Rethinking the Gospel Sources, Volume 2: The Unity and Plurality of Q

This work examines three disputed issues in the study of Q, the hypothetical source common to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke: its existence; its unity as a document; and the plurality of its wording. It evaluates the arguments for and against the existence of Q and concludes that some form of the Q hypothesis is necessary. It presents new evidence that most of the Q material existed as a single written source unified by recurring features of style and theme. Finally, it argues that differences between Matthew and Luke in the wording of Q were caused most often when one Evangelist replaced or combined Q with parallel material from another source.

Delbert Burkett is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Louisiana State University. He is the author of Rethinking the Gospel Sources: From Proto-Mark to Mark (T&T Clark), An Introduction to the New Testament and the Origins of Christianity, and The Son of Man Debate: A History and Evaluation (both from Cambridge University Press).