The claim that there is constant duplication of
material in the various alleged sources is grossly
exaggerated. Some of these so-called duplications are really different
events that are somewhat similar, but actually no more so than
is often the case in ordinary life. In other cases an alleged repetition is merely a summary given at the beginning
or end of an account, a helpful recapitulation, or a
literary device to make an account more vivid. Most of these, if examined without prejudice, can be shown to have a natural purpose in the narrative.