Getting to Know Your Synopsis

1.  Buy the Book

Although various kinds of computer software are available for biblical studies, the very best resource for comparing the synoptic gospels is still a book.  A synopsis of the gospels is a reference book that aligns similar texts in parallel columns so you may easily compare and contrast how the same story is narrated by each evangelist. 

In my classes on the synoptic gospels, I require purchase of a synopsis edited by Kurt Aland and published in the US by the United Bible Societies.  The English-only version costs less than $20. and is available from places like the Luther Seminary Bookstore and Amazon. 

In what follows, I am assuming you have access to an Aland synopsis, whether Greek, Greek-English, or English. The directions here will make sense with any of these.

2.  Start with the Index

Questions on this section? Explore further by looking at a sample index page.

It might be easiest to get to know your synopsis by starting at the back of the book. On page 341 an Index of the Gospel Parallels begins. This is a table of contents for the synopsis. Notice some things about the page:

Pericope Numbers

What is a pericope?

The word, "pericope" (pronounced pah-RIK-ah-pē)  comes from Greek that means, "to cut around." A pericope is a segment of a larger text that could stand alone, as in a lectionary reading.

By the way, if you spell check documents with this word in them, your computer will want to change it to periscope (connected to "look around," rather than "cut around"). Don't do it:  submarine officers everywhere will be confused! Just add "pericope" to your custom dictionary.

Each pericope has a number. The Prologue is "no. 1." John the Baptist is "no. 13," and so on. These numbers are also on the inside margins of each index page.

Pericope Titles

Each segment of the story has a title, such as "The Baptism of Jesus" (no. 18), or "The Call of the First Disciples" (no. 21).

Columns of Bible References

The four columns headed, "Matt., Mark, Luke, John" each have references to biblical texts in them. Sometimes these references are in bold face type. Sometimes they are in regular type. Sometimes they are in smaller type.

Biblical references in bold face type (like: 3.1-6) alert you that regarding whose order the editors are following. If a text reference is in bold type, the order of that particular evangelist is being followed. (Sometimes more than one evangelist has the same material in the same order, so you will see two or three columns with bold type.)

Biblical references in regular type (like: 3.23-28) indicate that one of that gospels has parallel material to that in bold type, but the similar material is in a different location. Look, for example, at the Sermon on the Mount in the index (p. 343). You can tell that the editors are following Matthew's order, but Luke has several of the same sayings, so they list Luke's references in the Luke column. "Why aren't these also in bold type?" you ask. Look at how the references skip around: chapter 6, ten 14, then 8 and so on.

Biblical preferences printed in a smaller font (like: 5.1-11) mean that the material there is similar, but not exactly parallel. Pericope no. 34 ("The Call of the Disciples") is a good example. Mark and Matthew agree closely with each other in terms of wording and order. Luke has a different story, about the great catch of fish and Jesus' call to Peter. The reference in the Luke column (5.1-11) is to that story. It is as close as Luke comes to telling a "Call of the Disciples" story.

Page Numbers

At the far right hand side of the index page are page numbers for the pericopes listed. If your experience is at all parallel to mine, you will confuse pericope numbers and page numbers for the rest of your life. This book is a great tool, but it's not completely fool proof!

3.  Look at a Page in the Synopsis

Questions on this section? Explore further by looking at a sample synopsis page.

Take a look at p. 14. By the way, if you have an English/Greek synopsis, you will notice that you actually have two pages numbered 14, side by side. One of them is in Greek and one in English.

At the top of the page, you'll find:

Pericope Numbers
These look like: [no. 14, 15, 16].

New Testament Texts
Centered at the top of the page is a list of all the gospel texts on the page.

Pages of the Synopsis
On the outside margin is the page number.  In this case, the page is 14 (it is coincidence that pericope #14 is on p. 14).

At the top of each pericope, you'll find:

Pericope Titles
Numbered and centered throughout the page are the pericope titles (for example, "15.  John Replies to Questioners").

Other things on the page:

Who invited John?

Matthew, Mark and Luke are the synoptic gospels, yet there are texts from John in your synopsis.  Where John includes a similar story or saying, the synopsis editors have included it for you. In these cases, you'll notice how much like each other the first three gospels are when compared to John. When you use colored pencils to underline the synopsis, you will only be underlining Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Column Widths
Notice that the Mark column is quite small (and empty!) in pericope no. 14. That is because Mark does not include John the Baptist's sermon or anything like it in his gospel.

Textual Apparatus
Under the columns of biblical texts is an apparatus that lists some textual variants. This apparatus is not as complete as the one in a Greek New Testament, but it will alert you to some manuscript differences.

Related Texts
Under the textual variants are references to related texts, some of which are outside the gospels.

What's Next: Sample Pages

If you did not follow the links above to sample pages, you get another chance here! The next button takes you to sample pages. After them, we move to coloring your synopsis.

Next: Sample Pages of a Synopsis