Did Paul Know 'Q'?

Finding the Lost Gospel Source in Paul's Epistles

What did Paul know about Jesus?

In 1 Corinthians, Paul teases us with some clues: the resurrection formula of chapter fifteen, the Lord’s teaching on divorce, the liturgy of the last supper.

Yet there is much that Paul doesn’t tell us about Jesus. He doesn’t tell us about Joseph’s tomb, or Jesus’ parables, or even the miracles of Jesus.

The question of why Paul does not say more about Jesus is a fascinating one. But in this post, I want to discuss whether Paul might have known more about Jesus than first appears. In particular, I examine the idea that Paul may have known ‘Q’.

If you are unfamiliar with ‘Q’, you might want to first read my piece (What on Earth is ‘Q’?). In brief, ‘Q’ is a lost gospel source (short for ‘Source’/Quelle) which many scholars believe was used by Matthew and Luke. Broadly speaking, I use ‘Q’ to refer to the material which Matthew and Luke share but are thought to have used independently.

If ‘Q’ existed, it takes us behind Matthew and Luke. But was it early enough for Paul to have known it? Does it crop up in his writings? In this piece, I consider a couple of places where Paul sounds like ‘Q’ and consider some implications of these overlaps.

The Case for Paul’s Knowledge of ‘Q’