By Alicia Nemiccolo MacLeay '97

Biblical scholar Thomas R.W. Longstaff likes complexity and solving very difficult problems. Discerning the literary relationships between the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke from the original Greek would certainly qualify. Longstaff has studied the first three Gospels' considerable parallels since he was a doctoral candidate more than 30 years ago, and he is now considered an expert on the Synoptic Problem.

"The three synoptic Gospels--Matthew, Mark and Luke--are so closely similar in both content and language that most scholars conclude that there must be a literary relationship among them," explained Longstaff. "Since the Gospels are primary sources for understanding early Christian history and thought, it's important to know the sequence in which the Gospels were written."

Traditionally, synopses have been simple black and white publications. To make close comparisons of literary patterns synoptic scholars have had to tediously color code passages and shift back and forth from volume to volume. "The cost of setting type in four or more colors with colored underlining, dashed underlining, double underlining, in parallel columns, precisely aligned has been prohibitively expensive," said Longstaff. "To my knowledge no one has attempted it."

So, Longstaff did it one better. In May he published the first CD-format synopsis, A Synopsis of Mark, with co-author David B. Peabody. The effort is a fundamental advancement in synoptic research. The CD includes the full text of the Gospel of Mark from the original Greek New Testament along with the parallels in Matthew and Luke in a user-friendly format. Relationships are illustrated with colored text, underlines and column definition, and moving from one passage to another requires only a convenient click of the mouse. "In the most complex cases we were able to print six or seven columns, instead of the conventional three, to illustrate relationships as they have never before been illustrated," Longstaff said.

A Synopsis of Mark can be used independently by scholars or as a companion to a print commentary on Mark to be released in the fall. Longstaff and Peabody already have plans to publish a complete CD synopsis of Matthew, Mark and Luke incorporating new technology borrowed from games and virtual reality. "It represent the future for synopsis publication," Longstaff said of the new format.

It also raises new possibilities for answering old questions.