▁view ▁remain ▁with ▁the ▁Ne wer ▁Document ary ▁Hyp oth esis ▁providing ▁the ▁best ▁answers ▁to ▁the ▁complex ▁question ▁of ▁how ▁the ▁Pent ate uch ▁was ▁formed . ▁ ▁The ▁New ▁Testament ▁syn opt ic ▁problem ▁ ▁In ▁New ▁Testament ▁studies , ▁source ▁criticism ▁has ▁taken ▁a ▁slightly ▁different ▁approach ▁from ▁Old ▁Testament ▁studies ▁by ▁foc using ▁on ▁ident ifying ▁the ▁common ▁sources ▁of ▁multiple ▁texts . ▁This ▁has ▁revealed ▁the ▁G osp els ▁are ▁both ▁products ▁of ▁sources ▁and ▁sources ▁themselves . ▁As ▁sources , ▁Matthew , ▁Mark ▁and ▁Luke ▁are ▁partially ▁dependent ▁on ▁each ▁other ▁and ▁partially ▁independent ▁of ▁each ▁other . ▁This ▁is ▁called ▁the ▁syn opt ic ▁problem , ▁and ▁explaining ▁it ▁is ▁the ▁single ▁greatest ▁d ile m ma ▁of ▁New ▁Testament ▁source ▁criticism . ▁ ▁Multiple ▁theories ▁exist ▁to ▁address ▁the ▁d ile m ma . ▁However , ▁two ▁theories ▁have ▁become ▁pre domin ant : ▁the ▁two - source ▁hypothesis ▁and ▁the ▁four - source ▁hypothesis . ▁ ▁Mark ▁is ▁the ▁short est ▁of ▁the ▁four ▁g osp els ▁with ▁only ▁ 6 6 1 ▁vers es , ▁but ▁six ▁hundred ▁of ▁those ▁vers es ▁are ▁in ▁Matthew ▁and ▁ 3 5 0 ▁of ▁them ▁are ▁in ▁Luke . ▁Some ▁of ▁these ▁vers es ▁are ▁copied ▁verb at im . ▁Most ▁sch ol ars ▁agree ▁that ▁this ▁indicates ▁Mark ▁was ▁a ▁source ▁for ▁Matthew ▁and ▁Luke . ▁There ▁is ▁also ▁some ▁verb at im ▁agreement ▁between ▁Matthew ▁and ▁Luke ▁of ▁vers es ▁not ▁found ▁in ▁Mark