Group 6 — The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke)

N=1 book-group distillation. Source: WEB, Gutenberg #8294. Quotes pending Phase 7 audit. Tags: ../00-methodology.md. Per-verse depth (each parable, each pericope) is Stage-B.

Group role

Matthew, Mark, and Luke present Jesus' proclamation of the basileia (kingdom/reign of God), the ethics of that kingdom (Beatitudes, love of enemies, the Golden Rule), and the double love command (love God and love neighbour) as the summary of the whole Law. They identify service of "the least" with service of Christ himself, and present Jesus as bringing good news to the poor and mercy to the lost.

Atomic statements

G6-C1: The blessed are the poor in spirit, the mourning, the peacemakers — the kingdom belongs to the lowly. (FOUNDATIONAL / KINGDOM)

Matthew 5:3–4, 9: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven… Blessed are those who mourn… Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God."
Stance: assert · Importance: core · Untranslatable: basileia

G6-C2: The whole Law hangs on two commands: love God with the whole self, and love your neighbour as yourself. (FOUNDATIONAL / LOVE+GOD)

Matthew 22:37–39: "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…' This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Mark 12:30–31: "…There is no other commandment greater than these."
Stance: assert · Importance: core

G6-C3: Love extends even to enemies; mercy is to be unconditional, like the Father's. (FOUNDATIONAL / LOVE)

Matthew 5:44: "But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you…"
Luke 6:36: "Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful."
Stance: assert · Importance: core · Untranslatable: agapē

G6-C4: The Golden Rule: do to others what you would have them do to you. (OPERATIONAL / LOVE+JUSTICE)

Matthew 7:12: "Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets."
Stance: assert · Importance: core

G6-C5: Service to "the least" is service to Christ himself. (FOUNDATIONAL / LOVE+JUSTICE+KINGDOM)

Matthew 25:40: "…inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
Stance: assert · Importance: core

G6-C6: Jesus brings good news to the poor and release to the captive. (FOUNDATIONAL / KINGDOM+JUSTICE)

Luke 4:18: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor… to proclaim release to the captives… to deliver those who are crushed."
Stance: assert · Importance: core

G6-C7: One cannot serve both God and wealth. (OPERATIONAL / KINGDOM+WISDOM)

Matthew 6:24: "No one can serve two masters… You can't serve both God and Mammon."
Stance: assert · Importance: supporting

G6-C8: God's mercy seeks the lost and runs to meet the returning sinner (the prodigal's father). (FOUNDATIONAL / LOVE+REDEMPTION)

Luke 15:20: "But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
Stance: assert · Importance: core

Step 4 — Clusters

Cluster	Atomic statements	Intent
The kingdom of the lowly	G6-C1, C6	The basileia belongs to the poor, the mourning, the peacemaker; good news to the poor
The double love command	G6-C2	The whole Law is love of God and neighbour
Radical love & mercy	G6-C3, C4, C5, C8	Love enemies, do as you'd be done by, serve the least as Christ, God runs to the sinner
Allegiance	G6-C7	God and Mammon cannot both be served

Step 5 — Internal tensions

Jesus' demand of total allegiance (G6-C7) sits beside his boundless mercy (G6-C8); these are complementary (high call + abundant grace), not contradictory.

Step 6 — Synthesized group principles

G6-P1: The kingdom of God belongs to the lowly

Jesus proclaims the basileia: the blessed are the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, the peacemakers; he brings "good news to the poor" and "release to the captives." Greatness in the kingdom is inverted.

Tier: FOUNDATIONAL · Domain: KINGDOM · Covers: G6-C1, C6 · Evidence: Matt 5:3–9, Luke 4:18 · Untranslatable: basileia

G6-P2: Love of God and neighbour is the summary of all the Law

The whole Law and the Prophets hang on two commands — love God with the whole self, and love your neighbour as yourself; "there is no other commandment greater than these."

Tier: FOUNDATIONAL · Domain: LOVE+GOD · Covers: G6-C2 · Evidence: Matt 22:37–39, Mark 12:30–31

G6-P3: Love is radical — extending to enemies, the least, and the lost

Love (agapē) reaches even enemies; "do to others as you would have them do to you"; serving "the least" is serving Christ; and God's mercy runs to meet the returning sinner. Mercy is to be unconditional, "as your Father is merciful."

Tier: FOUNDATIONAL · Domain: LOVE+JUSTICE · Covers: G6-C3, C4, C5, C8 · Evidence: Matt 5:44, 7:12, 25:40, Luke 6:36, 15:20 · Untranslatable: agapē

G6-P4: God and wealth cannot both be served

Undivided allegiance to God excludes the service of Mammon; the heart cannot have two masters.

Tier: OPERATIONAL · Domain: KINGDOM+WISDOM · Covers: G6-C7 · Evidence: Matt 6:24

Step 7 — Traceability

Principle	Atomic statements	Verses
G6-P1	C1, C6	Matt 5:3–9, Luke 4:18
G6-P2	C2	Matt 22:37–39, Mark 12:30–31
G6-P3	C3, C4, C5, C8	Matt 5:44, 7:12, 25:40, Luke 6:36, 15:20
G6-P4	C7	Matt 6:24

Step 8 — Quality

Coverage: the central ethical/kingdom teaching is captured; the bulk (individual parables, miracle narratives, passion/birth accounts, genealogies of Matt 1/Luke 3) is orphaned at this granularity (Stage-B — each parable a sub-unit). The resurrection/incarnation content is carried in Groups 7 and 12.
Principles: 4.
Traceability: 100%.

Step 9 — Validation

Frame-independent: G6-P2 (love God + neighbour), G6-P3 (Golden Rule, love of enemy, serve the least), and G6-P4 (cannot serve two masters) are among the canon's strongest cross-tradition convergence candidates — the Golden Rule especially appears in many traditions.
Claim-vs-warrant flag: love-of-neighbour and the Golden Rule converge widely in claim; warrants differ (here: love God first, and the neighbour is loved because served-as-Christ — imago Dei + incarnation). "Love your enemies" (G6-P3) is a strong convergence with Buddhist non-hatred (Dhp 5) in claim; warrants diverge (a merciful Father vs avera/insight). basileia (G6-P1) is a distinctive Christian eschatological frame.