This book offers a new explanation of the development of the first three gospels based on a careful examination of both patristic testimony and internal evidence among the books themselves. / James Edwards posits a number of fascinating theories in his coherent hypothesis of the origins of these gospels. He argues that the original language of the Hebrew Gospel was Hebrew, rather than Aramaic. He further discusses why the Hebrew Gospel is no longer extant, including the role anti-Judaism played in its demise and neglect in Christian scholarship. Perhaps his most controversial assertion, however, comes on the heels of his thorough review of the origin of and scholarly evidence for the Q hypothesis proposed by Schleiermacher: Edwards concludes that Q is no longer necessary or even scholarly defensible. Instead the canonical Greek Matthew concludes the synoptic tradition and Mark and Luke draw directly from it. / Each chapter in this book plows new ground and challenges assumptions in the New Testament guild that have long been held but that lack solid evidence. Edwards has written a groundbreaking book that will force scholars to reconsider the way they conceive of the formation of the synoptic tradition.
