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68-681: In all three synoptic Gospels this episode includes the Parable of the Budding Fig Tree . It is unclear whether the tribulation Jesus describes is a now past , present , or future event . Preterists believe the passage largely refers to events surrounding the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and as such is used to date the Gospel of Mark around the year 70. Futurists believe

136-405: A synopsis of the synoptic gospels. Instead of harmonizing them, he displayed their texts side by side, making both similarities and divergences apparent. Griesbach, noticing the special place of Mark in the synopsis, hypothesized Marcan posteriority and advanced (as Henry Owen had a few years earlier ) the two-gospel hypothesis (Matthew–Luke). In the nineteenth century, researchers applied

204-471: A common mind on a single issue." More recently, Andris Abakuks applied a statistical time series approach to the Greek texts to determine the relative likelihood of these proposals. Models without Q fit reasonably well. Matthew and Luke were statistically dependent on their borrowings from Mark. This suggests at least one of Matthew and Luke had access to the other's work. The most likely synoptic gospel to be

272-635: A global time of catastrophe and war known as the Great Tribulation , in which many other prophecies will be fulfilled during or after the Millennium Reign of Jesus Christ. According to many futurists, many predictions are currently being fulfilled during the Church Age, in which lawlessness and apostasy are currently plaguing secular society. This is seen as a major sign of the approaching fulfillment of all other prophecies during

340-566: A leper came and worships him, saying: Lord, if you wish, I can be cleansed. And he stretched out his hand and touched him, say ing : I wish it; be cleansed. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And , calling out to him, there comes to him a leper and kneeling and saying to him: If you wish, I can be cleansed. And , moved with compassion, he stretched out his hand and touched him and say s to him : I wish it; be cleansed. And immediately

408-593: A number of biblical scholars, who have attempted to relaunch the Augustinian hypothesis , the Griesbach hypothesis and the Farrer hypothesis . In particular, the existence of the Q source has received harsh criticism in the first two decades of the 21st century: scholars such as Mark Goodacre and Brant Pitre have pointed out that no manuscript of Q has ever been found, nor is any reference to Q ever made in

476-480: A period of time in the Temple and stayed at night on the Mount of Olives. According to the narrative of the synoptic Gospels, an anonymous disciple remarks on the greatness of Herod's Temple . Jesus responds that not one of those stones would remain intact in the building, and the whole thing would be reduced to rubble. The disciples asked Jesus, "When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of

544-562: Is Marcan posteriority , with Mark having been formed primarily by extracting what Matthew and Luke shared in common. An extensive set of material—some two hundred verses, or roughly half the length of the triple tradition—are the pericopae shared between Matthew and Luke, but absent in Mark. This is termed the double tradition . Parables and other sayings predominate in the double tradition, but also included are narrative elements: Unlike triple-tradition material, double-tradition material

612-466: Is Marcan priority , whereby Mark was composed first, and Matthew and Luke each used Mark, incorporating much of it, with adaptations, into their own gospels. Alan Kirk praises Matthew in particular for his "scribal memory competence" and "his high esteem for and careful handling of both Mark and Q", which makes claims the latter two works are significantly different in terms of theology or historical reliability dubious. A leading alternative hypothesis

680-434: Is a key facet of the synoptic problem. The simplest hypothesis is Luke relied on Matthew's work or vice versa. But many experts, on various grounds, maintain that neither Matthew nor Luke used the other's work. If this is the case, they must have drawn from some common source, distinct from Mark, that provided the double-tradition material and overlapped with Mark's content where major agreements occur. This hypothetical document

748-490: Is also affirmed by 2 Thessalonians . The authenticity of 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 has been disputed by some. The following arguments are made against its authenticity based on its content: Various scholars have since defended the authenticity of these passages. It is also sometimes suggested that 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 is a post-Pauline insertion that has many features of Lukan language and theology that serves as an apologetic correction to Paul's imminent expectation of

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816-513: Is considerable debate about the correct translation of the word genea . The most common English translation is currently "generation", which seem to suggest that the author of the olivet discourse expected Jesus' second coming to be witnessed by Jesus' contemporaries. In most German Bibles however, genea is instead translated as "family/lineage" ( geschlecht ). Likewise for Danish, Swedish and Norwegian ( slægt , släkte and slekt , respectively). The Danish linguist Iver Larsen argues that

884-524: Is mostly used to describe a timeless and spiritual family/lineage of good or bad people in The New Testament, and that this is the case also for the second coming discourse in Matthew 24. In contrast to Larsen however, he argues that the word genea here denotes the "bad" kind of people," because Jesus had used the word in that pejorative sense in the preceding context (chapter 23.) He also lists

952-513: Is not a major factor in current evangelical Christian deliberation over when prophecy will be fulfilled. Within conservative, evangelical Christian thought, two opposite viewpoints of the Great Tribulation have been expressed in a debate between theologians Kenneth L. Gentry and Thomas Ice . Synoptic Gospels The gospels of Matthew , Mark , and Luke are referred to as the synoptic Gospels because they include many of

1020-455: Is notable for containing a greater concentration of Semitisms than any other gospel material. Luke gives some indication of how he composed his gospel in his prologue: Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from

1088-426: Is of "giving an account of the events from the same point of view or under the same general aspect". It is in this sense that it is applied to the synoptic gospels. This strong parallelism among the three gospels in content, arrangement, and specific language is widely attributed to literary interdependence, though the role of orality and memorization of sources has also been explored by scholars. The question of

1156-516: Is structured differently in the two gospels. Matthew's lengthy Sermon on the Mount , for example, is paralleled by Luke's shorter Sermon on the Plain , with the remainder of its content scattered throughout Luke. This is consistent with the general pattern of Matthew collecting sayings into large blocks, while Luke does the opposite and intersperses them with narrative. Besides the double tradition proper, Matthew and Luke often agree against Mark within

1224-602: Is termed Q , for the German Quelle , meaning "source". Matthew and Luke contain a large amount of material found in no other gospel. These materials are sometimes called "Special Matthew" or M and "Special Luke" or L . Both Special Matthew and Special Luke include distinct opening infancy narratives and post-resurrection conclusions (with Luke continuing the story in his second book Acts ). In between, Special Matthew includes mostly parables, while Special Luke includes both parables and healings. Special Luke

1292-464: Is the belief that all of these predictions were fulfilled by the time Jerusalem fell in 70 CE. Preterism considers that most, if not all, prophecy has been fulfilled already, usually in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE. Historicism considers that most prophecy has been or will be fulfilled during the present church age. It was the chief view of Protestants from

1360-568: The Book of Zechariah in which God (and the contents of heaven in general) will come to Earth and live among the elect , who by necessity are gathered together for this purpose. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus was reported to have told his disciples , "Truly I tell you, this generation [greek: genea ] will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." There

1428-650: The Epistle to the Galatians may have been written by AD 48. The original language is Koine Greek . Thessalonica is a city on the Thermaic Gulf , which at the time of Paul was within the Roman Empire . Paul visited Thessalonica and preached to the local population, winning converts who became a Christian community. There is debate as to whether or not Paul's converts were originally Jewish. The Acts of

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1496-608: The Independence hypothesis , which denies documentary relationships altogether. On this collapse of consensus, Wenham observed: "I found myself in the Synoptic Problem Seminar of the Society for New Testament Studies, whose members were in disagreement over every aspect of the subject. When this international group disbanded in 1982 they had sadly to confess that after twelve years' work they had not reached

1564-486: The Reformation until the mid-19th century. Only among Seventh-day Adventists is historicism applied to current conservative Christian interpretation of Tribulation understanding. Futurism is the belief that the future Jesus predicted is the unfolding of events from trends that are already at work in contemporary human society. Futurism typically holds that all major unfulfilled prophecies will be fulfilled during

1632-733: The Second Coming in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 . Some scholars, such as Schmithals, Eckhart, Demke and Munro, have developed complicated theories involving redaction and interpolation in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Paul, speaking for himself, Silas , and Timothy, gives thanks for the news about their faith and love; he reminds them of the kind of life he had lived while he was with them. Paul stresses how honorably he conducted himself, reminding them that he had worked to earn his keep, taking great pains not to burden anyone. He did this, he says, even though he could have used his status as an apostle to impose upon them. Paul goes on to explain that

1700-480: The angels and at the trumpet call the angels would "gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other".( Matthew 24:31 ) Those who subscribe to the doctrine of the "rapture" (a view popular in American Evangelicalism) find support in this verse, reading this as meaning that people would be gathered from Earth and taken to heaven. This directly relates to a quotation from

1768-400: The leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. And behold, a man full of lepr osy. But, upon seeing Jesus, he fell upon his face and requested him, saying: Lord, if you wish, I can be cleansed. And he stretched out his hand and touched him, say ing : I wish it; be cleansed. And immediately the leprosy left him. More than half

1836-472: The "rebirth of Israel" is the same generation that will observe the fulfillment of the "signs" referred to in Matthew 24:1–33 —and that would be consummated by the second coming of Christ in approximately 1988. He dated it from the "rebirth of Israel" in 1948, and took a generation to be "something like forty years." Lindsey later stretched his forty-year timetable to as long as one hundred years, writing that he

1904-783: The Apostles describes Paul preaching in a Jewish synagogue and persuading people who were already Jewish that Jesus was the Messiah, but in 1 Thessalonians itself Paul says that the converts had turned from idols, suggesting that they were not Jewish before Paul arrived. Most New Testament scholars believe Paul wrote this letter from Corinth only months after he left Thessalonica, although information appended to this work in many early manuscripts (e.g., Codices Alexandrinus , Mosquensis , and Angelicus ) state that Paul wrote it in Athens after Timothy had returned from Macedonia with news of

1972-543: The Gospels had been written. For example, Clement of Alexandria held that Matthew wrote first, Luke wrote second and Mark wrote third; on the other hand, Origen argued that Matthew wrote first, Mark wrote second and Luke wrote third; , Tertullian states that John and Matthew were published first and that Mark and Luke came later. and Irenaeus precedes all these and orders his famous 'four pillar story' by John, Luke, Matthew, and Mark. A remark by Augustine of Hippo at

2040-679: The King James version clearly uses "generation" in this now outdated sense, when it declares that "God is in the generation of the righteous." According to Larsen, the Oxford Universal Dictionary states that the latest attested use of genea in the sense of "class, kind or set of persons" took place in 1727. Larsen concludes that the meaning of "generation" in the English language has narrowed considerably since then. Bible scholar Philip La Grange du Toit argues that genea

2108-563: The Lord . The Book of Revelation also mentions the Sun and Moon turning dark during the sixth seal of the seven seals , but the passage adds more detail than the previous verses mentioned. Jesus states that after the time of tribulation and the sign of the Sun, Moon, and stars going dark the Son of Man would be seen arriving in the clouds with power and great glory . The Son of Man would be accompanied by

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2176-458: The Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. (ESV)" The Gospel of John however seems to downplay a rumor that one disciple (John) would live to see the second coming: "So the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, 'If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? ' " There are four quite different Christian eschatological views . Preterism

2244-494: The Mount of Olives. This message was given during the turbulent events of the Lord's last week before the cross". The Idealist sees no evidence of timing of prophetic events in the Bible. Thus they conclude that their timing cannot be determined in advance. Idealists see prophetic passages as being of great value in teaching truths about God to be applied to present life. Idealism is primarily associated with liberal scholarship, and

2312-795: The Thessalonians The First Epistle to the Thessalonians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible . The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle , and is addressed to the church in Thessalonica , in modern-day Greece . It is likely among the first of Paul's letters , probably written by the end of AD 52, in the reign of Claudius although some scholars believe

2380-582: The Tribulation. Within evangelical Christianity over the past 150 years, futurism has come to be the dominant view of prophecy. However, around the 1970s evangelical preterism—the polar opposite of futurism—was seen as a new challenge to the dominance of futurism, particularly within the Reformed tradition. Yet, futurism continues as the prevalent view for the time being. Futurists anticipate many coming events that will fulfill all eschatological prophecy:

2448-436: The beginning of the fifth century presents the gospels as composed in their canonical order (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), with each evangelist thoughtfully building upon and supplementing the work of his predecessors—the Augustinian hypothesis (Matthew–Mark). This view (when any model of dependence was considered at all) seldom came into question until the late eighteenth century, when Johann Jakob Griesbach published in 1776

2516-412: The centrality of documentary interdependence and hypothetical documentary sources as an explanation for all aspects of the synoptic problem. In recent decades, weaknesses of the two-source theory have been more widely recognized, and debate has reignited. Many have independently argued that Luke did make some use of Matthew after all. British scholars went further and dispensed with Q entirely, ascribing

2584-676: The double tradition to Luke's direct use of Matthew—the Farrer hypothesis of 1955. New attention is also being given (for example, by Robert MacEwen and Alan Garrow) to the Wilke hypothesis of 1838 which, like Farrer, dispenses with Q but ascribes the double tradition to Matthew's direct use of Luke (Matthean Posteriority). Meanwhile, the Augustinian hypothesis has also made a comeback, especially in American scholarship. The Jerusalem school hypothesis has also attracted fresh advocates, as has

2652-478: The double tradition was explained by Matthew and Luke independently using two sources—thus, the two-source (Mark–Q) theory —which supplemented Mark with another hypothetical source consisting mostly of sayings. This additional source was at first seen as the logia (sayings) spoken of by Papias and thus called "Λ", but later it became more generally known as "Q" , from the German Quelle , meaning source . This two-source theory eventually won wide acceptance and

2720-433: The end of the age?" Jesus first warns them about things that would happen: Then Jesus identifies "the beginnings of birth pains": Next he described more birth pains which would lead to the coming Kingdom: Jesus then warned the disciples about the abomination of desolation "standing where it does not belong". After Jesus described the "abomination that causes desolation", he warns that the people of Judea should flee to

2788-486: The historicity of Acts date it in the early 40s AD. The Delphi Inscription dates Gallio's proconsulship of Achaia to 51-52 AD, and Acts 18:12-17 mentions Gallio, toward the end of Paul's stay in Corinth. 1 Thessalonians does not focus on justification by faith or questions of Jewish–Gentile relations , themes that are covered in all other letters. Because of this, some scholars see this as an indication that this letter

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2856-476: The influential four-document hypothesis . This exemplifies the prevailing scholarship of the time, which saw the canonical gospels as late products, dating from well into the second century, composed by unsophisticated cut-and-paste redactors out of a progression of written sources, and derived in turn from oral traditions and from folklore that had evolved in various communities. More recently, however, as this view has gradually fallen into disfavor, so too has

2924-610: The last was Luke. The least likely was Mark. While this weighs against the Griesbach proposal and favors the Farrer, he does not claim any proposals are ruled out. No definitive solution to the Synoptic Problem has been found yet. The two-source hypothesis , which was dominant throughout the 20th century, still enjoys the support of most New Testament scholars; however, it has come under substantial attack in recent years by

2992-524: The main competing translation alternatives, and some of the scholars that support the different views: In the First Epistle to the Thessalonians , Paul seems to envisage that he and the Christians to whom he was writing would see the resurrection of the dead within their own lifetimes: "For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of

3060-478: The moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken". The statements about the Sun and Moon turning dark sound quite apocalyptic, as it appears to be a quote from the Book of Isaiah . The description of the Sun, Moon and stars going dark is also used elsewhere in the Old Testament. Joel wrote that this would be a sign before the great and dreadful Day of

3128-486: The mountains as a matter of such urgency that they shouldn't even return to get things from their homes. Jesus also warned that if it happened in winter or on the Sabbath fleeing would be even more difficult. Jesus described this as a time of " Great Tribulation " worse than anything that had gone before. Jesus then states that immediately after the time of tribulation people would see a sign, "the sun will be darkened, and

3196-1212: The only parable of the barren fig tree is in a different point of the narrative. Some would say that Luke has extensively adapted an element of the triple tradition, while others would regard it as a distinct pericope. An illustrative example of the three texts in parallel is the healing of the leper : Καὶ ἰδοὺ, λεπρ ὸς προσελθ ὼν προσεκύνει αὐτ ῷ λέγων · Κύριε, ἐὰν θέλῃς δύνασαί με καθαρίσαι. καὶ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα ἥψατο αὐτοῦ λέγ ων· Θέλω, καθαρίσθητι· καὶ εὐθ έως ἐκαθαρίσθη αὐτοῦ ἡ λέπρα . Καὶ ἔρχεται πρὸς αὐτὸν λεπρ ὸς παρακαλ ῶν αὐτὸν καὶ γονυπετῶν καὶ λέγων αὐτ ῷ ὅτι, Ἐὰν θέλῃς δύνασαί με καθαρίσαι. καὶ σπλαγχνισθεὶς ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἥψατο καὶ λέγ ει αὐτῷ· Θέλω, καθαρίσθητι· καὶ εὐθ ὺς ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἡ λέπρα , καὶ ἐκαθαρίσθη. Καὶ ἰδοὺ, ἀνὴρ πλήρης λέπρ ας· ἰδ ὼν δὲ τὸν Ἰησοῦν πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐδεήθη αὐτ οῦ λέγων · Κύριε, ἐὰν θέλῃς δύνασαί με καθαρίσαι. καὶ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα ἥψατο αὐτοῦ λέγ ων· Θέλω, καθαρίσθητι· καὶ εὐθ έως ἡ λέπρα ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ . And behold,

3264-512: The precise nature of their literary relationship—the synoptic problem —has been a topic of debate for centuries and has been described as "the most fascinating literary enigma of all time". While no conclusive solution has been found yet, the longstanding majority view favors Marcan priority , in which both Matthew and Luke have made direct use of the Gospel of Mark as a source, and further holds that Matthew and Luke also drew from an additional hypothetical document, called Q . Broadly speaking,

3332-514: The prophecy is broken into different parts, and partly “refers to events that are still yet to come”. The discourse is widely believed by scholars to contain material delivered on a variety of occasions. In the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark , Jesus spoke this discourse to his disciples privately on the Mount of Olives , opposite Herod's Temple . In the Gospel of Luke , Jesus taught over

3400-690: The relation of the synoptic gospels to John ; to non-canonical gospels such as Thomas , Peter , and Egerton ; to the Didache ; and to lost documents such as the Hebrew logia mentioned by Papias , the Jewish–Christian gospels , and the Gospel of Marcion . Ancient sources virtually unanimously ascribe the synoptic gospels to the apostle Matthew , to Peter 's interpreter Mark , and to Paul 's companion Luke —hence their respective canonical names. The ancient authors, however, did not agree on which order

3468-482: The same order in all three gospels. This stands in contrast to the material found in only two of the gospels, which is much more variable in order. The classification of text as belonging to the triple tradition (or for that matter, double tradition) is not always definitive, depending rather on the degree of similarity demanded. Matthew and Mark report the cursing of the fig tree , a single incident, despite some substantial differences of wording and content. In Luke,

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3536-407: The same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical wording. They stand in contrast to John , whose content is largely distinct. The term synoptic ( Latin : synopticus ; Greek : συνοπτικός , romanized :  synoptikós ) comes via Latin from the Greek σύνοψις , synopsis , i.e. "(a) seeing all together, synopsis". The modern sense of the word in English

3604-597: The seven-year period of tribulation, the Antichrist 's global government the Battle of Armageddon, the Second Coming of Jesus, the millennial reign of Christ, the eternal state, and the two resurrections . In his popular book, The Late Great Planet Earth, first published in 1970, evangelical Christian author Hal Lindsey argued that prophetical information in Matthew 24 indicates that the "generation" witnessing

3672-409: The so-called "Great Omission" from Luke of Mk 6:45–8:26 . Most scholars take these observations as a strong clue to the literary relationship among the synoptics and Mark's special place in that relationship, though various scholars suggest an entirely oral relationship or a dependence emphasizing memory and tradents in a tradition rather than simple copying. The hypothesis favored by most experts

3740-613: The state of the church in Thessalonica . The original manuscript of this letter is lost, as are over a century of copies. The text of the surviving manuscripts varies . The oldest surviving manuscripts that contain some or all of this book include: It is widely agreed that 1 Thessalonians is one of the first books of the New Testament to be written, and the earliest extant Christian text. A majority of modern New Testament scholars date 1 Thessalonians to 49–51 AD, during Paul's 18-month stay in Corinth coinciding with his second missionary journey. A minority of scholars who do not recognize

3808-546: The synoptic gospels are similar to John: all are composed in Koine Greek , have a similar length, and were completed in less than a century after Jesus' death. They also differ from non-canonical sources, such as the Gospel of Thomas , in that they belong to the ancient genre of biography, collecting not only Jesus' teachings, but recounting in an orderly way his origins, his ministry, and his passion, and alleged miracles, and resurrection. In content and in wording, though,

3876-511: The synoptics diverge widely from John but have a great deal in common with each other. Though each gospel includes some unique material, the majority of Mark and roughly half of Matthew and Luke coincide in content, in much the same sequence, often nearly verbatim. This common material is termed the triple tradition . The triple tradition, the material included by all three synoptic gospels, includes many stories and teachings: The triple tradition's pericopae (passages) tend to be arranged in much

3944-470: The three synoptic gospels often agree very closely in wording and order, both in quotations and in narration. Most scholars ascribe this to documentary dependence , direct or indirect, meaning the close agreements among synoptic gospels are due to one gospel's drawing from the text of another, or from some written source that another gospel also drew from. The synoptic problem hinges on several interrelated points of controversy: Some theories try to explain

4012-548: The tools of literary criticism to the synoptic problem in earnest, especially in German scholarship. Early work revolved around a hypothetical proto-gospel ( Ur-Gospel ), possibly in Aramaic , underlying the synoptics. From this line of inquiry, however, a consensus emerged that Mark itself served as the principal source for the other two gospels— Marcan priority . In a theory first proposed by Christian Hermann Weisse in 1838,

4080-472: The triple tradition tend to be explanatory elaborations (e.g., "the stone was rolled back, for it was very large " ) or Aramaisms (e.g., " Talitha kum ! " ). The pericopae Mark shares with only Luke are also quite few: the Capernaum exorcism and departure from Capernaum, the strange exorcist , and the widow's mites . A greater number, but still not many, are shared with only Matthew, most notably

4148-420: The triple tradition to varying extents, sometimes including several additional verses, sometimes differing by a single word. These are termed the major and minor agreements (the distinction is imprecise ). One example is in the passion narrative, where Mark has simply, "Prophesy!" while Matthew and Luke both add, "Who is it that struck you?" The double tradition's origin, with its major and minor agreements,

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4216-411: The very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus , so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed. The "synoptic problem" is the question of the specific literary relationship among the three synoptic gospels—that is, the question as to the source or sources upon which each synoptic gospel depended when it was written. The texts of

4284-507: The word "generation" as it was used in the English King James Version of the Bible (1611) had a much wider meaning than it has today, and that the correct current translation of genea (in the specific context of the second coming story) should be "kind of people." (specifically the "good" kind of people; the disciple's kind of people, who, like the words of Jesus, will endure through all the tribulations). In Psalm 14,

4352-446: The wording in this passage is identical. Each gospel includes words absent in the other two and omits something included by the other two. The triple tradition itself constitutes a complete gospel quite similar to the shortest gospel, Mark. Mark, unlike Matthew and Luke, adds little to the triple tradition. Pericopae unique to Mark are scarce, notably two healings involving saliva and the naked runaway . Mark's additions within

4420-591: The writings of the Church Fathers (or any ancient writings, in fact). This has prompted E. P. Sanders and Margaret Davies to write that the Two-sources hypothesis, while still dominant, "is least satisfactory" and Fr. Joseph Fitzmyer SJ to state that the Synoptic Problem is "practically insoluble". Nearly every conceivable theory has been advanced as a solution to the synoptic problem. The most notable theories include: First Epistle to

4488-461: Was no longer certain that the terminal "generation" commenced with the rebirth of Israel. Another detailed analysis, one written by evangelical pastor Ray Stedman , calls it the "Olivet Prophecy: The most detailed prediction in the Bible". According to Stedman: "There are many predictive passages in both the Old and New Testaments, but none is clearer or more detailed than the message Jesus delivered from

4556-426: Was seldom questioned until the late twentieth century; most scholars simply took this new orthodoxy for granted and directed their efforts toward Q itself, and this is still largely the case. The theory is also well known in a more elaborate form set forth by Burnett Hillman Streeter in 1924, which additionally hypothesized written sources "M" and "L" (for "Special Matthew" and "Special Luke" respectively)—hence

4624-435: Was written before the Epistle to the Galatians , where Paul's positions on these matters were formed and elucidated. The majority of New Testament scholars hold 1 Thessalonians to be authentic, although a number of scholars in the mid-19th century contested its authenticity, most notably Clement Schrader and F.C. Baur . 1 Thessalonians matches other accepted Pauline letters, both in style and in content, and its authorship

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