Q has explanatory power. In Q, the Earliest Gospel, after bringing attention to inadequacies in the Griesbach and Farrer hypotheses, Kloppy writes of the 2 document hypothesis: “It works. It produces an account of the Gospels that makes sense. To assume that Matthew and Luke used a second document to supplement what they had from Mark in fact makes for an efficient explanation of the data. It works.” (40)
When I was a kid (12), we lived on a hill and had a garden-wagon. I’d put a lawn-chair in it and ride down, using the handle to steer. (With variations, of course. Sometimes no lawn-chair, sometimes two, my sister in the back.) I needed to build momentum, and there’s a 90 degree turn that required careful navigation. Usually I could make it work. The Synoptic problem is like a 3-wheeled garden-wagon. Sure, with some finesse and clever maneuvers, you can get pretty far. It won’t be long before you need to get out and push the wagon from a ditch. The missing wheel that makes a smooth ride possible is Q. With Q, the setup works.
Kloppenborg, John S. Q, the Earliest Gospel : An Introduction to the Original Stories and Sayings of Jesus. First edition. Westminster John Knox Press. Louisville, Kentucky. 2008.
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