Did Luke know Matthew? A source critical study of the Sermon on the Plain

This thesis examines the hypothesis that the author of Luke's Gospel utilized the Gospel of Matthew as a source when constructing his own Gospel. When constructing his Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:20-49) utilized Matthew's Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7) in three different ways. First, he adapted five blocks of material for use within his own sermon. Second, the author of Luke reserved material from the Sermon on the Mount for later use and grouped sayings into thematic clusters. Third, the author of Luke omits material that did not fit his theological and narrative intentions. The two-source hypothesis has been dominant within Synoptic studies for over a century but should not be simply accepted by students of the New Testament. This thesis demonstrates that the Luke/Matthew hypothesis is provides a paradigm that accounts for the Double Tradition material through a detailed reconstruction of Luke's use Matthew's Sermon on the Mount. The Luke/Matthew hypothesis reveals the author of the Gospel of Luke to be a careful and artistic author who utilized his sources in order to construct an orderly account of the Jesus tradition that furthered his own theological aims and interests.