Chapter Two: Fundamental Methodological Considerations

Abstract

When scholars treat gospel passages portraying scribes, Pharisees, Herodians, chief priests, and so on, naturally they are tempted to clarify precisely who these groups were in Jesus' day, what viewpoints they espoused, whose interests they represented. Scholars bent on discovering for themselves the identity of these Jewish leadership groups must supplement the meager data of the gospels. Since all the Synoptic Gospels are basically similar in their descriptions of various Jewish leadership groups, many scholars have recourse to all of the Synoptists, ignoring the probability of literary dependency. The fundamental consideration that this is possible methodologically requires that the study of Jewish leadership groups in the gospels be made initially within the confines of Mark alone; hence the concentration of this book on Mark and the deliberate limit in consulting Matthew and Luke to clarify the Markan descriptions of scribes and Pharisees and other groups in their relations with Jesus.Keywords: Jewish leadership groups; Luke; Mark; Matthew; Synoptic Gospels