It refers to the writings of Luke, Matthew and Mark, on the idea that there is a connection between the three visions, a consequence of data and cross stories that can be appreciated from making a comparison. It is in this sense that the term synoptic is used.
Approach to the synoptic "problem"
In the New Testament the first three books are the Gospel according to Matthew, according to Mark and according to Luke. They are called synoptic because in all of them the same structure and very similar content is maintained.
According to experts in biblical issues, this coincidence is not accidental and for this reason it is believed that the three testimonies must come from the same literary text or from a common source. At this point, the synoptic problem is discussed to refer to what could be the common element from which the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke emanated.
From theology, the synoptic problem does not exist because the three gospels come from the word released by God. However, there is a "literary" problem: determining what text or what oral source contains the original information from these gospels.
Four hypotheses
According to G. E Lessing's criteria, the three evangelists relied on a gospel written in Aramaic that eventually disappeared.
A second hypothesis, defended by H. Koester, maintains that before Mark there was another evangelist with the same name and his work served as a reference for Matthew, Luke and the Mark we know.
The third option is defended by J. J Griesbach and according to it the first gospel was that of Saint Matthew, which served as the foundation for the narration of Saint Luke and Saint Mark (this conception is based on data collected in the New Testament : Matthew was a direct disciple of Jesus of Nazareth).
According to the last explanatory hypothesis, held by the Protestant theologian Christian Wiesse and accepted by the majority of researchers, there were two original sources: the testimony of Matthew and Luke. Both gospels would share a common font, which the researcher named it with the letter Q (Q in this case is the abbreviation of the word Quelle in German, which means font).
The hypothesis Q, also known as Gospel Q or Source Q, refers to the common material of the evangelists Matthew and Luke but excluding Mark. According to this conception, the content of the synoptic gospels would be related to the oral tradition of the first Christians.
Canonical Gospels and Apocryphal Gospels
The so-called canonical gospels are those that have been officially recognized by the Catholic Church (the three synoptics already mentioned plus the Gospel of John). All these testimonies refer to the direct or indirect contact that the apostles maintained with Jesus of Nazareth.
The apocryphal gospels are those that did not have the official recognition of the Catholic Church and that were written after the canonical ones.
Apart from their official recognition within the Catholic canon, these texts attempt to provide information on aspects of the life of Jesus of Nazareth that do not appear in the canonical texts.
