Textual Criticism and the Synoptic Problem in Historical Jesus Research

The criteria for originality, priority, and authenticity, used in textual criticism, the study of the Synoptic Problem, and historical Jesus research, share one basic similarity: they were all designed to distinguish a prior tradition from its later developments. All these areas of research investigate the transmission process which involves both preservation and alteration. The sets of criteria used in one area are thus analogous to the sets of criteria used in the other two areas. This assumption can be confirmed by observing numerous instances of such similarity in these sets of criteria. On the basis of this assumption, many other instances of similarity may be newly attained by adapting the set of criteria used in one area for use in the other two areas. The sets of criteria for these three areas of research can be further generalized into a 'mother set' of criteria which will provide us with a degree of methodological unification in these disciplines.