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The Gospels of Mark and Matthew while being of the same synoptic tradition contain many differences. Although much of the material is similar we can find many variances between certain accounts of the same stories. There are many theories as to why the stories differ in certain accounts, but the basic reasons for this discrepancy can be discover through critical observation. The two authors have reasons for writing different stories and accounts. Both have a message to convey, and both have an audience to speak to. Each Gospel is written in a manner that reflects what the author’s purpose is behind the words and stories, as each is trying to do something different with the same original tradition. Through careful study many theologians have discovered that Mark’s Gospel most likely was written first, probably around 70 CE. Therefore most scholars conclude that Mark was a source used by Matthew. Because of this we can contrast Mark and Matthew in a more distinct light, and analyze how and why Matthew would have made certain additions or subtractions. The first contras