Tips for Color-coded Underlining of a Synopsis

• the following color code adopts the suggestions of Mark Goodacre in The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze:

Blue		words unique to Matthew
Purple		words shared by Matthew and Mark
Red		words unique to Mark
Orange		words shared by Mark and Luke
Yellow		words unique to Luke
Green		words shared by Matthew and Luke
Brown (or black)		words shared by all three

Additional Tips and Guidelines

• When a string of words is in the same color: underline them all together when the order is also identical, and underline each word separately when the order differs.
• Not every close parallel can be placed on precisely the same line, so read ahead before you start underlining. If it helps, draw lines (in pencil) to connect parallel units/words/phrases that do not appear side by side.
• You will make mistakes, so don't press too hard and be prepared to do some erasing. A common mistake is to think a word occurs in only two gospels, when you later note that it occurs in all three. In this case, using black or dark brown for the triple tradition allows you simply to line over the wrong color without erasing it.
• Some words (and, the, in, but, etc.) will occur frequently in all columns. Look for clues in the context to indicate that small/common words truly have a parallel function in two or more columns.
• When the same word appears in two or three different forms, you might want to underline the different part of the word in a color to signal it is unique to that Gospel, and the shared part in the other, appropriate color.
• Frequently the same word will appear in entirely different forms. This can happen in Greek as well as English (e.g., "eat" and "ate"). To show both the similarity and the difference, you might try using two colors, as in the previous example.
• Sometimes you will have to make a judgment call. This is not a mindless exercise--you must keep thinking. Whatever you decide, try to be consistent.
• After you have done a pericope (paragraph), step back and examine your work. Make notes in the margins.

Distinctive Features of Aland's Synopsis

• The scripture references at the top of the page are in bold face only when that column contains material in order. Correspondingly, the references are in plain face when a passage is presented out of order. In such cases, you can be sure that somewhere else in the book, the same passage appears again in its proper order (with a bold header).
• When a pericope (paragraph or unit) appears out of order, the location of the same passage "in order" is given in parentheses under the reference. See, e.g., #17 on p.15: since both Matt. 14:3-4 and Mark 6:17-18 appear out of order, we are told to go to #144 on p.133 to see the same passages in their proper order.
• If you are studying a passage in a particular gospel, it is usually best to examine it in its proper sequence, which means it should appear in bold at the top of the page.
• Small print may indicate a remote parallel. Examine each small print passage to determine whether or not the passage contains true, verbal parallels. If the content is similar but not parallel, leave it alone.
• Small print may also help to display parallel passages that appear in reverse order. Study the way the three temptations appear in #20 (Matt.4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13). No need to underline the same passage twice.
• The "Index of Gospel Parallels" and the "Index of New Testament Passages" at the back are very helpful for finding passages.