Mark Goodacre

Last updated

Mark S. Goodacre
Born1967
NationalityEnglish
Academic background
Alma mater Oxford University
Institutions

Mark S. Goodacre (born 1967 in Leicestershire, England) is a New Testament scholar and Professor at Duke University's Department of Religion. He has written extensively on the Synoptic Problem; he defends the Farrer hypothesis, [1] and thus accepts Markan priority but rejects Q.

Contents

Biography

Mark Goodacre’s first job was a paperboy at age 11. [2] He received his MA, M.Phil, and DPhil at the University of Oxford, and has been at Duke University since 2005. [3]

Goodacre has written extensively on the Synoptic Problem; he defends the Farrer hypothesis, [1] and thus accepts Markan priority but rejects Q. He has authored four books, including The Case Against Q: Studies in Markan Priority and the Synoptic Problem and Thomas and the Gospels: The Case for Thomas's Familiarity with theSynoptics. [3] He is writing a book called The Fourth Synoptic Gospel: John’s Knowledge of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which argues that John was aware of all three Synoptics. [4]

He has also been a consultant for numerous television and radio shows related to the New Testament, such as the 2001 BBC series Son of God and the 2013 mini-series The Bible . [5]

Reception

Goodacre has been described as the leading advocate of the Farrer Hypothesis, which is currently enjoying growing popularity among Biblical scholars. [6] [7] Simon Joseph writes that The Case Against Q brought an end to the “exuberant hegemony” of the Two-source hypothesis. [8] Alan Kirk and John Kloppenborg have critiqued Goodacre’s Farrer solution and his conception of ancient media such as editorial fatigue in defense of the two-source hypothesis. [9] [10]

Works

References

  1. 1 2 Mark Goodacre: Fatigue in the Synoptics, New Testament Studies, volume 44
  2. Roth, Bryan (8 February 2016). "A Professor Who Almost Wasn't | Duke Today". today.duke.edu. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Mark S. Goodacre | Scholars@Duke profile". scholars.duke.edu. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  4. "The Fourth Synoptic Gospel". Eerdmans Publishing Co. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  5. Mark Goodacre: Media Consultancy and Participation
  6. Runesson, Anders (2021). Jesus, New Testament, Christian Origins. Eerdmans. p. 80. ISBN   9780802868923.
  7. Kirk, Alan (2019). Memory and the Jesus Tradition. T&T Clark. p. 156. ISBN   978-0567690036.
  8. The Synoptic Problem 2022: Proceedings of the Loyola University Conference. Peeters Pub and Booksellers. 2023. p. 51. ISBN   9789042950344.
  9. Kirk, Alan (2023). Jesus Tradition, Early Christian Memory, and Gospel Writing. Eerdmans. pp. 5298-5324 (location). ISBN   9780802882950.
  10. Kloppenborg, John. "On Dispensing with Q?: Goodacre on the Relation of Luke to Matthew". New Testament Studies. 49 (2): 210–236.
  11. Goodacre, Mark S.; Goodacre, Mark (December 1996). Goulder and the Gospels: An Examination of a New Paradigm. A&C Black. ISBN   9781850756316 . Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  12. Goodacre, Mark (15 June 2004). The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze. A&C Black. ISBN   9780567080561 . Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  13. Goodacre, Mark (February 2002). The Case Against Q: Studies in Markan Priority and the Synoptic Problem. A&C Black. ISBN   9781563383342 . Retrieved 7 May 2019.