Arguments Against the "Q" Source
Again, the "Q" source is derived from the German word "quelle" meaning source. The "Q" source is primarily used as a means for the justification of why there are such major similarities in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. It is also believed, as stated earlier, that the "Q" source might have been a collection of oral traditions and Jesus' well-known sayings. If this is the case, then one might think that the basics of Jesus' birth would be accurate across the board, no matter who is depicting the story. In the gospel of Matthew, the coming of Jesus is discovered first by Joseph through a dream in which an angel came to him and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1: 20-21). In the gospel of Luke, Mary is first told of Jesus' coming via the Angel Gabriel, whom is never mentioned in the narration of Jesus' birth in Matthew. " “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:29-33).
Another major discrepancy that could rule out the "Q" source is the different ways Jesus was born and where they fled to. In the gospel of Luke Jesus was to be born in Nazareth, but due to a decree that a census should be taken of the entire roman world by Caesar Augustus, Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem the town of David because Joseph was from the line of David and he had to register in his town. Jesus was born in Bethlehem and put in a manger because there were no guest rooms available at the inn in which Joseph and Mary stayed at. In the gospel of Matthew, there is no manger, no inn, and no census. In Matthew, all that is said about Jesus' birth is "But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus" (Matt. 1:25).
Another major discrepancy that could rule out the "Q" source is the different ways Jesus was born and where they fled to. In the gospel of Luke Jesus was to be born in Nazareth, but due to a decree that a census should be taken of the entire roman world by Caesar Augustus, Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem the town of David because Joseph was from the line of David and he had to register in his town. Jesus was born in Bethlehem and put in a manger because there were no guest rooms available at the inn in which Joseph and Mary stayed at. In the gospel of Matthew, there is no manger, no inn, and no census. In Matthew, all that is said about Jesus' birth is "But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus" (Matt. 1:25).