1: Explain the number of verses in Matthew and Luke that are referred to as Q?
Research provides an estimation of about two hundred and thirty-five verses in Luke and Matthew that are referenced from the ‘Q’ source (Allen, 63). Initially, it was unclear whether or not the two books used Mark as their only source. Thus, some biblical scholars argued that Matthew and Luke borrowed from Mark while others introduced the Q hypotheses of the sayings of Jesus.
How are these verses determined?
Studies determined these verses in Luke and Matthew based on the very words of Jesus. The temptations, the beatitudes, and the Lord’s Prayer were some of the instances Jesus spoke in these two books. The scholars that disagreed with the idea that Mark was the sole source of such verses owed it to a virtual ‘Q’ source.
2: What exactly is meant by Q?
Q Gospel is derived from the German word ‘Quelle’ that refers to a source only known to the writers of the gospels (Keddie, 217). The absence of a written reference to support the Q document caused a lot of suspicion on the source’s legibility. Some scholars suggest that information derived from the source must have been orally obtained.
3: If Q is simply a hypothesis, then do we really know how the Bible was collected and compiled? Explain your answer
Although the Q source is only eligible as an unproven theory, it explains how the Bible was collected and compiled. A lot of information in Matthew and Luke was borrowed from Mark and the spoken words of Jesus. The essence of rephrasing the initial source was to make Jesus Christ’s intended message as clear as it could be. Thus, writers of Matthew and Luke intended to fit their understanding of what Jesus meant by saying certain things. They wrote the books to clear misapprehension of the words of Jesus, which explains how the Bible was compiled.