Mark Goodacre

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.

Mark S. Goodacre
Born	1967 Leicestershire, England, U.K.
Nationality	English
Academic background
Alma mater	Oxford University
Academic work
Discipline	Theology
Sub-discipline	New Testament Early Christianity
Institutions	University of Birmingham Duke University

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 the Synoptics.^[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

• Goodacre, Mark S. (1996). Goulder and the Gospels: An Examination of a New Paradigm. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press. ISBN 1-85075-631-7.^[11]
• ——— (2001). The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze. London: T & T International. ISBN 0-567-08056-0.^[12]
• ——— (2002). The Case Against Q: Studies in Markan Priority and the Synoptic Problem. Harrisburg, PA. ISBN 1-56338-334-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)^[13]
• ——— (2012). Thomas and the Gospels: The Case for Thomas' Familiarity with the Synoptics. London & Grand Rapids, MI: SPCK & Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-80286-748-3.