Marcan Priority Without Q: Explorations in the Farrer Hypothesis Edited by John C.Poirier and JeffreyPeterson. Library of New Testament Studies, 455. London: Bloomsbury, 2015 Pp. xiv + 272. Cloth, $110.00.

Abstract

This stimulating volume features eleven essays foregrounding the merit of the Farrer Hypothesis (FH) as a solution to the Synoptic Problem. By way of introduction, Poirier enumerates several developments within scholarship that strengthen the credibility of FH's tenet that Luke used Matthew's Gospel, including a disenchantment with form criticism, an acceptance of a second-century date for Luke's composition, and an appreciation for Luke's literary adeptness. The remaining essays either propose new frameworks to increase the plausibility of Luke's use of Matthew or raise objections that call the existence of Q into question (especially as formulated by prominent Two-Document Hypothesis [2DH] proponents). Among the many highlights: H. Gorman appeals to the progymnasmata as a way of making sense of Luke's rearrangement of Matthean material; M. Goodacre argues that the increase in extensive verbatim agreements between Matthew and Luke in the double tradition compared to the triple tradition is most expediently explained by Luke's use of Matthew; and A. Abakuks offers a statistical analysis suggesting that Matthew's and Luke's redactions of Mark were not independent. The volume closes with a judicious and constructive response from longtime 2DH advocate Kloppenborg, whose evaluation is remarkably positive (short of endorsing FH). All of the essays in this book contribute to increasing the sophistication of our conceptions of the Synoptic Problem. For this reason, Marcan Priority without Q will be a valuable resource for supporters of any hypothesis—FH, 2DH, or otherwise.