Patristic Views and Early Church Interpretations of the Synoptic Problem

Patristic Views and Early Church Interpretations of the Synoptic Problem offers an unprecedented journey into the formative centuries of Christianity, unveiling how the earliest Church Fathers grappled with the enduring mystery of the Synoptic Gospels-Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Long before modern scholars debated source theories and literary dependence, these pioneering theologians faced profound questions about Gospel origins, textual similarities, and differences, all while defending the unity and authority of Scripture amid growing theological controversies.
Drawing on meticulous analysis of patristic writings, historical contexts, and theological reflections, this book reveals how figures like Papias, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Tertullian, Augustine, and Eusebius laid the intellectual and spiritual groundwork for understanding the Synoptic Problem. It explores their interpretive strategies-from harmonization efforts to the affirmation of apostolic tradition-and shows how their responses shaped the canon, liturgy, and Christian identity.