But it may be pointed out that (1) no one has ever «unstrung» the Marcan sequence more completely than the author of Matthew did in revising and reorganizing the Gospel of Mark for his special purposes: the book is taken apart and put together again in a new order, combined with the «Sayings Source» (Q) and with other
materials, and arranged apparently for
didactic use — as a manual, one might say, for the
religious educators of the early Syrian church!