When you hear goofy things coming out of your religous education class, ask the teacher, do you believe in "Q"? Here is four out ten reasons "Q" is lunacy. Your really only need to read the first two, 3 through 10 are really just "piling on".Hat Tip to Sonitus Sanctus
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Ten Reasons to Question QThis is an overview of grounds for scepsis about Q. These ten points are intended to function not as self-contained, knock-down objections but rather, when taken together, to encourage some critical questioning of the Q hypothesis.
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1. No-one has ever seen Q
Current literature on Q abounds with editions of Q, investigations into its strata, studies of the communities that were behind it and analyses of their theology. In such circumstances, it is worth allowing ourselves the sober reminder that there is no manuscript of Q in existence. No-one has yet found even a fragment of Q.
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2. No-one had ever heard of Q
No ancient author appears to have been aware of the existence of Q. One will search in vain for a single reference to it in ancient literature. For a while it was thought that 'the logia' to which Papias referred might be Q. Indeed, this was one of the planks on which the Q hypothesis rested in the nineteenth century. But no reputable scholar now believes this.
2. No-one had ever heard of Q
No ancient author appears to have been aware of the existence of Q. One will search in vain for a single reference to it in ancient literature. For a while it was thought that 'the logia' to which Papias referred might be Q. Indeed, this was one of the planks on which the Q hypothesis rested in the nineteenth century. But no reputable scholar now believes this.
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3. Narrative Sequence in Q
Q apparently has a narrative sequence in which the progress of Jesus' ministry is carefully plotted. In outline this is: the Baptist's appearance in the Jordan, his preaching, Jesus' baptism, temptations in the wilderness, Nazara, a great Sermon, Capernaum where the Centurion's Boy is healed, messengers from the Baptist. This narrative is problematic for the Q theory in two ways. First, it contradicts the assertion that Q is a "Sayings Gospel" that parallels Thomas. Second, this sequence makes sense when one notices that it corresponds precisely to the places at which Matthew departs from Mark's basic order (in Matt. 3-11) and where Luke, in parallel, departs from that order. In other words, it makes good sense on the assumption that Luke is following Matthew as well as Mark.
.3. Narrative Sequence in Q
Q apparently has a narrative sequence in which the progress of Jesus' ministry is carefully plotted. In outline this is: the Baptist's appearance in the Jordan, his preaching, Jesus' baptism, temptations in the wilderness, Nazara, a great Sermon, Capernaum where the Centurion's Boy is healed, messengers from the Baptist. This narrative is problematic for the Q theory in two ways. First, it contradicts the assertion that Q is a "Sayings Gospel" that parallels Thomas. Second, this sequence makes sense when one notices that it corresponds precisely to the places at which Matthew departs from Mark's basic order (in Matt. 3-11) and where Luke, in parallel, departs from that order. In other words, it makes good sense on the assumption that Luke is following Matthew as well as Mark.
4. Occam's Razor
The British medieval philosopher Occam suggested a fine working principle: that entities should not be multiplied beyond what is necessary. How then has Q escaped Occam's razor? Luke's independence of Matthew, the thesis that necessitates Q, is thought to be confirmed by Luke's apparent ignorance of Matthew in the passages they both share with Mark (triple tradition passages). But the existence of agreements between Matthew and Luke against Mark in these very passages suggests otherwise.
Link to the complete list (here)
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