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Synoptic Problem Question: "What is the Synoptic Problem?"  When
the first three Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—are compared, it
is unmistakable that the accounts are very similar to one
another in content and expression. As a result, Matthew, Mark,
and Luke are referred to as the “Synoptic Gospels.” The word
synoptic basically means “to see together with a common view.”
The similarities among the Synoptic Gospels have led some to
wonder if the Gospel authors had a common source, another
written account of Christ’s birth, life, ministry, death, and
resurrection from which they obtained the material for their
Gospels. The question of how to explain the similarities and
differences among the Synoptic Gospels is called the Synoptic
Problem.  Some argue that Matthew, Mark, and Luke are so similar
that they must have used each other’s Gospels or another common
source. This supposed “source” has