Three views on the origins of the Synoptic Gospels dominate the landscape of New Testament scholarship at the beginning of the twenty-first century. They are, in the order of their priority among scholars, the Two-/Four-Source (Markan) View, the Two-Gospel View, and the Independence View.

This presentation/response format features evangelical scholars and furnishes students of the Synoptic Gospels an abbreviated comparison of the issues at stake in advocating a particular view. Grant R. Osborne and Matthew C. Williams defend the Markan Hypothesis. John H. Niemela defends the Two-Gospel View. F. David Farnell defends the Independence View.