια της βασιλειας....

...to you has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom....

Mark 4.11:

...υμιν το μυστηριον δεδοται της βασιλειας....

...to you the mystery of the kingdom has been given....

Lord of the harvest.

Matthew 9.37-38:

Τοτε λεγει τοις μαθηταις αυτου· Ο μεν θερισμος πολυς, ου δε εργαται ολιγοι· δεηθητε ουν του κυριου του θερισμου οπως εκβαλη εργατας εις τον θερισμον αυτου.

Then he says to his disciples: The harvest is great, but the workers few. Request of the Lord of the harvest therefore that he might cast out workers into his harvest.

Luke 10.2 (from the mission discourse):

Ελεγεν δε προς αυτους· Ο μεν θερισμος πολυς, ου δε εργαται ολιγοι· δεηθητε ουν του κυριου του θερισμου οπως εκβαλη εργατας εις τον θερισμον αυτου.

But he said toward them: The harvest is great, but the workers few. Request of the Lord of the harvest therefore that he might cast out workers into his harvest.

There is no corresponding saying in Mark 6.7-13.

The kingdom has come near.

From the mission discourse. Matthew 10.7-8:

...κηρυσσετε λεγοντες οτι, Ηγγικεν η βασιλεια των ουρανων. ασθενουντας θεραπευετε....

...preach saying: The kingdom of the heavens has come near; heal the sick....

Luke 9.2:

...κηρυσσειν την βασιλειαν του θεου και ιασθαι τους ασθενεις.

...to preach the kingdom of God and cure the sick.

Luke 10.9:

...ηγγικεν εφ υμας η βασιλεια του θεου.

...the kingdom of God has come near upon you.

The corresponding Marcan verse, Mark 6.8, has no such phrase.

No staff, no shoes.

When Jesus is instructing his disciples on what they may and may not take along on their mission to Israel, Matthew 10.9 (μηδε αργυρον, nor silver coinage) and Luke 9.3 (μητε αργυριον, nor silver) agree on forbidding silver, while Mark 6.8 is silent on that commodity. Furthermore, Matthew 10.10 (μηδε υποδηματα, nor shoes, and μηδε ραβδον, nor a staff) and Luke 9.3 (μητε ραβδον, not a staff) and 10.4 (μη υποδηματα, no shoes) agree on forbidding a staff and shoes. Mark 6.8, on the other hand, allows nothing except a staff only (ει μη ραβδον μονον) and allows the disciples to wear sandals (υποδεδεμενους σανδαλια).

The worthy worker.

From the mission discourse. Matthew 10.10:

Αξιος γαρ ο εργατης της τροφης αυτου.

For the worker is worthy of his food.

Luke 10.7:

Αξιος γαρ ο εργατης του μισθου αυτου.

For the worker is worthy of his wage.

Mark 6.9-10 has nothing to match this saying.

Peace on the house.

From the mission discourse:

Mark 6.10 lacks any such instructions.

From that city.

From the mission discourse:

Sheep amidst wolves.

From the mission discourse. Matthew 10.16a:

Ιδου, εγω αποστελλω υμας ως προβατα εν μεσω λυκων.

Behold, I send you away as sheep in the midst of wolves.

Luke 10.3:

Ιδου, αποστελλω υμας ως αρνας εν μεσω λυκων.

Behold, I send you away as lambs in the midst of wolves.

Casting out the salt.

Matthew 5.13 = Mark 9.50 = Luke 14.34-35:

Healing the crowds.

Matthew 14.13b-14 = Luke 9.11, respectively:

Και ακουσαντες οι οχλοι ηκολουθησαν αυτω πεζη απο των πολεων. και εξελθων ειδεν πολυν οχλον και εσπλαγχνισθη επ αυτοις και εθεραπευσεν τους αρρωστους αυτων.

And when the crowds heard they followed him on foot out of the cities. And he went out and saw a great crowd, and he had compassion upon them and healed their sick.

Οι δε οχλοι γνοντες ηκολουθησαν αυτω· και αποδεξαμενος αυτους ελαλει αυτοις περι της βασιλειας του θεου, και τους χρειαν εχοντας θεραπειας ιατο.

But the crowds knew it and followed him. And he received them and spoke to them concerning the kingdom of God, and those who had need of healing he cured.

Mark 6.33-34a lacks mention both of following after Jesus and of the healings:

Και ειδον αυτους υπαγοντας και επεγνωσαν πολλοι και πεζη απο πασων των πολεων συνεδραμον εκει και προηλθον αυτους. και εξελθων ειδεν πολυν οχλον και εσπλαγχνισθη επ αυτους.

And many saw them going down and recognized them, and ran there together on foot out of all the cities and went before them. And he went out and saw a great crowd, and had compassion upon them.

Scandals will come.

Matthew 18.7b = Luke 17.1b:

Αναγκη γαρ ελθειν τα σκανδαλα, πλην ουαι τω ανθρωπω δι ου το σκανδαλον ερχεται.

For it is necessary that scandals should come, but woe to the man through whom the scandal comes.

Ανενδεκτον εστιν του τα σκανδαλα μη ελθειν, πλην ουαι δι ου ερχεται.

It is impossible for scandals not to come, but woe to him through whom they come.

Mark 9.42 has no equivalent.

Jesus and the high priest.

Matthew 26.63b-64 = Luke 22.67-70 evince several striking agreements against Mark 14.61b-62. First, Matthew 26.63 has ημιν ειπης ει συ ει ο Χριστος (might say to us if you are the Christ) and Luke 22.67 has ει συ ει ο Χριστος ειπον ημιν (if you are the Christ say it to us); Mark 14.61 has only συ ει ο Χριστος (you are the Christ or are you the Christ). Second, Matthew 26.64 has απ αρτι (from this moment) and Luke 22.69 has απο του νυν (from now on) where Mark 14.62 has no parallel. Third, Matthew 26.64 has συ ειπας (you [singular] said) and Luke 22.70 has υμεις λεγετε (you [plural] say) where Mark 14.62 has no parallel.

Who hit you?

Matthew 26.68b = Luke 22.64b:

Τις εστιν ο παισας σε;

Who is it who hit you?

Mark 14.65 lacks these five words. The usual reconstructions of Q lack a passion narrative, so recourse to the hypothetical document will not work for this agreement.

He wept bitterly.

Matthew 26.75 = Luke 22.62:

Και εξελθων εξω εκλαυσεν πικρως

And having gone outside he wept bitterly.

Mark 14.72:

Και επιβαλων εκλαιεν

And he cast out [or cast his mind back on the word of Jesus] and wept.

Minor agreements.

I have no intention of listing each and every minor agreement of Matthew and Luke against Mark. Rather, I intend to categorize these agreements and handle them broadly.

Historic presents.
The use of δε and και.

Historic presents.

In Greek, as sometimes in colloquial narrative English, a writer can use the present tense where the past would be expected. An example in English:

So he says to me....

Clearly the incident being narrated occurred in the past, yet the narrator uses the present so as to make the narrative more vivid. In Greek this phenomenon is called the historic present.

Quite a few of the minor agreements between Matthew and Luke against Mark consist of the former two using a verb in past tense or in participial form where the latter uses an historic present. It turns out that Mark tends to use the historic present far more often than Matthew and Luke put together. It is one of his more noticeable stylistic traits.

The historic presents on these lists come in the main from John S. Hawkins, Horae Synopticae, pages 144-149. His standard text was Westcott-Hort. By the numbers, he lists the following historic presents:

• 93 in Matthew.
• 151 in Mark.
• 11 in Luke, with 13 more in the Acts of the Apostles.

It is this distribution of the phenomenon that renders these particular agreements minor. For, if both Matthew and especially Luke desired to reduce the number of historic presents that they would have found in Mark on the Mark-Q theory, then it follows that they will occasionally, perhaps even frequently, have changed the same verb. Indeed, Luke has so avoided the historic present that it would be difficult for Matthew not to create a minor agreement by changing any given historic present in Mark.

Matthew.
Mark.
Luke.

Matthew.

This list presents only the 93 historic presents in Matthew. None of them corresponds with an historic present in Luke. The asterisked * instances are the 21 that correspond with historic presents in Mark. Refer to the Marcan table below for the corresponding words in Mark and Luke.

Hawkins notes that the following 15 instances occur in parables:

Matthew 13.28, 29, 44 (×3); 18.32; 20.6, 7 (×2), 8; 22.8, 12; 25.11, 19 (×2).

An amazing 68 out of the 93 historical presents (or ~73%) in Matthew are verbs which narrate speech (λεγει, λεγουσιν, φησιν).

Mark.

This list presents the 151 historic presents in Mark, as well as the corresponding verbs, if any, in Matthew and Luke. The asterisked * instances in the Marcan column are those in which Matthew, 21 times, retains the historic present in Mark. A double asterisk ** marks the single instance in which Luke retains the historic present in Mark.