I've begun creating a parallel-engine on the Gospel parallels as part of my larger project, and I thought I would share my foundational research with you all. This is a work in progress, and I'm always looking for feedback and suggestions.
Essentially the enter Biblical system and recount of Jesus can be reduced to Mark and Thomas. The others are derivations and expansions upon these two primary sources. The system below attempts to outline the flow of the documents and their relationships to one another.
Q Source (Lost Baseline) - c. 45 BCE
Peter's Oral Recollections (Mark's Foundation) - c. 50 CE
Thomas Fragments (Logos Sayings Stream) - c. 50 CE
Synoptic Hierarchy
A. Q Source (Lost Baseline)
B. Peter's Oral Recollections
C. Paul's Independent Epistles
A.1 Gospel of Thomas (Pure Sayings Stream)
B.1 Gospel of Mark (First Derivative Skeleton)
B.1.A Gospel of Matthew (Antioch Synthesis: Mark + Q)
B.1.B Gospel of Luke (Gentile Synthesis: Mark + Q)
B.2 Gospel of John (Visionary Offshoot Stream)"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
- Numbers 6:24-26 (Priestly Blessing)
Origins of the Torah (Documentary Hypothesis)
[c. 950 BCE: J Source] [c. 850 BCE: E Source]
(Southern Kingdom) (Northern Kingdom)
\ /
\ /
[c. 722 BCE: Merged JE Layer] [c. 622 BCE: D Source]
\ (Deuteronomy)
\ /
[c. 550 BCE: Babylonian Exile / P Source]
(Priestly Law / Final Synthesis)
|
[c. 450 BCE: THE TORAH COMPLETED]
|
[c. 250 BCE: THE 72 (LXX Translation)]J (Yahwist Source) - c. 950 BCE
- Written in the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
- Uses the name Yahweh.
- Focuses on anthropomorphic depictions of God.
E (Elohist Source) - c. 850 BCE
- Written in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
- Uses the name Elohim.
- Focuses on prophets and abstract manifestations.
D (Deuteronomist Source) - c. 622 BCE
- Discovered/written during the reign of King Josiah.
- Focuses heavily on centralized worship in Jerusalem.
P (Priestly Source) - c. 550-450 BCE
- Written during and immediately after the Babylonian Exile.
- Focuses on genealogies, ritual law, Levitical codes, and cosmic order (like Genesis 1).
The Final Build: Around 450-400 BCE, Ezra the Scribe and his team took these distinct written scrolls and edited them into a single, seamless five-volume master ledger (The Torah).
The Old Testament
70 elders who ascended Mount Sinai with Moses (Exodus 24:9).
Versions
- Hē metáphrasis tôn Hebdomḗkonta
- Original Koine Greek name: The Translation of the Seventy.
- Vetus Testamentum Graece
- Latin for The Greek Old Testament. Often used by early Latin-speaking Church Fathers.
- Septuaginta
- The popularized Latin term. Augustine of Hippo is credited with formalizing this as the primary title in the West.
- LXX
- Roman numeral shorthand for 70, referencing the traditional number of translators.
Septuagint (LXX) Canonical Structure
- Pentateuch (Translation of the Seventy)
- The Law (Ho Nomos); foundations of covenant, ritual, and legal frameworks.
GLEND
Genesis · Exodus · Leviticus · Numbers · Deuteronomy
Γένεσις · Ἔξοδος · Λευιτικόν · Ἀριθμοί · Δευτερονόμιον
- Poetic and Wisdom
- Anthologies of liturgical prayer, philosophical inquiry, and moral instruction.
POPESJWS
Psalms · Odes · Proverbs · Ecclesiastes · Song of Songs · Job · Wisdom of Solomon · Wisdom of Sirach
Ψαλμοί · Ὠδαί · Παροιμίαι · Ἐκκλησιαστής · Ἆσμα Ἀσμάτων · Ἰώβ · Σοφία Σολομῶντος · Σοφία Σειράχ
- Historical
- Narrative arc of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile.
JJRKP
Joshua · Judges · Ruth · Kings · Chronicles
Ἰησοῦς · Κριταί · Ῥούθ · Βασιλεῖαι · Παραλειπόμενα
- Prophetic
- Oracles of judgment and restoration; expanded with deuterocanonical additions.
IJBLED
Isaiah · Jeremiah · Baruch · Lamentations · Ezekiel · Daniel
Ἠσαΐας · Ἱερεμίας · Βαρούχ · Θρῆνοι · Ἰεζεκιήλ · Δανιήλ
- Deuterocanon
- Books preserved in the Greek tradition but not included in the Hebrew Masoretic Text.
TJME
Tobit · Judith · Maccabees · Esdras
Τωβίτ · Ἰουδίθ · Μακκαβαῖοι · Ἔσδρας
Hebrew Masoretic Text
Jewish community largely moved toward the Masoretic Text (Hebrew) in the 2nd century CE.
New Testament
Roughly 75% to 90% of Old Testament citations found in the New Testament are quoted directly from the LXX rather than the Hebrew.
Source Layer (c. 50-60 CE)
The Pure Sayings Stream (Q Engine)
The Eye-Witness Narrative Stream (Peter Engine)
The Visionary Offshoot Stream (Paul Engine)
First Generation Core
Q Source (Lost Baseline)
- Pure Greek/Aramaic sayings list.
- Apocalyptic/Galilean focus.
Peter's Oral Recollections
- Direct eye-witness memories.
- Grounded in Galilee dirt/houses.
Paul's Independent Epistles
- Non-canonical narrative format.
- Visionary/Cosmic theology.
First Derivative Output
Gospel of Thomas
- Preserves raw sayings layout.
- Shoved out of the official canon matrix.
Gospel of Mark
- Written by Peter's scribe/disciple.
- The primary chronological skeleton.
Independent track running parallel; feeds early church letters, not biographies.
Second Derivative Synthesis
Merged entirely into the downstream narrative builds below.
Gospel of Matthew
- Anonymous Antioch Scribe.
- Copies: Mark + Q Source.
Gospel of John
- Did his own thing entirely.
- Highly stylized metaphysical layer.
Third Derivative Synthesis
Merged entirely into the downstream narrative builds below.
Gospel of Luke
- Gentile Physician/Researcher.
- Copies: Mark + Q Source.
Parallel Cross-Section Grid
"The man old in days will not hesitate to ask a small child seven days old about the place of life, and he will live. For many who are first will become last, and they will become one and the same."
"Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it."
"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."