In this study, Llewellyn Howes analyses the formative stratum (or earliest redactional layer) of the Sayings Gospel Q. He argues that certain texts in Q that have traditionally been excluded from its earliest layer should rather be included. In the process, the message of Q's formative stratum is reconsidered, featuring interesting and novel interpretations of certain Q texts that draw from advances in our knowledge of the logia and parables of Jesus, as well as the ancient Jewish world. Ultimately, the study argues that the formative stratum was a unified document before subsequent redactional layers were added, with interesting and important consequences for our understanding of the historical Jesus.