Ep 181: How the Gospel Writers Copied Each Other with James Barker

February 11, 2025
Protestant Libertarian Podcast

Ep 181: How the Gospel Writers Copied Each Other with James Barker

In this episode I talk with Dr. James Barker, associate professor of New Testament at Western Kentucky University, who authored the brand-new book Writing and Rewriting the Gospels: John and the Synoptics, out now on Eerdmans. In this book Dr. Barker discusses the synoptic problem, the question of the literary relationship between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and offers a defense of the Farrer hypothesis, which argues Mark was the first gospel to be written, Matthew used Mark, and Luke used both. He discusses ancient rhetorical techniques, writings styles and media, and the ‘trajectory’ of editing. He then proposes that John both knew and used the synoptics, and that the development of early Christology helpfully illustrates the literary development of the gospels.

Additional Resources

Writing and Rewriting the Gospels: https://a.co/d/aQAdPq4
James Barker Academia: https://wku.academia.edu/JamesBarker

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