Do Mark, Matthew, and Luke know each other?

The authors traditionally ascribed to the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke are believed to have lived in the first century CE and were likely contemporaries. However, whether they knew each other personally is uncertain and debated among scholars.

The Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—are so named because they share many similarities in content, structure, and wording, suggesting a literary relationship among them. This relationship has led scholars to propose various theories about the sources and influences behind the Gospels, including the use of common written sources (such as the hypothetical "Q" source) and the direct literary dependence of one Gospel upon another (such as Markan priority, where Mark's Gospel is considered the earliest and used as a source by Matthew and Luke).

Some scholars argue that the similarities among the Synoptic Gospels are indicative of direct or indirect literary dependence, suggesting that the authors may have been aware of each other's writings. Others propose that the authors could have been part of the same Christian communities or networks, where they shared oral traditions and written materials.

However, it's also possible that the authors worked independently and did not know each other personally. Ancient authors often wrote anonymously, and the Gospels themselves do not provide explicit details about the authors' identities or relationships with each other.

Ultimately, the question of whether Mark, Matthew, and Luke knew each other personally remains uncertain, and scholars continue to explore the complex relationships among the Synoptic Gospels and their authors.