The Book of Q: The "Early Gospel," and Why the Case Is Not Final

Scripture is quoted from the 1599 Geneva Bible with modernized spelling (words and word order unchanged), with the names Yahweh and Yashua restored throughout.

Every so often someone tells me about a "lost gospel" that came before Matthew, Mark and Luke. They call it the Book of Q, the Q Gospel, or "the early gospel." It sounds like a scroll someone dug out of a cave. It isn't. Nobody has ever held a copy of Q. It's a theory that scholars built to explain how the Gospels were written. (And no, this has nothing to do with QAnon.)

This article covers what Q is, who came up with it, who argues against it, and how it compares to the Gospel of Thomas. Then it gives you the whole "book," every passage in order, so you can read it for yourself. My opinion comes at the end, and it's labeled as opinion.

What Q is

Matthew, Mark and Luke tell many of the same stories in the same order, sometimes in the same words. That's why they're called the "Synoptic" Gospels. Most scholars think Mark was written first and that Matthew and Luke both used it. But Matthew and Luke also share a large amount of material that isn't in Mark at all, mostly sayings of Yashua. Scholars call that shared material the "double tradition." Examples are the three temptations in the wilderness, the Beatitudes, the prayer Yashua taught, and the house built on the rock (Wikipedia, "Q source").

Where did Matthew and Luke get it? The most common answer is the two-source hypothesis: Matthew and Luke each worked independently from two sources, Mark and a second document that's now lost. That second document is Q, from the German word Quelle, which means "source" (Wikipedia). In 1908, Adolf von Harnack estimated that the material Matthew and Luke share outside of Mark amounts to "about one-sixth of the text of St. Luke and two-elevenths of the text of St. Matthew" (Harnack, 1908, excerpt).

Most scholars who accept Q think it was written in Greek. Their reasoning is that the wording in Matthew and Luke is sometimes too close for two separate translations or for oral memory. The "two masters" saying in Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13 is almost word for word in the Greek (Wikipedia). In the Geneva, Luke reads "No servant can serve two masters" (Luke 16:13). Scholars who accept Q usually date it to the 40s or 50s AD (Wikipedia).

Who proposed it

• 1801, Herbert Marsh. Proposed a "narrative" source and a "sayings" source, which he labeled with the Hebrew letters aleph and beth (Wikipedia).
• 1832, Friedrich Schleiermacher. Took an old line from Papias of Hierapolis, about Matthew compiling the logia ("oracles" or sayings), as a hint that a sayings collection once existed (Wikipedia).
• 1838, Christian Hermann Weisse. Combined that sayings source with the idea that Mark came first. That combination is what's now called the two-source hypothesis (Wikipedia).
• 1863, Heinrich Julius Holtzmann. Endorsed Weisse's approach in an influential study of the Synoptic Gospels and labeled the sayings source with the Greek letter Lambda (Λ), for Logia. After him, the two-source hypothesis became the dominant view (Wikipedia).
• Late 1800s, Johannes Weiss. Gave it the neutral label "Q" (Quelle), so the name no longer depended on Papias (Wikipedia).
• 1907 and 1908, Adolf von Harnack. Published a full reconstruction in German, Sprüche und Reden Jesu (1907). J. R. Wilkinson's English translation followed in 1908 under the subtitle The Second Source of St. Matthew and St. Luke. Harnack's preface says "an attempt is made to determine exactly the second source of St. Matthew and St. Luke (Q) both in regard to its extent and its contents" (Internet Archive; Online Books Page; preface excerpt).
• 1924, B. H. Streeter. Added two more hypothetical sources, "M" for material found only in Matthew and "L" for material found only in Luke (Wikipedia).
• 1983 to 2000, the International Q Project. Scholars led by James M. Robinson, Paul Hoffmann and John S. Kloppenborg published The Critical Edition of Q in 2000 (Wikipedia). That edition is under copyright and isn't reproduced here.
• John S. Kloppenborg has also argued that Q was written in three stages: wisdom sayings first, then sayings of judgment against "this generation," and the temptation story last (Wikipedia).

No manuscript exists

This is the most important fact in the whole discussion. No copy of Q has ever been found. Not a scroll, not a page, not a scrap. Mark Goodacre, one of Q's best-known modern critics, puts it this way: "there is no manuscript of Q in existence. No-one has yet found even a fragment of Q." He adds that "No ancient author appears to have been aware of the existence of Q" (Goodacre, "Ten Reasons to Question Q"). Wikipedia's summary notes that even Jerome, who had access to the great library at Caesarea, never mentions such a document (Wikipedia).

Defenders answer that many early Christian writings are lost. Once Q's sayings had been absorbed into Matthew and Luke, nobody needed to keep copying it, just as interest in copying Mark seems to have dropped once Matthew absorbed it (Wikipedia). That's a reasonable argument. But it's still an argument about a book nobody has seen.

As reconstructed, Q has no birth story, no crucifixion account and no resurrection account (Wikipedia). As Goodacre puts it, "no-one thinks that Q has a Passion Narrative" (Goodacre). Many scholars still think Q assumes Yashua's death, because it speaks of carrying one's cross (Luke 14:27) and of the prophets who were killed (Wikipedia).

The critics: Farrer, Goulder and Goodacre

Not every scholar accepts Q. The main alternative keeps Mark first but says Luke simply used Matthew, so no lost document is needed. This is called the Farrer hypothesis, also known as the Farrer-Goulder-Goodacre hypothesis.

• Austin Farrer laid it out in his 1955 essay "On Dispensing with Q," published in Studies in the Gospels, edited by D. E. Nineham. His point was that when two documents share material word for word, the simplest explanation is that one copied the other, not that both copied a third document nobody has (Wikipedia).
• Michael Goulder built on Farrer, including in his 1996 article "Is Q a Juggernaut?" (Journal of Biblical Literature 115). He pointed out phrases typical of Matthew, such as "brood of vipers" (in the Geneva, "generations of vipers") and "cast into the fire," that each turn up in Luke only once, inside a so-called Q passage. To Goulder, that meant Luke got them from Matthew (Wikipedia).
• Mark Goodacre wrote The Case Against Q: Studies in Markan Priority and the Synoptic Problem (Trinity Press International, 2002) (Wikipedia). His public summary, "Ten Reasons to Question Q," makes several points (Goodacre):
• Q has a storyline. It runs from John at the Jordan, through the temptations, Nazara, a great sermon and the centurion in Capernaum, to John's messengers. That makes it less like a pure "sayings gospel." The sequence also matches the places where Matthew departs from Mark's order.
• Minor agreements. Goodacre counts "about a thousand" small places where Matthew and Luke agree with each other against Mark in passages all three share. If Luke never saw Matthew, those agreements shouldn't be there. The most striking is at Yashua's trial. Matthew and Luke both add the mockers' question of who struck him, which Mark doesn't have. In the Geneva, Luke reads "who it is that smote thee" (Luke 22:64). And Q isn't supposed to contain the trial at all.
• "Fatigue." In Matthew's parable of the talents there are three servants. Luke's version starts with ten, but then speaks of "the first," "the second," and "the other," as if there were only three. To Goodacre, that looks like Luke drifting back into Matthew's version of the story. You can see it below in Luke 19:16–20.

Whatever you think of Q, you should know that scholars are arguing about it right now. Wikipedia's article on Q, citing a 2023 conference volume, says that since Goodacre's book "many scholars today have come to doubt rather than defend Q" (Wikipedia). Others still hold that it's the best explanation. It isn't settled.

The Gospel of Thomas: a real sayings gospel

One reason scholars found Q believable is that we do have an ancient book made almost entirely of sayings: the Gospel of Thomas.

• Farmers found a complete Coptic copy near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945. It has 114 sayings attributed to Yashua, with almost no story around them (Wikipedia, "Gospel of Thomas"; Britannica).
• Three Greek fragments found earlier at Oxyrhynchus (P. Oxy. 1, 654 and 655) turned out to be pieces of the same book (Wikipedia).
• Many of its sayings line up with Q passages. Burton Mack's outline pairs Q 6:20 (blessed are the poor) with Thomas 54, the mustard seed and leaven (Q 13:18–21) with Thomas 20 and 96, and the lost sheep (Q 15:4–7) with Thomas 107 (Early Christian Writings, "The Contents of Q").

Supporters of Q say Thomas proves that early believers did write down collections of sayings (Wikipedia). Critics say Thomas isn't much help to Q. Goodacre points out that Q as reconstructed has a narrative sequence, which Thomas doesn't (Goodacre). Most scholars also date Thomas to the second century and conclude that it depends on Matthew, Mark and Luke, or blends them, rather than coming before them (Wikipedia). Britannica calls it "grounded in gnosticism" and says its theology is "so far removed" from the teaching in Matthew, Mark and Luke that "it is not considered a major source for the study of" Yashua (Britannica). Thomas is a real book, but it's not Scripture, and it isn't Q.

The full Book of Q

What this is. There is no original text of Q to print. What exists are scholars' reconstructions. To give you the whole thing without reproducing a copyrighted edition, here is the standard Q passage list, Q 3 through Q 22:30, in Luke's order. Q passages are numbered by Luke's chapters and verses because, since B. H. Streeter, most Q scholars have held that Luke kept Q's original order better than Matthew did (Wikipedia). The list of passages follows John S. Kloppenborg's outline in Excavating Q (2000), as reproduced by Early Christian Writings. For the entrusted money (the pounds), the full range Luke 19:12–26 is given, as in one of the other outlines on that page. The section headings are mine.

How to read it.

• The words are Luke's, in the 1599 Geneva Bible. They're not Q's own wording, which nobody has.
• "Probable" sections are passages Kloppenborg treats as probably in Q, but less certain than the rest.
• Two sections have Luke's narrative around them. For "John's setting in the wilderness" and "Nazara," Q is thought to have had only a brief setting or a mention of the place, so Luke's verse is given for context.
• One section comes from Matthew. "The second mile" has no parallel in Luke, so it's given from Matthew 5:41.
• Names. Per this site's practice, "God" is rendered Yahweh. "Lord" is rendered Yahweh where it means the Father and Yashua where people are speaking to or about Yashua. Where servants in a parable speak to their human master, it's left as "lord."

Nothing below is a new or secret text. Every word of it is already in your Bible.

John's setting in the wilderness

Q 3:3 · Luke 3:3 (probable)

3 And he came into all the coasts about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,

John's preaching of repentance

Q 3:7–9 · Luke 3:7–9

7 Then said he to the people that were come out to be baptized of him, O generations of vipers, who hath forewarned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy amendment of life, and begin not to say with yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that Yahweh is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9 Now also is the ax laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire.

The Coming One

Q 3:16–17 · Luke 3:16–17

16 John answered, and said to them all, Indeed I baptize you with water, but one stronger then I, cometh, whose shoes latchet I am not worthy to unloose: he will baptize you with the holy Ghost, and with fire. 17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will make clean his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner, but the chaff will he burn up with fire that never shall be quenched.

The temptations

Q 4:1–13 · Luke 4:1–13

1 And Yashua full of the holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by that Spirit into the wilderness, 2 And was there forty days tempted of the devil, and in those days he did eat nothing: but when they were ended, he afterward was hungry. 3 Then the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of Yahweh, command this stone that it be made bread. 4 But Yashua answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread only, but by every word of Yahweh. 5 Then the devil took him up into an high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, in the twinkling of an eye. 6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of those kingdoms: for that is delivered to me: and to whomsoever I will, I give it. 7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, they shall be all thine. 8 But Yashua answered him, and said, Hence from me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship Yahweh, and him alone thou shalt serve. 9 Then he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the Temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of Yahweh, cast thyself down from hence, 10 For it is written, That he will give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee: 11 And with their hands they shall lift thee up, least at any time thou shouldest dash thy foot against a stone. 12 And Yashua answered, and said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt Yahweh. 13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a little season.

Nazara

Q 4:16 · Luke 4:16 (probable)

16 And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and (as his custom was) went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.

The blessings

Q 6:20–23 · Luke 6:20–23

20 And he lifted up his eyes upon his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of Yahweh. 21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be satisfied: blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. 22 Blessed are ye when men hate you, and when they separate you, and revile you, and put out your name as evil, for the Son of mans sake. 23 Rejoice ye in that day, and be glad: for behold, your reward is great in heaven: for after this manner their fathers did to the Prophets.

The woes

Q 6:24–26 · Luke 6:24–26 (probable)

24 But woe be to you that are rich: for ye have received your consolation. 25 Woe be to you that are full: for ye shall hunger. Woe be to you that now laugh: for ye shall wail and weep. 26 Woe be to you when all men speak well of you: for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Love your enemies; the golden rule

Q 6:27–33 · Luke 6:27–33

27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies: do well to them which hate you. 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which hurt you. 29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other: and him that taketh away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. 30 Give to every man that asketh of thee: and of him that taketh away the things that be thine, ask them not again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, so do ye to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank shall ye have? for even the sinners love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good for them which do good for you, what thank shall ye have? for even the sinners do the same.

The second mile

Q/Matthew 5:41 · Matthew 5:41

41 And whosoever will compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Lend, hoping for nothing again

Q 6:34–35 · Luke 6:34–35 (probable)

34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank shall ye have? for even the sinners lend to sinners, to receive the like. 35 Wherefore love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, looking for nothing again, and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the most High: for he is kind unto the unkind, and to the evil.

Be merciful; judge not

Q 6:36–38 · Luke 6:36–38

36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you: a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom: for with what measure ye mete, with the same shall men mete to you again.

The blind leading the blind; the mote and the beam; trees and fruit

Q 6:39–45 · Luke 6:39–45

39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but whosoever will be a perfect disciple, shall be as his master. 41 And why seest thou a mote in thy brothers eye, and considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou seest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Hypocrite, cast out the beam out of thine own eye first, and then shalt thou see, perfectly to pull out the mote that is in thy brothers eye. 43 For it is not a good tree that bringeth forth evil fruit: neither an evil tree, that bringeth forth good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by his own fruit: for neither of thorns gather men figs, nor of bushes gather they grapes. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

Doing what he says: the two builders

Q 6:46–49 · Luke 6:46–49

46 But why call ye me Yashua, Yashua, and do not the things that I speak? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my words, and doeth the same, I will show you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the waters arose, the flood beat upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was grounded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth and doeth not, is like a man that built an house upon the earth without foundation, against which the flood did beat, and it fell by and by: and the fall of that house was great.

The centurion's servant

Q 7:1–2, 6–10 · Luke 7:1–2, 6–10

1 When he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. 2 And a certain Centurion's servant was sick and ready to die, which was dear unto him. 6 Then Yashua went with them: but when he was now not far from the house, the Centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Yashua, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: 7 Wherefore I thought not my self worthy to come unto thee: but say the word, and my servant shall be whole: 8 For I likewise am a man set under authority, and have under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth: and to another, Come, and he cometh: and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 9 When Yashua heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned him, and said to the people, that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel. 10 And when they that were sent, turned back to the house, they found the servant that was sick, whole.

John's question

Q 7:18–19, 22–23 · Luke 7:18–19, 22–23

18 And the disciples of John showed him of all these things. 19 So John called unto him two certain men of his disciples, and sent them to Yashua, saying, Art thou he that should come, or shall we wait for another? 22 And Yashua answered, and said unto them, Go your ways and show John, what things ye have seen and heard: that the blind see, the halt go, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor receive the Gospel. 23 And blessed is he, that shall not be offended in me.

Yashua's witness to John

Q 7:24–28 · Luke 7:24–28

24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people, of John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 25 But what went ye out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they which are gorgeously appareled, and live delicately, are in Kings courts. 26 But what went ye forth to see? A Prophet? yea, I say to you, and greater than a Prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 28 For I say unto you, there is no greater Prophet than John, among them that are begotten of women: nevertheless, he that is the least in the kingdom of Yahweh, is greater than he.

The publicans and the Pharisees

Q 7:29–30 · Luke 7:29–30 (probable)

29 Then all the people that heard, and the Publicans justified Yahweh, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and the expounders of the Law despised the counsel of Yahweh against themselves, and were not baptized of him.

Children in the marketplace

Q 7:31–35 · Luke 7:31–35

31 And the Yashua said, Whereunto shall I liken the men of this generation? and what thing are they like unto? 32 They are like unto little children sitting in the market place, and crying one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced: we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. 33 For John Baptist came, neither eating bread, nor drinking wine: and ye say, He hath the devil. 34 The Son of man is come, and eateth and drinketh: and ye say, Behold, a man which is a glutton, and a drinker of wine, a friend of Publicans and sinners: 35 But wisdom is justified of all her children.

Would-be followers

Q 9:57–62 · Luke 9:57–62

57 And it came to pass that as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, I will follow thee, Yashua, whithersoever thou goest. 58 And Yashua said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven nests, but the Son of man hath not whereon to lay his head. 59 But he said unto another, Follow me. And the same said, Yashua, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 And Yashua said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou, and preach the kingdom of Yahweh. 61 Then another said, I will follow thee, Yashua: but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at mine house. 62 And Yashua said unto him, No man that putteth his hand to the plow, and looketh back, is apt to the kingdom of Yahweh.

Sending out the workers

Q 10:2–16 · Luke 10:2–16

2 And he said unto them, The harvest is great, but the laborers are few: pray therefore the Yahweh of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambes among wolves. 4 Bear no bag, neither scrip, nor shoes, and salute no man by the way. 5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. 6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him: if not, it shall turn to you again. 7 And in that house tarry still, eating and drinking such things as by them shall be set before you: for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Go not from house to house. 8 But into whatsoever city ye shall enter, if they receive you, eat such things as are set before you, 9 And heal the sick that are there, and say unto them, The kingdom of Yahweh is come near unto you. 10 But into whatsoever city ye shall enter, if they will not receive you, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11 Even the very dust, which cleaveth on us of your city, we wipe off against you: notwithstanding know this, that the kingdom of Yahweh was come near unto you. 12 For I say to you, that it shall be easier in that day for them of Sodom, than for that city. 13 Woe be to thee, Chorazin: woe be to thee, Beth-said: for if the miracles had been done in Tyrus and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while agone repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 Therefore it shall be easier for Tyrus, and Sidon, at the judgment, than for you. 15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. 16 He that heareth you, heareth me: and he that despiseth you, despiseth me: and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me.

Thanksgiving for revelation

Q 10:21–22 · Luke 10:21–22

21 That same hour rejoiced Yashua in the spirit, and said, I confess unto thee, Father, Yahweh of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and understanding, and hast revealed them to babes: even so, Father, because it so pleased thee. 22 All things are given me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father: neither who the Father is, save the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

Blessed are the eyes

Q 10:23–24 · Luke 10:23–24

23 And he turned to his disciples, and said secretly, Blessed are the eyes, which see that ye see. 24 For I tell you that many Prophets and Kings have desired to see those things, which ye see, and have not seen them: and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

The prayer

Q 11:2–4 · Luke 11:2–4

2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name: Thy kingdom come: Let thy will be done, even in earth, as it is in heaven: 3 Our daily bread give us for the day: 4 And forgive us our sins: for even we forgive every man that is indebted to us: And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil.

Ask, seek, knock

Q 11:9–13 · Luke 11:9–13

9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he ask an egg, will he give him a scorpion? 13 If ye then which are evil, can give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Ghost to them, that desire him?

The Beelzebub controversy

Q 11:14–20 · Luke 11:14–20

14 Then he cast out a devil which was dumb: and when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake, and the people wondered. 15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16 And others tempted him, seeking of him a sign from heaven. 17 But he knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against it self, shall be desolate, and an house divided against an house, falleth. 18 So if Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand, because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub? 19 If I through Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore shall they be your judges. 20 But if I by the finger of Yahweh cast out devils, doubtless the kingdom of Yahweh is come unto you.

The strong man

Q 11:21–22 · Luke 11:21–22 (probable)

21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, the things that he possesseth, are in peace. 22 But when a stronger then he, cometh upon him, and overcometh him: he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

He that is not with me

Q 11:23 · Luke 11:23

23 He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth.

The return of the unclean spirit

Q 11:24–26 · Luke 11:24–26

24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest: and when he findeth none he saith, I will return unto mine house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits worse than himself: and they enter in, and dwell there: so the last state of that man is worse than the first.

Blessed are they that hear and keep

Q 11:27–28 · Luke 11:27–28 (probable)

27 And it came to pass as he said these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the word of Yahweh, and keep it.

The sign of Jonas

Q 11:29–32 · Luke 11:29–32

29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is a wicked generation: they seek a sign, and there shall no sign be given them, but the sign of Jonas the Prophet. 30 For as Jonas was a sign to the Ninevites: so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South shall rise in judgment, with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineve shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas: and behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

The light and the eye

Q 11:33–36 · Luke 11:33–36

33 No man when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a privy place, neither under a bushel: but on a candlestick, that they which come in, may see the light. 34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, then is thy whole body light: but if thine eye be evil, then thy body is dark. 35 Take heed therefore, that the light which is in thee, be not darkness. 36 If therefore thy whole body shall be light, having no part dark, then shall all be light, even as when a candle doth light thee with the brightness.

Woes against Pharisees and lawyers

Q 11:39–44, 46–52 · Luke 11:39–44, 46–52

39 And the Yashua said to him, Indeed ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup, and of the platter: but the inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. 40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without, make that which is within also? 41 Therefore, give alms of those things which you have, and behold, all things shall be clean to you. 42 But woe be to you, Pharisees: for ye tithe the mint and the rue, and all manner herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of Yahweh: these ought ye to have done, and not to have left the other undone. 43 Woe be to you, Pharisees: for ye love the uppermost seats in the Synagogues, and greetings in the markets. 44 Woe be to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them, perceive not. 46 And he said, Woe be to you also, ye Lawyers: for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe be to you: for ye build the sepulchers of the Prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 Truly ye bear witness, and allow the deeds of your fathers: for they killed them, and ye build their sepulchers. 49 Therefore said the wisdom of Yahweh, I will send them Prophets and Apostles, and of them they shall slay, and persecute away, 50 That the blood of all the Prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation, 51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which was slain between the altar and the Temple: verily I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation. 52 Woe be to you, Lawyers: for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that came in, ye forbade.

Fear not; confess me before men

Q 12:2–12 · Luke 12:2–12

2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed: neither hid, that shall not be known. 3 Wherefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness, it shall be heard in the light: and that which ye have spoken in the ear, in secret places, shall be preached on the houses. 4 And I say unto you, my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that are not able to do any more. 5 But I will forewarn you, who ye shall fear: fear him which after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell: yea, I say unto you, him fear. 6 Are not five sparrows bought for two farthings, and yet not one of them is forgotten before Yahweh? 7 Yea, and all the hears of your head are numbered: fear not therefore: ye are more of value than many sparrows. 8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man confess also before the Angels of Yahweh. 9 But he that shall deny me before men, shall be denied before the Angels of Yahweh. 10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him, that shall blaspheme the holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven. 11 And when they shall bring you unto the Synagogues, and unto the rulers and Princes, take no thought how, or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall speak. 12 For the holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour, what ye ought to say.

The rich fool

Q 12:13–14, 16–21 · Luke 12:13–14, 16–21 (probable)

13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me. 14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge, or a divider over you? 16 And he put forth a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth fruits plenteously. 17 Therefore he thought with himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room, where I may lay up my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do, I will pull down my barns, and build greater, and therein will I gather all my fruits, and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years: live at ease, eat, drink and take thy pastime. 20 But Yahweh said unto him, O fool, this night will they fetch away thy soul from thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that gathereth riches to himself, and is not rich in Yahweh.

Take no thought for your life

Q 12:22–31 · Luke 12:22–31

22 And he spake unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat: neither for your body, what ye shall put on. 23 The life is more than meat: and the body more than the raiment. 24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap: which neither have storehouse nor barn, and yet Yahweh feedeth them: how much more are ye better than fowls? 25 And which of you with taking thought, can add to his stature one cubit? 26 If ye then be not able to do the least thing, why take ye thought for the remnant? 27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they labor not, neither spin they: yet I say unto you, that Solomon himself in all his royalty was not clothed like one of these. 28 If then Yahweh so clothe the grass which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29 Therefore ask not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither hag you in suspense. 30 For all such things the people of the world seek for: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 But rather seek ye after the kingdom of Yahweh, and all these things shall be cast upon you.

Treasure in heaven

Q 12:33–34 · Luke 12:33–34

33 Sell that ye have, and give alms: make you bags, which wax not old, a treasure that can never fail in heaven, where no thief cometh, neither moth corrupteth. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your hearts be also.

The thief in the night

Q 12:39–40 · Luke 12:39–40

39 Now understand this, that if the good man of the house had known at what hour the thief would have come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be digged through. 40 Be ye also prepared therefore: for the Son of man will come at an hour when ye think not.

The faithful and the evil servant

Q 12:42–46 · Luke 12:42–46

42 And the Yashua said, Who is a faithful steward and wise, whom the master shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in season? 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his master when he cometh, shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. 45 But if that servant say in his heart, My master doeth defer his coming, and gin to smite the servants, and maidens, and to eat, and drink, and to be drunken, 46 The master of that servant will come in a day when he thinketh not, and at an hour when he is not ware of, and will cut him off, and give him his portion with the unbelievers.

Not peace but division

Q 12:49, 51–53 · Luke 12:49, 51–53

49 I am come to put fire on the earth, and what is my desire, if it be already kindled? 51 Think ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, nay, but rather debate. 52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. 53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father: the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother: the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Signs of the times

Q 12:54–56 · Luke 12:54–56

54 Then said he to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the West, straightway ye say, A shower cometh: and so it is. 55 And when ye see the South wind blow, ye say, that it will be hot: and it cometh to pass. 56 Hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the earth, and of the sky: but why discern ye not this time?

Agree with thine adversary

Q 12:58–59 · Luke 12:58–59

58 While thou goest with thine adversary to the ruler, as thou art in the way, give diligence in the way, that thou mayest be delivered from him, least he draw thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the jailer, and the jailer cast thee into prison. 59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the utmost mite.

The mustard seed and the leaven

Q 13:18–21 · Luke 13:18–21

18 Then said he, What is the kingdom of Yahweh like? or whereto shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew, and waxed a great tree, and the fowls of the heaven made nests in the branches thereof. 20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of Yahweh? 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three pecks of flour, till all was leavened.

The strait gate and the shut door

Q 13:24–27 · Luke 13:24–27

24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25 When the good man of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Yashua, Yashua, open to us, and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are, 26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are: depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

Many shall come from east and west

Q 13:28–30 · Luke 13:28–30

28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the Prophets in the kingdom of Yahweh, and yourselves thrust out at doors. 29 Then shall come many from the East, and from the West, and from the North, and from the South, and shall sit at Table in the kingdom of Yahweh. 30 And behold, there are last, which shall be first, and there are first, which shall be last.

Lament over Jerusalem

Q 13:34–35 · Luke 13:34–35

34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the Prophets, and stonest them that are sent to thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, as the hen gathereth her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I tell you, ye shall not see me until the time come that ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Yahweh.

He that exalteth himself

Q 14:11 · Luke 14:11

11 For whosoever exalteth himself, shall be brought low, and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted.

The great supper

Q 14:16–24 · Luke 14:16–24

16 Then said he to him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many, 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come: for all things are now ready. 18 But they all with one mind began to make excuse: The first said unto him, I have bought a farm, and I must needs go out and see it: I pray thee, have me excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee, have me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I can not come. 21 So that servant returned, and showed his master these things. Then was the good man of the house angry, and said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 22 And the servant said, lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23 Then the master said to the servant, Go out into the highways, and hedges, and compel them to come in, that mine house may be filled. 24 For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden, shall taste of my supper.

Hating father and mother; bearing the cross

Q 14:26–27 · Luke 14:26–27

26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters: yea, and his own life also, he can not be my disciple. 27 And whosoever beareth not his cross, and cometh after me, can not be my disciple.

Losing life to save it

Q 17:33 · Luke 17:33

33 Whosoever will seek to save his soul, shall loose it: and whosoever shall loose it, shall get it life.

Salt that has lost its savor

Q 14:34–35 · Luke 14:34–35

34 Salt is good: but if salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? 35 It is neither meet for the land, nor yet for the dunghill, but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

The lost sheep

Q 15:4–7 · Luke 15:4–7

4 What man of you having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doeth not leave ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders with joy. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me: for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven for one sinner that converteth, more than for ninety and nine just men, which need none amendment of life.

The lost coin

Q 15:8–10 · Luke 15:8–10 (probable)

8 Either what woman having ten groats, if she lose one groat, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends, and neighbours, saying, Rejoice with me: for I have found the groat which I had lost. 10 Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the Angels of Yahweh, for one sinner that converteth.

Two masters

Q 16:13 · Luke 16:13

13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he shall hate the one, and love the other: or else he shall lean to the one, and despise the other. Ye can not serve Yahweh and riches.

The kingdom suffereth violence

Q 16:16 · Luke 16:16

16 The Law and the Prophets endured until John: and since that time the kingdom of Yahweh is preached, and every man presseth into it.

Not one tittle of the Law; divorce

Q 16:17–18 · Luke 16:17–18

17 Now it is more easy that heaven and earth should pass away, than that one tittle of the Law should fall. 18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband, committeth adultery.

Offences

Q 17:1–2 · Luke 17:1–2

1 Then said he to his disciples, It can not be avoided, but that offences will come, but woe be to him by whom they come. 2 It is better for him that a great millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Forgive thy brother

Q 17:3–4 · Luke 17:3–4

3 Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him: and if he repent, forgive him. 4 And though he sin against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, It repenteth me, thou shalt forgive him.

Faith as a grain of mustard seed

Q 17:6 · Luke 17:6

6 And the Yashua said, If ye had faith, as much as is a grain of mustard seed, and should say unto this mulberry tree, Pluck thyself up by the roots, and plant thyself in the sea, it should even obey you.

The kingdom cometh not with observation

Q 17:20–21 · Luke 17:20–21 (probable)

20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of Yahweh should come, he answered them, and said, The kingdom of Yahweh cometh not with observation. 21 Neither shall men say, Lo here, or lo there: for behold, the kingdom of Yahweh is within you.

The coming of the Son of man

Q 17:23–24, 37 · Luke 17:23–24, 37

23 Then they shall say to you, Behold here, or behold there: but go not thither, neither follow them. 24 For as the lightning that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven, so shall the Son of man be in his day. 37 And they answered, and said to him, Where, Yashua? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither shall also the eagles be gathered together.

The days of Noah

Q 17:26–27 · Luke 17:26–27

26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be in the days of the Son of man. 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, and gave in marriage unto the day that Noe went into the Ark: and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

The days of Lot

Q 17:28–30 · Luke 17:28–30 (probable)

28 Likewise also, as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built. 29 But in the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 After these ensamples shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

One taken, the other left

Q 17:34–35 · Luke 17:34–35

34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two in one bed: the one shall be received, and the other shall be left. 35 Two women shall be grinding together: the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

The entrusted money (the pounds)

Q 19:12–26 · Luke 19:12–26

12 He said therefore, A certain noble man went into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom, and so to come again. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pieces of money, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14 Now his citizens hated him, and sent an ambassage after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15 And it came to pass, when he was come again, and had received his kingdom, that he commanded the servants to be called to him, to whom he gave his money, that he might know what every man had gained. 16 Then came the first, saying, lord, thy piece hath increased ten pieces. 17 And he said unto him, Well, good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little thing, take thou authority over ten cities. 18 And the second came, saying, lord, thy piece hath increased five pieces. 19 And to the same he said, Be thou also ruler over five cities. 20 So the other came, and said, lord, behold thy piece, which I have laid up in a napkin: 21 For I feared thee, because thou art a straight man: thou takest up, that thou laidst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 22 Then he said unto him, Of thine own mouth will I judge thee, O evil servant. Thou knewest that I am a straight man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow. 23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required it with vantage? 24 And he said to them that stood by, Take from him that piece, and give it him that hath ten pieces. 25 (And they said unto him, lord, he hath ten pieces.) 26 For I say unto you, that unto all them that have, it shall be given: and from him that hath not, even that he hath, shall be taken from him.

Judging the twelve tribes

Q 22:28–30 · Luke 22:28–30

28 And ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. 29 Therefore I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me, 30 That ye may eat, and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on seats, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

My opinion: what Q gets right, and what it doesn't prove

This section is my opinion, not scholarship.

I'll start with the honest part. Q is a hypothesis. It's a smart one, and many serious scholars hold it, but it is not a found book. Nobody has dug it up, nobody in the ancient church mentions it, and the men who doubt it, Farrer, Goulder and Goodacre, have real arguments. When someone online sells you "the lost Book of Q" as if it were a newly recovered scroll, they're selling you a scholar's list of verses from Luke and Matthew. That's what I printed above, and I told you exactly where every line came from.

So why spend time on it? Because of what happens when you read those sayings all together. Take away the stories and the miracles for a minute and listen to what's left. It sounds a lot like the Torah.

It's about doing, not just believing. The great sermon in Q doesn't end with a feeling. It ends with a question:

"But why call ye me Yashua, Yashua, and do not the things that I speak?" (Luke 6:46)

Then comes the house built on the rock. The man who comes, "heareth my words, and doeth the same" builds on rock, and the man who "heareth and doeth not" builds on sand, and "the fall of that house was great" (Luke 6:47–49). Matthew's version says it straight: "Not every one that saith unto me, Yashua, Yashua, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth my Father's will which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). Calling him by name isn't enough. You have to do what he said.

The Law is still standing. Right in the middle of Q sits this:

"Now it is more easy that heaven and earth should pass away, than that one tittle of the Law should fall." (Luke 16:17)

That's the same thing Yashua says in Matthew: "Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets. I am not come to destroy them, but to fulfill them. For truly I say unto you, Till heaven, and earth perish, one jot or one tittle of the Law shall not scape, till all things be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:17–18). Heaven and earth are still here. The Torah was never done away with.

He didn't cancel the small commandments either. When he rebuked the Pharisees for tithing their garden herbs while they ignored judgment and the love of Yahweh, he didn't tell them to quit tithing. He said: "these ought ye to have done, and not to have left the other undone" (Luke 11:42). Do the weightier things, and keep the rest too.

He fought Satan with Deuteronomy. In the temptations, every answer Yashua gives starts with "It is written": "man shall not live by bread only, but by every word of Yahweh" (Luke 4:4), "Thou shalt worship Yahweh, and him alone thou shalt serve" (Luke 4:8), and "Thou shalt not tempt Yahweh" (Luke 4:12). Those come from Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:13 and 6:16. When the devil came at him, he answered with the Torah.

Hearing isn't enough. Keep it. When a woman blessed the womb that bore him, he answered: "Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the word of Yahweh, and keep it" (Luke 11:28).

Here's what I take from all this. If Q existed, the earliest followers of Yashua kept a book of his words, and its message was "do what I say." If Q never existed and Luke copied from Matthew, then every one of these sayings is still sitting in Matthew and Luke, in the Bible you already own. Either way, the words are the same, and so is the instruction. Don't wait for some scholar to dig up a lost gospel before you start obeying the one you have.

One more thing. Q, as scholars reconstruct it, has no Last Supper in it. What it has is a Teacher telling people to stop calling him "Yashua, Yashua" and start doing what he said. That's a good place to start.

The theories will keep changing. The scholarly fight over Q is not final. His words are.

Sources

On Q and the synoptic problem - Wikipedia, "Q source" (history from Marsh, Schleiermacher, Weisse 1838 and Holtzmann 1863; Weiss and the name Q; Streeter; International Q Project; Kloppenborg's layers; arguments for and against; Farrer 1955, Goulder 1996, Goodacre 2002): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_source - Mark Goodacre, "Ten Reasons to Question Q": markgoodacre.org - Mark Goodacre, The Case Against Q: Studies in Markan Priority and the Synoptic Problem (Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 2002) - Austin M. Farrer, "On Dispensing with Q," in D. E. Nineham, ed., Studies in the Gospels: Essays in Memory of R. H. Lightfoot (Oxford: Blackwell, 1955), pp. 55–88 - Michael D. Goulder, "Is Q a Juggernaut?" Journal of Biblical Literature 115.4 (1996), pp. 667–681 - Adolf von Harnack, The Second Source of St. Matthew and St. Luke, tr. J. R. Wilkinson (London: Williams & Norgate; New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1908; public domain): Internet Archive, Online Books Page, preface excerpt - Q passage list: John S. Kloppenborg, Excavating Q (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000), p. 100, and other outlines, as reproduced at Early Christian Writings, "The Contents of Q": earlychristianwritings.com

On the Gospel of Thomas - Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Gospel of Thomas": britannica.com - Wikipedia, "Gospel of Thomas": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Thomas

Scripture - 1599 Geneva Bible (public domain), eBible.org edition: ebible.org. Spelling modernized; words and word order unchanged.