Handout Cover Sheets

Tuesdays with Mark

St. John Chrysostom Parish, Newmarket November 2017 Handouts - Week 1 Tuesdays with Mark Deacon Gary

Notes from Presentation Slides, Week One

week one • the New Testament World • the New Testament Writings • Gospels • Jesus • the Gospel of Mark

The New Testament World

First-century Palestine • Roman rule • 63 BCE to 70+ CE • Peace and taxation • Jewish residents • History of foreign rule • Hellenized culture .. Aramaic spoken • Christ followers • “God-fearing” Gentiles from Judaism • Jews who followed Christ and Torah • Pharisees ...... Torah teachers • Sadducees ...... Temple priests • Essenes ...... Flee city for desert • Zealots ...... Seek political freedom • Herodians ...... Have political power • Samaritans • Gentiles

Political Situation under Rome:

Palestine

• Herod the Great • 37–4 BCE • Idumean (from coastal people; not fully Jewish) • Politically astute (plays all sides) • Initiated building programs • Creating jobs • Feeding people • Oﬀending some by celebrating Greek culture • Enlarged Jerusalem Temple

Empire-wide

• Emperor’s Pax Romana • Public building programs • Aqueducts • Roads (facilitate trade and movement of armies) • Gymnasiums and Spas • Crime reduction on roads and seas • Protects trade routes and pleases merchant class • High taxes • Peasant farmers pay for public works program • Impoverished people become slaves

Judaism and Christianity under Rome

• Rome permitted innocuous religions • Rome condemned all social unrest • i.e., prophets seeking social change • thieves, traitors, insurgents • 60 CE Emperor Nero purged Rome 64–70 CE War in Palestine-Jerusalem • 110 CE Jerusalem closed to Jews 112 CE Christianity becomes a crime • “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach • 136 CE Bar Kochba Revolt

Hellenism: Greek Culture under Roman Rule

Hellenism in Palestine • “Reclining” at tables (rather than sitting up) • Surgical operations to reverse male circumcision • Aramaic spoken (Hebrew for ceremony) • And Roman syncretism in Judaism • Wisdom theology • Dualism .....Good vs. Evil • Apocalypticism (Deterministic view of history, God is in charge)

Hellenism in Diaspora • Jews left Palestine over hundreds of years • For business and trade • Fleeing war or changes in political climate • Synagogues over Jerusalem Temple • Houses of prayer; not sacriﬁcial rites• • Rabbis over priests • Torah over sacriﬁces • Greek spoken over Hebrew or Aramaic • Septuagint writings over Hebrew

Roman Philosophies and Religion

• Epicureans • Free Will • Tranquility • • Stoicism • Virtue is highest calling • Logic and reason control emotion • Cynicism • Radical authenticity • Extreme independence

• Mystery religions • Secret societies

• Honour of the Emperor • Worship or patriotism?

• Animism • Belief in spirit world

• Augury • Oracles • Fortune/future tellers

• Supernaturalism • Miracles • Divine men

Gnosticism

• 2nd–4th century phenomenon

• Worldview • Anything material = evil • Spirit = good

• Soma sema—a Greek refrain meaning “the body is a tomb”

• Syncretistic—mixes with any religion

• Gnostic Christianity (after first century) • Christ the spiritual redeemer brings secret knowledge • View 1 • Liberate spirit from flesh—renounce (ignore or harm) body • View 2 • Spirit is already free of flesh, bodily excess won’t hurt spirit The New Testament Writings - God’s new covenant with God’s people

• 27 Writings • 4 Gospels • Acts of the Apostles • 9 letters from Paul to churches • 4 letters from Paul to speciﬁc people and their communities • Hebrews • 7 letters by other people (“catholic letters”) • Revelation

Organization of the Writings

• Not ordered chronologically • Titles do not necessarily indicate authorship, but tradition and trajectory • Luke-Acts = two volumes by one author • Letters ordered from longest to shortest • “Apocalypse” is the Greek word for “Revelation”

Development of the “Canon”

• Leader writes a letter or gospel • Community reads aloud in worship together with Torah, prophets, and psalms • Communities copy and share writings with other churches • More churches copy and share writings • Churches begin to collect some writings to read together with Torah, etc. • Leaders begin to list important writings • Lists expand and contract over time

Basic Trends in the Development of the Christian Canon • Oral to written

• Expansion: add to what exists • Copy writings • Augment writings • Edit writings (combine oral and written) • Write new writings (in names of early apostles)

• Contraction: condense what exists • Leaders prefer “known” apostolic writings • Leaders list writings connected to earlier traditions

Critical Methods of Study (tools used by biblical scholars)

• Text criticism • Archeology • Sociological criticism • Cultural anthropology

• Historical criticism • Source criticism • Form criticism • Redaction criticism • Narrative criticism • Rhetorical criticism • Reader-Response criticism • Ideological criticism • Deconstruction

The Earthly Jesus

• Ministry • Itinerant • Rural • Jewish

• Preaches God’s kingdom (now and future) • Absolute allegiance to God • Forgiveness reconciles sinners and outcasts • Reassessment of legal interpretations • Radical “love ethic” • Reversal of social values (poor over the rich; meek over the powerful)

• Teaches about himself • “Son of Man” • Messiah and Son of God • Mediates God’s presence

• Parables and prophetic acts

• Healing • Exorcisms • Demonstration of God’s presence and power

• Conﬂict with religious leaders

New Testament Study of the Earthly Jesus

• Focus: the unique presentation of Jesus in each NT Gospel • Aim: understanding presentation of “Jesus” in each Gospel • Faith and theology aim at Christian belief • Ask diﬀerent questions; supply diﬀerent answers • Interpret each Gospel on its own terms • Do not import information from one Gospel to another Historical Study of Jesus

• Focus: historically veriﬁable evidence Aim: to describe “the person who emerges from an analysis of sources in accord with generally accepted principles of historical science”

• A skeptical science • only accepts “facts” • tests sources against one another

• Uninterested in the unique perspective of Gospelsà seeks Jesus “behind” Gospels

The Exalted Jesus (of NT faith)

• Abides with believers; believers abide in Jesus • Communicates with believers • Present at baptism of believer • Answers prayer • Will return again • Receives believers’ devotion • Equal to God and subject to God

The Gospels - Four pictures of Jesus

• 1. “gospel” = (1) early Christian preaching (2) written life of Jesus

• Written like ancient biography • Portrays “the essential character of the person” • Encourages emulation of the person • Has little concern for chronology

• Includes multiple genres • Inﬂuenced by Jewish literature

• “Fictive” (story-like) style of narration

• Overtly evangelistic (“that you may believe”)

• Types of Material in Gospels • Parables • Figurative stories that convey spiritual truth • Miracle stories • Demonstrations of exceptional “power” or “signs” • Pronouncement stories • Anecdote that preserves “the memory of something Jesus said” • Individual sayings • Passion and resurrection narratives

The Synoptic Puzzle

• Synoptic = “seeing together” • Matthew, Luke, and Mark appear to be seeing Jesus together —from a similar view • Overlapping material Parallel structures, style, perspectives, and tone • Also each have unique material

• Matthew contains 90% of material in Mark but is twice as long

• This raises the question: How are these three Gospels related?

• (Majority) Two-source Hypothesis • Mark written ﬁrst • Matthew and Luke use Mark as a written source • Matthew and Luke use a second (hypothetical) source of Jesus’ sayings = Q • Matthew and Luke, independently, used their own oral sources to complement written sources (M and L) • (Minority) Two-Gospel Hypothesis • Matthew wrote ﬁrst • Luke used Matthew • Mark later condensed Matthew and Luke into one writing

Mark - A tale of mystery, conﬂict, irony and pathos

• Date and Place • First Gospel written 65–73 CE • Shortest Gospel • Lacks birth and resurrection narratives • Mark 13 may refer to Jewish War, 64–70 CE • Follows format of early Christian preaching

• Author • Anonymous • Papias identiﬁes author as “Peter’s interpreter” (1 Pet. 5:13; box 6.1) • Devout Christian • Jesus is Son of God and Messiah (Mark 1:1) • Cites Hebrew scriptures as word of God • Less knowledgeable about Palestine • Assumes knowledge of Latin terms but explains Aramaic

• Community • Roman Christians • Believe Jesus’ story is sacred history • Identify with the terrors in Mark 13 • Need comfort, encouragement • Are they undergoing local persecution? • Are they in Rome when Nero persecutes Christians there, mid 60s CE? • Style • Everything happens “immediately” (Euthus!); new changes are here • Colloquial, unreﬁned Greek • Suspension of correct grammar • Use of historical present (past tense and present continuous in same sentence: “Jesus went into a Synagogue. Immediately, Jesus is speaking . • Intercalation • Interweaves one story with another to illumine both • Abrupt, confusing ending (16:8)

• Key Themes • Urgency • Messianic secret • 4:10-12 • 1:43-44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26 • Ambiguity—do we really understand? • 8:14–21 • Human portrait of Jesus • Cross is Central • Present Kingdom • “Holiness is contagious” and now transforms the unclean • New obedience to God is possible now • Future Kingdom • Jesus returns • Brings judgment and deliverance • Disciples • Mark portrays disciples “negatively” • They have diﬃculty understanding Jesus • They don’t recognize who Jesus is (Messiah) • Peter correctly confesses Jesus (8:29) • But only partially understands; receives rebuke • Disciples misconstrue the Messianic purpose • Like the blind men (Mark 8:22–26 and 10:46–52) • Judas betrays Jesus; Peter denies Jesus • Only women do not abandon Jesus at the cross

Outline

• Jesus heals people and casts out demons (1:1–8:30)

• Jesus teaches (8:31–10:52) • First prediction (8:31–34) • Second prediction (9:30–32) • Third prediction (10:32–34)

• Teaching in Jerusalem (11:1–13:37)

• Passion and cruciﬁxion (14:1–15:47)

6.2 [Download PDF] Distinctive Characteristics of Mark’s Gospel

A. Mark’s Gospel is sparse and brief compared to the others. no genealogy or stories about Jesus’ birth no Beatitudes, Lord’s Prayer, or Golden Rule no resurrection appearances B. Mark’s Gospel ends abruptly. “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid” (16:8). C. The linguistic style of Mark’s Gospel tends to be unrefined. Verbs in the “historical present” (present-tense used for past action) are used often. Pronouns frequently lack clear antecedents. D. Mark’s Gospel displays a special knack for the art of storytelling. Narrative anticipations that “glue” independent stories together: “have a boat ready” (3:9) (to prepare for 4:1) Two-step progressions: “when it was evening, after the sun set” (1:32) Intercalation (“sandwich” stories): disciples mission/death of John the Baptist (6:7–30) cursing the fig tree/expulsion of moneychangers (11:12–20) E. Mark emphasizes Jesus’ deeds over his words (as compared to the other Gospels). Miracle stories take up a greater part of the total book and are told in greater detail. Jesus’ teaching takes up a lesser part of the total book and is told in less detail. F. Mark’s story is dominated by Jesus’ passion. plot to kill Jesus formed already in 3:6 (cf. with Matt. 12:14; Luke 19:47) three predictions of the passion (8:31; 9:31; 10:33–34) G. Mark’s Gospel is marked by a sense of eschatological urgency. “The time is fulﬁlled; the kingdom of God is at hand” (1:14). “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (13:30; cf. 9:1). Note also the “historical presents” and the repeated use of “immediately” throughout the narrative. H. Mark seems to have a special interest in Galilee. The ﬁrst half of this Gospel is devoted to Jesus’ ministry in Galilee.

192 Jesus predicts a postresurrection reunion with his disciples in Galilee (14:28; 16:7). (Cf. this to Luke’s emphasis on Jerusalem.) I. Mark frequently explains Jewish matters, but not Roman ones. Cf. 7:3–4 (Jewish custom of purification is explained) with 10:12 (knowledge of Roman divorce law is assumed). Defines Aramaic words: Boanerges (3:17), talitha cum (5:41), corban (7:11), ephphatha (7:34), Bartimaeus (10:46), Abba (14:36), Golgotha (15:22), eloi, eloi, lema sabachthani (15:34). Does not define Latin words: legion (5:9, 15), denarius (12:15), praetorium (15:16), centurion (15:39). J. Mark assumes that his readers already have a basic knowledge of Christian tradition. He assumes that they know what he means by the term gospel (1:1, 14–15; 10:29; 13:10; 14:9). He assumes that they regard the scriptures of Israel as the word of God (cf. 7:8). He assumes that they will understand what it means to say that Jesus is the Messiah (8:29) and that he gives his life as a ransom (10:45). He expects them to recognize otherwise unidentified characters such as John the Baptist (1:4) and Simon and Andrew (1:16). K. Mark’s Gospel is imbued with a motif of secrecy. Jesus’ own disciples do not understand who he is (4:41; 6:51–52). Jesus commands others to keep his identity or miraculous deeds a secret (1:23–25, 43–44; 3:11–12; 5:43; 7:36; 8:30; 9:9). Jesus speaks in parables so that people won’t understand what he says (4:10–12). L. Mark’s Gospel offers the most human portrait of Jesus. Jesus becomes hungry (11:12) and tired (6:31). He exhibits a full range of human emotions, including pity (1:41), anger (3:5), sadness (3:5), wonder (6:6), compassion (6:34), indignation (10:14), love (10:21), and anguish (14:34). Jesus does not know everything (13:32), and his power is limited (6:5). M. Mark highlights the failures of Jesus’ disciples. unperceptive (4:41; 6:51–52; 8:14–21) self-interest (8:32; 9:32–34; 10:35–41) betray, deny, and forsake Jesus (14:10–11, 17–21, 26–31, 37–38, 44–45, 50, 66–72) Mark’s Gospel ends without recording any redress of the disciples’ faithlessness, such as the remorse of Judas (Matt. 27:3–10), the recovery of Peter (John 21:15–19), or the postresurrection reconciliation of the eleven with Jesus (Matt. 28:18–20; Luke 24:36–53; John 20:19–21:14).

193 4.1 [Download PDF] The Gospel: Four Stages

The word gospel (in Greek, euangelion) means “good news,” and in the first century it appears to have passed through four stages of application:

First, the term gospel was used to describe the content of Jesus’ preaching: “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the good news [gospel ] of God” (Mark 1:14). The “gospel” was essentially equivalent to “what Jesus said about God.” Second, the word gospel was used to describe the content of early Christian preaching, which focused on the death and resurrection of Christ. When the apostle Paul says that he preached “the gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1–5), he does not mean that he repeated what Jesus said about God but rather that he told people the good news of how Jesus had died for them and risen from the dead (see also 1 Cor. 15:1–8). Third, as a combination of the above, the term gospel came to refer to preaching that summarized the ministry of Jesus in a way that included both what Jesus had said was the good news about God and what Christians had said was the good news about Jesus. A summary of such a sermon is found in Acts 10:34–43. And Mark 14:9 indicates that such preaching included anecdotes about the life and ministry of Jesus. Fourth, the word gospel came to be used for books that offer in written form what previously had been proclaimed orally. The first such book probably was the one that we know as the Gospel of Mark, and it uses this term in its very first verse: “The beginning of the good news [gospel ] of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

See Mark Allan Powell, Fortress Introduction to the Gospels (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1998), 8–9.

93 6.1 [Download PDF] Content Summary: Expanded Overview of the Gospel of Mark

John the Baptist preaches in the wilderness and baptizes Jesus; the Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus, and a voice from heaven says, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (1:1–11) Jesus is tempted by Satan for forty days in the wilderness (but in this Gospel we hear nothing about the content of those temptations). (1:12–13) Jesus begins a ministry of proclaiming the good news of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.” (1:14–15) Jesus calls four fishermen to be his disciples: Simon (later called “Peter”), Andrew (Simon’s brother), and James and John (two brothers, the sons of Zebedee). (1:16–20) Jesus casts a demon out of a man in a synagogue in Capernaum. (1:21–28) Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever in Capernaum (where Simon lives). Then, he heals so many others that he begins attracting crowds all over Galilee. (1:29–39) Jesus heals a leper, imploring him not to tell anyone about it, but the leper announces it freely. (1:40–45) Jesus heals a paralyzed man lowered through the ceiling to him in a crowded house, but first he tells the man that his sins are forgiven, which some scribes regard as blasphemy (since only God can forgive sins). (2:1–12) Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, to follow him. To the chagrin of religious leaders, he eats with Levi and other tax collectors. He tells them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician. . . . I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (2:13–17) Jesus explains to Pharisees and disciples of John the Baptist why his own disciples don’t fast, likening his time with them to a wedding feast: they cannot fast while “the bridegroom” is still with them. (2:18–22) Jesus justifies why his disciples pick grain on the Sabbath: “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath.” (2:23–28) Jesus heals a man who has a withered hand in a synagogue on the Sab- bath, inspiring the Pharisees to conspire with the Herodians about how to destroy him. (3:1–6) Jesus continues to heal people and cast out demons. The demons shout, “You are the Son of God,” but he orders them not to make him known. (3:7–12) Jesus appoints twelve of his followers to be “apostles,” including Peter, James and John, and Andrew. (3:13–19) Jesus’ family seeks to restrain him because people are saying that he has gone out of his mind. Also, scribes and Pharisees say that he casts out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons. Jesus says that these leaders are blaspheming the Holy Spirit (an unforgivable sin) and that his true family members are those who do the will of God. (3:20–35) Jesus teaches the parable of the sower publicly to a crowd and then gives an allegorical explanation of it in private to his disciples. (4:1–20)

187 Jesus tells a number of other brief parables likening the kingdom of God to a lamp, seeds that grow secretly, and a mustard seed. (4:21–34) Jesus stills a storm at sea. He rebukes his disciples for having been afraid and for having no faith. (4:35–41) On the other side of the Sea of Galilee, in the area of the Gerasenes, Jesus casts a group of demons called “Legion” out of a man in a cemetery. The demons enter a herd of pigs, which run into the sea and drown. (5:1–20) Jesus goes to heal the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue leader. Along the way, a woman with hemorrhages touches the hem of his garment and is healed. Jairus’s daughter dies, but Jesus raises her from the dead. (5:21–43) Jesus returns to Nazareth to speak in the synagogue. The local people take offense at him, prompting him to say, “Prophets are not without honor except in their hometown.” (6:1–6) Jesus sends out the twelve to heal diseases, cast out demons, and tell people to repent; they are to take no money and must depend on others to provide for them. (6:7–13) Jesus’ ministry attracts the attention of Herod, who previously beheaded John the Baptist. The daughter of his wife Herodias had danced for Herod; he offered to give her anything she wanted, and Herodias told her to ask for “the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” (6:14–29) After the twelve return from their mission, Jesus takes them on a retreat, but multitudes follow. He feeds over five thousand people with only five pieces of bread and two fish. (6:30–44) Jesus walks on water to join his disciples, who are crossing the sea in a boat. (6:45–52) Jesus continues to heal many people, including all those who touch the fringe of his garment. (6:53–56) Jesus’ disciples are criticized for eating with unwashed hands. He responds by attacking the critics for their own hypocrisy and then by explaining that true defilement lies within the heart. (7:1–23) Jesus is approached by a Syrophoenician woman in the region of Tyre who wants him to heal her daughter. He is hesitant because she is not Jewish, but he grants the request after she tells him, “Even dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” (7:24–30) Jesus travels through the Decapolis, where he heals a deaf mute by stick- ing his fingers in the man’s ears and saying, “Ephphatha!” which means “Be opened!” (7:31–37) Jesus feeds a crowd of four thousand people with seven loaves and a few fish. (8:1–10) The Pharisees ask to see a sign from Jesus, but he refuses. (8:11–13) Jesus’ disciples misunderstand a metaphorical reference that he makes to leaven and become worried that they don’t have enough bread. He reminds them of the miraculous feedings and upbraids them for their failure to understand. (8:14–21) Jesus heals a blind man at Bethsaida by putting saliva on his eyes. The man’s vision returns in stages: after the first attempt, he sees men who look like trees walking; after the second attempt, he sees clearly. (8:22–26)

188 At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks the disciples who people say he is, and then he asks, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds, “You are the Messiah,” and Jesus warns them not to tell this to anybody. (8:27–30) Jesus tells the disciples that he is going to be crucified, and Peter objects. Jesus rebukes him, saying, “Get behind me, Satan!” (8:31–33) Jesus teaches that any who want to be his followers must deny themselves and bear the cross. (8:34–38) Jesus says that some of those standing with him will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power. (9:1) Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain with him and is transfigured before them, appearing with Elijah and Moses in dazzling glory. A voice from heaven says, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” (9:2–8) Jesus explains to the disciples that a prophecy regarding the return of Elijah has been fulfilled by the coming of John the Baptist. (9:9–13) After his disciples are unable to do so, Jesus casts a demon out of a boy who has seizures. He tells the boy’s father, “All things can be done for the one who believes,” and the man responds, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (9:14–29) Jesus predicts his passion a second time (9:30–32) and resolves a dispute among his disciples as to which of them is the greatest by saying that the greatest is the one who serves the others. (9:30–35) Jesus says that whoever welcomes little children in his name welcomes him. (9:36–37) Jesus’ disciples try to restrain an exorcist who they say “is not following us,” but Jesus insists, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” (9:38–41) Jesus warns his disciples regarding the judgment to come upon those who cause others to stumble; he calls them to rid their lives of anything that might cause their downfall. (9:42–50) Pharisees test Jesus with a question about divorce. He insists that Moses allowed divorce because of “hardness of heart” but that what God joins together no one should separate. (10:1–12) Jesus’ disciples try to prevent people from bringing children to him, but Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me . . . for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” (10:13–15) A rich man goes away sad after Jesus tells him to give up all his possessions. Jesus says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. (10:17–27) Jesus assures his disciples, who left everything to follow him, that they will receive abundant rewards, but with persecutions. (10:28–31) After Jesus predicts his passion a third time, James and John ask if they can sit at his left and right in glory. The other disciples become indignant, and Jesus teaches again that greatness is achieved through service. He says, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (10:32–45) Just outside of Jericho, Jesus heals a blind beggar named “Bartimaeus,” who follows him on the way. (10:46–52) Jesus enters Jerusalem riding a colt, as a crowd of people shout “Hosanna” and strew clothing and palm branches in his path. (11:1–11) Jesus curses a fig tree because he is hungry and it has no fruit. (11:12–14)

189 Jesus overturns the tables of moneychangers and shuts down the Jerusalem temple, which he calls “a den of robbers.” (11:15–19) When Jesus’ disciples notice that the fig tree that he cursed has withered, he teaches them about the power of faith: the one who believes can move mountains, can ask for anything in prayer and receive it. (11:20–25) Religious leaders ask Jesus by what authority he is acting, but he refuses to answer them because they will not respond to his own question regarding the baptism of John. (11:27–33) Jesus tells the parable of the wicked tenants: the owner of a vineyard sends a series of servants, and then finally his son, to collect fruit from tenants, who beat the servants and kill the son. (12:1–12) Pharisees and Herodians combine to test Jesus, asking him whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. He says, “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (12:13–17) Sadducees test Jesus by asking him, If a woman was married to seven men in this life, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? He says there is no marriage in heaven, for people are like angels. (12:18–27) A scribe asks Jesus which commandment is first of all. He says that the first is to love God, and the second is to love one’s neighbor as oneself. The scribe agrees with him, and Jesus says that the scribe is “not far from the kingdom of God.” (12:28–34) Jesus stumps the religious leaders by asking them how the Messiah can be the son of David when David calls him “Lord.” (12:35–37) Jesus denounces the scribes for being ostentatious and greedy and then calls attention to the generosity of a poor widow who puts her last two coins into the temple treasury. (12:38–44) Jesus tells his disciples that the Jerusalem temple will be destroyed and then, on the Mount of Olives, launches into a long discourse on the end times, urging people to be ready at all times. (13:1–37) The chief priests decide to have Jesus arrested and killed. (14:1–2) At the home of Simon the leper in Bethany, Jesus is anointed for burial by an unnamed woman. His disciples consider it a waste of expensive ointment, but he says that what she has done must be told throughout the whole world in remembrance of her. (14:3–9) Judas agrees to betray Jesus, just before the disciples and Jesus eat the Passover meal together. Jesus identifies the bread and wine as his body and blood. He predicts his betrayal, and they go out to Gethsemane, where he prays that, if possible, God remove the cup from him. He is arrested, and his disciples desert him, including a young man who runs away naked. (14:10–52) Jesus is put on trial before a group of priests who decide that he deserves death; meanwhile, Peter denies three times that he is a disciple of Jesus. (14:53–72) Jesus is turned over to Pilate, and a crowd calls for Jesus to be crucified after Pilate gives them the choice of releasing Jesus or a rebel named “Barabbas.” Jesus is mocked by soldiers, who crown him with thorns and compel Simon of Cyrene to carry his cross to Golgotha (which means “place of a skull”). (15:1–24)

190 Jesus is crucified and mocked on the cross. He cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” before he dies. At his death, the curtain in the temple tears, and the centurion at the cross declares, “Truly this man was God’s son!” (15:25–39) Many women are said to have been observing this from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, another Mary, Salome, and others; although they are mentioned for the first time here, we are now told that they have been following Jesus since his early ministry in Galilee. (15:40–41) Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Jewish council, provides a tomb for Jesus’ body and sees that he is given a proper burial. (15:42–47) After the Sabbath, the three women come to the tomb but find it empty. A young man dressed in white tells them that Jesus is risen, and they should go and tell his disciples and Peter. They flee in terror and speak to no one. (16:1–8)

191 4.9 The Q Source in Contemporary Scholarship

Many New Testament scholars believe that both Matthew and Luke made use of a source in the composition of their Gospels that has been lost to us. For reasons unknown, this lost source has come to be called “Q” (one possible explanation for the name: “Q” is short for Quelle, the German word for “source”). Written or Oral? Some scholars have regarded Q as no more than a common body of oral tradition, but the majority now believe that it was a written document. Evidence for this includes the internal theological consistency expressed throughout the Q passages and the strength of the verbal agreements between these passages as they are reported in Matthew and in Luke, an agreement that frequently extends even to the order in which the passages occur. Language Scholars have long thought that Q was originally written in Aramaic and then rendered, independently, by both Matthew and Luke into Greek. Current opinion, however, is shifting toward the belief that Q was composed in Greek and came to both evangelists in that form. This matter is still debated. Authorship The church historian Eusebius (260–339) claimed to have a statement from someone named “Papias,” who said, around 135, “Matthew [i.e., the disciple of Jesus] compiled the sayings in the Hebrew [or Aramaic] language and each one interpreted them as he was able.” Eusebius took this as a reference to the book that we call the “Gospel of Matthew,” but New Testament scholars no longer believe that Matthew the disciple of Jesus wrote that book. Some scholars, however, think that Papias might have been referring to Q, and therefore that Q may have been compiled by Matthew the disciple of Jesus. This remains speculative. Content Q consists almost entirely of “sayings.” In this regard, it resembles the form of the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas. The few narrative portions include the story of Jesus’ temptation (Luke 4:1–13; Matt. 4:1–11) and the healing of the centurion’s servant (Luke 7:1–10; Matt. 7:24–27), but even here the emphasis is on the sayings of Jesus preserved in the narrative. There are no stories about Jesus’ birth or baptism, and, remarkably, there is no passion narrative. It is generally thought that the original order of the sayings is better preserved in Luke than in Matthew. Types of Sayings Richard Edwards finds three types of sayings interwoven in the Q material:

Wisdom sayings are aphorisms that provide insight into how things really are or perhaps oﬀer recommendations for life based on these observations: – “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:21; Luke 12:34).

_Sidebars_website.indd 120 8/30/12 3:40 PM 120 – “Fear not, for you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:31; Luke 12:7). Prophetic sayings are announcements that proclaim the judgment of God or perhaps call for a particular response in light of that judgment: – “The kingdom of God has come near to you” (Matt. 10:7; Luke 10:9). – “Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life will find it” (Matt. 10:39; Luke 17:33). Eschatological sayings reflect the view that the future is of primary importance and that the end of the age is rapidly approaching: – “You must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:44; Luke 12:40). – “As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man” (Matt. 24:37; Luke 17:26).

These types of sayings overlap (wisdom sayings may also be eschatological, etc.), but the categories do identify the streams of tradition important for an understanding of Q. Rescensions John Kloppenborg and other scholars have suggested that Q might have gone through two or three editions before assuming the form to which Matthew and Luke had access. According to this theory, the wisdom sayings were part of the original version of Q but the eschatological sayings were not. This theory, again, is regarded as highly speculative. Theology 1. The locus of salvation is the parousia, not the cross. In Q, the death of Jesus is perceived only as a martyrdom, not as an atonement or sacrifice for sin. In fact, there is no mention of the cross, only allusions that imply that Jesus suffers the fate of the prophets (and of John the Baptist). Jesus saves people not by dying for them but rather by inaugurating God’s kingdom and granting fellowship in this kingdom to those who are faithful. This will occur shortly, at the final judgment, over which Jesus will preside as the glorified Son of Man. 2. Discipleship takes the form of itinerant radicalism. True discipleship, according to the Q sayings, consists of being like Jesus (cf. Luke 6:40). This means, among other things, that disciples are expected to forgo domicile, family, and possessions. Just as the Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head (Matt. 8:20; Luke 9:58), so his disciples are called to leave their homes and families, renounce all worldly security, and devote their lives entirely to the kingdom of God. Community Some scholars speak loosely of a “Q community,” by which they mean early followers of Jesus who used this document as their primary Christian text. Such people might be characterized as believing that they live at the very end of time, guided by the words of Jesus and totally dependent upon God for sustenance. They view their mission as a continuation of the ministry of Jesus on earth. They have collected the sayings of their coming judge to serve as a guide for living in the last days. In addition to collecting and repeating these sayings, they

_Sidebars_website.indd 121 8/30/12 3:40 PM 121 continue to proclaim the dawn of God’s kingdom through inspired prophets who speak in Jesus’ name. Bibliography Allison, Dale C. The Intertextual Jesus: Scripture in Q. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2000. ------. The Jesus Tradition in Q. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1997. Arnal, William E. Jesus and the Village Scribes: Galilean Conﬂicts and the Setting of Q. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2000. Burkett, Delbert. Rethinking the Gospel Sources. Vol. 2, The Unity and Plurality of Q. SBL Early Christianity and Its Literature 1. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2009. Casey, Maurice. An Aramaic Approach to Q. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Edwards, Richard. A Theology of Q: Eschatology, Prophecy, and Wisdom. Phila- delphia: Fortress, 1976. Fleddermann, Harry T. Q: A Reconstruction anbd Commentary. Biblical Tools and Studies 1. Leuven: Peeters, 2005. Goodacre, Mark. The Case Against Q: Studies in Markan Priority and the Synoptic Problem. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2001. Goodacre, Mark, and Nicholas Perrin, eds. Questioning Q: A Multidimensional Critique. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005. Gregg, Brian Hay. The Historical Jesus and the Final Judgment Sayings in Q. WUNT 2/207. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2006. Horsley, Richard A., with Jonathan A. Draper. Whoever Hears You Hears Me: Prophets, Performance, and Tradition in Q. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press Inter- national, 1999. Johnson, Steven R. Seeking the Imperishable Treasure: Wealth, Wisdom, and a Jesus Saying. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2008. Historical and redactional study of Matt. 6:19–20 and Luke 12:33. Johnson-DeBaufre, Melanie. Jesus among Her Children: Q, Eschatology, and the Construction of Christian Origins. HTS 55. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005. Kingsbury, Jack Dean. “The Document of Q.” In Jesus Christ in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, 1–27. PC. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981. Kloppenborg Verbin, John S. Excavating Q: The History and Setting of the Sayings Gospel. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000. ———. The Formation of Q: Trajectories in Ancient Wisdom Collections. Studies in Antiquity and Christianity. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987. ———. Q, the Earliest Gospel: An Introduction to the Original Stories and Sayings of Jesus. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2008. Lindemann, A., ed. The Sayings Source Q and the Historical Jesus. BETL 158. Leuven: Peeters, 2001. Mournet, Terence C. Oral Tradition and Literary Dependence: Variability and Stabil- ity in the Synoptic Tradition and Q. WUNT 195. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2005. Robbins, C. M. The Testing of Jesus in Q. SBL 108. New York: Lang, 2007. Robinson, James M., et al. The Critical Edition of Q. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000.

_Sidebars_website.indd 122 8/30/12 3:40 PM 122 Tuckett, Christopher. Q and the History of Early Christianity: Studies on Q. London: T&T Clark, 2004. Vaage, Leif E. Galilean Upstarts: Jesus’ First Followers According to Q. Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1994. Valantasis, Richard. The New Q: A Fresh Translation with Commentary. London: T&T Clark, 2005.

_Sidebars_website.indd 123 8/30/12 3:40 PM 123 Handouts - Week 2 Notes: Week Two

Tuesdays with Mark In the Liturgy of the Word at Sunday Mass, the Catholic church presents us with a three-year “Bible reading program”. In the Sunday cycle, year A we hear from Mathew, in the year B from Mark and in the year C from Luke. Tuesdays with Mark began as a way of preparing for the new Liturgical year (2017/18) Which gives us readings form Mark.

Gospels In the world of literature, gospel is a unique genre/literary form. Invention of this genre is to the credit of the author of the Gospel of Mark. Gospels are Narratives, but are not like the hagiographical writings, nor like historical biographies and nor also like the Biblical historical narratives. They have a few similar features of all of them and great many diﬀerences. But they are unique. They are brief narratives of life, ministry and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and explain and defend the New Covenant in and through the person of Jesus.

They are Faith Documents, written from the stand point of living faith in Jesus Christ, raised and exalted as Lord and Savior and they are meant to generate faith: “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Jn 20:31.

They do not narrate a past event in the history but they keep modern reader in contact with Jesus. The early church saw them as the real presence of Jesus. St. Ignatius of Antioch said: “I ﬂee to the Gospels as to the ﬂesh of Jesus Christ.” So the believing community saw them as the real presence of Jesus. They are faith documents and hence they are meaningfully interpreted in the context of the faith community and by the community that understands it in the guiding inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They are written in and for the Church.

Gospel Formation A word on the Formation of Gospels is in order. They are formed out of three layer tradition: the life and the ministry of Jesus (Jesus Tradition), the preaching and teaching of the Apostles- (Kerygma) and the oral traditions on the sayings, parables and miracles of Jesus among the believer communities. These sources of the tradition are used by the Evangelists to present their Christology- presentation of Jesus according to situations of the target Communities. So the Gospels do not just contain what Jesus did and said but also the theological interpretation (Christology) of the Evangelist. But does that mean that the four canonical gospels present diﬀerent four gospels? No. They present same Jesus Christ, the Gospel, but in varied- interpretation like the four voices in the harmony of one piece of symphony. the Gospel of Mark Mark’s Gospel the second in the order of the 4 canonical gospels, written in between 60-70 AD, is the neglected Gospel in the Church history. No commentaries were written on the Gospel of St. Mark by any of the Fathers of the Church. Only in the 7th century, St. Bede seemed to have written on St. Mark. The reason behind this seems to be St. Augustine who said: Mark’s Gospel is the abbreviated version of the gospel of St. Mathew, as 90% of Mark’s is found in Mathew and 55% is in Luke.

But today it is considered most valuable gospel to get in touch with the historical Jesus and is focused by the students of the Bible. The 20th century biblical scholarship discovered that Mark’s Gospel is the FIRST WRITTEN Gospel and the closest to the actual events and Mathew and Luke have used it as one of the sources in writing their Gospel. The uniqueness of Mark is highlighting the Suﬀering dimension of the mystery of Christ. Mark’s Gospel is an INVITATION to embark on the adventure through the narration of events. He invites readers to see themselves reﬂected in the disciples, crowds or other characters. He challenges the readers to respond to the provocative words and astounding deeds of Jesus of Nazareth. The life of Jesus narrated by Mark is not just an edifying story but the good news that changed his life. Then, who is the author?

Gospel Author The identity of the author is not exactly known. The tradition says that John Mark, a Jewish Christian, disciple of St. Peter, and had an acquaintance with Apostles Paul and Barnabas. He accompanied Paul in his ﬁrst missionary journey along with Barnabas (Acts 13:5). But he closely collaborated with Peter who called him, “Mark, My son” 1 Pet 5:13. The scholars show that the Structure of Mark’s gospel parallels the preaching of Peter in Acts 10: 36-43. All this says that Mark was a Christian associated with the apostles Peter, Paul and Barnabas.

Gospel Date On the debate of Date of Mark’s Gospel, scholars agree that it is written within a few decades after the death of Jesus, may be between AD 60-70. Eusebius, the ancient church historian said: Mark was written before the death of St Peter, around AD 64-67. The contents of the Gospel point more to the historical situation of Christians under persecution. Nero’s persecuted the Christian believers by setting them on fire and feeding them to wild beasts. Mark speaks of Jesus with wild animals 1: 13; “with persecutions” 10: 30; everyone will be salted with fire 9:49; disciples will be betrayed by the relatives and suffer persecutions 13: 9-13. They are meaningful to the persecuted church.

Gospel Community Though there is long debate in the scholarly circles on the target audience, from the facts of the persecutions, the use of Latin words and the translation of the Hebrew words into Greek, it commonly agreed that it is written for the persecuted, troubled the Christian Community in Rome. What is the condition of the Community? The community was apocalyptic in its mindset. It looked eagerly for the end of the world, it thought of Jesus as the conquering triumphant messiah who, as foretold by Daniel, would come immediately like the Judge and warrior, win over the reign of Satan. They expected a kingly messiah who would gather his elect (13:27).

Gospel Purpose Mark wrote to address the thinking of the community and to encourage and challenge the people to reflect on their lives in the light of the story of Jesus the Son of God. He wanted the community to be busy with the good news of Jesus Christ which needs to be carried to further frontiers. He made efforts to convince the community that the end is yet to come and before that they must come out of their self -absorption and take up the mission. Kingdom is still in the birth pangs. It is still like the mustard seed and it has to grow into the shrub. Mark also wanted to challenge community’s understanding of Jesus. He is not conquering, triumphant, kingly messiah but the Son of God who suffered and died on the Cross. Following his suffering path is the way of the discipleship. So he emphasized Jesus as suffering son of God and on the suffering discipleship.

Mark’s literary style It is more compact and direct in his message and expressions. He made the story of Jesus accessible to the uneducated by writing it in an unreﬁned plain street language. He has a vivid realistic style of writing. 1: 40-44. It is the action gospel. Mark tells fewer stories than other evangelists. He has a sense of urgency. He focuses on the emotions of Jesus and the respondent crowds. He makes narrative comments and draws us to the crisis of decision.

The three fold pattern of Mark is very unique in his narration: Three commissionings of the disciples 1:16-20, 3:13-19, 6:7-13; Three passion predictions 8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34; Jesus praying and coming three times to his disciples in Gethsemane 14:32-42;Three denials by Peter 14:66-72. This pattern gives the account a sense of progressive climax.

“Markan Sandwiches” is yet another narrative feature. He begins, interrupted by another and then he returns. Eg. 3:20-21(22-30)31-35; 5:21-24(25-34)35-43; 6:7-13(14-29)30-32; 11:12- 14(15-19)20-26. 14; 1-2(3-9)10-11 = 14:1-2 Chief priests and scribes plot to kill Jesus;14:3-9 woman anoints with oil; 14:10-11 Judas plans to betray Jesus. MK uses this technique to create suspense, to contrast and interpret a narrative with another. E.g. 11:12-14(15-19) 20-26 to interpret the cursing of the ﬁg tree and the cleansing of the temple; 14:54(55-65) 66-72 to narrate the trials of Jesus and Peter.

Mark is the master of the unexpected. Irony characterizes his presentation of the Gospel. Disciples and family is slow to perceive 8:14-21; 10:35-45, but blind Bartimaeus 10:46-52, Gentile centurion 15:39 perceive immediately and intuitively. Jesus’ approach is the most unexpected and in religious, social and political situations. He commends the faith of the Syrophoenician woman 7:29. Jesus confronts, confounds and breaks the conventional stereotypes. The Scribes and Sanhedrin is in constant combat with Jesus as he heals and reaches out to the outsiders such as leper 1:40-45, hostile demoniac 5:1-20.

Gospel: Outline Mark’s Gospel is the narrative on Jesus of Nazareth. He is Son of God on a journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, in the service of the Kingdom of God, misunderstood and rejected by all but on the Cross recognized and accepted by Strangers as Son of God and ﬁnally vindicated by God in his resurrection and exaltation.

The Gospel begins with a Prologue (1:1-13) prepares for the public ministry of Jesus. It announces that the Gospel is about Jesus of Nazareth who is the Messiah spoken by the Old Testament prophets climaxed in John the Baptist who prepares the way ( 1: 2-8) and declared by the Voice from heaven as “My beloved Son”(9-11), withstands the test by Satan(12-13). In his public ministry the Son of God is in battle with Satan. His victory over Satan foreshadows his ﬁnal victory over death.

First major section (1:14-8:27): Jesus is wise teacher and great healer. proclaims the Gospel in and around Galilee with a sense of urgency because “Now is the time of fulfillment the kingdom of God is at hand.” 14-15. with the busy daily schedule, he enters into controversies with the elders,( ch 2)he forms his close circle(ch 3) teaches authoritatively on the Kingdom with parables (Ch 4), manifests the presence of the Kingdom through the miracles, (ch 5). Yet he meets with unbelief in his town. Even all through the Galilean ministry Jesus encounters misunderstanding and opposition from many groups and death looms large on him, as fore figured by the death of Baptist, Jesus changes his strategy and involves his disciples, breaks barriers between gentile and Jewish regions. Yet the disciples failed to understand him. The first major section 1: 16-8:21 ends with a great note of failure.

Watershed 8: 21-29 Between two major sections: All that is narrated by Mark leads to this passage and now whatever he narrates further proceeds from this passage, giving chance for Jesus to explain his mysterious vocation to be suﬀering messiah. Symbolized by the seeing of the blind man gradually learns to see clearly (8:22-26), Peter makes the confession of faith in Jesus: You are the Messiah. 8:29. Scholars speak of this passage as the Bridge passage because the ﬁrst major section climaxes in the burst of light, the breakthrough in the confession of Peter.

The Second Major Section: 8:22-10:52 This section is often called the travel narrative and its great theme is the “Way”/Journey Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem further revealing his identity as Son of Man who because of the Divine Must, has to suﬀer, die, and rise. He teaches them what it means to follow him. . He predicts three times of his impending death 8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34, sadly all the three times the disciples misunderstand 8:32-33; 9:32; 10:35-41. This section climaxes in 10:45 “the Son of Man to give his life as ransom for many.” Yet the disciples do not understand him. This is yet another note of failure of Jesus’ ministry.

The Third Major Section 11: 1-16:8 in Jerusalem/further rejection/ Passion week This section speaks of Jesus in Jerusalem for the final week of his life and teaching. Things move pretty fast. He enters into Jerusalem, cleanses the temple 11: 1-25, debates with the Jewish groups 11: 27-12:44. Then he gives his farewell discourse, the eschatology, consoling the disciples, with the announcement of the coming of the son of man in glory. Ch. 13. He is arrested 14: 1-52 yet he is in great command. In the trials he appears as Messiah, Son of God as the suffering servant of God as visualized by Isaiah 53 and suffering righteous person of Ps 22. Confession by the Centurion at the time of Jesus’ death is the first recognition by a human person in Mark and that too by a gentile 15:39. At this point the women disciples appear 15: 40-41. Like the male disciples they are also unbelieving. They witness death, burial and discover the empty tomb 16:1-8. Jesus is vindicated in his resurrection from the dead. Notes from “A study of the woman in the crowd and her desperate courage (Mark 5:21–43)” by Robin Gallaher Branch

• choose to call the unnamed woman introduced in Mark 5:25 the ‘woman in the crowd’.1 Others call her the ‘woman with the flow of blood’ (Miller 2004:52) or the ‘woman with the haemorrhage’ (Murphy 2005:102; Williamson 1983:108–110). • Although her illness debilitates her, she refuses to let it define her. This marks her as a woman of courage. The text develops this concept: she is more than her illness. Her illness, however, consumes her life, for it defines the way others treat her and think of her. Her initial condition is not her conclusion.4 • Well then, what is known about her?5 Firstly, her story takes place within a larger one: the request of Jairus, a synagogue ruler (Mk 5:21–43), who asks Jesus to come immediately and lay hands on his daughter who is at the point of death (vv. 22–23). Jesus agrees, and on the way is ‘interrupted’ by the woman’s touch (v. 27). Secondly, the text describes her in terms of her health.6 She is a woman with an ongoing condition, a flow of blood.7 Presumably, her condition is an ongoing menstrual cycle (Miller 2004:54).8 She has endured the chronic condition for 12 years, suffered greatly under the care of many doctors, and spent all she had. Instead of getting better, her condition has worsened (vv. 25–26).9 • Much is discerned from this terse depiction.10 She is a woman of the covenant: born into it and subject to it. She is a mature woman and middle-aged, and although able chronologically to have children, she is infertile.11 The text makes no mention of any attendant, neither a maid who accompanies her, nor a relative. She appears to be alone in the world.12 • Although ill, she is mobile. Quite likely a resident of Capernaum,13 she becomes part of the crowd in a somewhat disguised state, in other words her clothing (because of her condition) may be layered, and she may attempt to cover her face so as not to be seen or recognised.14 • Although Mark’s description recounts specific details about the woman and her unsuccessful search amongst doctors for a cure, it remains silent about something every other woman who hears or reads the story realises: the woman’s life is a constant routine of washing and drying rags to catch and staunch the flow of her blood. Furthermore, her condition may emit an odour. As such, it is potentially very embarrassing. • Significantly, Mark’s audience immediately knows the ramifications of ‘an issue of blood for twelve years’ (Mk 5:25): her condition excludes her from worship and community life.15 Concerning first century life, Bouquet (1953:212) stresses the importance of congregational worship in a synagogue and the communal value of praying and responding together (author’s own emphasis) that shared worship gave. • Therefore thus excluded,16 a woman with the ongoing condition of unstoppable menstrual flow would be a tremendous burden on her family. All garments, linens, utensils, and furniture she touched, sat on or used had to be washed (cf. Lv 15:25–27). Likewise, people who touched her were unclean until evening. • Evidently, eventually her prolonged condition seems to have led to her exclusion from her family, for the text says she had spent all her money on a worthless chase of healing from physicians who only increased her suffering (Mk 5:26). I imagine17 her life as one without hugs from friends, children and parents, as lacking normal human contact,18 as devoid of marital rights with its duties and privileges,19 as full of toil because of the need to constantly wash everything, and as expensive because of the financial implications of a chronic illness.20 She is probably without income, because she is unemployable.21 In a culture dominated by the shame and/or honour motif, the woman experiences embarrassment and exclusion.22 • All these factors lead to this reasonable conclusion: Mark introduces this woman as lonely, isolated, impoverished, quite likely anaemic,23 and possibly dying. Her condition appears hopeless and she is desperate.24 Most would think that she is better off dead. • Yet Mark interjects hope! This woman has heard stories of Jesus (Mk 5:27)!25 Prior to this incident, Mark records that Jesus had commanded an evil spirit to leave a man (Mk 1:21–28), healed Simon’s mother-in-law by taking her hand (Mk 1:30), reached out his hand and touched a leper (Mk 1:40–45), told a paralytic his sins are forgiven and commanded him to take up his mat (Mk 2:1–12), and ordered the legion of spirits in the man who lived amongst the tombs in the region of Gerasenes to leave him (Mk 5:1–20). Reading Mark’s gospel in the order presented, it is reasonable to assume that the woman has heard these or other stories that present Jesus favourably. Based on this, she convinces herself that if she touches Jesus’ clothes, she will be healed.26 • She mixes inconspicuously with the crowd, awaiting Jesus’ return and deliberately orchestrates an encounter with him.27 Although she thinks it will be a quick, unnoticed, one-way meeting, she soon learns that Jesus engages those who encounter him, especially one who draws power from him.28 • The woman uses the crowd’s noise and jostle as cover. Thus camouflaged, she becomes a crafty risk-taker. Fellow crowd members come with mixed motives: some to see a sideshow of miracles, to hear a teaching from a parable, to see a testy, feisty encounter with the Pharisees, or to enjoy a diversion from waiting around unemployed (cf. Loader 2007:1–2). In contrast, the woman plans to get close enough to touch Jesus’ garment. Displaying determination and focus, this woman sets a courageous course.29 • However, the woman displays selfishness by ignoring the fact that, legally, her touch makes anyone − including Jesus and those in the crowd bumping into her – unclean. Weighing the shame of being recognised by angry people, aware of the possibility of a public reprimand, knowing that people pick up stones to drive the unclean away and heedless of the harm and inconvenience she may cause crowd members and Jesus, she nonetheless approaches Jesus. In modern terminology, she stalks him in broad daylight. She decides her need trumps others’ rights.The result? Jesus commends her for her faith (Mk 5:34)! My opinion is that when the characteristics she exhibits – desperation, hope, selfishness, pushiness, courage, persistence, and self-interest – are directed at Jesus, they constitute faith.30 Jesus both defines her action and attitude as faith and acknowledges her faith as directed at him.31 • It is significant that the woman had heard about Jesus (v. 27). The definite article before the name Jesus in verse 27 indicates there was a specific Jesus amongst many of that name of whom she had heard (Wuest 1966:109). What had she heard?54 Mark seems to indicate she had heard the earlier stories in his narrative. According to this view, her own story (because it occurred in public) is then heard by others who appear later in Mark’s gospel, like the Geresene townspeople (Mk 6:53–56) and Bartimaeus (Mk 10:46–52). • If the stories that the woman has heard are in a chronological order in Mark and the woman has heard them, she is still left with her predicament.55 No story so far exactly fits her situation.56 After all, Jesus touched people, he commanded various healings, he faced people, he controlled his power, he channelled his power at will. Her embarrassing condition, she may have reasoned, precludes her from approaching him publicly. Based on her confession, she seems to have wondered: ‘Is the reverse possible? Can I touch his clothes from behind and be healed?’ What she heard, arguably, convinced her that she could touch his clothes from behind and that she would be healed.57 • In the Marcan story of the woman in the crowd, the literary conflict concerns not a moral issue of a sexual nature, but the impurity her chronic bleeding condition presents. Hers is not a promiscuous sexual situation, but a gender issue.58 Her flow of blood, whilst not contagious, nonetheless necessitates her separation from others. Leviticus 15:25–30 is clear.59 Her action, in what Swanson (2011:274) likens to ‘swimming through the crowd’, brings all she touches ‘into contact with blood’.60 Scripture links blood and life. Wenham (2003:94) writes that the ‘underlying rational seems to be that to lose a life-liquid, such as blood, meant that the person who was suffering was under the shadow of death and therefore unfit to approach the God of life’.61 • The woman has what is called zob in Hebrew, a chronic discharge.62 Menstruation is not a chronic disease unless it lasts longer than a normal time of seven days. The woman has been bleeding for 4380 days. Over twelve years, a normal time of a woman’s period measures 1008 days (7 days x 12 months x 12 years). In other words, her days of prolonged flow numbered 3372.63 • Undoubtedly she lacks energy. The text indicates her consultation of doctors left her more infirm.64 There is no financial, physical, or family hope − and she knows it. The Leviticus text says that anything or any person that a woman or a man with a discharge touches is unclean.65 Yet this woman’s touch does not make Jesus unclean. That must have puzzled a lot of people.66

Themes — Fear

• In addition to the importance of blood (Mk 5:25–29), aspects of fear and trembling are part of this pericope (Mk 5:33, 36). The woman exhibits fear when Jesus stops the crowd and ‘looks for her who had touched him’. Not letting Jairus say one word when he hears his daughter is dead, Jesus commands him not to fear. Earlier in Mark, the Gerasenes townsfolk express fear when the deranged demoniac becomes a normal, clothed person.67 The disciples express fear after the wind and waves obey Jesus (Mk 4:41). Later in Mark, the religious leaders exhibit fear toward Jesus and the crowd.68 • The biblical text presents fear as both a response to something new and an encounter with some aspect of the divine (Minor 2001:79). Instead of fearing the violent storm and an imminent death by drowning, the disciples fear after the wind and waves cease. Their terror occurs when they later talk amongst themselves about Jesus’ action of commanding the wind and the waves to be quiet (Mk 4:41a). Similarly, the woman fears after she is healed (Mk 4:31; 5:33). • Fear comes because God’s power suddenly confronts ordinary people. ‘God’s near presence is fearful because God’s Light and Truth expose us,’ Minor (2001:86) explains. The woman may fear exposure and its resulting ridicule and ostracism. She also may fear Jesus’ rebuke. Jairus fears the loss of the daughter he obviously loves. The leaders of Judea fear the loss of their position and the further ruin of their country by the Romans. Arguably, the townspeople of Gerasenes fear healing and its results, for they are used to adjusting to a demoniac, but do not know how to deal with someone now dressed and in his right mind (Mk 5:14–18). Their reaction? They expel Jesus. • Yes in Mark, those faced with the power of Jesus respond with fear.69 Similarly, this response is seen in other stories of angelic visitations, like Gabriel’s visits to Daniel (Dn 10:18) and Zechariah (Lk 1:13). Minor (2001:78) puts it this way: Mark’s stories ‘keep telling us of the fear of God’s presence that comes naturally to us human beings’.

Confession

• Discovered, the woman separates herself from the crowd, comes forward, falls at Jesus’ feet, and confesses (v. 33). With words tumbling forth, she tells him ‘the whole truth’ (Mk 5:33b).70 She gives Jesus and all listening details about her condition and details about her efforts to become well again. The woman, as one who has just experienced the power of God to heal, evidently lets feelings, fears and joys, bubble out in no particular order.71 Her halting confession is like the expression of amazement and joy rendered by the widow of Zarephath when Elijah places her suddenly alive son in her arms (1 Ki 17:24). There, the Hebrew is disjointed, full of sentence fragments − and thoroughly believable (Branch 2003:300–303). Amazement, awe, fear and gratefulness are emotions erupting all at once when a person sees or experiences the power of God. Honest human emotions enable the stories to smack of realism − and for the story’s characters to be believable. • Jesus, a keen listener, makes confession easy.72 Evidently, the woman did not simply give a generalised version of the truth or attempt to shield herself from public shame.73 In response to what must have been a specific and potentially humiliating rendition, she receives honour and restoration without censure.74 Jesus frees her from any pattern of self-condemnation.75 • Reading canonically, confession in the Old Testament occurs most frequently on national and congregational levels:76 Moses (Ex 33:12–17), Solomon (1 Ki 8:22– 61) and Daniel (Dn 9:4–19) intercede for the people and nation.77 On the whole, the New Testament defines confession more narrowly, linking it with faith and focusing confession and faith on Jesus (cf. Mk 9:24; Rm 10:9). Proverbs 28:13 states that the person who conceals a sin does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces sins, finds mercy. The woman certainly confessed and received much mercy. Confession enables a person to live a truthful, open life. The woman’s desperation leads to a confession. Her action of telling the truth leads to a change in her circumstances and to her re-acceptance into the community, and being restored to the covenant community leads to her being part of a new family, one centred on her healer.78 Purity

• Whilst a thorough analysis of purity in the gospel of Mark is outside the scope of this article, a few observations can apply. The system of purity for the Hebrews (and later for the Israelites) was unique amongst the ancients for it avoided the magic practices of their neighbours, like the Canaanites (and later the Romans), and allowed for an examination of disease from a practical and empirical standpoint (Miller & Miller 1978:72). It became the way the Jews formed themselves into classes (Mathew 2000:102). It emphasised the difference between God and mortal beings (Gane 2009:304). The purity system, reinforced by the Law and Temple, controlled the social identities, boundaries and classes of the Jews (Mathew ibid:102). • Arguably, a very interesting fact about Jesus so far in Mark is that, no matter if he touches an ill or diseased person or been touched by one, or extends his hand to a dead girl as he commands her to arise, or fraternises with one whose home is tombs,79 he is not made unclean. Garland (1996:55) finds the answer in the ‘divine dimension in the prologue’ that provides verification to Jesus’ new teaching (Mk 1:27), many miracles and wisdom (Mk 6:2), and authority over sin and natural elements (Mk 2:7; 4:41; 11:28). The prologue attests that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Mk 1:1) and progresses to his account of Jesus’ baptism (Mk 1:9– 11): When Jesus comes up out of the water, the heaven is torn open and the Spirit descends on him like a dove. A voice from heaven declares: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’. Jesus is set apart at baptism and marked as the Holy One of God (Mk 1:10, 24; cf. Rhoads 2004:159). As the Holy One of God, he cannot be unclean. Put another way, Jesus leaks power, indeed a positive healing power, and this leakage of power attests to his concealed identity as the Holy One of God (cf. Moss 2010:508). Through the subsequent stories, Mark provides evidence for these verses. Throughout Mark, Jesus comes and goes from the Temple unchallenged; others certainly consider him clean. Mark does not link Jesus and uncleanness. Instead Mark lets the evidence of wholeness, life and restoration speak. • Mathew (2000:104) writes that the cultically impure, like the leper in Mark 1:40– 45 and arguably like the ill woman and dead girl in this article, are made pure, because Jesus spreads purity with his presence ‘and turns impurity into purity’. When Jesus encounters impurity, he amazingly reverses it. Unexpectedly, the touch of another, or Jesus’ actions of touching a leper or a dead girl, not only do not make Jesus unclean, but also make the leprous clean and the dead girl alive (Mathew ibid:102)! Mathew (ibid:106) asserts that Mark’s presentation of Jesus shows Jesus’ ‘disapproval of the purity system, which became detrimental to the interests of the poor and marginalised’. The woman in this story certainly experienced exclusion. • Jesus re-orients the concept of covenant and community purity around himself. Via his ministry and person, Jesus challenges exclusion laws by touching a leper (Mk 1:40–45). He heals Simon’s mother-in-law and allows her to minister to him and with him (1:31). He enjoys the company of tax collectors and sinners and embraces them (Mk 2:15–17). His astounding claims include his ability to go directly to God in order to forgive sin (Mk 2:5). Suddenly, God’s power is available to Gentiles (Mk 5:1–20; cf. Gn 12:1–3.). In short, God’s community, as communicated by Jesus of Nazareth in the gospel of Mark, breaks down boundaries between people - men versus women, Gentiles versus Jews, rich versus poor, ill versus healthy, pure versus impure, living versus dead and adults versus children (Blount & Charles 2002:10). • In his commentary on Leviticus, Ross links the Levitical laws and the Mark passage. He (Ross 2002) writes that in the encounter with the woman, Jesus did not become defiled, because Jesus is:… the Holy One of Israel … He made others whole. And so in this account the woman became pure. In him God had drawn near to all who had been separated. The law said that such physical diseases and bodily functions indicated that the person was earthbound and ritually unclean. The only way that they could enter the presence of God (typified by the shrine) was to be purified and then atoned for by sacrificial blood. All these laws revealing how sin and sickness separate people from God were part of the fuller revelation leading up to Jesus. The Gospel account, then, shows that Jesus both purified the woman and made the atoning sacrifice. He is God’s complete remedy for humankind’s complete ruin and disorder. In Christ everyone can find acceptance in the presence of the holy God. (p. 309) • Jesus makes people like this woman whole. The intercalated stories of the healing of the woman and the restoration of life to Jairus’ daughter show the restoration of these two females to the larger community. Each has been given new life. Each is now clean. Their conditions of chronic illness and death are reversed. Others in the community can now interact with them in a normal way. Just as Jesus is not overpowered earlier in chapter 5 by the demons in the demoniac or by the wind and the waves in chapter 4, but proves the stronger in both situations, he is not overpowered by a chronic illness or death in the conclusion of chapter 5. So far in Mark’s gospel, he is stronger than any force he encounters. I believe that the proofs of Jesus’ ability to remain clean are that the woman is healed and Jairus’ daughter receives life. Touching the dead and being touched by someone unclean, do not make him so. Jesus rises above normal uncleanness - sort of absorbs or changes or nullifies any evidence – and thereby offers one more proof of his deity. Jesus removes any evidence of uncleanness. In this pericope, it is interesting that Jesus travels from a so-called lesser impurity, contact with a menstruant woman, to contact with a dead girl (cf. Mathew 2000:102). Garland (1996:221) writes that Jesus never avoided ceremonial uncleanness, because he knew his power could both overcome and reverse it. Throughout his morning’s interaction with Jairus, the woman and Jairus’ family, Jesus displays an unswerving self-confidence.

Family

• Just as Jesus redirects the concept of purity toward himself, he does the same with the concept of family. Boring and Craddock (2004:120) note that a common theme in Mark is that of being on the inside or outside. Jesus redefines outsider and insider in terms of a relationship to and with him. Jesus sets himself as the new standard for evaluating relationships. He is the hub. Jesus reorders relationships within the covenant community, basing them on himself and on obedience to God (Mk 3:31–35).80 • In his encounter with the woman, Jesus sets the tone by looking in the crowd for her. After hearing her confession, he encourages her by calling her by an endearment, ‘Daughter’ (Thugater).81 In the verse, ‘Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole’ (Mk 5:33), Jesus uses the word sozo to indicate both a physical healing and spiritual restoration. He then literally tells her to ‘Go into eis [peace]’. In this way, he commands her much the same way he commanded the demoniac to ‘go back home to your own people’ (Mk 5:19). Jesus tailors his commands in two ways. To some he says: ‘Follow me.’ Others, like the demoniac and this woman, he sends back to family and community. • The amazing and amazingly short encounter of Jesus and the woman re-orients the woman’s life. Jesus not only places her in a new family, one centred around him, but also honours her with an endearment, Daughter.82 Significantly, this woman is the only woman in the Bible to seek healing for herself and the only woman whom Jesus calls Daughter.83 Surprisingly, he never asks her name, nor does she give it. Jesus and the woman are both adults and perhaps near the same age. But, as is typical of his relationships, Jesus assumes the role of the elder. He esteems her by showing all nearby that she is his true kin. She becomes the first example in Mark since his encounter with his family (Mk 3:31–35) of his power to re-order families. Her designation as Daughter covers her in a protective mantle.84 It is as if his name and character will protect her as she re-enters society. • Jesus’ dismissal of her indicates that she can now enjoy the peace coming from a relationship with him (Powell 2005:74). His kind benediction (‘Go in peace’) confirms ‘that her healing is not merely a temporary remission’ (Powell ibid:74). Jesus calls her to live her faith (Schweizer 1978:395). • In Mark, Jesus presents an invitation to form a new covenant, one based on belief in him. He re-aligns family relationships around himself and defines family as whoever does God’s will (Mk 3:31–35). The woman in the crowd with the chronic bleeding condition accepts. She becomes part of this new, rearranged Israel. Obeying the will of God means ‘listening to Jesus, accepting his teaching, and cooperating with his mission’, Ahearne-Kroll (2001:14) writes. A person’s response to these demands determines if the person is on the inside and part of Jesus’ new family order. Resistance to this new order means that Jesus distances himself from the person or group (Ahearne-Kross ibid:15). Reading canonically, Mark indicates that Jesus immediately leaves for Nazareth and experiences rejection from his family and townspeople (Mk 6:1–6).

Faith

• The healing stories of the woman and Jairus’ daughter show a crucial element of Marcan Christology, because, within them, Jesus is declared to be the Son of God (Robbins 1973:242). The interlocking stories of Jairus and the woman show that Jesus responds twice with alacrity to a cry for help and a desperate action. He calls the woman’s desperate action faith. Arguably, Jairus, by coming to Jesus, exhibits faith. Jesus acknowledges faith, whether coming from a man or woman, from the rich or poor. Significantly, the woman had heard stories of Jesus (Mk 5:27). The act of hearing does not generate faith. Instead, faith is generated by the content of what is heard (Boring & Craddock 2004:494). • Whilst faith in both testaments involves a human being, and God initiates that person’s faith, faith in the New Testament becomes faith in Jesus Christ (Hay 1973:18). Because faith is understood as a gift from God, it takes an important position in Mark (Schweizer 1978:395). It is possible to distinguish (cf. Hay ibid: 17) between a psychological faith (‘trust or confidence in the person of the healer, Jesus of Nazareth’) and a theological faith (‘a positive relationship to God through Jesus’). Quite likely, the woman had a theological faith, because she found and received a miracle. • Significantly, Jesus calls the action, attitude and confession of the woman faith, thereby naming what she has done and acknowledging the character traits behind it. There is no textual evidence that the woman’s musings that led up to her action of touching Jesus’ cloak included the word faith. Instead, after hearing her confession, Jesus summarises what has happened and been said, and calls it faith. Faith focused on Jesus is a developing concept at this point. Schweizer (1978:395) states this profound insight well: ‘The woman healed of her hemorrhage has to come forward with fear and trembling before she can realise that what she has done is an act of faith.’ • Mark’s miracle stories showcase ordinary people who are challenged to respond to a new concept: faith in Jesus as the Son of God. They tell of people who ‘struggle in some way and strive in varying degrees to believe in God’s restorative power amid a besieged and faithless generation’ (Spencer 2010:423). • The Westminster Confession of Faith (Pratt 2003:XIV.3) observes that faith is different in degrees, weak or strong, and may be assailed and weakened, but does get the victory. The woman certainly shows a strong faith and receives a victory: healing. However, self-centredness is always part of faith. Consider Psalm 116:1a ‘I love the Lord’. Verse 1b answers why: ‘for he heard my voice’. The woman exhibits what I would call a messy faith, but she exercises it with such a courageous pushiness that others throughout the centuries have recognised the prominence of her story and accorded her admiration.

Discipleship

• In Mark, following Jesus frequently, equals discipleship (Johnson 1978:203).85 It turns out there is more than one way to follow Jesus. The disciples follow him from place to place. But, as Johnson (1978:200) writes: ‘The disciples display a basic lack of confidence in Jesus and a failure to identify him properly - they must understand that the Jesus who calms the storm at sea also quells the turmoil in human hearts.’ • In contrast, the demoniac and the woman follow what Jesus says by obeying him and going back to their homes. I believe their obedience signifies that they became his followers. Ironically, the demoniac and the woman are more favourably portrayed than are the persistently blind twelve. In contrast to the disciples (Johnson 1978:202), the woman’s act of following Jesus indicates she is a disciple who sees, at least in part, who he is. • Discipleship is a call to a radically new life (Peacock 1978:562). Miracles, like those experienced by the woman and the demoniac, lead to the person’s new life as a disciple of Jesus (cf. Betz 1978:75). Jesus immediately takes new recruits like the healed woman and demoniac. Consider these Marcan aspects of discipleship: • Discipleship demands a response, entails a radical break with the past, involves a personal decision and may involve suffering (Peacock ibid:561–563). • Discipleship gradually points to the cross (Achtemeier 1978:136). • The woman certainly is set free from her past life of exclusion and embraces a new life. Like the woman, Jairus exhibits a faith in Jesus by trusting in the midst of hopelessness, Garland (1996:222) observes. In their cameo appearances, both respond to Jesus and therefore exhibit aspects of discipleship.86

• A careful textual reading about the woman in the crowd reveals her courage, eloquence, stealth and desperation - all character elements, it turns out, that can be associated with an individual’s faith.111 The woman enlarges Mark’s earlier portrayal of faith in several ways. To begin with, she approaches Jesus from behind, choosing not to initiate a face-to-face encounter. Instead of asking for healing in a nice way, she, in a sense, grabs it. My interpretation of this is that her healing comes without an open request to Jesus and without Jesus’ initiative. She seemingly forces him to heal her without his permission. And he does! • Suddenly, he is not in control. In my opinion, her pushiness, her persistence regarding getting herself healed, arguably signals a new way. Her faith activates Jesus’ power. Her faith adds to examples of faith already in Mark. Her faith includes energised, determined, self-centred, pushy self-interest; it focuses on Jesus. Self-interest is based on need; focus is based on an analysis of Jesus’ character. In the woman’s case, she needs healing and knows that the carpenter from Nazareth has healed others. Arguably, Jesus retroactively agrees with her healing because he allows her to keep it. • Consequently, the woman in the crowd both enlarges prevailing theology and pushes past it.112 The prevailing theology so far in Mark is that Jesus graciously heals, but that healing must come via a face-to-face encounter with him and must be with Jesus’ agreement. The woman’s planned action of coming from behind demonstrates that faith pulls power from him. Indeed, the woman’s actions show deliberation and planning. Whilst this faith approach is unusual, Mark presents it as allowable (Powell 2005:74).113 • Garland (2002:36) links the miracle the woman experienced − the stopping of her blood flow − with the resurrection of Jesus. In the resurrection, the forces of death are held at bay via faith (Garland ibid:36). So in a broad sense, the woman in the crowd points to the crucifixion (Mk 15:21–41; cf. Miller 2004:66). Her stigma of flowing blood points to the stigma of the cross that Jesus will soon bear (cf. Miller ibid:65).The disease that afflicts her is portrayed as evil; she suffers from it. Likewise, Jesus will suffer at the hands of evildoers. Her story illustrates that those who respond to Jesus are not exempt from suffering, chaos, persecution and the vicissitudes of the world − clearly a central teaching in Mark. • The woman also is portrayed as a successful disciple, and one much more successful than the twelve male disciples at this point in the gospel of Mark. How is this so? Firstly, she models the kind of discipleship Jesus preaches: persistence, risk-taking, suffering, confession and overcoming fear. The woman serves as a model of faith. She responds to Jesus’ message in a more positive way than his closest associates do who are still stinging from Jesus’ rebuke to them in the boat (Mk 4:40). Secondly, she believes what she hears about Jesus and applies it to herself, believing she can be healed. Thirdly, like the male disciples, she follows Jesus, but in a way tailored to her. • Her life and story serve as an encouragement to the community to whom Mark writes (Miller 2004:67). A part of her story that well may serve as a model for others is public confession: falling at his feet is an act of worship. The healing of the woman in the crowd and the raising from death of Jairus’ daughter illustrate Jesus’ open engagement in battle with disease and death. His presence, touch, and direct command overcome both.114 The combined stories of the woman in the crowd and the raising of Jairus’ daughter are evidence that a new world order has come. A new creation breaks through because of these and other events in Mark’s gospel. • Significantly, Jesus does not reprimand her for touching him or for mingling with the crowd. This lack of rebuke serves to shatter the prevailing system of legal purity and its restraints on social interactions (Selvidge 1984:622).

Summary ….

• An encounter with Jesus changes a person. Mark provides ample evidence of this. The woman’s initial condition of extreme need is not the concluding word on her life. Instead of dying, she lives. Instead of the ebbing away of her life force, she receives new energy and new life. Her hopelessness and desperation drive her to plan a sneaky, one-sided encounter with Jesus. Her plan fails, however, for she does not consider this: Jesus knows when power leaves him. Jesus searches for her − the one in the crowd who pulled power from him. • She comes forward and confesses. Instead of rendering a reprimand, Jesus acknowledges her action, for it took courage and expressed what he succinctly calls faith. Jesus is the focus of her faith, and of her determination, courage, desperation, need and self-interest. His healing of her affliction restores her to the covenant community. • By calling her Daughter, he rewards her with public praise. He assures her of ongoing healing and of a prominent position in his new family; his gracious dismissal acknowledges her wholeness. • In the finest sense, the unnamed woman in the crowd is a biblical heroine. Significantly, she − now whole, clean, set in a new family, and a recognised follower of Jesus − arguably grasps what the crowd and the Twelve are, so far at least, so slow to acknowledge: he is indeed the Son of God (Mk 1:1). 4.3 [Download PDF] Parables as Allegories

A couple of Jesus’ better-known parables are explicitly presented as allegories.

He explains the parable of the sower (Mark 4:2–9; cf. 4:13–20) this way:

seed = the word birds eating seed on path = Satan snatching away the word rocky ground = trouble or persecution thorns = cares of the world, lure of wealth good soil = those who accept the word and bear fruit

He explains the parable of the weeds (Matt. 13:24–30; cf. 13:36–43) this way:

sower = Son of Man field = the world good seed = children of the kingdom weeds = children of the evil one enemy sower = the devil harvest = end of the age reapers = angels

Inspired by these explanations, biblical interpreters once wondered if all of the parables might be allegories, and they devised elaborate explanations that unveiled secret theological or spiritual messages. For example, Origen (third century) read the parable of the good Samaritan as providing an allegorical account of God’s plan of salvation:

man who fell among robbers = Adam Jerusalem = heaven Jericho = the world the robbers = the devil the priest = the law the Levite = the prophets the Samaritan = Christ the donkey = Christ’s body the inn = the church the two coins = the Father and the Son promise to return = second coming of Christ

Augustine (fourth century) proposed a similar reading, with additions:

binding of wounds = Christ’s restraint of sin pouring of oil = comfort of good hope

96 pouring of wine = exhortation to spirited work the innkeeper = the apostle Paul

But Augustine disagreed with Origen on the two coins. They were not “the Father and the Son” but rather Christ’s twofold commandment to love God and neighbor.

While creative, such interpretations are rejected by most scholars today. Jesus did not originally intend for his parables to be read in this way, nor did the Gospel authors anticipate that their readers would interpret them in such a fashion. Furthermore, most scholars would caution that if construals such as these are allowed, clever interpreters will be able to make parables mean almost anything they please.

97 4.2 [Download PDF] Literary Characteristics of Parables

These observations on parables are drawn from Rudolf Bultmann’s book The History of the Synoptic Tradition, 3rd ed. (New York: Harper & Row, 1963), 188–92. Bultmann is discussing narrative parables, not parabolic one-line sayings.

Parables usually are concise. Only the persons who are absolutely essential to the story appear. In the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32), there is no mention of his mother. In the story of the friend at midnight (Luke 11:5–8), there is no mention of the householder’s wife. There are never more than three persons or groups in the stories, and no more than two seem to appear at a time.

Parables usually are told from a single perspective. There is one series of events, always told from the point of view of one person. In the parable of the prodigal son, no information is given about the father’s mood or actions while the son is away.

Characters in parables usually are presented to the reader through a process of showing rather than telling. It is rare that anyone in a parable is described by the narrator. We are told that the judge is unjust (Luke 18:2) and that the bridesmaids are wise and foolish (Matt. 25:2), but this kind of description is quite exceptional. The character of the persons involved emerges from their behavior.

Feelings and motives are described only when they are essential to the point of the story. We are told of the distress of the fellow servants of the merciless servant (Matt. 18:31), of the joy of the shepherd and the woman who found the lost sheep and the lost coin (Luke 15:6, 9), the compassion of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:33). However, in stories of the prodigal son and of the Pharisee and the tax collector, the feelings of the people involved are expressed not through descriptions offered by the narrator but rather through the words and the actions of the characters themselves.

There is little interest in motivation. There is no description of the prodigal son’s motives in leaving home. Nothing is allowed to detract attention from the point of the story.

Often there is no expressed conclusion to the story. We are not told that the rich fool died (Luke 12:3–31). We are not told whether the good Samaritan had to pay additional money (Luke 10:35). The main point is made, and that is the end of the story.

Usually there is a bare minimum of event. We are not told what the prodigal son’s particular brand of loose living was (Luke 15:13), nor what the widow did and said when she “kept coming” to the judge (Luke 18:3).

94 Often there is direct speech and soliloquy, which makes for simplicity and vividness, and also speed of narrative. In a number of parables, the main characters speak to themselves. See, for example, the prodigal son (Luke 15:17–19), the shrewd manager (Luke 16:3–5), and the rich fool (Luke 12:17–19).

Often there is repetition of phrases, which has a kind of underlining effect. In the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14–30), we are told repeatedly of servants presenting their accounts to the master (Matt. 25:20, 22, 24).

Parables often exhibit end stress, which means that the most important point is scored at the last. The emphasis in the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1–8) is on the fourth type of seed, the only one to produce a lasting crop, just as the emphasis in the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30–35) is on the third traveler, the one who does act as neighbor.

The stories and parables of Jesus are such that they involve the hearer or the reader. The parables lead to a verdict, which is based on antithesis and contrast. The reader is asked to affiliate with one side or the other.

95 6.7 [Download PDF] The “Messianic Secret” in Mark’s Gospel

Elements of the “Secrecy Theme” 1. Jesus silences the demons who know him (1:34; 3:11–12). 2. Jesus tells people who are healed not to tell anyone about him (1:44–45; 7:35–37). 3. Jesus speaks in parables so that people won’t understand what he says (4:11–12). 4. Jesus’ own disciples do not understand who he is (4:41). William Wrede’s Explanation Mark uses the secrecy motif as a way to present information about Jesus that was not historically accurate. Mark is reporting things about Jesus for which there is no historical substantiation, and he gets away with this by claiming that these things were secrets.

Mark’s Gospel represents a position between two poles in early Christianity:

A. Earliest Tradition (Acts 2:36; Rom. 1:4; Phil. 2:6–11) Jesus becomes the Christ and the Son of God at his resurrection. No one thought of him as Christ or Son of God during his life on earth (nor did he think of himself in those terms).

B. Later Tradition (Gospel of John) Jesus openly presents himself as Christ and as Son of God throughout his earthly life and ministry.

Mark is somewhere in between:

Jesus is indeed the Christ and the Son of God throughout his earthly ministry, but he tries to keep this secret.

Mark wants to portray the earthly Jesus as the Christ and Son of God, but memo- ries of his actual life as a nonmessianic, nondivine figure are too fresh. Thus, Mark invents the notion that the true character of Jesus’ life and ministry was a secret.1 Paul Achtemeier’s Explanation The secrecy motif is used to downplay those aspects of Jesus’ identity or biography that Mark does not find particularly helpful.

Mark considers the titles “Christ” and “Son of God” to be inadequate for Jesus.

Christ. This title could be construed as referring to a political revolutionary (the same would be true of “Son of David” and “King of the Jews”). Son of God. This title could be construed as referring to a Greek theios anēr (“divine man”) like Prometheus or Hercules.

204 Therefore, Mark “corrects” these titles by having Jesus refer to himself as the “Son of Man.”

Peter, who denies Jesus and proves unfaithful, calls him “Christ” (8:29). Demons and a pagan centurion call him “Son of God” (1:24; 3:11; 5:7; 15:39). But Jesus always calls himself “Son of Man.”

Instead of suggesting that Mark wants to portray Jesus as Christ and Son of God in a manner contrary to established tradition (cf. Wrede above), this theory suggests that Mark wants to correct the established tradition that Jesus is the Christ and Son of God. 2

Problems with this explanation: Mark himself also calls Jesus “Christ” as well as “Son of God” (1:1). And God calls Jesus “Son” (1:11; 9:7). Furthermore, the title “Son of Man” is itself ambiguous. Jesus seems to use it publicly precisely because it does not reveal who he is. In short, Jesus’ use of “Son of Man” for himself may be yet another aspect of the secrecy theme. Jack Dean Kingsbury’s Explanation The secrecy motif is a literary device. The proper question to ask is “What effect was the secrecy theme intended to have on readers of Mark’s narrative?”

One significant factor is that the readers are in on the secret. The readers are told that Jesus is the Christ and Son of God in the first verse of this Gospel, and as the story develops, the readers will realize that they know something that characters in the story do not.

The significant question for the reader is not “Who is Jesus?” but rather “How will people come to know what I know about Jesus? What will reveal him to people?”

As the story progresses, the reader recognizes that Jesus’ teaching and miracles do not reveal his messianic, divine nature to people (1:27; 2:7; 4:41; 6:2–3). But when Jesus dies on the cross, then, for the first time, a human being (a Gentile!) recognizes him as the true Son of God (15:39).

Thus, according to this explanation, the secrecy motif is a literary device that allows Mark to tell his story in an engaging way, and more important, in a way that underscores a crucial point: the cross is the ultimate revelation of Jesus as the Christ and Son of God.3 Footnotes 1. See William Wrede, The Messianic Secret, trans. J. C. G. Greig (London: Clarke, 1971 [1901]). 2. See Paul J. Achtemeier, Mark (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986). 3. See Jack Dean Kingsbury, The Christology of Mark’s Gospel (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983).

205 6.10 [Download PDF] Exorcism and Teaching in the Gospel of Mark

The story of an exorcism in Mark 1:21–27 is framed by two references to the teaching of Jesus:

21He entered the synagogue and taught. 22They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority!”

Immediately before the exorcism, Mark reports that Jesus was teaching in the synagogue and that the people were astonished because “he taught as one having authority” (1:22).

Immediately after the unclean spirit goes out of the man, the amazed spectators exclaim, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority!” (1:27). On a strictly literal level, this does not seem to make sense. Why call an exorcism a “teaching”?

References to the authority of Jesus’ teaching form a frame around the story of the exorcism.

A Authority of Jesus’ teaching B Exorcism A Authority of Jesus’ teaching

Mark wants the story of Jesus healing the man who has an unclean spirit to be read in light of his presentation of Jesus as one whose teaching is authoritative. Why Is the Teaching of Jesus So Important? Mark’s Gospel was written at least thirty-five years after Jesus’ death. Few, if any, of his readers had ever met Jesus while he was physically on earth. When Mark tells stories of the wonderful things that Jesus did, his readers may wonder what any of this has to do with them. What difference does it make if Jesus cast an unclean spirit out of a man in Capernaum over three decades ago? Mark’s readers might respond, “I wish that I had lived back then. I could have found this powerful man, Jesus, and maybe he would have fixed my problems too.”

Mark knows that his readers do not still have Jesus with them, at least not in the sense that he was once present on earth. But they still have the teaching of Jesus. Thus, Mark tells this story to indicate that the teaching of Jesus overcomes evil in a powerful way. The teaching of Jesus drives out what is unclean or debilitating in an astonishing manner. It is “teaching with authority.”

205 Handouts - Week 3

Mark Pericope Title Who Objects? Against Whom? About What? 2:18-22 About Fasting people Jesus disciples not fasting Jesus’ Sayings: “The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them…” (2:19-20) “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak…” (2:21-22) 2:23-28 Plucking Grain on the Sabbath Pharisees Jesus breaking the sabbath Jesus’ Sayings: “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath.” (2:27) “So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” (2:28) 3:1-6 Restoring a Man’s Withered Hand Jesus “them” (Pharisees & Herodians) healing on the sabbath Jesus’ Question: “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?” (3:4)

Jesus’ Early Ministry: Training the Twelve Disciples (Mark 3:7—6:6a)

Jesus Interacts with Crowds and Opponents, Disciples and Family (3:7-35) • Crowds from Galilee and beyond come to Jesus, who heals them (3:7-12) o Jesus chooses twelve followers “to be with him and to be sent out” (3:13-19) • Scribes from Jerusalem challenge Jesus: the Beelzebul controversy (3:20-30) o Jesus contrasts his family and his true disciples, who do the will of God (3:31-35)

Jesus Teaches the Crowds and the Disciples with Enigmatic Parables (4:1-34) • The Evangelist introduces Jesus’ teaching in parables (4:1-2) o The Parable of the Sower & the Seed (4.3-8) Why Jesus Uses Parables (4:10-12) o Jesus explains the Sower & the Seed to his disciples (4:13-20) The Lamp on a Stand & various short sayings about Jesus’ parables (4:21-25) o Two Parables about the Kingdom of God: The Seed Growing Secretly (4:26-29) The Mustard Seed (4:30-32) • The Evangelist summarizes Jesus’ use of parables (4:33-34)

Jesus Shows His Power in Words and Mighty Deeds (4:35—6:6a) • Jesus calms a storm on the Sea of Galilee by “rebuking” the wind (4:35-41) o Jesus expels a “Legion” of unclean spirits from the Gerasene demoniac (5:1-20) • Jesus heals a bleeding woman and restores Jairus’ daughter to life (5:21-43) o Jesus teaches in Nazareth, his hometown, but is rejected by the people (6:1-6a)

Jesus’ Expanded Ministry: Sending Out the Twelve Apostles (Mark 6:6b—8:21)

• Jesus sends the Twelve on a mission to preach, heal, perform exorcisms (6:6b-13) o The death of John the Baptist is recounted (6:14-29) Jesus Feeds 5000 People in rural Galilee with five loaves and two fish (6:30-44) Jesus walks on water; the disciples are afraid (6:45-52) Jesus heals many people from around Gennesaret (6:53-56) Jesus argues with some Pharisees about purity laws and ritual traditions (7:1-23) Jesus exorcizes the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter (7:24-30) Jesus enables a deaf-mute to hear and speak (7:31-37) Jesus Feeds 4000 People in Gentile territory with seven loaves and a few fish (8:1-10) o The Pharisees ask for a sign from Jesus (8:11-13) • Jesus’ disciples fail to understand the significance of the yeast and bread (8:14-21)

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 10 Mark’s Central Section: “On the Way” to Jerusalem (Mark 8:22—10:52)

Jesus and His Disciples Journey from Bethsaida and Caesarea Philippi to Jericho and Jerusalem [transition/preface: 8:14-21 – The “blindness” of the disciples!] 8:22-26 – The Two-Stage Restoration of Sight to a Blind Person at Bethsaida, north of the Sea of Galilee 8:27-30 – Peter’s Confession near Caesarea Philippi: “You are the Christ”; Jesus says “not to tell anyone about him” 8:31 – First Passion Prediction (Son of Man must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise after three days) 8:32-33 – Peter misunderstands and “rebukes” Jesus, who “rebukes” Peter in return 8:34–9:1 – Jesus teaches: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake and for the sake of the gospel will save it.” 9:2-30 – Transfiguration (2-8); Coming of Elijah (9-13); Exorcism of an Epileptic Spirit (14-29) 9:31-32 – Second Passion Prediction (Son of Man will be betrayed, be killed, but rise after three days) 9:33-34 – All the disciples misunderstand, arguing who among them was the greatest 9:35-50 – Jesus teaches: “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all…” 10:1-31 – Teaching on Divorce (1-12); Blessing Children (13-16); the Rich Man (17-22); Entering the K of G (23-31) 10:32-34 – Third Passion Prediction (Son of Man will be handed over, condemned to death, mocked, spat upon, scourged, put to death, but will rise after three days) 10:35-40 – James and John misunderstand, asking for the seats of honor when Jesus is in “glory” 10:41-45 – Jesus teaches: “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 10:46-52 – The Immediate Restoration of Sight to Blind Bartimaeus outside of Jericho, on the way to Jerusalem

Jesus’ Final Week in Jerusalem (Mark 11:1—13:37)

The Entry into Jerusalem and the Cleansing of the Temple (11:1-33) • Jesus and the disciples enter into Jerusalem in a triumphant procession (11:1-10) o They enter the Temple briefly, but soon go out to Bethany since it is evening (11:11) • The next morning, Jesus curses a fruitless fig tree (11:12-14) o They enter the Temple; Jesus casts out the sellers, buyers, and money changers (11:15-19) • The next morning, the disciples see the fig tree withered (11:20-25) o They enter the Temple again; officials approach and challenge his authority (11:27-33)

Further Controversies with the Jerusalem Authorities (12:1-44) • The Parable of the Wicked Tenants, directed against the temple authorities (12:1-12) o Pharisees and Herodians question Jesus about paying taxes (12:13-17) Sadducees question Jesus about the resurrection of the dead (12:18-27) The “Good Scribe” questions Jesus about the greatest commandment (12:28-34) o Jesus questions the scribes about the “Son of David” (12:35-40) • Jesus commends a poor widow for her offering (12:41-44)

The Eschatological Discourse (13:1-37) • Intro A) Jesus and a disciple dialogue about the grandeur and the destruction of the Temple (13:1-2) • Intro B) Jesus’ closest disciples ask him privately: When? And what will be the signs? (13:3-4) • Jesus’ Warnings about Trials and Tribulations on Earth (13:5-23): o Take heed: let no one lead you astray; wars, earthquakes and famines will come (13:5-8) o Take heed: you will be arrested, put on trial, hated, put to death; whoever endures will be saved (13:9-13) o Let the reader understand: the desolating sacrilege, greater tribulations than ever before (13:14-20) o Take heed: Don’t be led astray by false messiahs and false prophets; Jesus has forewarned us (13:21-23) • Jesus’ Teachings about the Coming of the Son of Man (13:24-29): o After the foregoing tribulations, there will be signs in the heavens (13:24-25) The Son of Man will come with great power, to gather the elect (13:26-27) o Learn a lesson from the fig tree, so you know when the Son of Man is near (13:28-29) • Concl. B') Jesus’ answer to the question, When?: “No one knows the day nor hour” (13:30-32) • Concl. A') Jesus’ final call: Watch, since you don’t know the time; Parable of the Doorkeeper (13:33-37)

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 11 6.3 [Download PDF] Three Prominent Rhetorical Devices in Mark’s Gospel

Two-Step Progression “Jesus the Christ, the Son of God” (1:1). “The time is fulﬁlled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (1:15). “The leprosy went away from him, and he was made clean” (1:42). “What is this? A new teaching!” (1:27). “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” (4:40). “Don’t be afraid! Only believe!” (5:36). “Keep watch and pray that you not enter into temptation” (14:38).

Purpose: guides the reader to take a second look, which clarifies and emphasizes (cf. 8:22–26) Threefold Patterns There are three episodes of conﬂict in a boat (4:35–41; 6:45–52; 8:14–21). There are three bread stories (6:35–44; 8:1–10, 14–21). Jesus predicts his death three times (8:32; 9:31; 10:33–34). Jesus enters the temple three times (11:11, 15, 27). Disciples fall asleep three times (14:37, 40, 41). Peter denies Jesus three times (14:66–72). Pilate asks three questions (15:9, 12, 14). Cruciﬁxion narrated in three three-hour intervals (15:25, 33, 34).

Purpose: creates suspense for the reader, who comes to anticipate a buildup to a dramatic climax. Framing Jairus’s daughter and the woman with the hemorrhage (5:21–43) mission of disciples and death of John the Baptist (6:7–30) cursing of ﬁg tree and cleansing of temple (11:12–20) Jesus’ confession and Peter’s denial (14:15–15:5)

Purpose: creates suspense and adds commentary (the related stories interpret and illuminate each other).

194 6.13 [Download PDF] Mark in the Revised Common Lectionary

Text Content Series Liturgical Occasion Calendar Date 1:1–8 Ministry of John the Baptist B Advent 2 3 Sundays before Dec 25 1:4–11 Baptism of Jesus B Epiphany 1 Jan 7–13 1:9–15 Baptism of Jesus B Lent 1 6 Sundays before Easter 1:14–20 Call of disciples B Epiphany 3 Jan 21–27 1:21–28 Exorcism at Capernaum B Epiphany 4 Jan 28–Feb 3 1:29–39 Ministry of healing B Epiphany 5 Feb 4–10 1:40–45 Jesus heals leper B Epiphany 6 Feb 11–17 2:1–12 Jesus heals paralytic B Epiphany 7 Feb 18–24 2:13–22 Eating with sinners; fasting B Epiphany 8 Feb 25–Mar 1 2:13–22 Eating with sinners; fasting B Lectionary 8 May 24–May 28 2:23–3:6 Sabbath laws B Lectionary 9 May 29–Jun 4 3:20–35 Source of Jesus’ power B Lectionary 10 Jun 5–11 4:26–34 Parables of the kingdom B Lectionary 11 Jun 12–18 4:35–41 Jesus calms storm at sea B Lectionary 12 Jun 19–25 5:21–43 Healing of woman and girl B Lectionary 13 Jun 26–Jul 2 6:1–13 Jesus rejected at Nazareth B Lectionary 14 Jul 3–9 6:14–29 Murder of John the Baptist B Lectionary 15 Jul 10–16 6:30–34, 53–56 Compassion on the crowd B Lectionary 16 Jul 17–23 7:1–8, 14–15, Teaching on true B Lectionary 22 Aug 28–Sep 3 21–23 defilement 7:24–37 Syrophoenician woman; B Lectionary 23 Sep 4–10 healing of deaf man 8:27–38 Confession and rebuke of B Lectionary 24 Sep 11–17 Peter 8:31–38 Rebuke of Peter B Lent 2 5 Sundays before Easter 9:2–9 Transfiguration of Jesus B Transfiguration 7 Sundays before Easter 9:30–37 First passion prediction B Lectionary 25 Sep 18–24 9:38–50 Freelance ministers B Lectionary 26 Sep 25–Oct 10 10:2–16 Divorce, children B Lectionary 27 Oct 2–8 10:17–31 Rich man B Lectionary 28 Oct 9–15 10:35–45 Disciples want best seats B Lectionary 29 Oct 16–22 10:46–52 Healing of blind Bartimaeus B Lectionary 30 Oct 23–29 12:28–34 Two greatest B Lectionary 31 Oct 30–Nov 5 commandments 12:38–44 Rich scribes and poor B Lectionary 32 Nov 6–12 widow 13:1–8 Signs of the end B Lectionary 33 Nov 13–19 13:24–37 Coming of the Son of Man B Advent 1 4 Sundays before Dec 25 15:1–39 (40–47) Jesus condemned, crucified B Passion Sunday 1 Sunday before Easter 16:1–8 Resurrection of Jesus B Easter Day Easter

211 6.12 [Download PDF] Worship in Mark

Events Crowds glorify (doxazō) God after Jesus heals a paralytic (2:12). A demoniac worships ( proskyneō) Jesus before the demon is exorcized (5:6). Soldiers worship ( proskyneō) Jesus in jest (15:19). Sayings Jesus applies to religious leaders the scripture that says, “This people honors me with their lips but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship (sebomai ) me, teaching human precepts as doctrines” (7:6–7).

210 6.11 [Download PDF] Composition of Mark 13

A prominent theory holds that Mark 13 is a compilation of two different tracts that originally expressed different views regarding the end times. According to this theory, Mark combined the two tracts (and added v. 31 as his own editorial comment). Tract One: Prepare for an Imminent Apocalypse As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs. But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; the one on the housetop must not go down or enter the house to take anything away; the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days!

“Pray that it may not be in winter. For in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, no, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut short those days. But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.”

Summary of Tract One: Jesus points to events that are happening at the time this tract was written as indicators that the end was at hand. Tract Two: Prepare for the Long Haul When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do

211 not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And if anyone says to you at that time, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘Look! There he is!’—do not believe it. False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be alert; I have already told you everything. But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

Summary of Tract Two: Jesus cautions disciples against interpreting cataclysmic events as signs that the end is near, allowing that there may still be an extended period of time that may be difficult but affords opportunity for mission. The Composite Text Now we can read Mark 13 as it appears in our current Bibles, with the two tracts combined. In what follows, material from Tract One is printed in boldface type, material from Tract Two is printed in regular type, and Mark’s editorial comment (v. 31) is printed in italics. Of course, this is only a representation of one scholarly theory. We do not know for certain that these tracts ever existed. 1 As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” 2 Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” 3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

212 9 As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. 10 And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 13 and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; 15 the one on the housetop must not go down or enter the house to take anything away; 16 the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. 17 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! 18 Pray that it may not be in winter. 19 For in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, no, and never will be. 20 And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut short those days. 21 And if anyone says to you at that time, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘Look! There he is!’—do not believe it. 22 False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But be alert; I have already told you everything. 24 But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

213 26 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27 Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28 From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32 But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35 Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

214 6.9 [Download PDF] The Disciples of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark

The Gospel of Mark develops two themes regarding the disciples of Jesus.

Jesus’ disciples are faithless to him. Jesus is faithful to his disciples. Theme One: The Disciples’ Faithlessness to Jesus The disciples’ faithlessness is developed progressively in three stages: First, the Disciples Are Unperceptive. The disciples do not grasp who Jesus is. They hear his word and witness his mighty acts, but they do not realize that he is the authoritative agent of God, nor do they understand much of what he says to them. This is illustrated in three successive boat scenes:

After Jesus stills a storm at sea, he asks them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” They huddle with fear, asking each other, “Who then is this, that even wind and waves obey him?” (4:35–41). After feeding the ﬁve thousand, Jesus comes to his disciples, walking on the water, and he stills another storm. Mark says that they “were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened” (6:45–52). When the disciples worry about not having enough bread, Jesus reminds them of the miraculous feedings that he has performed and asks, “Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see and having ears do you not hear?” (8:14–21). Second, the Disciples Misunderstand. At about the midpoint of this Gospel, the disciples come to a better understanding of who Jesus is, but they draw all the wrong conclusions from this. They realize that he is the authoritative agent of God, but they think that this means glory and honor for him (and for themselves). The best examples are their reactions to his three passion predictions:

After Jesus predicts his passion the ﬁrst time, Peter (who now realizes that Jesus is the Christ [see 8:29]) rebukes him, prompting Jesus to say, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of humans” (8:31–33). When Jesus predicts his passion a second time, the disciples remain com- pletely oblivious to what he has said and go on to discuss which of them is the greatest. Jesus responds by saying, “Whoever wants to be ﬁrst must be last of all and servant of all” (9:32–34). Immediately after Jesus predicts his passion a third time, two of his disciples ask him if they can be guaranteed seats at his right and his left in his glory (10:35–41).

202 Third, the Disciples Reject Jesus. When the disciples do come to understand the nature of Jesus’ mission, they betray, deny, and forsake him.

One of the disciples, Judas, betrays Jesus, just as Jesus predicted (14:10–11, 17–21, 44–45). Another of the disciples, Peter, denies Jesus, just as Jesus predicted (14:29–31, 66–72). All of the other disciples forsake Jesus, just as he predicted (14:26–28, 50).

The faithlessness of Jesus’ disciples in Mark’s passion narrative is the final stage of what has been developing all along. In some sense, the disciples appear to get worse, not better, as the story progresses. Significantly, this faithlessness is reported without redress. Mark does not report the remorse of Judas (Matt. 27:3–10), the recovery of Peter (John 21:15–19), or the postresurrection reconciliation of Jesus with his disciples (Matt. 28:18–20; Luke 24:36–53; John 20:19–21:14).*

*On the disciples’ progressive faithlessness, see Theodore Weeden, Mark: Traditions in Conﬂict (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971). Theme Two: Jesus’ Faithfulness to His Disciples Jesus’ faithfulness to his disciples is demonstrated throughout the Gospel of Mark in five ways: Jesus Calls the Disciples (1:16–20; 2:13–14; 3:13–14). There are no “volunteer disciples” in Mark’s Gospel. People become disciples at Jesus’ initiative, as a result of his call. Jesus Gathers the Disciples into a “Family” (3:34–35). Jesus describes his disciples (and all who do the will of God) as his “brothers and sisters and mother.” The identity of the disciples as a group and their relationship to each other is based solely on their relationship to Jesus. Jesus Teaches the Disciples, Enlightening Them with Privileged Knowledge (4:33–34). Jesus teaches his disciples about the mystery of the kingdom (4:11) and sometimes provides them with private explanations of his sayings (4:10–20; 7:17–23). Significantly, he responds to their misconceptions that follow each of his passion predictions with teaching on the true meaning of discipleship (8:34–38; 9:35–37; 10:42–45). Jesus Empowers the Disciples for Mission (3:14–15; 6:7–13). Jesus provides his disciples with the authority that they need to preach, to heal, and to overcome Satan by casting out demons. Jesus Keeps His Disciples in Spite of Their Faithlessness (14:26–27; 16:7). Jesus tells his disciples that even though they will forsake him, he will want them to rejoin him after his resurrection. Significantly, Mark does not say whether

203 or not the disciples accept this invitation. As the story closes, the fate of the disciples is unknown. The Intended Effect on Mark’s Reader Mark seems to assume that his readers will identify with the disciples (see, e.g., 13:14, where he assumes that readers will hear words spoken to the disciples as being spoken to them). Thus, the unresolved issue that confronts the disciples at the end of Mark’s Gospel thrusts itself beyond the world of the story into the world of Mark’s readers. Those readers, like the disciples, must weigh their own faithlessness to Jesus against his faithfulness to them and evaluate their relationship with him accordingly.

204 Handouts - Week 4 Mark’s Central Section: “On the Way” to Jerusalem (Mark 8:22—10:52)

Jesus’ Final Week in Jerusalem (Mark 11:1—13:37)

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 11 The Passion, Death, and Burial of Jesus (Mark 14:1—15:47) • Two Days before the Passover (14:1-11) o The chief priests and scribes plan to arrest and kill Jesus (14:1-2) o Jesus is anointed at Bethany by an anonymous woman (14:3-9) o Judas arranges to betray Jesus to the chief priests (14:10-11) • The Passover Feast / Last Supper (14:12-31) o On the day before, Jesus sends two disciples to prepare for the Passover meal (14:12-16) o In the evening, during the Passover meal, Jesus foretells his betrayal (14:17-21) o While at supper, Jesus blesses bread & wine, saying it is his body & blood (14:22-25) o After the meal, on their way to the Mount of Olives, Jesus foretells Peter’s denial (14:26-31) • Jesus’ Prayer and Arrest at Gethsemane (14:32-52) o Jesus prays to his Father, and three times speaks to his disciples (14:32-42) o Judas arrives with an armed mob, and Jesus is arrested (14:43-50) o A young man wearing a linen cloth is captured, but runs off naked (14:51-52) • The Initial Interrogation of Jesus, and the Denials of Peter (14:53-72) o During the night, Jesus is led away to the high priest’s house (14:53) o Peter enters the courtyard of the high priest’s house (14:54) o Jesus is interrogated by the high priest and condemned for blasphemy (14:55-65) o Peter three times denies knowing Jesus, before the cock crows (14:66-72) • Jesus’ Trials before the Sanhedrin and before Pilate (15:1-15) o In the morning, the whole Sanhedrin condemns Jesus and delivers him to Pilate (15:1) o Jesus is questioned by Pilate and accused by the chief priests (15:2-5) o Pilate asks the crowds about releasing Jesus or Barabbas? (15:6-14) o Pilate orders Barabbas to be released, and Jesus to be crucified (15:15) • Events before the Crucifixion (15:16-23) o Jesus is mocked and mistreated by the soldiers (15:16-20a) o Jesus is led out to Golgotha; Simon of Cyrene is compelled to carry the cross (15:20b-22) o Jesus is offered drugged wine, but refuses to drink (15:23) • The Crucifixion of Jesus (15:24-32) o At nine o’clock in the morning, Jesus is crucified, and the soldiers divide his garments (15:24-25) o The inscription of the charge reads, “The King of the Jews” (15:26) o Two criminals are crucified along with Jesus (15:27[+28]) o Jesus is derided by passersby, by the chief priests and scribes, even by the criminals (15:29-32) • The Death of Jesus (15:33-41) o From noon until three o’clock in the afternoon, darkness covers the land (15:33) o At three o’clock, Jesus cries out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (15:34) o Bystanders think he is calling for Elijah; someone offers Jesus a sponge with vinegar (15:35-36) o Jesus cries aloud and breathes his last (15:37) o Three witnesses to the Crucifixion: temple curtain, centurion, women from Galilee (15:38-41) • The Burial of Jesus (15:42-47) o In the evening, Joseph of Arimathea asks Pilate for Jesus’ body (15:42-45) o Joseph buries Jesus in a tomb hewn out of rock; some women witness the burial (15:46-47)

The Resurrection of Jesus (Mark 16:1-8; and 16:9-20, added later) • The Empty Tomb Narrative (16:1-8) o Mary Magdalene and two other women go to the tomb early on the first day of the week (16:1-4) o A young man appears to tell them, “He has been raised... Go, tell his disciples...” (16:5-7) o They flee from the tomb and say nothing to anyone, because they were afraid (16:8) • Later Endings Added to Mark’s Gospel [16:9-20] o Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene [Mark 16:9-11; cf. Matt 28:9-10; John 20:11-18; Luke 8:2; Luke 24:9-11] o Jesus appears to two disciples walking [Mark 16:12-13; cf. Luke 24:13-35] o Jesus appears to the eleven and commissions them to go preach [Mark 16:14-18; cf. Luke 24:36-43; Acts 10:41; Matt 28:19; etc.] o Jesus ascends to heaven, and the disciples go out to preach {Mark 16:19-20; cf. Luke 24:51; Acts 1:2-11]

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 12 The New Testament Canon: An Overview by Genre (in parentheses: total number of chapters / verses in each book)

Four “Gospels”: attributed to the four “Evangelists”; narrative “portraits” of Jesus’ life and ministry: Matthew (28 / 1071) Mark (16 / 678) The Synoptic Gospels Luke (24 / 1151) John (21 / 878) The Fourth Gospel

One “Acts”: a partial narrative account of the growth of early Christianity; not a complete “history” of apostolic Christianity: Acts of the Apostles (28 / 1008)

Twenty-One “Letters” or “Epistles”: written by (or attributed to) various early Christian “apostles”

Thirteen “Pauline Letters”: attributed to Paul; written to communities or individuals; listed by decreasing length, not age: Romans (16 / 433) 1 Corinthians (16 / 437) 2 Corinthians (13 / 257) Galatians (6 / 149) Ephesians (6 / 155) letters to Christian communities in these cities Philippians (4 / 104) Colossians (4 / 95) 1 Thessalonians (5 / 89) 2 Thessalonians (3 / 47) 1 Timothy (6 / 113) 2 Timothy (4 / 83) letters to individual Christian leaders, but only Titus (3 / 46) the first three are called the “Pastoral Letters” Philemon (1 / 25)

One Biblical “Sermon”: interpreting Jesus’ significance in light of OT; not really a “letter” (no author/audience explicit): Hebrews (13 / 303)

Seven “Catholic Epistles”: attributed to other apostles; written to broader audiences (“catholic” = “general, universal”): James (5 / 108) 1 Peter (5 / 105) 2 Peter (3 / 61) 1 John (5 / 105) 2 John (1 / 13) 3 John (1 / 14) Jude (1 / 25)

One “Apocalypse”: a highly symbolic narrative that interprets a historical crisis and provides hope for a better future: The Book of Revelation (22 / 404)

More about the Gospels – the word “Gospel” is derived from the Old English “god-spel” (god = good; spel = news), which is equivalent to Greek eu-angelion (eu = good; angelion = message; angelos = messenger). Originally “gospel” referred to oral proclamations (see Mark 1:14-15), but it is later used for a particular genre of written literature (based on its use in Mark 1:1). • Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the “Synoptics” because they see Jesus “with the same eye”; the “Fourth Gospel” (John) is substantially different from the Synoptics in content, style, and theology, but no less valuable. • About thirty other early Christian “Gospels” were not accepted into the New Testament (called “non-canonical Gospels). • All four canonical Gospels were originally written in Koine (“Common”) Greek between the late 60’s and early 90’s. • The authors of the Gospels are usually called the four “Evangelists” (from Greek euangelion, lit. “good news”). • The official titles are “The Gospel according to...” (although we often use the shorter, but less accurate titles “Gospel of...”) • The Q-Document (“Quelle” = “source” in German) is a hypothetical collection of sayings & teachings of Jesus; many scholars think it was a written source (from the 50’s?) used later by Matthew and Luke, but it is now lost. • The NT Gospels are similar to ancient biographies in literary form, but very different from modern biographies!

Pauline Letters or Epistles – the thirteen letters attributed to Paul are often subdivided into various groups: • Seven “authentic” or “undisputed Pauline Letters” (Rom, 1 & 2 Cor, Gal, Phil, 1 Thess, Phlm); • Six “disputed” or “deutero-Pauline Letters” (Col, Eph, 2 Thess, 1 & 2 Tim, Titus), since some scholars think these are “authentic” [actually written by Paul], while others argue that they were written pseudepigraphically (by Paul’s followers after his death); • The three letters written to early “pastors” (1 & 2 Tim, Titus) are usually also called the “Pastoral Epistles.” • Eph, Phil, Col, Phlm are sometimes called “Prison Letters,” since Paul apparently wrote them while he was in prison. • The anonymous sermon apparently written “To the Hebrews” was not written by Paul, nor even attributed to him!

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 3

Eight Tips about the Canonical Arrangement of the NT (to help you learn the correct order of the 27 NT books): 1. The 27 books of the New Testament are NOT listed in chronological order (not the order in which they were written historically); several other principles were operative instead. 2. The overall order begins with the life of Jesus (the four Gospels), then deals with the growth of the Christian Church (Acts, Letters, Epistles), and finally focuses on the Eschaton (the end of time, as described symbolically in the Book of Revelation). 3. The four Gospels are listed in what was traditionally regarded as their chronological order (i.e., Matthew was thought to be the oldest Gospel); most scholars today, however, believe that Mark was the first written Gospel (or at least the oldest of the four canonical Gospels in their full versions, as we know them today). 4. The Acts of the Apostles was originally the second volume of Luke’s two-volume work; but when the four Gospels were grouped together, Acts was placed after John. 5. The letters written by Paul (or at least attributed to him) are divided into two sub-groups: those written to communities and those addressed to individuals; within each sub-group, the letters are arranged not in chronological order, but rather in decreasing order of length (more or less, although Galatians is slightly shorter than Ephesians). 6. The anonymous “Letter to the Hebrews” comes immediately after the Pauline letters because people used to think it was also written by Paul; it may have been written by one of his followers, but was almost certainly not written by Paul himself. 7. The Catholic or General Epistles are also listed in decreasing order of length, although letters attributed to the same apostle are grouped together. 8. The Book of Revelation (singular! not plural “Revelations”!) closes out the NT canon, since it concludes with a description of the end of time (New Heavens, New Earth, New Jerusalem, etc.).

Ten Stages of NT Formation and Transmission (with chronological overlap, continuing down to today): • Life & Ministry of Jesus – words are spoken and deeds are performed by Jesus himself during his lifetime on earth. • Oral Tradition – traditions and beliefs about Jesus are developed and passed on by early Christian communities. • Written Sources – some of the miracles and/or sayings of Jesus are compiled and recorded in early written documents. • Written Texts – individual letters, full Gospels, etc., are written with particular messages for particular situations. • Distribution – some writings are copied and shared with other Christian communities throughout the Mediterranean. • Collection – certain Christians begin collecting the letters of Paul and gathering together several different Gospels. • Canonization – four Gospels, several collections of letters, and a few other texts are accepted as authoritative scriptures. • Translation – biblical texts are translated into other ancient and modern languages: Latin, Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, etc. • Interpretation – the meaning of the scriptures is investigated on various levels: literal, spiritual, historical, social, etc. • Application – communities and individuals put the NT to practical use: liturgical, moral, sacramental, theological, etc.

Four Criteria for Canonicity (why certain books were eventually accepted into the NT Canon, while others were rejected): 1. Apostolic Origin – attributed to and/or based on the preaching/teaching of the first-generation apostles (or their closest companions). 2. Universal Acceptance – acknowledged by all major Christian communities in the Mediterranean world (by the end of the 4th century). 3. Liturgical Use – read publicly along with the OT when early Christians gathered for the Lord’s Supper (their weekly worship services). 4. Consistent Message – contain theological ideas compatible with other accepted Christian writings (esp. Jesus’ divinity and humanity).

Four-Fold Role of the Evangelists as Authors (what they contributed, even if “God is the Author” of all scripture): 1. Selectors – from among the many things Jesus said and did, they chose which stories they wanted to include and which to omit. 2. Arrangers – they organized the materials in a particular sequence, not necessarily chronologically but often in thematic blocks. 3. Shapers – they adapted and edited the individual stories from their sources so as to emphasize the themes they wanted to stress. 4. Proclaimers – they were not objective historians, but preached the “good news” about Jesus in ways appropriate to their audiences.

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 4 The Gospel according to Mark: Themes and Resources

Outline: Introduction: John the Baptist & Jesus (1:1-15, incl. theme of Jesus’ preaching, v. 15) Early Ministry: healing & preaching, mostly in Galilee; training the disciples (1:16 – 7:23) Expanded Ministry: including to non-Jews outside of Galilee (7:24 – 8:21) Central Section: Jesus and his disciples journey “On the Way” to Jerusalem (8:22 – 10:52) (includes three passion predictions, framed by two healings of blind men) Final Ministry: confronting the Jerusalem authorities; the apocalyptic discourse (11:1 – 13:37) Passion Narrative: Last Supper, arrest, trials, crucifixion, death, burial (14:1 – 15:47) Conclusion: the women find Jesus’ tomb empty (16:1-8; vv. 9-20 are not original, but added later)

Material found only in Mark: • 1:1 – Introductory Verse • 3:19b-21 – Jesus’ Family Tries to Restrain Him • 4:26-29 – The Parable of the Seed Growing of Itself • 7:31-37 – Jesus Heals a Deaf Man in the Decapolis • 8:22-26 – Jesus Gives Sight to the Blind Man of Bethsaida • 14:51-52 – A Young Man Runs away Naked after Jesus’ Arrest • [16:14-18] – [The Commissioning of the Eleven]

Literary Features & Thematic Emphases Paratactic Style: • Parataxis – stringing together (lit. “placing next to”) short, loosely connected episodes, like pearls on a string. o 410 of the 678 verses in the original Greek version of Mark’s Gospel begin with “And” (Gk. kai)! • Immediacy – Mark’s Gospel emphasizes action, as seen in the frequent use of the Greek word euthys (“immediately, right away, at once, as soon as”), used an astounding 42 times, esp. near the Gospel beginning (1:10,12,18,20,21,23,28,29,30,42,43; 2:8,12; 3:6; 4:5,15,16 17,29; 5:2,29,30,42; 6:25,27,45,50,54; 7:25; 8:10; 9:15,20,24; 10:52; 11:2,3; 14:43,45,72; 15:1). o One could feel exhausted after reading Mark’s Gospel, so quickly does the action seem to occur!

Thematic Groupings: • Mark sometimes places similar stories together for thematic continuity, even if the events related might not have occurred one right after the other. Examples: o Several miracle stories interconnecting Jesus’ preaching & healing activity in the first chapter (1:21-45) o Five controversy stories involving various opponents are in a connected block (2:1—3:6) o Three parables and further teachings about Jesus’ parables are in one chapter (4:1-34) o Four more miracles stories (of different types) are found together (4:35—5:43) o Three “passion predictions” are near the middle of the Gospel (8:31—10:45) o Seven controversy dialogues with or about Jesus’ opponents in Jerusalem (11:35—12:44) o Many of Jesus’ eschatological teachings are collected in one chapter (13:1-37) • Mark also periodically encapsulates or summarizes the action, in contrast to telling individual stories: o 1:14-15 – Jesus’ initial preaching about the Kingdom/Reign of God o 1:32-34 – Jesus heals many different people one evening o 1:39 – Jesus goes throughout Galilee preaching and exorcizing o 3:7-12 – Great crowds acknowledge Jesus’ power o 6:6b – Jesus goes throughout the villages of Galilee teaching o 6:12-13 – Jesus’ disciples go out preaching, exorcizing, and healing o 6:53-56 – Mark summarizes Jesus’ healing activity

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 5 Three-fold Patterns, usually with Progressive Heightening: • Three times Jesus calls/commissions his core disciples (1:16-20; 2:14-17; 3:13-19) • Three times Jesus predicts his suffering, death, and resurrection (8:31; 9:31; 10:32-34) • Three times Jesus warns, “If your hand/foot/eye causes you to stumble…” (9:43, 45, 47) • Three times Jesus speaks to the sleeping disciples in Gethsemane (14:32-38, 39-40, 41-42) • Three times Peter denies knowing Jesus or being his disciple (14:66-68, 69-70a, 70b-72) • Three groups of people deride Jesus as he is hanging on the cross (15:29-30, 31-32a, 32b) • Other threes: Peter, James, John (9:2; 14:33); priests, scribes, elders (11:27; 14:43); women (15:40; 16:1)

Inclusios and Intercalations: • Inclusio – bracketing or “enclosing” a story or section by using the same or similar words, phrases, or themes at the beginning and the end. • Intercalation – enclosing or “sandwiching” one story in the middle of a different story (forming an A1, B, A2 pattern), so that each affects the interpretation of the other. • Examples of inclusio and intercalation in Mark, some of which involve larger blocks of material:

A1) 2:1-5 – A paralytic is brought to Jesus A1) 3:20-21 – Jesus’ family goes out to restrain him B) 2:6-10 – Dispute over Jesus’ authority to forgive sins B) 3:22-30 – the Beelzebul controversy A2) 2:11-12 – Jesus heals the paralytic A2) 3:31-35 – Jesus’ family arrives; who is his “true family”? A1) 4:3-8 – Jesus tells parable of the sower and the seed A1) 5:21-24 – Jairus asks Jesus to heal his dying daughter B) 4:10-12 – Why does Jesus speak in parables? B) 5:25-34 – a hemorrhaging woman touches Jesus’ clothes A2) 4:13-20 – Jesus explains parable of the sower and the seed A2) 5:35-43 – Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus to life A1) 6:7-13 – Jesus sends out the twelve apostles on a mission A1) 8:22-26 – Jesus gives sight to a blind man near Bethsaida B) 6:14-29 – the death of John the Baptist is recalled B) 8:28—10:45 – three passion predictions; discipleship teachings A2) 6:30-31 – the apostles return, reporting what they had done A2) 10:46-52 – Jesus gives sight to blind Bartimaeus near Jericho A1) 9:1 – the coming of the Kingdom of God in power A1) 11:12-14 – Jesus curses a fig tree outside of Bethany B) 9:2-8 – the Transfiguration of Jesus B) 11:15-19 – Jesus expels sellers and buyers from the Temple A2) 9:9-13 – the coming of Elijah and of the Son of Man A2) 11:20-25 – the fig tree is withered; the importance of faith A1) 14:1-2 – chief priests want to arrest and kill Jesus A1) 14:54 – Peter enters the courtyard of the high priest, and sits by a fire B) 14:3-9 – a woman anoints Jesus at Bethany B) 14:55-65 – Jesus is interrogated by the council of the chief priests A2) 14:10-11 – Judas arranges to betray Jesus to the chief priests A2) 14:66-72 – in the courtyard, Peter denies knowing Jesus three times

Realism in Narrative Details: • Long and detailed narratives: for example: • healing of the Gerasene Demoniac (Mark 5:1-20; contrast much shorter parallel story in Matt 8:28-34), • double-healing of Jairus’ daughter and a bleeding woman (Mark 5:21-43; cf. Matt 9:18-26; Luke 40-56). • Use of the “historical present” in narration: • throughout Mark, the Evangelist prefers the grammatical present tense while narrating past events; • Matthew and Luke sometimes switch to a past tense in their versions of the same stories; • for example, contrast the Greek text of Mark 1:12 with Matt 4:1 and Luke 4:1; or Mark 1:21 with Matt 4:12; Luke 4:31; John 2:12. • Realism about Jesus’ emotions and reactions: • compassion (1:41); strong displeasure (1:43); amazement at disbelief (6:5); sighing deeply (8:12); indignation (10:14); love (10:21); all these details are omitted in parallel stories of Matthew and/or Luke. • Realism of his family’s opposition and his disciples’ weaknesses: • disciples “hunt” for Jesus (1:36) • his family wants to restrain him, thinking he’s crazy (3:21) • disciples fail to understand (4:13); they are afraid and lack faith (4:40) • they don’t understand because their hearts are hardened (6:52) • they have eyes that don’t see and ears that don’t hear (8:18-19) • Peter is called “Satan” (8:33; also in Matt 16:23) • most of these details are omitted in the parallel stories of Matthew and/or Luke. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 6 Use of Aramaisms: • Mark often includes Aramaic or Hebrew words & phrases, which makes the narrative more vivid. Given in Greek transliteration and often followed by a translation, most of these words are omitted by Matthew and/or Luke: • Boanerges – “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17; omitted in Matt 10:2 and Luke 6:14) • Beelzebul – (not translated in Mark 3.22; also used in Matt 12:24, 27, and Luke 11:15, 18-19) • talitha cum – “Little girl, get up” (Mark 5:41; omitted in Matt 9:25 and Luke 8:54) • Corban – “an offering to God” (Mark 7:11; omitted in Matt 15:5; no parallel story in Luke) • ephphatha – “be opened” (Mark 7:34; omitted in Matt 15:29-31; no parallel in Luke) • rabbi – (not translated in Mark 9:5; replaced by “Lord” in Matt 17:4; replaced by “master” in Luke 9:33) • Bartimaeus – “son of Timaeus” (Mark 10:46; omitted in Matt 20:30 and Luke 18:35) • rabbouni – (not translated in Mark 10.51; replaced by “Lord” in Matt 20:33 and Luke 18:41) • hosanna – (not translated in Mark 11:9-10; used in Matt 21:9; omitted in Luke 19:38) • rabbi – (not translated in Mark 11:21; omitted in Matt 21:20; no parallel in Luke) • abba – “father” (Mark 14:36; omitted in Matt 26:39, 42 and Luke 22:42) • rabbi – (not translated in Mark 14:45; used in Matt 26:49; omitted in Luke 22:47) • Golgotha – “the place of a skull” (Mark 15:22; used in Matt 27:33; omitted in Luke 23:33) • Eloi eloi lema sabachthani – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34; used in Matt 27:46, omitted in Luke 23:45-46)

Use of “Literary Echoes” for retrospectives or foreshadowing: • Literary Echoes within the Gospel narrative: • 1:7 – someone will come who is “more powerful” than John the Baptist (see 1:21-28; 3:27) • 1:14 – “after John is arrested” (imprisonment narrated more fully in 6:14-27) • 2:20 – “the bridegroom will be taken away” (cf. Passion narrative, 14:43—16:3) • 3:6 – Pharisees and Herodians plot to destroy Jesus (cf. 8:15; 11:18; 12:13; 14:1) • 8:19-20 – Jesus recalls previously feeding the 5000 & 4000 (cf. 6:30-44; 8:1-10) • 8:27-28 – a discussion of Jesus’ identity recalls previous opinions of his being a prophet (6:14-16) • 8:31; 9:31; 10:32-33 – Jesus predicts his upcoming passion (cf. 14:43—16:3) • 9:7 – a voice from heaven again declares that Jesus is God’s beloved Son (cf. 1:11) • 14:17-21 – Jesus foretells his betrayal by Judas (cf. 14:10-11; 14:43-50) • 14:26-31 – Jesus foretells the disciples’ desertion and Peter’s denial (cf. 14:50-52; 66-72) • Foreshadowing of events beyond the narrative: • 1:8 – John the Baptist says, “He will baptize with the Holy Spirit” • 1:16-20 – Jesus tells Simon & Andrew, “I will make you fish for people” • 10:38-39 – Jesus foretells the deaths of James and John • 13:2 – Jesus foretells the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple • 14:25 – Jesus tells his disciples, “I will never again drink… until that day… in the Kingdom of God”

Repetition of Key Words and Phrases: • Key Words used throughout Mark’s Gospel: • Gospel / Good News – 1:1, 14-15; 8:35; 10:29; 13:10; 14:9; [16:15] • Christ – 1:1; 8:29; 9:41; 12:35; 13:21; 14:61; 15:32 • Son of God – 1:1; 3:11; 5:7; 15:39; cf. 1:11; 9:7; 13:32; 14:61 • Authority – 1:22, 27; 2:10; 3:15; 6:7; 11:28-33; 13:34 • Kingdom of God – 1:15; 4:11; 4:26, 30; 9:1; 9:47; 10:14-15; 10:23-25; 12:34; 14:25; 15:43 • Follow/Behind – 1:17, 18, 20; 2:14, 15; 3:7; 5:24; 6:1; 8:33, 34; 9:38; 10:21, 28, 32, 52; 11:9; 14:13, 54; 15:41 • The Way / Road – 1:2-3; 2:23; 6:8; 8:3, 27; 9:33-34; 10:17, 32; 10:46, 52; 11:8; 12:14 • Believe/Faith – 1:15; 2:5; 4:40; 5:34, 36; 9:23, 24, 42; 10:52; 11:22, 23, 24, 31; 13:21; 15:32; 16:13,14,16,17 • Phrases repeated in close proximity: • “stand up, take your mat” (2:9b, 11a); “he appointed twelve” (3:14, 16); • “healed of her disease” (5:29, 34); “the head of John the Baptist... on a platter” (6:24, 25, 28); • “Don’t you understand?” (8:17, 21); “If your XYZ causes you to stumble…” (9:43, 45, 47); • “How hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God” (10:23, 24, 25); “Son of David, have mercy on me” (10:47, 48); • “Call him... They called him... He is calling you” (10:49); “their testimony did not agree” (14:56, 59)

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 7 Latinisms: • Mark’s Greek contains many words and phrases that seem to be borrowed from or influenced by Latin; this may support the early Christian tradition that Mark’s Gospel was closely connected with the city of Rome. • Individual Words borrowed from Latin: o μοδιον = modius = bushel basket, bowl, tub (4:21) o χορτος = herba = blade, shoot, stalk (4:28) o λεγιων = legio = legion (5:9, 15) o σπεκουλατωρ = speculator = soldier, executioner (6:27) o δηναριον = denarius = coin of daily wage (6:37; 12:15; 14:5) o ξεστης = sextarius = pot, jug, pitcher (7:4) o κηνσος = census = census tax (12:14) o κοδραντης = quadrans = penny, small coin (12:42) o φραγελλοω = fragello = to scourge, flog (15:15) o πραιτωριον = praetorium = palace, governor’s headquarters (15:16) o κεντυρίων = centurio = centurion, officer (15:39, 44, 45) • Expressions influenced by Latin: o οδον ποιειν = iter facere = to make one’s way (2:23) o συμβουλιον εδιδουν = consilium dederunt = to deliberate, give counsel (3:6) o εσχατως εχει = in extremis esse = to be at the point of death (5:23) o ειχον... οτι = habere = to think, lit. “to have/hold that” (11:32) o ραπισμασιν… ελαβον = verberibus acceperunt = to strike/beat, lit. “to receive with blows” (14:65) o συμβουλιον ποιησαντες = consilium capere = to deliberate, lit. “to make counsel” (15:1) o το ικανον ποιησαι = satisfacere = to satisfy, lit. “to make enough” (15:15) o τιθεντες τα γονατα = genua ponentes = to kneel down, lit. “to place the knees” (15:19)

The “Messianic Secret”: • In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus frequently tells people not to tell others about his healing activities: o After performing exorcisms, he silences the demons and forbids them from speaking (1:23, 34; 3:11-12) o He warns a leper not to speak publicly about his cleansing (1:43-45) o He tells the family of Jairus not to tell of their daughter’s raising (5:43) o After healing a deaf man, he orders the witness to tell no one (7:36) o He tells a blind man to go home, rather than going into his village (8:26) o One exception: Jesus tells the Gerasene demoniac (a Gentile!) to tell his relatives (5:19) • The Markan Jesus also admonishes his disciples not to tell others that he is the Messiah: o After Peter’s “Confession of Faith” at Caesarea (8:30) o After coming down from the Mount of the Transfiguration (9:9) • Somewhat related is the distinction Jesus makes between his disciples and “outsiders”: o “To you has been given the secret (or mystery) of the Kingdom of God, but for those outside everything comes in parables...” (4:10-12) o Similarly, while Jesus is teaching his disciples inside a house, his family remains “outside” (3:31-32)

Special Relationships of Narrator and Reader: • Eyewitness Narrator: Mark was not himself an eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry, but a 2nd generation Christian (most likely a follower of Peter); yet the “internal narrator” of the story writes as if he had witnessed all the action. • Omniscient Narrator: the narrator has lots of “inside information”: • details about people’s private thoughts, feelings, or plans (1:41; 2:6-8; 5:28; 6:2; 6:52; 14:4) • details about events at which no disciples were present (3:6; 14:1-2; 14:55-65; 15:1-5, 16-19) • Privileged Reader: the narrator gives the reader special insights: • things characters in the story don’t know, or only find out later (e.g., Jesus is Christ and Son of God; 1:1) • extra information the reader needs (e.g., 7:3-4, 19 Jewish rituals; or 13:14, “let the reader understand”)

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 8 The Gospel according to Mark: Section Outlines

The Structure and Contents of the Gospel’s Beginning (Mark 1:1-45)

Introduction of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1:1-15): • Evangelist’s Literary Introduction – “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (v. 1) o As written by the prophet Isaiah (and Malachi), John the Baptist preaches repentance in the wilderness (vv. 2-6) John speaks about Jesus coming after him: “I baptize with water; he will baptize with holy Spirit” (vv. 7-8) • Jesus comes from Nazareth, is baptized by John in the Jordan; heavens open; the Spirit descends (vv. 9-10) A voice from heaven speaks to Jesus: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (v. 11) o The Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness, where he remains for forty days, tested by Satan (vv. 12-13) • Jesus’ Initial Preaching – “The kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.” (vv. 14-15)

Some Typical Events in Jesus’ Ministry (1:16-45): • Jesus calls four fishermen, who follow him as his disciples (vv. 16-20) o The First Exorcism: Jesus exorcises an unclean spirit in Capernaum (vv. 21-28) The first healing narrative: Jesus heals Simon’s Mother-in-law of a fever (vv. 29-31) The first healing summary: Jesus heals many sick people and drives out many demons (vv. 32-34) o The First Journey: Jesus expands his preaching beyond Capernaum (vv. 35-39) • Jesus cleanses a leper, restoring him to health and to society (vv. 40-45)

A Comparison of Mark 1 and Parallel Episodes in the other Gospels:

Pericope Mark Matthew Luke John Literary Introduction 1:1 1:1 1:1-4 1:1-18 [Infancy Narratives] — [ch. 1—2] [ch. 1—2] — John the Baptist preaches in the wilderness 1:2-8 3:1-6, 7-12 3:1-6, 7-20 1:19-23, 24-28 Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan river 1:9-11 3:13-17 3:21-22, 23-38 [1:29-34] Jesus is tested by Satan in the wilderness 1:12-13 4:1-2, 3-11 4:1-2, 3-13 — Jesus preaches the Good News in Galilee 1:14-15 4:12-17 4:14-15, 16-30 — Jesus calls his first four disciples 1:16-20 4:18-22 [5:1-11] [1:35-51] Jesus exorcizes an unclean spirit at Capernaum 1:21-28 — 4:31-37 — [Sermon on the Mount] — [ch. 5—7] [cf. 6:17-49] — Jesus heals Simon’s Mother-in-law 1:29-31 [8:14-15] 4:38-39 — Jesus heals and exorcizes many others 1:32-34 [8:16-17] 4:40-41 — Jesus preaches beyond Capernaum 1:35-39 4:23 4:42-44 — Jesus cleanses a leper 1:40-45 [8:1-4] 5:12-16 —

A Cycle of Five “Conflict Stories” (Mark 2:1—3:6) Mark seems to have intentionally grouped these five conflict stories together near the beginning of his Gospel. Note how each story ends with one or two brief sayings of Jesus, which seem to express the main point of the story, and how the conflict builds from one story to the next, culminating in the plot to kill Jesus in 3:6.

Mark Pericope Title Who Objects? Against Whom? About What? 2:1-12 Healing a Paralytic scribes among themselves forgiving/ blaspheming Jesus’ Saying: “…the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” (2:10) 2:13-17 Calling Levi, a Tax Collector scribes of the Pharisees Jesus’ disciples eating with tax collectors and sinners Jesus’ Sayings: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” (2:17a) “I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” (2:17b)

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 9

Jesus’ Early Ministry: Training the Twelve Disciples (Mark 3:7—6:6a)

Jesus’ Expanded Ministry: Sending Out the Twelve Apostles (Mark 6:6b—8:21)

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 10 Mark’s Central Section: “On the Way” to Jerusalem (Mark 8:22—10:52)

Jesus’ Final Week in Jerusalem (Mark 11:1—13:37)

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 12 Christological Titles in the New Testament

Introduction: In ancient Israel, most people had only one name, what we think of as a "first name" (or "given name"), but not also a "last name" (or "family name" or "surname"). Thus, the well-known man born about 2000 years ago was simply named "Jesus" (note: "Christ" is not his last name!). Actually, his name in Hebrew was probably Yeshua (equivalent to "Joshua"), which in the NT is translated by the Greek (or Iesous), from which we get Latin Iesus and English "Jesus." Moreover, just as most biblical names have specific meanings, so "Joshua/Jesus" simply means "God saves" (cf. Matt 1:21). Note: Some people think IHS means "In His Service," or that it comes from the Latin Iesus Hominum Salvator ("Jesus the Savior of Humankind") or In hoc signo ("By this sign you shall conquer"; spoken to Emperor Constantine before the Battle at the Milvian Bridge, 312 AD). Yet it originally comes from the first three letters in the Greek spelling of Jesus' name (Iota-Eta-Sigma). Thus, IHS (sometimes combined with a cross or other symbols) functions as a "monogram" (a symbolic abbreviation) for the name of Jesus. To distinguish similarly named people from one another, individuals were further identified either by their geographical origin ("Jesus of Nazareth" or "Jesus the Nazarene" - Mark 1:24; 10:47; etc.; "Jesus the Galilean" - Matt 26:69), or their occupation ("the carpenter" - Mark 6:3). They were also often associated with relatives: usually their fathers ("Jesus, the son of Joseph" - Luke 3:24; John 1:45; 6:42; "the carpenter's son" - Matt 13:55), sometimes their siblings ("the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon" - Mark 6:3), or more rarely their mothers ("Jesus, son of Mary" - Mark 6:3; cf. Matt 13:55). In contrast, "titles" are significantly different from names. Just as "important people" often have titles today (President, Senator, Judge, Doctor, Professor, etc.), so also in the ancient world, certain people were given titles to designate their specific roles or responsibilities. Although more than one title can be attributed to the same person, each title usually has a particular origin and a specific meaning. Thus, even though all of the following titles are attributed to the same person, Jesus of Nazareth, it is important to know that they all have significantly different origins and very different meanings.

Christological Titles Explained Below: Messiah / Christ Son of God King of the Jews Suffering Servant Great High Priest Lord / LORD Son of Man Prophet Emmanuel Advocate/Paraclete Holy One Son of David Rabbi / Teacher Logos / Word Alpha & Omega I Am Son of Mary Savior Lamb / Shepherd OTHER TITLES

Messiah / Christ These two titles are equivalent, both meaning "anointed one," from the Hebrew verb MASHAH ("to anoint, smear with oil, pour oil over someone") and the Greek verb CHRIO (same def.). Many different people were called "anointed": OT: "The Messiah of the LORD" frequently refers to currently reigning or past kings, esp. Saul (1 Sam 16; 24; 26) and David (2 Sam 12; 19; 22), and less often to a high patriarch, prophet, or priest (e.g. Lev 4). The title is applied to an expected future "anointed" leader only in Dan 9:25 and in non- biblical writings from Qumran. Early Judaism had a variety of different expectations as to what kind of a leader this "Messiah" would be: royal (a king like David to lead the nation politically and militarily), priestly (a high priest or religious leader to reform the temple worship), prophetic (a prophet like Moses or Elijah or others, to call the people to moral and spiritual reform), or some combination of these. NT: A transliteration of the Hebrew MESSIAS is used only in John 1:41 & 4:25. Everywhere else the NT always uses the Greek translation CHRISTOS ("Christ"), although the NRSV more loosely translates it as "Messiah" 68 times. In the NT, the title refers only to Jesus, fairly often in the Gospels (7 Mk; 16 Mt; 12 Lk; 19 Jn), and very frequently in Paul's letters (382 times). Paul uses "Christ Jesus," "Jesus Christ," or even "Christ" alone as if it were a proper name. In Luke 4:18, Jesus quotes the scripture: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor..." Christians later used the Chi-Rho symbol (first two letters of "Christ" in Greek) as a monogram for Jesus.

Fr. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org Page 13 Lord / LORD Originally it was a title of respect used for people superior to yourself, so it simply meant "Sir" or "Master," just like Señor in Spanish, Herr in German, or "Lords and Ladies" in British. Later it is often also used for gods or God. OT: The Hebrew title ADONAI simply means "lord" or "master," and is often used for humans and/or for God. Although God's name in Hebrew (YHWH) is very often written in the Bible, it was rarely pronounced after the Babylonian exile. Instead, people substituted the title Adonai. To distinguish between the two uses of Adonai, many English Bibles print this title in small capitals (LORD) when it substitutes for God's name, and in regular letters (Lord) otherwise. NT: The Greek word KYRIOS is very frequent (80 Mt; 18 Mk; 104 Lk; 52 Jn; 107 Acts; 274 Paul; 717 total), with a variety of meanings. It sometimes refers to God or to humans, but usually to Jesus. Some people (esp. foreigners) call Jesus Kyrie simply as a sign of respect ("Sir" - Mark 7:28; John 4:11; etc.), while his disciples usually refer to him as their "master"; in later texts, calling Jesus "Lord" is an indication of his messianic or divine status (Acts 2:34-36). In Luke, the disciples also address Jesus as an Epistates ("master") seven times. In Paul, "the Lord" is often a substitute for Jesus' name. Note also "the Lord's Day" (Rev 1:10), "the Lord's Supper" (1 Cor 11:20), etc.

Holy One Originally a common circumlocution for God (a phrase used to avoid speaking God's name), it is later also applied as a title for Jesus or other "saints." OT: In the singular, "Holy One" always and only refers to God (1Sam 2:2; Job 6:10; etc.), often also called "Holy One of Israel" (2Kgs 19:2; Isa 1:4; etc.). In the plural, "holy ones" can also refer to human or angelic beings that are close to God (Deut 33:2-3; Ps 16:3; 34:9; etc.) NT: Jesus is called the "Holy One of God" by unclean spirits (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34) and by Peter (John 6:69). Acts 2:27 and 13:35 quote Ps 16 to call Jesus the "Holy One"; the title is also used of Jesus in Acts 3:14; 1John 2:20; Rev 3:7; 16:5.

I AM OT: God's name (YHWH) is revealed to Moses in the story of the burning bush. It means something close to "I am" (see Exod 3:14; 6:2-3; Deut 32:39; Isa 43:25; 51:12; etc.; cf. Matt 22:32). It is simply called "the Name" by Jews, and is also known as the Tetragrammaton (lit. "four letters" in Greek). Ancient and modern Jews revere God's name so highly that they dare not speak it aloud, instead substituting circumlocutions such as "the Name" or simply "God" or usually "the Lord" (Heb. Adonai). NT: In the Synoptic Gospels, the phrase "I am" is used only a few times by Jesus (Mark 14:62; Luke 22:70; 24:39), especially when Jesus walks on the water (Mark 6:50; Matt 14:27; cf. John 6:20), a story that functions as a "theophany" (appearance of a god). Messianic pretenders may also deceive people by saying "I am" (Mark 13:6; Matt 24:5; Luke 21:8). In John's Gospel, Jesus himself says "I Am" (Greek EIMI) fifty-four times. Twenty-four of these are emphatic (explicitly including the pronoun "EGO" for "I"), including some well known metaphorical images, when Jesus calls himself the bread of life, the light of the world, the door, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way and the truth and the life, and the true vine. For more details, see the "I Am" webpage.

Son of God / God's Son This title originally did not imply full divinity, but simply a person's special relationship with God. As Christian theology developed, it took on more exclusively divine connotations. OT: In the singular or plural, God's "son" or "sons" can refer to angels (Gen 6:2), kings (Ps 2:7), good people (Wis 2:18), or the people of Israel overall (Exod 4:22), but it did not refer to a messianic figure until the 1st century BC, nor did it imply divinity. NT: The historical Jesus referred to God as Abba ("Father"), but probably never called himself the "Son of God" in a divine sense. Such language developed only gradually in early Christianity (rare in Mk, a bit more in Mt & Lk & Paul, common only in Jn). In Mark, only the Evangelist (1:1), unclean/ demonic spirits (3:11; 5:7), and a Roman centurion (15:39) directly call Jesus "Son of God," while the voice from heaven (1:11; 9:7), more demons (1:24), and the high priest (14:61) use equivalent expressions ("my beloved Son"; "Son of the Blessed One"; etc.). In Matthew & Luke these titles for Jesus are also used by Satan, the Holy Spirit, or Jesus' disciples, while Jesus himself calls some of his followers "sons/children of God" (Matt 5:9; Luke 20:36). Paul calls Jesus the "Son of God," and calls all Christians "sons/children of God" in a few important passages (esp. Rom & Gal). John has much more "Father/Son" language, and is the first to call Jesus the "only-Son"of God (Gk. monogenes, lit. "the only-begotten one"; John 3:16, 18; cf. 1:14, 18; 1John 4:9; similarly also Heb 1:5; 5:5).

Fr. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org Page 14 Son of Man Originally emphasizing someone's humanity, this title is later also used for a powerful heavenly figure. OT: Used 93 times in Ezekiel and only 13 times in the rest of the OT (translated "mortal" in NRSV), it usually refers to human beings in contrast to God or angels, but it could also highlight the prophet's role as a special representative of the people. Daniel 7:13 is the only OT text where this phrase describes a heavenly figure nearly equivalent to God in power and authority; in later Jewish apocalyptic literature, the "Son of Man" is a figure of divine judgment. NT: Used 85 times, mostly in the four Gospels (14 Mk, 30 Mt, 25 Lk, 13 Jn) and almost always by Jesus referring to himself, but with various meanings. Some "Son of Man" sayings refer to the human activity of Jesus (as in Ezekiel), while others refer to his future role in divine judgment (as in Daniel 7; cf. Rev 1:13). Brand new is Jesus' use of "Son of Man" when he is telling his disciples about his upcoming suffering and death (esp. Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33).

Son of David Originally refers literally to descendants of the most famous king of ancient Israel, but as a title it later has several meanings. OT: David had many sons (2 Sam 3), the most famous being Solomon, who succeeded him as king (2 Sam 11-12; 1 Kgs 1- 2). In 2 Sam 7:8-16, God (through the prophet Nathan) promises that the Davidic royal dynasty will last forever, but after the Babylonian exile most Jewish rulers were not from David's family. Since King Herod was not, many people around the time of Jesus wanted another "Son of David" to become king again. NT: As a title, "Son of David" (usually referring to Jesus) is not used very often (3 Mk, 10 Mt, 4 Lk, 0 Jn), although "David" is mentioned 56 times total. In Mark & Luke, the phrase seems to refer not to royal power, but rather to the magical/ healing power for which Solomon was famous (e.g. Mark 10:46-52). Only Matthew uses this more often and more clearly as a messianic title with royal connotations (already in 1:1, also 12:23; 21:9; etc.). Matthew also stresses Jesus' Jewish heritage by calling him "Son of Abraham" (1:1).

Son of Mary As explained in the introduction above, most people in the ancient world did not have "last names," but were identified by their geographical origin ("Jesus of Nazareth"; "the Galilean"), or their occupation ("the carpenter"), or their fathers ("the son of Joseph"; "the carpenter's son"). Women were usually identified through the closest male relative (daughter of..., wife of..., mother of...), but identifying a man through his mother ("Jesus, the son of Mary" - Mark 6:3; cf. Matt 13:55) is rather unusual. "Son of Mary" did not become an important title for Jesus until later centuries, when Church Councils defined Jesus' two-fold nature ("fully human and fully divine"). Although "Son of Mary" seems to emphasize Jesus' human nature (with "Son of God" expressing his divine nature), Christian theology later defined Mary as "Mother of God" (THEOTOKOS), not just mother of the human side of Jesus.

King of the Jews / King of Israel Obviously a title connoting the political and military leadership of the Jewish people. OT: From the 18th to 11th centuries, the Hebrews were a loose confederation of "tribes," not a monarchy. God was considered their king. The first human "kings" were Saul, David, and Solomon. Thereafter the "Kings of Israel" and the "Kings of Judah" ruled over separate realms. After the Babylonian exile, "Judah" was usually called "Judea," the land of the "Jews." The exact title "King of the Jews" is not used in the OT, but obviously there were many "kings" over the people. NT: The phrase "King of the Jews" is only applied to Jesus, once at his birth (Matt 2:2) and 17 times at his trial and crucifixion (Mark 15:2, and in all 4 Gospels, but only by opponents). Jesus is also called "King of Israel" four times (Matt 27:42; Mark 15:32; John 1:49; 12:13). Jesus himself refuses to be made king (Matt 4:8-10; John 6:15), but often speaks of the "Kingdom of God" and uses kings as characters in his parables. The inscription place on the cross above Jesus' head said "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" (John 19:19; cf. Mark 15:2-26; Matt 27:11-37; Luke 3-38), from which is derived the common abbreviation INRI (from the Latin "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum").

Fr. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org Page 15 Prophet A "prophet" is not primarily someone who "predicts" the future, but rather is a chosen messenger or representative of God, whose role is to speak God's words and to perform some miraculous and/or symbolic actions for the people to see. OT: The most important early prophets are Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 16 -- 2 Kings 9), who both perform many miracles. The four major prophetic books are attributed to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The OT also promises that "a prophet like Moses" will appear (Deut 18:15-18) and/or the prophet "Elijah will return" (Mal 4:5-6) in the last days. NT: The OT prophets often mentioned and quoted, esp. in Matthew. Both John the Baptist and Jesus are appropriately considered "prophets," because of their speech and actions, even though they have very different styles. In the Synoptics, Jesus says that John the Baptist was a prophet and compares him to Elijah (Matt 11:7-19; Luke 7:24-35), but in the Fourth Gospel, John the Baptist himself disputes that he was the Elijah-figure people were expecting (John 1:19-23). Jesus is also considered a great prophet by many people (Mark 6:14-16; 8:28; Matt 21:11; Luke 7:16; 24:19; John 6:14; etc.).

Rabbi / Rabbouni / Teacher Hebrew and Aramaic words meaning "my master" in general, or "my teacher" in particular. They were not used as titles in OT times, but were common titles of respect by the time of Jesus, especially but not only for teachers. A Greek transliteration of the Hebrew "Rabbi" occurs only in the Gospels (3 Mk, 4 Mt, 0 Lk, 8 Jn), while a transliteration of the Aramaic "Rabbouni" occurs only in Mark 10:51 and John 20:16. Both titles are explicitly translated in John as meaning "teacher" (1:38; 20:16), and both are almost always applied to Jesus (except Matt 23:7-8, where Jesus talks about people being called "rabbi", and in John 3:26, where John the Baptist is called "rabbi"; cf. Luke 3:12). These titles are used almost exclusively by his own disciples (Peter, Judas, etc.), or by a few minor characters (Bartimaeus, Nicodemus, or the "crowd" in general). The NT frequently also uses the equivalent Greek word "didaskalos" (meaning "teacher" - 12 Mk, 12 Mt, 17 Lk, 8 Jn), usually when Jesus is addressed by various people (disciples and opponents), but sometimes in Jesus' own sayings about "teachers" (see esp. Matt 10:24-25; 23:6-12). Outside of the Gospels, some early Christian leaders are also called "teachers" (Acts 13:1; Rom 2:20; 1Cor 12:28-29; Eph 4:11; etc.)

Savior A title originally used for God or any human being who would "save" people from present or future dangers. In Greco-Roman politics, this title was also often applied to the emperor as a "benefactor," providing material benefits. OT: "Savior" is sometimes applied to human leaders (e.g. Neh 9:27), but is used mainly as a title for God (ca. 12 times). NT: The title is rarely used in most NT writings (0 Mk, 0 Mt, 3 Lk, 1 Jn, 2 Acts, 1 Paul), but is more common in the later "Pastoral" and "Catholic" epistles (25 times). In Luke, "Savior" only once refers to God (Luke 1:47), and twice to the new- born Jesus (1:67, 2:11). The longer phrase "Savior of the world" occurs only in John 4:42 and 1 John 4:14. However, as mentioned in the introduction above, the name "Jesus" (or "Joshua" or "Yeshua") itself means "God saves" (cf. Matt 1:21). Also, the verb "to save" is frequently applied to Jesus' ministry (cf. Matt 8:25; Mark 13:13; Luke 7:50; John 3:17; etc.). The ancient symbol at the right contains abbreviations for the name "Jesus" and "Christ" (the first and last letters of each word in Greek), along with the verb "NIKA", meaning "to conquer, win, be victorious"; thus the phrase means "Jesus Christ is victorious".

Suffering Servant The combination "suffering servant" is not really a biblical title, but a scholarly short-hand for the servant of God who suffers much (see esp. the "Servant Songs" of Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12), or any righteous person who suffers (even if not explicitly called a "servant" in Ps 22, which is quoted in Mark 15:34). Jesus often speaks of himself and his disciples as "servants" (Mark 9:35; 10:42-45; John 13:1-20; Acts 3:13-26; etc.), and also often speaks of the necessity of his upcoming suffering (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:32; and par.). Matthew quotes and applies Isa 42 to Jesus (Matt 12:18-21), while Peter several times refers to the crucified and risen Jesus as God's servant (Acts 3:13, 26; 4:27, 30).

Fr. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org Page 16 Emmanuel / Immanuel A Hebrew name occurring in the NT only in Matt 1:23 (citing the LXX version of Isa 7:14), where it is correctly translated as meaning "God is with us." This OT prophetic text connects God's saving presence among his people with the birth of a child (Isa 7:13-17; cf. 8:1-10). Although it did not refer to a miraculous virgin birth in its original 8th-century BCE context, it was applied by early Christians (such as the author of Matthew) to the birth of Jesus. Matthew also explicitly connects the name "Emmanuel" with the name "Jesus," which means "God saves" (1:21-23).

Logos / Word Used as a Christological title only in John 1:1-18, but very common in later Christianity. The Greek word LOGOS can refer not only to a single "word," but also to a "phrase," a "sentence," a "speech," or even the power of "reason" or the "mind." John's use of this title alludes especially to the OT story of God creating the world merely by speaking (Gen 1), while John's statement that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14) is somewhat similar to Matthew's use of the title "Emmanuel" (Matt 1:23).

Lamb of God / Passover Lamb In 1 Cor 5:7, Paul calls Jesus "our Passover" (Gk. pascha) which is rendered "Paschal Lamb" in some English translations. The expression "Lamb of God" (amnos tou theou) is used only in John 1:29, 36, as John the Baptist points to Jesus (cf. Acts 8:32; 1 Pet 1:19). This image became much more popular in later Christian art and in the celebration of the Eucharist. In John it is related to the detail that Jesus' death occurs at the very same time that the Passover lambs were slaughtered in the Jerusalem Temple (John 19:28-42 - on the "Day of Preparation"), so Jesus himself replaces the sacrificial lambs, whose blood was necessary for the forgiveness of sins in the Jewish sacrificial system. The "lamb (arnion) standing as if it had been slain" is also prominent in the Book of Revelation (5:6, and 30 times total).

Shepherd of Israel / Good Shepherd OT: In part because the patriarch Jacob and his sons were literally herders of sheep, goats, and other flocks (Gen 37:2; 46:32-34; 47:3), God is sometimes described as the "Shepherd of Israel" and related imagery (Ps 80:1; cf. Gen 48:15; Ps 23:1; 28:9; Isa 40:11; Ezek 34:11-24). Some of the later leaders of the Israelites were also literally shepherds, including Moses (Exod 3:1), Amos (1:1), and esp. King David as a youth (1 Sam 16:11; 17:40; 2 Sam 5:2). Thus, shepherd imagery is often applied to the rulers of Israel, both good and bad ones (2 Sam 7:7; Jer 3:15; 23:1-4; 25:34-36; Ezek 34:1-10; Zech 10:2-3; 11:3-17). Some of the prophets express hope that a future ruler of Israel will be a good shepherd like David (Ezek 34:23; 37:24; Micah 5:1-4). NT: Not only does Matthew refer to the above-mentioned prophecies while telling of Jesus' birth (Matt 2:6, citing Micah 5:1; 2 Sam 5:2), but Jesus himself uses shepherd imagery in some of his parables (Matt 18:12-14; 25:31-46). The evangelists also quote certain OT passages in describing the ministry and the death of Jesus (Mark 6:34 & Matt 9:36, citing Num 27:17 & par.; Mark 14:27 & Matt 26:31, citing Zech 13:7). In the Fourth Gospel, Jesus calls himself the "Good Shepherd" (John 10:11-16). Later NT writings similarly refer to Jesus as "the great shepherd of the sheep" (Heb 13:20), the "shepherd and guardian of your souls" (1 Pet 2:25), and the "chief shepherd" (1 Pet 5:4), while the Book of Revelation explicitly combines references to Jesus as both Lamb and shepherd (Rev 7:17).

Great High Priest A cultic official, one who offered sacrifices. In Judaism, all priests had to be from the Tribe of Levi, which Jesus was not. However, the Letter to the Hebrews calls Jesus a "great high priest" (4:14) of a different type, namely "according to the order of Melchizedek" (6:20). Melchizedek was the King of Salem (the city later called Jerusalem) at the time of Abraham (ca. 1800 BC), and is called "priest of God Most High" (cf. Gen 14:18-24).

Advocate / Paraclete This title normally refers to the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), but the first Johannine Epistle says, "we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1John 2:1). In Greek, a "para-clete" is someone "called to your side" to assist you in some way; thus some translations also say "comforter" or "consoler."

Alpha & Omega; First & Last The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Both God and Jesus are called "the Alpha and the Omega," with the same meaning as "the first and the last" and/or "the beginning and the end" (Rev 1:8, 17; 2:8; 21:6; 22:13).

Fr. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org Page 17 Other Titles and Metaphorical Descriptions in the Bible: • Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6) • The bridegroom (Mark 2:19-20; Matt 9:15; Luke 5:34-35; John 3:29) • The Son of Abraham (Matt 1:1) • The judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42) • The spiritual rock (1 Cor 10:1) • The beloved (Eph 1:6) • The cornerstone (Eph 2:20) • The head of the church (Eph 5:23) • The image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation (Col 1:15) • The one mediator between God and humankind (1 Tim 2:5) • The blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Tim 6:15; cf. Rev 19:16) • The pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2) • The shepherd and guardian of your souls (1 Peter 2:25; cf. John 10:11-14) • The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God's creation (Rev 3:14; cf. 3:7) • The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the root of David (Rev 5:5) • The root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star (Rev 22:16)

Animal Images and Titles (post-biblical):

Early Christians used various other images for Jesus such as a Phoenix (rising from the ashes to new life), or a Pelican (sacrificing its life for its young), but the best-known image is obviously the FISH. The most common Greek word for "fish" is ("Ichthus"), which the early Christians connected with the first letters of the words in the Greek phrase ("Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior).

Further References:

Throughout Christian history, other titles and images have been used for Jesus. Among the best recent printed surveys of Jesus in art and in films are: • Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Illustrated Jesus through the Centuries. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997. • Abrams, Richard I. and Warner A. Hutchinson. An Illustrated Life of Jesus: From the National Gallery of Art Collection. Nashville: Abingdon, 1982. • Stern, Richard C., Clayton N. Jefford, and Guerric DeBona. Savior on the Silver Screen. New York: Paulist, 1999. • Tatum, W. Barnes. Jesus at the Movies: A Guide to the First Hundred Years. Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 1997.

See also the following articles in the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (or any other good Bible Dictionary): "Messiah" "Lamb of God" "Rabbi, Rabbouni" "Alpha" "Logos" "Savior" "David" "Lord" "Servant" "Immanuel" "Melchizedek" "Son of God" "Jesus Christ" "Names of God in the NT/ …OT" "Son of Man" "King" "Prophet" "Sons of God"

Fr. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org Page 18 Christology in Mark’s Gospel

Introduction: • Initial Questions for Your Reflection: o What is Mark’s main message about Jesus? o How does this Evangelist portray Jesus? • Identity of Jesus: From the very first verse, this Evangelist knows and proclaims who Jesus is: the Christ, the Son of God (1:1). The characters within the story, however, struggle to understand who Jesus is, where he has come from, and what he is all about. This can be seen in the variety of questions that people ask about Jesus: o “What is this? A new teaching--with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” (1:27) o “Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (2:7) o “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (2:12) o “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (4:41b) o “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! / Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” (6:2-3) o “Who do people say that I am?” (8:27); “But who do you say that I am?” (8:29) o “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?” (11:28) o “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” (14:61) o “Are you the King of the Jews?” (15:2) I) Christology expressed in TITLES attributed to Jesus: • Many different titles are used for Jesus throughout Mark’s Gospel, with slightly different origins and different meanings: • The evangelist Mark seems to prefer “Christ” and “Son of God”; Jesus more often calls himself “Son of Man”; • Other characters in Mark’s Gospel frequently call Jesus “teacher” or a variety of other titles. • Jesus is occasionally also identified as “the carpenter,” the “son of Mary,” and as being “from Nazareth.” • Christ (“Anointed One”; although Mark only uses Greek Christos, modern English Bibles often translate this “Messiah”) • Son of God and related terms (caution: do not assume this means “fully divine” yet): • Son of Man (“son of the human being”? - used only by Jesus, as quoted directly or indirectly by the Evangelist): • Teacher (the most common title other characters in Mark’s Gospel use to address Jesus): • Rabbi & Rabbouni (another common title of respect, lit. meaning “my great one”): • Prophet (lit. a “spokesperson” for God) • Kyrios = Lord, Master, Sir • Son of David (directly attributed to Jesus only by Bartimaeus; is it a “royal” or “messianic” title?): • King of the Jews & King of Israel (used only during Jesus’ trial before Pilate): • The Carpenter, the Son of Mary • Jesus of/from Nazareth II) Christology expressed in ACTIONS that Jesus performs: • Jesus Preaches the “Reign of God” (basileia tou theou) • Note: Jesus and others also speak of earthly “kingdoms” in 3:24; 6:23; and 13:8. • Compare what the crowds say as Jesus enters Jerusalem in Mark 11:10 – “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” • Jesus Acts with “Authority” (exousia) • Jesus teaches, forgives, and performs exorcisms, healings and other miracles: • Jesus also gives “authority” to his apostles: • Jesus argues with the religious authorities, besting any human “opponents” • Jesus displays human emotions • Jesus foretells & accepts his upcoming suffering III) Summary: WHO knows and professes WHAT about Jesus in Mark’s Gospel? • Characters in the Narrative o John the Baptist; Voice from heaven; Unclean spirits & demoniacs; o Apostles & disciples; Jesus’ family; Jewish authorities; Roman authorities • The Evangelist and the Readers: o Evangelist - as an omniscient narrator, gives readers hope and encouragement through “inside knowledge” o 1st-century readers - a religious minority (persecuted & ostracized), encouraged to persevere through difficulties o 21st-century readers - great variety, from different cultures, living in great varieties of places and circumstances

Page 19 Discipleship in Mark’s Gospel

I) Calling & Following: • Key Vocabulary: • kalein & proskalein = to call, summon • akolouthein = to follow • opiso = behind • ho hodos = the way/road • First three “call” stories: o 1:16-20 – Jesus encounters Simon & Andrew; James & John: o 2:14 – Jesus encounters Levi, a Tax Collector o 3:13-19 – Jesus calls & appoints twelve “apostles” to be sent out (somewhat later) Note: Jesus does not actually “send out” these twelve until 6:7-13, a mission from which these “apostles” return in 6:30. o Other references to “the twelve” in Mark o Question: Were “the twelve” always with Jesus? Were they the only disciples faithful to Jesus? • More uses of “call/follow/behind” in Mark’s Gospel: o Disciples & crowds follow Jesus: o Peter (with James & John) o A woman with a flow of blood (5:25-34) o Another exorcist (9:38-40) o A rich man (10:17-22) o Bartimaeus (10:46-52) o A young man at Gethsemane (14:51-52) o Galilean Women at the Cross (15:40-41) • See also the frequent use of “disciple” (46 times) and “way/road” in Mark (1:2-3; 2:23; 6:8; 8:3, 27; 9:33-34; 10:17, 32; 10:46, 52; 11:8; 12:14).

II) Missioning & Sending: • Key Vocabulary: • apostelein = to send out • hypagein = to go • Note: Not only the apostles are “sent out” by Jesus or told to “go” on a specific mission in Mark’s Gospel. Several other characters also are. • The cleansed leper (1:40-45) • The Gerasene demoniac (5:1-20) • The twelve apostles (6:7-13) • The blind man at Bethsaida (8:22-26) • Two disciples sent to obtain a colt for Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem (11:1-7) • Parable of the Wicked Tenants: Sending servants & a beloved son (12:1-12) • Two disciples sent to prepare the Last Supper (14:12-16) • The women at the empty tomb (16:1-8) • Note: Since apostelein is a common Greek verb, other characters are also “sent out” in other contexts in Mark.

III) Explicit Instructions on Discipleship • 8:34-38 (after the 1st Passion prediction) • 9:33-37 (after the 2nd Passion prediction) • 10:35-45 (after the 3rd Passion prediction) • Other teachings related to discipleship: • Leave everything to follow Jesus (10:28-30) • Keep awake and pray (14:32-42) IV) The MIS-understandings and Failures of Jesus’ Disciples V) Role Models, esp. for Faith/Belief VI) Who Are the Best Role Models for Discipleship in Mark’s Gospel?

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The Passion and Death of Jesus, according to the Four Gospels

THE LAST SUPPER: WHAT is the significance of Jesus’ last meal with his disciples? • The Synoptic Gospels: o The Last Supper is a Passover Meal, commemorating the Exodus of the Jews (Mark 14:12; Matt 26:17; Luke 22:7-8, 15). o While speaking the blessing prayers, Jesus says the bread and wine is his own body and blood (Mark 14:22-25 & par.). o Only in Luke does Jesus explicitly say, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19b; cf. 1 Cor 11:24-25). o Only Luke gives evidence of the Passover tradition of blessing multiple cups of wine (Luke 22:17, 20). o Luke also has much more dialogue during the Last Supper, including Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denial (22:31-34). • The Fourth Gospel: o The Last Supper is just before the Feast of Passover (John 13:1), so it is not a Passover Meal itself. o The “Eucharistic” words of Jesus are not recorded here, but were already spoken earlier (John 6:22-59). o During this final meal in John’s Gospel, Jesus washes all of his disciples’ feet (John 13:2-16). o Then he tells them, “I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). o During the meal, Jesus foretells Judas’ betrayal (John 13:21-30) and Peter’s denial (13:36-38). o During the meal, Jesus also gives a “Farewell Discourse” (13:31--16:33) and addresses a long prayer to God (17:1-26). o Jesus will die on the same afternoon that the Passover Lambs are slaughtered (cf. John 19:31-37). THE AGONY AND ARREST IN THE GARDEN: WHERE and HOW was Jesus captured? • The Synoptic Gospels: o After the Passover meal, Jesus and his disciples go out to the “Mount of Olives” (Mark 14:26; Matt 26:30; Luke 22:39). o The place where Jesus prays is called “Gethsemane” (Mark 14:32; Matt 26:36), but is not explicitly called a “garden.” o Luke greatly shortens Jesus’ prayer and his challenges to the disciples (11 verses in both Mark & Matt; only 6 verses in Luke). o In all three Synoptics, Judas identifies Jesus with a kiss, but only in Luke does Jesus ask him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48). • The Fourth Gospel: o After Jesus finishes his discourses and prayer, they go “across the Kidron Valley” and enter a “garden,” but this is not explicitly identified as “Gethsemane” (John 18:1). o There is no “agony” or any prayer of Jesus in this garden; it is only the scene of Jesus’ arrest (18:2-12). o Jesus remains in control of the scene; the soldiers hesitate to arrest Jesus when twice he says “I am” (18:6, 8). o All four Gospels say that one of Jesus’ disciples cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave; but only in John are these two individuals explicitly named: Simon Peter and Malchus (18:10). THE ACCUSATIONS AND CHARGES: WHY was Jesus killed, and by whom? • The Religious Trial: The Jewish High Priest and Sanhedrin (council of elders) find Jesus guilty of “blasphemy.” o The word “blasphemy” in ancient Greek literally means “insulting or saying bad things about God.” o The punishment prescribed in the Hebrew Bible for blasphemy is to be stoned to death (Lev 24:10-23). o Jesus directly admits that he is the “Son of God” (Mark 14:61-64 & par.; cf. Mark 15:39; John 19:7). • The Political Trial: The Roman governor (Pontius Pilate) finds Jesus guilty of sedition, rebellion or treason. o Luke’s Gospel describes the nature of the charges against Jesus in the greatest detail (Luke 23:2, 5, 14). o Jesus is accused of calling himself and/or letting others call him “King of the Jews” (Mark 15:2, 9, 12, 18, 26, 32, and parallels; cf. also John 18:33-37; 19:12-15). o Luke and John repeatedly stress Jesus’ innocence (Luke 23:4, 14-15, 22; John 18:38b; 19:4, 6, 12; cf. Matt 27:24-25). THE CRUCIFIXION AND DEATH: HOW was Jesus’ execution carried out? • Condemnation to Death: o In lands occupied by the Romans, the death penalty could only be carried out with the approval of the local Roman governor. o Mark and Matthew clearly show Jesus handed over to Roman soldiers to be crucified; but Luke and John make it sound like Pilate hands Jesus over to the Jewish authorities to carry out the crucifixion (Luke 23:25; John 19:16). • Beatings and Scourging: o Before being crucified, prisoners were often beaten, scourged, mocked, and mistreated in other ways. o Prisoners might already die from this maltreatment, so Jewish law limited floggings to thirty-nine lashes (cf. 2 Cor 11:24). o Since Jesus was condemned for claiming to be “King of the Jews,” the soldiers mock him with the symbols of royal power and authority, including a scarlet (or purple) cloak, a crown (of thorns), and a reed (instead of a scepter). • Road to Golgotha: o Condemned persons would usually be forced to carry their own cross beams to the place of their crucifixion. o Only Luke tells of Jesus speaking with women along the way to the cross (Luke 23:27-31), but none of the Gospels contains the full fourteen “Stations of the Cross” popular in later Christian devotions. o Golgotha, meaning “Place of the Skull,” was probably an abandoned stone quarry just outside of Jerusalem.

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• Manner of Crucifixion: o The cross was usually T-shaped, with the cross beam placed on top of an upright post already set in the ground. o The victim might be tied and/or nailed to the cross beam and to the upright post, but would still be guarded by soldiers. o The charge would often be affixed over the head of the condemned criminal, to serve as a warning to any onlookers: o INRI = Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (Latin for “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”; John 19:19-22; cf. Mark 15:26). • Cause of Death: o Some victims would bleed to death fairly soon, but sometimes they could survive for several days before succumbing to a combination of dehydration and asphyxiation. o To prolong the victims’ agony, their feet would be nailed or tied to the post, so that they could push themselves up to breathe. o To hasten the victims’ deaths, their legs could be broken, so that they could no longer breathe. • The “Seven Last Words of Christ” (acc. to traditional Good Friday Devotions): o Regarding those crucifying him: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) o To his mother: “Woman, here is your son”; and to the beloved disciple: “Here is your mother.” (John 19:26-27) o To the repentant thief: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43) o At the ninth hour: “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” = “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34; Matt 27:46) o In order to fulfill scripture: “I am thirsty.” (John 19:28) o After receiving a drink of vinegar: “It is finished.” (John 19:30) o As Jesus is dying: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 23:46) • The Witnesses to the Crucifixion: o In the Synoptics, women who followed Jesus from Galilee were “looking on from afar” (Mark 15:40; Matt 27:55; cf. Luke 23:49). o Mark names three women (Mary Magdalene; Mary the mother of James and Joses; and Salome); Matthew names the same three (?) slightly differently (Mary Magdalene; Mary the mother of James and Joseph; and the mother of the sons of Zebedee); but in Luke the women remain anonymous. o A Roman centurion declares, “Truly this man was the son of God” (Mark 15:39; Matt 27:54), or “…was innocent” (Luke 23:47). o In John 19:25-26, four women (his mother; his mother’s sister; Mary the wife of Clopas; and Mary Magdalene--or three, if #2 = #3 ?) as well as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (not named, but called “son”) are “standing by the cross” (i.e. very close to it).

THE BURIAL: WHEN and BY WHOM and HOW and WHERE was Jesus buried? • When? o After making sure Jesus is dead, from the centurion’s testimony (Mark 15:44-45) and/or piercing Jesus’ side (John 19:31-37). o Friday afternoon before sundown [when Sabbath begins], so the burial was done hurriedly (Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:42). o After securing permission to retrieve Jesus’ body from Pontius Pilate (Mark 15:43 & par.). • By Whom? o By a “rich man” named Joseph (Matt 27:57) from the Judean town of Arimathea (Luke 23:50; exact location unknown). o Joseph was a “respected member of the council” (Mark 15:43), or a “secret disciple” of Jesus (John 19:38). o Only John 19:39 mentions that Nicodemus, who had previously encountered Jesus (cf. 3:1; 7:50), also helped with the burial. o Only Matt 27:62-66 says that some soldiers were stationed to guard the tomb, lest the disciples steal Jesus’ body (cf. 28:11-15). • How? o By wrapping Jesus’ body in a linen cloth (Mark 15:46 & par.), placing it in a rock-hewn tomb, and rolling a large stone against the entrance (Mark 15:46 & par.). o In John 19:40, they also wrapped the body with a large mixture of spices (myrrh & aloes), according to Jewish burial customs. o But in the Synoptics, they did not use spices right away (evidently for lack of time before sunset); rather, the women prepare spices after going home (Luke 23:56), and intend to embalm the body properly after the Sabbath (Mark 16:1). • Where? o The Synoptics do not mention the location of the tomb, but only say that it was hewn out of rock (Mark 15:46 & par.) o Luke 23:53 says no one else had been buried in this tomb before; Matt 27:60 claims it was Joseph of Arimathea’s own new tomb. o Only John 19:41-42 says that the tomb was in a “garden” near to where Jesus had been crucified.

A Comparative Overview of the Events of the Passion: Pericope Mark Matthew Luke John The Chief Priests and Scribes Plan to Kill Jesus 14:1-2 26:1-5 22:1-2 -- Jesus Is Anointed in Bethany by an Anonymous Woman 14:3-9 26:6-13 [7:36-50] [12:1-8] Judas Arranges to Betray Jesus to the Chief Priests 14:10-11 26:14-16 22:3-6 --

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible Page 22

Mark Matthew Luke John The Last Supper 14:12-25 26:17-29 22:7-38 13:1--17:26 Jesus Sends Disciples to Prepare for the Passover Meal 14:12-17 26:17-20 22:7-14 -- {During the Meal, Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet} ------13:1-20 During the Meal, Jesus Foretells His Betrayal 14:18-21 26:21-25 [22:21-23] 13:21-30 The Last Supper of Jesus with His Disciples 14:22-25 26:26-29 22:15-20 -- The Disciples Argue about Who Is Greatest [10:41-45] [20:24:28] 22:24-30 -- {Jesus Gives His Disciples a New Commandment of Love} ------13:31-35 Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial (during the Last Supper) (cf. below) (cf. below) 22:31-34 13:36-38 Preparing for the End: The Two Swords -- -- 22:35-38 -- {The Farewell Discourses, according to John} ------14:1--16:33 {The Great Prayer of Jesus, according to John} ------17:1-26 Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial (after the Last Supper) 14:26-31 26:30-35 (cf. above) (cf. above) Jesus Prays at Gethsemane 14:32-42 26:36-46 22:39-46 [12:27] Jesus Is Arrested 14:43-50 26:47-56 22:47-53 18:1-12 The Young Man with a Linen Cloth 14:51-52 ------Jesus Is Led Away to the House of the High Priest 14:53 26:57 22:54a 18:13-14 Peter Denies Knowing Jesus 14:54, 66-72 26:58, 69-75 22:54b-62 18:15-18, 25-27 Jesus Is Interrogated by High Priest and the Sanhedrin 14:55-64 26:59-66 22:66 18:19-24 Jesus is Mocked and Beaten by the Guards 14:65 26:67-68 22:63-65 [18:22] Jesus Delivered to Pilate 15:1 27:1-2 23:1 18:28 The Death of Judas -- 27:3-10 -- -- The Trial of Jesus before Pilate 15:2-15 27:11-26 23:2-25 18:29--19:16 The Accusations against Jesus [15:3] [27:12] 23:2, 5, 14 18:29-32 Pilate’s Initial Questioning of Jesus 15:2-5 27:11-14 23:3 18:33-38a Jesus Is Brought before Herod -- -- 23:6-12 -- Pilate Declares Jesus Innocent -- [27:24-25] 23:4,13-16,22 18:38b; 19:4,6,12 The Release of Jesus or Barabbas? 15:6-14 27:15:23 23:17-23 18:39-40 {The Trial before Pilate Continues: “Behold the Man!”} ------19:1-15 Barabbas is Released 15:15a 27:26a 23:24-25a -- Jesus Is Scourged 15:15b 27:26b [23:22b] [19:1] Pilate Delivers Jesus to be Crucified 15:15c 27:26c 23:25b 19:16 Jesus Is Mocked by the Soldiers 15:16-20a 27:27-31a [23:36] [19:2-3] The Road to Golgotha 15:20b-22 27:31b-33 23:26-33a 19:17 The Crucifixion 15:23-41 27:34-56 23:33b-49 19:18a-37 Jesus Is Offered Drugged Wine, but Refuses to Drink 15:23 27:34 -- -- Jesus Is Crucified 15:24a 27:35a 23:33b 19:18a Jesus Forgives Those Who Crucify Him -- -- 23:34a -- The Soldiers Divide Jesus’ Garments 15:24b-25 27:35b-36 23:34b [19:23-25a] The Inscription with the Charge: “King of the Jews” 15:26 27:37 [23:38] 19:19-22 Two Criminals Are Crucified along with Jesus 15:27 [+28] 27:38 [23:33c] [19:18b] Jesus Is Derided on the Cross, even by the Criminals 15:29-32 27:39-44 23:35-37, 39 -- The Repentant Thief -- -- 23:40-43 -- Darkness Covers the Land 15:33 27:45 23:44-45 -- Jesus Cries Out to God: “Eloi, Eloi...” 15:34-35 27:46-47 -- -- Someone Offers Jesus a Sponge Full of Vinegar 15:36 27:48-49 [23:36] 19:28-30a Jesus’ Last Cry and His Death 15:37 27:50 23:46 19:30b The Curtain of the Temple Is Torn in Two 15:38 27:51a [23:45] -- The Earthquake and the Open Tombs -- 27:51b-52 -- -- The Witness of the Centurion 15:39 27:54 23:47 -- The Bystanders Return Home Beating Their Breasts -- -- 23:48 -- The Women Who Witness the Crucifixion 15:40-41 27:55-56 23:49 [19:25b-27] {Jesus’ Side Is Pierced} ------19:31-37 The Burial of Jesus 15:42-47 27:57-61 23:50-56 19:38-42 Guards Are Placed at the Tomb -- 27:62-66 -- --

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible Page 23 Lectionary Readings (Sundays & Feasts) – Use of the Gospel according to Mark

Sunday or Feast Lect# Gospel Passage Prescribed Verses Omitted Sundays (but possibly used for Weekday Masses) 2nd Sunday of Advent – B 5B Mark 1:1-8 – Preaching of John the Baptist Baptism of the Lord (Year B opt.) 21B Mark 1:7-11 – Baptism of Jesus 1st Sunday of Lent – B 23B Mark 1:12-15 – Temptation of Jesus; Beginning of the Galilean Ministry 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 68B Mark 1:14-20 – Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry and Calls His First Disciples 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 71B Mark 1:21-28 – First Exorcism, in Synagogue at Capernaum Mark 1:21a – “When they came to Capernaum” (geographical transition) 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 74B Mark 1:29-39 – Jesus Cures Simon’s Mother-in-Law, then Leaves Capernaum 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 77B Mark 1:40-45 – Cleansing of a Leper 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 80B Mark 2:1-12 – Healing of a Paralytic in Capernaum Mark 2:13-17 – Call of Levi (Weekday 310) 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 83B Mark 2:18-22 – Question about Fasting 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 86B Mark 2:23—3:6 or 2:23-28 – Sabbath Disputes: Picking Wheat; Healing a Withered Hand Mark 3:7-12, 13-19 – Mercy of Jesus; Mission of the Twelve (Weekdays 314-315) 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 89B Mark 3:20-35 – Beelzebul Controversy; Jesus and His Family Mark 4:1-20, 21-25 – Parable of Sower, Purpose of Parables; Parable of Lamp (Wk 319-320) 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 92B Mark 4:26-34 – Parables of Seed Growing by Itself; Mustard Seed 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 95B Mark 4:35-41 – Jesus Calms a Storm at Sea Mark 5:1-20 – Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac (Weekday 323) 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 98B Mark 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35-43 – Healing Jairus’ Daughter and a Hemorrhaging Woman 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 101B Mark 6:1-6 – Jesus’ Rejection at Nazareth 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 104B Mark 6:7-13 – Mission of the Twelve Mark 6:14-29 – Herod’s Opinion of Jesus, Death of John the Baptist (Weekday 327) 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 107B Mark 6:30-34 – Return of the Twelve Mark 6:35-44, 45-52 – Feeding of 5000; Walking on Water (Weekdays 213-214) Mark 6:53-56 – Healings at Gennesaret (Weekdays 329) 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 125B Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 – Traditions of the Elders Mark 7:9-13, 16-20 – Traditions of Elders about Clean/Unclean (Weekdays 330-331) Mark 7:24-30 – Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith (Weekday 332) 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 128B Mark 7:31-37 – Healing of a Deaf Man Mark 8:1-10, 11-13 – Feeding 4000; Demand for Sign (Weekdays 334-335) Mark 8:14-21, 22-26 – Leaven of Pharisees; Blind Man of Bethsaida (Weekdays 334-337) 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 131B Mark 8:27-35 – Peter’s Confession; First Passion Prediction; Conditions of Discipleship Mark 8:36-38 – Conditions of Discipleship (Weekday 339) 2nd Sunday of Lent – B 26B Mark 9:2-10 – Transfiguration of Jesus Mark 9:11-13, 14-29 – Coming of Elijah, Healing of Boy with a Demon (Weekdays 340-341) 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 134B Mark 9:30-37 – Second Passion Prediction; Disciples Argue about Greatness 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 137B Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 – Another Exorcist; Temptations to Sin Mark 9:44,46 – [text crit. later additions; duplicate of v. 48] Mark 9:49-50 – Simile of Salt (Weekday 344) 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 140B Mark 10:2-16 or 10:2-12 – Jesus’ Teaching about Marriage and Divorce Mark 10:1 – “He went to Judea & Perea” - geographical transition (Weekday 345) 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 143B Mark 10:17-30 or 10:17-27 – Rich Man Asks about Eternal Life Mark 10:31, 32-34 – Last/First; Third Prediction of Passion (Weekdays 348-349) 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 146B Mark 10:35-45 or 10:42-45 – Ambition of James and John 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 149B Mark 10:46-52 – Healing of Blind Bartimaeus Mark 11:11-26 – Fig Tree Cursed, Cleansing of Temple, Withered Fig Tree (Weekday 351) Mark 11:27-33 – Authority of Jesus Questioned (Weekday 352) Palm Sunday – B [before Mass: 37B Mark 11:1-10 or John 12:12-16 – Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem Mark 12:1-12, 13-17 – Parable of Tenants; Paying Taxes to Ceasar (Weekdays 353-354) Procession of Palms] Mark 12:18-27 – Sadducees’ Question about the Resurrection (Weekday 355) 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 152B Mark 12:28b-34 – Greatest Commandment Mark 12:28a – “A scribe came forward and heard them...” 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 155B Mark 12:38-44 or 12:41-44 – Jesus Denounces the Scribes; Poor Widow’s Contribution Mark 12:35-37 – Question about David’s Son (Weekday 357) 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – B 158B Mark 13:24-32 – Coming of the Son of Man; Lesson of the Fig Tree Mark 13:1-23 – Destruction of the Temple Foretold, Signs of the End, Great Tribulation 1st Sunday of Advent – B 2B Mark 13:33-37 – Need for Watchfulness Palm Sunday – B [during Mass] 38ABC Mark 14:1—15:47 or 15:1-39 – Markan Passion Narrative Sunday After Trinity Sunday: 168B Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 – Preparations for the Passover; Last Supper Body and Blood of Christ – B Easter Vigil – B 41ABC Mark 16:1-7 ** – Resurrection of Jesus: Empty Tomb Mark 16:8 – Women Flee from the Tomb in Fear and Silence Mark 16:9-14 – Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene, Two Disciples, the Eleven (Weekday 58) Ascension of the Lord – B 58B Mark 16:15-20 – Jesus Commissions the Eleven, then Ascends to Heaven

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Lectionary Page 24 The Four Gospels: Some Comparative Overview Charts

Literary, Stylistic and Thematic Comparisons: GOSPEL according to... MARK MATTHEW LUKE JOHN No. of chapters (verses/words) 16 ( 678 / 11304 ) 28 ( 1071 / 18345 ) 24 ( 1151 / 19482 ) 21 ( 879 / 15635 ) Style of Greek grammatically poor Semitic influenced good, elegant, literary simple, but highly symbolic Geographical Focus Galilean towns; some Gentile territory Galilee, esp. mountains; Jewish areas one long journey to goal: Jerusalem multiple visits back & forth to Jerusalem Literary Features quick action (“immediately; and then") five major discourses; well-organized stories often in pairs (esp. male/female "Amen, Amen, I say to you…"; loosely connected episodes sections of collected pericopes characters); many more parables irony; paradox; double-meanings Literary Introduction "Beginning of Good News" (1:1) "Book of Genealogy" (1:1) "Orderly Account" (1:1-4) Cosmic Hymn (1:1-18) Gospel Beginning John the Baptist’s preaching; Jesus as Emmanuel (1:2-2:23); Elizabeth & Mary; parallel birth stories J. B. points to "Lamb of God"; Jesus’ ministry begins (1:2-15) "King of Jews" vs. King Herod J. B. & Jesus (1:5-2:52) first disciples come to Jesus (1:19-51) Inaugural Event Exorcism in Synagogue Sermon on the Mount: Jubilee reading from Isa 61: Wedding Feast at Cana: of Capernaum (1:21-28) Fulfillment of Law (ch. 5–7) Rejection at Nazareth (4:14-30) first of Jesus’ "signs" (2:1-11) Jesus’ Major Opponents 1- Pharisees & Herodians; "scribes & Pharisees"; unjust authorities (civil & religious); "Jews" (esp. leaders in Jerusalem); 2- chief priests, scribes & elders "hypocrites & blind guides" rich & corrupt people Pharisees; High Priest Caiaphas Jesus’ Last Words "My God, my God, why have you (27:46 – same as in Mark] "Father, forgive them..." (22:34); "Behold your son; behold you mother" on the Cross forsaken me?" (15:34) "You’ll be with me in Paradise" (23:43); (19:26f); "I am thirsty" (19:28); "Into your hands I commit my Spirit" (23:46) "It is finished" (19:30) Focus of Passion Ch. 14–15: Jesus’ death as tragedy Ch. 26–27: plots & treachery vs. Jesus Ch. 22–23: Jesus’ innocence Ch. 18–19: Jesus’ exaltation Last Major Event Empty Tomb, outside of Jerusalem Great Commission, on Mountain in Ascension, from Bethany just East of 1: disciples & Thomas (20:19-29) (16:1-8) Galilee (28:16-20) Jerusalem (24:50-53) 2: [Peter & Beloved Disciple (21:1-23)] Final Literary Ending women leave tomb in fear & silence Jesus tells disciples, "I am with you disciples return to Jerusalem temple 1: many more signs (20:30f) (16:8) [16:9-20 added only later] always" (28:20) with joy praising God (24:53) 2: [many other books 21:24f] Christology I: Christ/Messiah & Son of God; Son of David & Son of Abraham; Great Prophet; Divine Logos/Word made Flesh; Main Titles for Jesus Suffering Son of Man; Great Teacher; New Lawgiver Lord (of all nations); Passover Lamb; Son, sent from Father; Eschatological Judge (like Moses) Savior (esp. of the poor) "I Am…"; "Equal to God" Christology II: miracles; overcoming evil powers; teaching his disciples; healing sick & impaired people; speaking God’s words; doing God’s Jesus’ Major Actions arguing with religious authorities decrying religious hypocrisy forgiving sinners & debtors works; revealing God and himself Discipleship persevere in faith despite suffering; be righteous; forgive always; leave everything to follow Jesus; see, believe, know, remain in Jesus & follow Jesus "on the way" to the cross; live the Golden Rule; fulfill God’s laws, share with poor; accept everyone, God, despite hostility; love one another; be ready for his return esp. law of charitable deeds esp. outcasts, women, enemies be in unity; serve humbly Pneumatology Holy Spirit at Baptism; unclean spirits H.S. at Jesus’ birth, baptism, speech Infancy narrative; prophetic anointing Spirit of Truth; Paraclete/Advocate Eschatological Expectations imminent & sudden, false prophets will arise; after Jerusalem is destroyed and realized eschatology; all who hear & but no one knows when; many will fall away; Gospel must Gentiles’ time is fulfilled; not so soon; believe have eternal life already now, so "Keep awake!" (13:1-37) first be preached to all (24:10-14) pray! (21:20-24, 28, 36) and are not judged (5:21-25) Basis for Final Judgment whether you persevere in faith what you do for "the least" people; how you use wealth / possessions; whether or not you believe in Jesus despite persecutions (13:13) Sheep & Goats parable (25:31-46) parables of Rich & Poor (16:1-31) (3:16-18; 5:19-24; 12:44-50) Other Major Themes Messianic secret; fulfillment of Scripture; fulfillment of God’s plan; "eternal life" = "life in his name" = main disciples don’t understand, divisions within the community; eschatological reversal; "becoming children of God"; Xn unity; but minor characters do believe final separation of good vs. bad tax collectors & sinners favored mutual indwelling of God/Jesus/us Symbol – Feast – Lectionary Lion – April 25 – Year B Angel/Human – Sept. 21 – Year A Ox – Oct. 18 – Year C Eagle – Dec. 27 – esp. Lent & Easter

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 25 The Four Gospels: Some Comparative Overview Charts

Historical Background Issues: GOSPEL acc. to... MARK MATTHEW LUKE JOHN WHO: traditionally "John Mark of Jerusalem" tax collector & apostle (Mark physician & companion of John, son of Zebedee; one attributed author? (Acts 12:12; 15:37; Col 4:10; 3:18; Matt 9:9; 10:3; Luke Paul (Col 4:14; 2Tim 4:11; of 12 apostles (Mark 1:19; Phlm 1:24; 1Pet 5:13) 6:15; Acts 1:13) Phlm 1:24) 3:17; cf. John 21:2) WHO: bilingual (Aramaic & Greek) bilingual (Aramaic & Greek) Gentile Christian convert; the "beloved disciple" & his implied author? second generation Christian; early Jewish Christian; educated Greek “historian”; Jewish-Christian followers “young man” of 14:51-52? trained "scribe" of 13:52? client of Theophilus (1:1-4)? (John 19:35; 21:20-25) TO WHOM: mostly Gentile Christians, better educated Jews who wealthier Gentile Christians very mixed: originally Jews; implied audience? fairly new in their faith, and already believe in Jesus, but in urban settings, in danger later also Samaritans, facing persecutions argue over the Law of becoming complacent Gentiles, etc. WHERE: written probably Rome; possibly possibly Galilee; probably in probably Greece; possibly traditionally Ephesus; maybe from and/or to? Decapolis, Syria, Alexandria or near Antioch in Syria Syria (Pauline missions) originally Galilee or Syria WHEN: very late 60’s or early 70's late 70’s or 80’s mid to late 80’s main edition 90’s approximate date? (first written "Gospel") (core text by Matthew?) (with “many” earlier sources) (early edition 50’s ?) WHAT: subtype of narrated "good news" (1:1) a book of "heritage" (1:1) & an "orderly account" to attain "testimony" and "signs" for "Gospel" genre? about Jesus and his actions much "teaching" (28:20) "secure knowledge" (1:1-4) believing (20:30f; 21:24f) WHY: community to encourage a community to teach a community that to challenge believers to put to strengthen the identity of circumstances & undergoing difficult trials and has internal divisions and their faith into practice more a group ostracized by other author's purpose? persecutions external enemies fully Jews for their faith

Structural and Geographical Comparisons: GOSPEL acc. to... MARK MATTHEW LUKE JOHN Introduction: 1:1 1:1 – 2:23 1:1 – 2:52 1:1-18 (prologue) Literary Preface 1:1 ("good news") xxx 1:1-4 ("orderly account") 1:1-18 ("Word of God") Genealogy xxx 1:1-17 [3:23-38] xxx Infancy Narrative xxx 1:18 – 2:23 1:5 – 2:52 [1:14] Preparatory Episodes: 1:2-13 3:1 – 4:11 3:1 – 4:13 1:1-51 John Baptist's Preaching 1:2-8 3:1-12 3:1-20 1:19-36 Baptism of Jesus 1:9-11 3:13-17 3:21-22 [1:31-33] Temptation of Jesus 1:12-13 4:1-11 4:1-13 xxx Jesus' Early Ministry, 1:14 – 8:21 4:12 – 16:12 4:14 – 9:17 [Ch. 2, 4, 6] mostly to Jews in Galilee: Initial Preaching 1:14-15 4:12-17 4:14-30 xxx Call of First Disciples 1:16-20 4:18-22 5:1-11 1:35-51 Outside of Galilee 5:1-20; 7:24 – 8:13 8:28-34; 15:21-28 8:26-39; xxx xxx On the Way to Jerusalem 8:22 – 10:52 16:13 – 20:34 9:18 – 19:27 [xxx] Initial Stages 8:22 – 9:50 16:13 – 18:35 9:18-50 [7:1-9] 1st Passion Prediction 8:31-33 16:21-23 9:22 xxx 2nd Passion Prediction 9:30-32 17:22-23 9:43b-45 xxx To Jerusalem Itself 10:1-52 19:1 – 20:34 9:51 – 19:27 [2:13; 5:1; 7:10] 3rd Passion Prediction 10:32-34 20:17-19 18:31-34 xxx Ministry in Jerusalem 11:1 – 13:37 21:1 – 25:46 19:28 – 21:38 [Ch. 3, 5, 7-12] Teachings & Disputes 11:1 – 12:44 21:1 – 23:39 19:1 – 21:4 most of this Eschatological Discourse 13:1-37 24:1-36 21:5-36 xxx Passion Week 14:1 – 15:47 26:1 – 27:66 22:1 – 23:56 13:1 – 19:42 Last Supper 14:17-31 26:20-35 22:14-38 13:1 – 17:26 Crucifixion 15:22-41 27:33-56 23:33-49 19:17-37 Resurrection Narrative 16:1-8 28:1-20 24:1-53 20:1-31 Empty Tomb Story 16:1-8 28:1-8 24:1-12 20:1-13 Appearance Stories xxx 28:9-10, 16-20 24:13-53 20:14-31 Additions [16:9-20 added later] 21:1-25 [second ending]

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/ Page 26 6.5 [Download PDF] The Passion of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark

Theme: Jesus Dies as One Abandoned Peter, James, and John fall asleep while he prays in the garden (14:32–42). Judas betrays him (14:43–45). Disciples forsake him and run away (14:50). A young man “leaves all” to get away (14:51–52; cf. 1:18, 20). Peter denies Jesus (14:66–72). Jewish leaders mock him as a false prophet (14:65). The crowd calls for him to be crucified (15:6–14). Roman soldiers mock him as a false king (15:16–20). Passers-by join Jewish leaders in mocking him on the cross (15:29–32). Crucified criminals taunt him (15:32b). Darkness covers the land, and Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (15:33–34). Theme: Jesus Gives His Life as a Ransom Jesus knows of his passion in advance and says that it must take place (8:31; 9:30; 10:33–34). Jesus accepts his passion as the will of God (14:36). Jesus describes his passion as giving “his life as a ransom for many” (10:45) (in Greek, lytron = payment to free a slave, or, a substitute sacrifice). Theme: Jesus’ Death Reveals Him as the Son of God Jesus is declared to be the Son of God from the outset (1:1). Human beings do not recognize or confess him as the Son of God (1:27; 2:7; 4:41; 6:2–3; cf. 1:11, 24; 3:11; 5:7; 9:7). Jesus is sentenced to die because he claims to be the Son of God (14:61–62; 15:29–32). Ironically, his death inspires the first recognition of him as the Son of God (15:39). Theme: Jesus’ Death Is Linked to His Baptism Events at his death recall events at his baptism: ripping of the heavens and of the temple curtain (1:10; 15:38) and identification as the Son of God (1:11; 15:39). Jesus refers to his death as his baptism (10:38–39).

197 6.6 [Download PDF] The Crucifixion of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark

A Mode of Execution Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified by Roman soldiers (15:15) after Jewish leaders convict him of blasphemy (14:61–65) and stir up the crowd against him (15:11). The execution is portrayed as sadistic, accompanied by brutality and mockery. A Means of Redemption Mark 8:31: “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering.” There is an element of divine necessity in Jesus’ suffering. The crucifixion is his appointed “cup,” which God wills him to drink (cf. 10:38; 14:23–24, 36; 15:36). Mark 10:45: “The Son of Man came . . . to give his life a ransom for many.” This seems to point to what theologians later called a doctrine of vicarious or substitutionary atonement. Mark 14:22–25: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” The symbolism of the Eucharist presents Jesus’ death as a sacrifice that pays for human sin. A Model of Discipleship Mark 8:34: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” The “way of the cross” becomes the governing expectation for Christian discipleship. This involves devotion to serving others (cf. 10:41–43) and a willingness to suffer for the sake of others.

198 4.4 [Download PDF] What Happens When Jesus Dies

In each of our four New Testament Gospels, the events that are narrated immediately after Jesus’ death may indicate a primary concern for that particular book. The Gospel of Mark Immediately after Jesus dies, Mark tells us that the curtain in the Jerusalem temple tore from top to bottom (15:38) and that the centurion recognized that Jesus was the Son of God (15:39).

One interpretation: Mark believes that Jesus’ death has provided a ransom for sin (10:45), making the sacrificial cult of the Jerusalem temple obsolete. Mark also wants to tell his readers that it is only through the cross that one can come to understand fully who Jesus is. The Gospel of Matthew Immediately after Jesus dies, Matthew tells us that the curtain in the Jerusalem temple tore in two and that an earthquake opened tombs in the cemetery such that the bodies of many saints came back to life and came out of their tombs. Then, the centurion proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God (27:51–54).

One interpretation: Matthew, like Mark, believes that Jesus’ death has provided a once-for-all-time sacrifice for sin, but Matthew also wants to stress that Jesus’ death opens the door to life after death. It is in the context of this eternal dimension that he is to be regarded as the Son of God. The Gospel of Luke Immediately after Jesus dies, Luke tells us that the Gentile centurion began to praise God, acknowledging Jesus’ innocence, and that the multitudes who were present returned home beating their breasts in repentance (23:47–48).

One interpretation: Luke is less concerned than Mark and Matthew with reflection on the theological meaning of Jesus’ death (i.e., its redemptive or atoning effect), but he is more concerned than the other Gospel writers with the proper response of people to what Jesus has done. Luke believes that the word of the cross should lead people to worship and repentance. The Gospel of John Immediately after Jesus dies, John tells us that his side was pierced with a spear, causing water and blood to gush forth (19:31–34).

One interpretation: John’s Gospel is heavily symbolic, and water and blood are almost universal symbols for life. The flow of water and blood from a person’s body is reminiscent of what happens when a woman gives birth. John may be implying that, even as Jesus dies, he gives birth to a new life for all those who believe in him.

98 6.8 [Download PDF] When Will Jesus Return?

Mark 13 makes three points with regard to the time of Jesus’ second coming. The Time of Jesus’ Coming Is Not Yet. Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name saying, “I am he!” and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs. (13:5–8 [see also 13:21–22]) The Time of Jesus’ Coming Is Soon. From the fig tree, learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. (13:28–30) The Time of Jesus’ Coming Is Unknown. But about that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come. (13:32–33) Summary At the time Mark wrote his Gospel, the most prominent leaders of the Chris- tian church recently had been murdered in horrifying spectacles, and the holy city of Jerusalem was on the verge of being decimated by pagan armies (if, indeed, it had not already suffered that fate). It probably seemed to Mark and his readers that the end was at hand (13:28–30; cf. 9:1). Nevertheless, Mark records words of Jesus that caution readers against fanaticism: the end perhaps is not yet (13:5–8, 21–22), and in any case it cannot be predicted with certainty (13:32–33). In general, Mark wants to encourage readers to live always on the edge, expecting the end to come very soon but realizing that it might not come as speedily as they hope.

201 6.4 [Download PDF] The Ending of Mark: Did Jesus’ Disciples Ever Learn of the Resurrection?

In Mark 16:6–7, the young man at the tomb tells the women,

Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here; see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.

But Mark 16:8 reads,

And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonish- ment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

For many Bible readers, this raises a question: If the women said “nothing to anyone,” how did the disciples ever find out about the resurrection? Indeed, quite a few scholars have suggested that Mark intends to convey the impression that the disciples of Jesus did not learn about the resurrection; they did not reunite with Jesus, and so their apostasy was never remedied.

But this seems unlikely to others. Some considerations:

1. Historically, there is no question that Jesus’ disciples did proclaim him as risen from the dead and that they claimed to have met with him after the resurrection (see, e.g., 1 Cor. 15:5). This was common knowledge at the time Mark’s Gospel was written. Is it really conceivable, then, that Mark could have hoped to perpetrate the notion that these disciples never even heard about the resurrection? Wouldn’t his readers have known better? 2. The words of the young man in 16:7 are a prediction, not a mere statement of intention: “There you will see him.” Furthermore, the young man’s words “as he told you” imply that Jesus himself has made a similar prediction (cf. 14:28). Is it conceivable that Mark intended his readers to regard predictions by God’s messenger and by Jesus himself as being ultimately unfulﬁlled? 3. Jesus speaks elsewhere in Mark’s Gospel about the role that the disciples will play after his resurrection: Peter, Andrew, James, and John will be brought before governors and kings to bear testimony for Jesus’ sake (13:3, 9); James and John will share his “baptism” and drink his “cup” (10:39). Is it conceivable that Mark could attribute such a role to people whom he represents as never hearing of the resurrection, or that he would portray Jesus as being so wrong about this matter?*

Still, the silence of the women is something of a mystery. Some scholars suggest that it must be taken as temporary: the women eventually did tell the disciples, but at first they said nothing to anyone. Most scholars regard the silence as

195 serving a rhetorical purpose: the story is left unfinished so that readers must put themselves into the narrative and discover what could happen next. The reader is left to ask, “What would I do?”

*(All of the above assumes that the Gospel of Mark originally was meant to end at 16:8. This is the majority view in current scholarship. A minority position suggests that the original ending of Mark’s Gospel has been lost.)

196 Introduction to the Gospel of Mark: Session III The Spiritual Vision of the Gospel of Mark

1. Mark wrote the Gospel to motivate and cheer the community of faithful who were in their trying moments because of two typical situations: first, the persecutions by the rulers/Nero and Domitian due to which they were discouraged and troubled and secondly, their apocalyptic mind set, that prompted them to look forward for the immanent coming of the end and the glorious return of the Lord(Mk 13), resulting in the negligence of the community’s mission of proclamation and falling away of many who had only shallow roots of faith were being enticed by the attractions of the world (Mk 4). To address these situations of the community and to propose the corrective measures, the Gospel seemed to have been written. Hence Mark wrote to show that the end is not yet. It is not known to any human. It is in its birth pangs. (13:5-8) and in these times: “the kingdom of God is at hand” and the believers are to “repent and believe in the Gospel” Mk 1: 14-15. Before the end, the mission of the Lord is to be continued: “The good news is to be proclaimed to all the nations.” 13:10. In addition Mark also tried to correct their understanding of the Jesus. Jesus is messiah but a triumphant warrior like but obedient and suffering servant Son of God, who establishes God’s reign on this earth by his death on the Cross but vindicated by God through the Resurrection. Through this presentation of suffering Jesus Mark has encouraged them to live their lives obediently and carrying their cross of sufferings with hope that God would vindicate them as he did with Jesus. Hence the community that the Gospel of Mark refers is the community of followers, centered on Jesus, the suffering servant Son of God, recognized and believed by the Roman Centurion. The Spiritual Vision for the community revolves around this basis.

2. 1. Vision centered on Jesus Christ and his Paschal mystery: Mark presented Jesus who is the suffering servant foreshadowed in the Old Testament prophesies of Isaiah and Ps 22. Jesus is the beloved Son of God, who obeys the plans of God even in the face of sufferings and apparent failure in the hostile world. He felt a Divine Must in his life (how many times Jesus says: Son of man must… I must…!) And as a mark of his faithfulness he went ahead in realizing God’s plans even to the point of death on the Cross. 2.2. Jesus in his ministry is the embodiment of Power and authority and compassion and mercy. He has power over the demons and natural forces. His authority is seen in his offer of forgiveness, novelty of teaching. In his dealings with the peasants and the sinners, he was a man fully human and fully alive: the Vision/glory of God. Like human beings among whom he lives and proclaims the kingdom of God, he is also limited being. He is ignorant of things. But feels compassionate to the suffering and alleviates their pain. He heels the son of Canaanite woman, he feeds the hungry crowds, he cheers the troubled disciples, and he is affectionate to the children. 2.3. The humility of Jesus is another aspect of Mark’s presentation of Jesus/Christology. He stands in queue with the sinners and receives baptism, as a sign of his solidarity with the sinners. He stands with them to signify the perfect repentance on behalf of the penitents. 2.4. His life is the Paschal Mystery. It is not only at the end he suffered, but suffering was constant in his life. Cross overshadowed his ministry in Galilee and his way to Jerusalem and climaxed in the last week of his life in Jerusalem. He suffered and died but rose again. 3. Mark’s Community is centered on the Faith in the Crucified Jesus Christ. He is powerful and touching him is to become power filled and healed. “They begged him to allow them to touch the edge of his garment. All those who touched were healed.” Mk 6: 51-56. “If only I could touch the fringe of his garment, I will be healed.” Mk 5:28.

Mark’s Gospel: Session III: The Spiritual Vision of Mark Page 1

4. The guiding Vision of the community is Kingdom of God. In the inter-testamental period the community is to respond to the breaking of God into the history. God’s reign is active among the people. He is accessible to them. 2. Like Jesus who related with God as Abba, the believers have the access to such intimate relationship with God the Father. Hence Kingdom of God implies the Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of humanity. 3. Kingdom is present in Jesus and it is operative in his ministry and hence the demons, the foreign occupations, are overthrown. All the healings mean and signify this. 4. Jesus unfolds the kingdom in his parabolic teaching (4:1-32). Kingdom begins simple small ways, but grows mysteriously to the great sizes and becomes fruitful. But needs a heart (Soil) to receive and nurture. 5. This is a decisive time and they can respond to God’s reign is twofold: Repentance and believe (1: 14-15). Repentance is to change the mind and believing is to accept trustingly and yield to what God is doing in Jesus\ yielding to Jesus.

5. The Discipline of the Community is Discipleship of Jesus. The believing community is community of disciples. They learn the way of the Lord (Disciple/matetes (Gk) = learner), “If any one comes after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”(8:34). They learn this way only by being with Jesus and being sent out by him (3:14-15). Remaining with him leads to radical transformation. They become like him following him. Discipleship is undergoing the baptism, dipping to die to self and rising to new person with the vision of God’s kingdom. Jesus’ baptism signified that. What he symbolically underwent in the baptism he taught in his parables of kingdom (the seeds dying and germinating to new life and yielding fruits abundantly, the light illumining) and showed on the Cross and Resurrection to new life. The disciples undergo this radical transformation through the self-denial and death, rising to new life of abundance. Their self denial include leaving behind their worldly ambitions and securities, as they are spiritually dangerous.(9:33-36; 10:35-40). They are to be like the little children(10:13-16) and the poor widow(12:41-44) in depending on the loving God. They become successors of his mission and carry the mission forward. Thus, they too realize the divine must in their life and be vindicated by their faithfulness. The persecutions are part of reward for the discipleship.

6. The Community is on journey to Jerusalem of glorification. (Jerusalem was the place of glorification for Jesus). On the way a faithful disciple will face tough situations. But they need to seek refuse in Jesus, for he says: “Be courageous; It is I”. He calms their storms. They are to believe in him. On this journey they must be contrast persons following the values of the kingdom and not the values of the world. The values of the world are self- seeking, self-serving and saving one’s life (8:35) to acquire the world (8: 36) t be great 9:35; to lord it over 10: 43-44. Values of the kingdom: “one who wants to save his life will lose it and one who loses his life for my sake will save it.” 8:35. ‘First being the last and servant of all’ (9:35), ‘not to be served but to serve and to give life as a ransom for many’ (10:43-45) and living the values of love and service. On their way to glorification, the disciples are to follow the example of prayer life of Jesus.(1:35; 6:46; 14:32-42; 15:34). He would get on to the lonely places, the deserts and mountain tops, to be touch with his Father. His busy daily schedule begins with prayer. His critical decisions are taken in consultation with the Father, checking his will with the will of the Father and always in agreement with the Father. The Disciples are to habituate themselves to prayer and resort to it in all their life situations being on the journey to Jerusalem.

Fr. Mariadas Sesetti MSFS.

Mark’s Gospel: Session III: The Spiritual Vision of Mark Page 2

6.14 Bibliography: Gospel of Mark

Overview Borg, Marcus J. Conversations with Scripture: The Gospel of Mark. AABSSS. Har- risburg: Morehouse, 2009. Applies a “historical-metaphorical” methodology to the study of Mark, providing both overviews of sections and detailed treatments of specific passages. Broadhead, Edwin K. Mark. Readings. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001. Dowd, Sharyn E. Reading Mark. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2001. ------. Reading Mark: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Second Gospel. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2000. Griggs, Donald L., and Charles D. Myers. Mark’s Gospel from Scratch: The New Testament for Beginners. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2010. Hare, Douglas R. A. Mark. WBC. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1996. Harrington, Daniel J. Mark. ACNT. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1990. ------. What Are They Saying about Mark? Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2005. Harrington, Wilfrid. What Was Mark At? The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary. Blackrock: Columba, 2008. Healy, Mary. The Gospel of Mark. CCSS. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. Moloney, Francis J. Mark: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist. Peabody, MA: Hen- drickson, 2004. Painter, John. Mark’s Gospel. NTR. London: Routledge, 1997. Placher, William C. Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2010. Telford, W. R. The Theology of the Gospel of Mark. NTT. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Williamson, Lamar. Mark. IBC. Atlanta: John Knox, 1983. Wright, N. T. Mark for Everyone. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2004. Critical Commentaries Boring, Eugene M. Mark: A Commentary. NTL. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2006. Collins, Adela Yarbro. Mark. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007. Culpepper, R. Alan. Mark. SHBC. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2007. Donahue, John R., and Daniel J. Harrington. The Gospel of Mark. SP. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2002. Edwards, James R. The Gospel According to Mark. PNTC. Grand Rapids: Eerd- mans, 2002. Evans, Craig A. Mark 8:27–16:20. WBC 34B. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2001. France, R. T. The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text. NIGTC. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002. Guelich, Robert A. Mark 1–8:26. WBC 34A. Dallas: Word, 1989. Gundry, Robert H. Mark: A Commentary on His Apology for the Cross. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993. Healy, Mary. The Gospel of Mark. CCSS. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. Juel, Donald H. The Gospel of Mark. IBT. Nashville: Abingdon, 1999.

_Sidebars_website.indd 237 8/30/12 3:40 PM 237 Lane, William L. The Gospel of Mark. NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974. Marcus, Joel. Mark: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. 2 vols. Anchor Yale Bible 27A. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000 and 2009. Moloney, Francis J. The Gospel of Mark. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2002. Stein, Robert. Mark. BECNT. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. Witherington, Ben, III. The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001. Academic Studies Achtemeier, Paul J. Mark. 2nd ed. PC. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986. This book served as the standard introduction to Mark for more than a decade. Redaction-critical in approach, it also surveys literary-critical studies in a chapter on Mark as literature. Ahearne-Kroll, Stephen P. The Psalms of Lament in Mark’s Passion: Jesus’ Davidic Suffering. SNTSMS 142. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Reads Mark’s passion narrative through the lens of four lament psalms evoked in the story, showing that the tradition of crying out to God in the midst of suffering is integral to Jesus’ and Markan theological concerns. Ambrozic, Aloysius M. The Hidden Kingdom: A Redaction-Critical Study of the References to the Kingdom in Mark’s Gospel. CBQMS 2. Washington, DC: Catholic Biblical Association, 1972. The kingdom of God in Mark is future, yet already present; hidden, yet inevitably to be revealed at the end of time. A careful redaction-critical study of this important Markan theme. Anderson, Janice Capel, and Stephen D. Moore. Mark and Method: New Ap- proaches in Biblical Studies. 2nd ed. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007. Illustrates different critical approaches to Mark’s Gospel: narrative, reader-response, deconstructive, feminist, social, postcolonial, cultural, and orality. Aus, Roger David. My Name Is Legion: Palestinian Judaic Traditions in Mark 5:1–20 and Other Gospel Texts. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2003. Barta, Karen A. The Gospel of Mark. MBS 9. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1988. Examines selected themes in Mark including prayer, kingdom, power, healing, blindness, and discipleship. Barton, Stephen. Discipleship and Family Ties in Mark and Matthew. SNTSMS 80. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Beck, Robert R. Nonviolent Story: Narrative Conflict Resolution in the Gospel of Mark. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2000. Best, Ernest. Disciples and Discipleship. Studies in the Gospel According to Mark. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1986. A collection of articles and essays focusing on Mark 8:27–10:45, this book supports the thesis that Mark’s portrayal of the disciples is intended to build up his community in their faith rather than defend it from heresy. ------. Following Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark. JSNTSup 4. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1981. A study in redaction-criticism, this book explores the theme of discipleship under three main headings: the disciple and the cross, the disciple and the world, the disciple in the community. ------. Mark: The Gospel as Story. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1983. Despite the reference to “story” in the subtitle, this book is redaction-critical in character. It views Mark’s Gospel as a sum of layers of traditions and ably discusses on this basis its unity, nature, purpose, audience, and theology.

_Sidebars_website.indd 238 8/30/12 3:40 PM 238 ------. Temptation and the Passion: The Markan Soteriology. SNTSMS 2. Cam- bridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965. Through a redactional study of these two sections of Mark’s Gospel, the author attempts to show that Mark construes Jesus’ accomplishment primarily as the redemption of humanity from sin rather than, as is sometimes thought, as a cosmic defeat of Satan. Betsworth, Sharon. The Reign of God Is Such as These: A Socio-Literary Analysis of Daughters in the Gospel of Mark. LNTS 422. London: T&T Clark, 2010. Examines the subset of female characters in Mark’s Gospel called daughters, concluding that once they have come under Christ’s protection, they exemplify the inclusiveness of God’s rule. Bilezikian, Gilbert. The Liberated Gospel: A Comparison of the Gospel of Mark and Greek Tragedy. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1977. This book tries to show that Mark’s Gospel contains the essential elements for tragedy as outlined by Aristotle in his Poetics. Black, C. Clifton. The Disciples According to Mark: Markan Redaction in Current Debate. JSNTSup 27. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989. Argues that the conflicting interpretations that redaction critics have offered for Mark’s treatment of the disciples derive from basic flaws inherent in the methodology of redaction criticism itself. ------. Mark: Images of an Apostolic Interpreter. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1994. A comprehensive study of the figure of John Mark in the New Testament and of tradition associating him with the authorship of Mark’s Gospel. Blevins, James. The Messianic Secret in Markan Research, 1901–1976. Washington, DC: University Press of America, 1981. A historical survey of scholarship on this very important subject for Markan studies. Blount, Brian K. Go Preach! Mark’s Kingdom Message and the Black Church Today. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2000. Bolt, Peter G. The Cross from a Distance: Atonement in Mark’s Gospel. NSBT 18. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004. ------. Jesus’ Defeat of Death: Persuading Mark’s Early Readers. SNTSMS 125. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Booth, Roger. Jesus and the Laws of Purity: Tradition History and Legal History in Mark 7. JSNTSup 13. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1986. A historical study of the legal traditions involved in this passage, which concludes that Jesus did not deny the concept of cultic purity absolutely but only relativized that concept in comparison with ethical purity. Boring, M. Eugene. Truly Human/ Truly Divine: Christological Language and the Gospel Form. St. Louis: CBP Press, 1984. Written for the nonspecialist, this book shows how the Gospel, as a literary form, incorporates within it a double image of Jesus: on the one hand, Jesus is (like us) weak, the crucified man from Nazareth; on the other hand, he is (not like us) strong, the powerful Son of God. Boucher, Madeleine. The Mysterious Parable: A Literary Study. CBQMS 6. Wash- ington DC: Catholic Biblical Association, 1977. After an appeal to understand parables as a class of literature, the author deals with Mark’s theory of parables in particular and relates this to his theme of mystery. Broadhead, Edwin K. Teaching with Authority: Miracles and Christology in the Gospel of Mark. JSNTSup 74. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1974.

_Sidebars_website.indd 239 8/30/12 3:40 PM 239 Brock, Rita Nakashima. Journeys by Heart: A Christology of Erotic Power. New York: Crossroad, 1988. Interprets stories of Christian origin in Mark’s Gospel from the perspective of feminist, relational theology. Discovers in the miracle and passion stories a source of “erotic” (i.e., heart-based) power that is the basis of life and community. Bryan, Christopher. A Preface to Mark: Notes on the Gospel in Its Literary and Cultural Settings. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. Burkett, Delbert. Rethinking the Gospel Sources: From Proto-Mark to Mark. New York: T&T Clark International, 2004. Byrne, Brendan. A Costly Freedom: A Theological Reading of Mark’s Gospel. Col- legeville, MN: Order of St. Benedict, 2008. Camery-Hogatt, Jerry. Irony in Mark’s Gospel: Text and Subtext. SNTSMS 72. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. Carey, Holly J. Jesus’ Cry from the Cross: Towards a First-Century Understanding of the Intertextual Relationship between Psalm 22 and the Narrative of Mark’s Gospel. LNTS 398. London: T&T Clark, 2009. Examines the use of Psalm 22 in Mark, the way its reference would have been understood by ﬁrst-century readers, and the theme of Jesus as a righteous suﬀerer. Collins, Adela Yarbro. The Beginning of the Gospel: Probings of Mark in Context. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992. Cook, Michael. Mark’s Treatment of the Jewish Leaders. NovTSup 51. Leiden: Brill, 1978. A redactional study of Jesus’ opponents in Mark that is primarily concerned with uncovering historical insights regarding the evangelist and his community. Crossley, James G. The Date of Mark’s Gospel: Insight from the Law in Earliest Christianity. New York: T&T Clark International, 2004. Croy, Clayton. The Mutilation of Mark’s Gospel. Nashville: Abingdon, 2003. A sustained argument in support of the thesis that the original ending of Mark’s Gospel has been lost, with an additional proposal that the beginning of the Gospel may have been lost as well. Danove, Paul L. The Rhetoric of Characterization of God, Jesus, and Jesus’ Disciples in the Gospel of Mark. JSNTSup 290. London: T&T Clark, 2005. Dart, John. Decoding Mark. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2003. Dewey, Joanna. Markan Public Debate: Literary Technique, Concentric Structure, and Theology in Mark 2:1–3:6. SBLDS 48. Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1980. A rhetorical-critical study, this book examines the overall structure of Mark 2:1–3:6 and the literary techniques according to which it was composed so as to understand both the interrelationships among the various parts of the section and its meaning as a whole. Donahue, John R. Are You the Christ? The Trial Narrative in the Gospel of Mark. SBLDS 10. Missoula, MT: Society of Biblical Literature, 1973. A redactional analysis of this important section of Mark’s Gospel and its relationship to the work as a whole. Special emphasis is given to the temple theme and to Christology. ------. The Theology and Setting of Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark. Milwaukee: Marquette University Press, 1981. A brief redactional study relating Mark’s portrayal of the disciples to concerns in the evangelist’s own community.

_Sidebars_website.indd 240 8/30/12 3:40 PM 240 Dowd, Sharyn Echols. Prayer, Power, and the Problem of Suffering: Mark 11:23–25 in the Context of Markan Theology. SBLDS 105. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988. An extensive analysis of Mark’s theology of prayer. Driggers, Ira Brent. Following God through Mark: Theological Tension in the Second Gospel. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2007. A study of the activity of God in Mark’s Gospel, including God’s work through Jesus and apart from Jesus. Duran, Nicole W. The Power of Disorder: Ritual Elements in Mark’s Passion Narra- tive. LNTS 378. London: T&T Clark, 2008. Examines Mark’s passion narrative in light of traditional sacrificial rituals, framing it in terms of sacrificial ritual. Duran, Nicole Wilkinson, Teresa Okure, and Daniel M. Patte, eds. Mark. Texts @ Contexts. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2010. Essays on Markan texts and themes written by authors from a diverse array of ethnic and social backgrounds. Farmer, William. The Last Twelve Verses of Mark. SNTSMS 25. London: Cambridge University Press, 1974. A study of the evidence for and against the genu- ineness of Mark 16:9–20. The author concludes that the verses should be considered part of Mark’s Gospel. Fowler, Robert M. Let the Reader Understand: Reader-Response Criticism and the Gospel of Mark. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991. Examines the rhetoric of Mark’s Gospel with an emphasis on those features that allow interpretations that are intentionally ambiguous. ------. Loaves and Fishes: The Function of the Feeding Stories in the Gospel of Mark. SBLDS 54. Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1981. The major thesis of this in- vestigation is that the story of the feeding of the five thousand is a Markan composition. A literary-critical study, it also contains a chapter on reader- response and on the implied reader of Mark. Fullmer, Paul. Resurrection in Mark’s Literary-Historical Perspective. LNTS 360. London: T&T Clark, 2007. Garrett, Susan R. The Temptation of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel. Grand Rapids: Eerd- mans, 1998. Gaventa, Beverly Roberts, and Patrick D. Miller, eds. The Ending of Mark and the Ends of God: Essays in Memory of Donald Harrisville Juel. Louisville: Westmin- ster John Knox, 2005. Geddert, Timothy J. Watchwords: Mark 13 in Markan Eschatology. JSNTSup 26. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1989. Interprets Mark’s eschatology from the standpoint of epistemology, arguing that Mark is more concerned to teach his readers how to know than what to know. Geyer, Douglas W. Fear, Anomaly, and Uncertainty in the Gospel of Mark. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2001. Gray, Timothy C. The Temple in the Gospel of Mark: A Study in Its Narrative Role. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008. A literary critical analysis of the role the temple plays in the Markan passion narrative. Hamerton-Kelly, Robert. The Gospel and the Sacred: Poetics of Violence in Mark. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994. Hanson, James S. The Endangered Promises: Conflict in Mark. SBLDS 171. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000. Hatina, Thomas. In Search of a Context: The Function of Scripture in Mark’s Nar- rative. JSNTSup 232. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002. Henderson, Suzanne Watts. Christology and Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark. SNTSMS 135. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

_Sidebars_website.indd 241 8/30/12 3:40 PM 241 Hengel, Martin. Studies in the Gospel of Mark. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985. A collection of three essays, this book concentrates in the main on the historical origins of Mark’s Gospel. It argues for a reappropriation of the traditional views that the Gospel was written in Rome in 69 and contains materials handed down by Peter through John Mark, referred to in Acts 12. Hooker, Morna D. The Message of Mark. London: Epworth, 1983. This brief study attempts to delineate the unique perspective of Mark’s community concerning Christology and discipleship. ------. The Son of Man in Mark. Montreal: McGill University Press, 1967. This book studies the use of the term Son of Man in the Old Testament and intertestamental literature and then examines all of the occurrences in Mark. The author argues for a coherent pattern in Mark’s use of the term. Horsley, Richard A. Hearing the Whole Story: The Politics of Plot in Mark’s Gospel. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001. Horsley, Richard A., Jonathan Draper, and John Miles Foley, eds. Performing the Gospel: Orality, Memory, and Mark. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2006. Incigneri, Brian J. The Gospel to the Romans: The Setting and Rhetoric of Mark’s Gospel. BIS 65. Leiden: Brill, 2003. Iverson, Kelly R. Gentiles in the Gospel of Mark: “Even the Dogs under the Table Eat the Children’s Crumbs.” LNTS 339. London: T&T Clark, 2007. Iverson, Kelly R., and Christopher W. Skinner, eds. Mark as Story: Retrospect and Prospect. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2011. A collection of essays reflecting on the influence of David Rhoads’ narrative-critical work on Mark (see the book ). Joy, David. Mark and Its Subalterns: A Hermeneutical Paradigm for a Postcolonial Context. BibleWorld. London: Equinox, 2008. Looks at Mark from Indian and postcolonial perspective, then discusses colonial powers and their traces in Mark, arguing that the poor and marginalized are agents of change in the Gospel. Juel, Donald H. A Master of Surprise: Mark Interpreted. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994. ------. Messiah and Temple: The Trial of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. SBLDS 31. Missoula, MT: Scholars Press, 1977. An analysis of the problem represented by the significant role played by Jesus’ prediction of the temple’s destruction in his trial, and the virtual insignificance of the temple in the rest of Mark’s narrative. Kaminouchi, Alberto de Mingo. “But It Is Not So among You”: Echoes of Power in Mark 10:23-45. JSNTSS 249. London: T&T Clark, 2003. Kealy, Seán P. Mark’s Gospel: A History of Its Interpretation. New York: Paulist Press, 1982. A sweeping historical survey of Markan scholarship from the first centuries to the present. The book covers the modern era of form and redaction criticism, but its unique contribution is its review of little-known works from earlier periods. Kee, Howard Clark. Community of the New Age: Studies in Mark’s Gospel. Phila- delphia: Westminster, 1977. After locating the origins of Mark’s Gospel in rural and small-town Syria, this study regards the Gospel as written in the late 60s on the model of Jewish apocalyptic writings. Kelber, Werner H. The Kingdom in Mark: A New Place and a New Time. Philadel- phia: Fortress, 1974. This book studies Mark’s concept of the “kingdom of God” in reference to a proposed reconstruction of Christian community

_Sidebars_website.indd 242 8/30/12 3:40 PM 242 following the destruction of Jerusalem in 70. The author dates the Gospel after this event, which, he believes, precipitated its production. ------. Mark’s Story of Jesus. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979. This book is an inter- pretive retelling of Mark’s story of the life and death of Jesus, understood as a journey beginning in Galilee and ending in Jerusalem. It espouses the view, long debated by scholars, that Mark depicts the disciples at the close of his story as permanently alienated from Jesus. ------. The Oral and the Written Gospel: The Hermeneutics of Speaking and Writing in the Synoptic Tradition, Mark, Paul, and Q. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983. This book develops the thesis that Mark, by putting the Gospel into a written form, put an end to the creative development that had characterized it in the oral stage. ------, ed. The Passion in Mark: Studies on Mark 14–16. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1976. In this collection of redaction-critical essays written by several scholars, each pericope in Mark’s passion account is investigated in terms both of the role that it plays within the passion account itself and of the thematic links that it exhibits to other parts of the narrative. Kermode, Frank. The Genesis of Secrecy: On the Interpretation of Narrative. Cam- bridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1979. An examination of Mark by a literary critic rather than a biblical scholar, this study questions whether it is possible to find any unity of coherence intended by the author of the Markan narrative. Written from the perspective that one can find no coherence to life itself, it nevertheless contains scattered insights into Mark along the way. Kim, Seong H. Mark, Women and Empire: A Korean Postcolonial Perspective. BMW 20. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2010. Explores these subversive elements in the Gospel of Mark in relation to the Roman Empire. Kingsbury, Jack Dean. The Christology of Mark’s Gospel. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983. This book uses literary method to reappraise Mark’s portrait of Jesus. Following brief chapters on the “messianic secret” and recent approaches to Mark’s understanding of Jesus, it shows how Mark, in the course of his story, gradually unveils the identity of Jesus. In a separate chapter, it deals with the special way in which “the Son of Man” is used. ------. Conflict in Mark: Jesus, Disciples, Authorities. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989. This literary study of Mark as narrative focuses on the story lines of the three most important characters in the narrative. Kinukawa, Hisako. Women and Jesus in Mark: A Japanese Feminist Perspective. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1994. Levine, Amy-Jill, ed. A Feminist Companion to Mark. FCNTECW 2. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000. Mack, Burton. A Myth of Innocence: Mark and Christian Origins. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1988. A study of the social setting of Mark’s Gospel proposing that Mark exercised a considerable amount of creativity in his presentation of Jesus traditions in order to vindicate those followers of Jesus who had been expelled from the synagogues. Magness, J. Lee. Sense and Absence: Structure and Suspension in the Ending of Mark’s Gospel. SBLSS. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1986. A study of the literary significance and effect of the final verse of Mark’s Gospel in light of “sus- pended endings” elsewhere in the Bible and in other ancient literature.

_Sidebars_website.indd 243 8/30/12 3:40 PM 243 Malbon, Elizabeth Struthers, ed. Between Author and Audience in Mark: Narration, Characterization, Interpretation. New Testament Monographs 23. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2009. Literary-critical studies in Mark by one of the first and foremost practitioners of narrative criticism. ------. Hearing Mark: A Listener’s Guide. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press Interna- tional, 2002. ------. In the Company of Jesus: Characters in Mark’s Gospel. Louisville: West- minster John Knox, 2000. ------. Mark’s Jesus: Characterization as Narrative Christologhy. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2009. ------. Narrative Space and Mythic Meaning in Mark. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1986. The purpose of this book is to illuminate Mark’s Gospel story by investigating the spatial references found in it: heaven versus earth, land versus sea, Jewish homeland versus foreign land, Galilee versus Judea, isolated areas versus inhabited areas, house versus synagogue, Mount of Olives versus temple, and tomb versus mountain. Maloney, Elliott. Jesus’ Urgent Message for Today: The Kingdom of God in Mark’s Gospel. New York: Continuum, 2004. Marcus, Joel. The Mystery of the Kingdom of God. SBLDS 90. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1986. The thesis of this redaction-critical analysis of Mark’s parable chapter is that whereas the stress in 4:3–20 is on the hiddenness of the kingdom, in 4:21–32 it is on the kingdom’s moving from hiddenness to manifestation. Martin, Ralph P. Mark: Evangelist and Theologian. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973. This book deals with the origins of Mark’s Gospel so as to understand it in light of them. By telling of Jesus’ suffering messiahship, Mark gives encouragement to his own persecuted church in Rome and summons it to faithful discipleship. Marxsen, Willi. Mark the Evangelist: Studies on the Redaction History of the Gospel. Translated by James Boyce et al. Nashville: Abingdon, 1969 [1956]. This monograph is generally credited with inaugurating the redaction-critical approach to Mark’s Gospel. The discussion of this approach in the introduction is classic. Matera, Frank J. The Kingship of Jesus: Composition and Theology in Mark 15. SBLDS 66. Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1982. As the subtitle suggests, this study shows how Mark has composed chapter 15 of his passion account in such fashion as to highlight a royal theology that comes to climactic expression in the centurion’s confession of Jesus as the Son of God. ------. What Are They Saying about Mark? New York: Paulist Press, 1987. Sur- veys twenty-five years of Markan research, discussed in easily understood language. The book has been replaced in the series by another, more up-to-date volume by Daniel Harrington, but it remains valuable for its treatment of works in the mid-twentieth century dealing with four major topics: the setting in which Mark’s Gospel arose; Mark’s understanding of Jesus and of discipleship; principles Mark used in composing his Gospel; present-day literary approaches to Mark’s Gospel. Meagher, John C. Clumsy Construction in Mark’s Gospel: A Critique of Form and Redaktionsgeschichte. TST 3. New York: Mellen, 1979. Proposes that Mark’s

_Sidebars_website.indd 244 8/30/12 3:40 PM 244 Gospel is so awkwardly written and ineptly edited that it is futile to look for overarching purpose in his redaction. Miller, Susan. Women in Mark’s Gospel. JSNTSup 259. London: T&T Clark, 2004. Minor, Mitzi. The Power of Mark’s Story. St. Louis: Chalice, 2001. ------. The Spirituality of Mark. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1996. Moeser, Marion C. The Anecdote in Mark, the Classical World, and the Rabbis. JSNTSS 227. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002. Myers, Ched. Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus. Twentieth anniversary ed. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2008. A political reading of Mark focusing on building biblical literacy, church renewal, and faith-based witness for justice. ------. Who Will Roll Away the Stone? Discipleship Queries for First-World Chris- tians. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2000. Neirynck, Frans. Duality in Mark: Contributions to the Study of the Markan Re- daction. BETL 31. Louvain: Leuven University Press, 1972. A catalogue and description of “two-step expressions” in Mark, which the author takes to be one of the most characteristic features of Markan style. Newheart, Michael Willett. “My Name Is Legion”: The Story of the Sould of the Gerasene Demoniac. Interfaces. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2004. A study of Mark 5:1–20. O’Brien, Kelli S. The Use of Scripture in the Markan Passion Narrative. LNTS 384. New York: T&T Clark, 384. Oyen, Geert van, and Tom Shepherd, eds. The Trial and Death of Jesus: Essays on the Passion Narrative in Mark. CBET 45. Leuven: Peeters, 2006. Pallares, José Cárdenas. A Poor Man Called Jesus: Reflections on the Gospel of Mark. Translated by Robert R. Barr. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1986. This book explores the liberating dimension of Jesus’ words and deeds, demonstrating how his identification of the poor and outcasts was seen as subversive by political and religious authorities. Park, Yoon-Man. Mark’s Memory Resources and the Controversy Stories (Mark 2.1–3.6): An Application of the Frame Theory of Cognitive Science to the Mar- kan Oral-Aural Narrative. LBS 2. Leiden: Brill, 2010. Discusses frame theory, which says that a word, phrase, or theme can only be understood within a particular body of assumptions and knowledge, then applies it to this section in Mark. Parker, Neil R. The Marcan Portrayal of the “Jewish” Unbeliever: A Function of the Marcan References to Jewish Scripture; The Theological Basis of a Literary Con- struct. SBL 79. New York: Lang, 2008. Argues that Mark draws a caricature of Jesus’ compatriots in order to explain the presence of “faulty” belief or even unbelief among a Gentile readership. Patella, Michael. Lord of the Cosmos: Mithras, Paul, and the Gospel of Mark. New York: T&T Clark International, 2006. Patte, Daniel, and Aline Patte. Structural Exegesis: From Theory to Practice; Ex- egesis of Mark 15 and 16, Hermeneutical Implications. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1978. An attempt to apply the secular literary theory of “structuralism” to a theological interpretation of Mark’s passion account. Peabody, David Barrett. Mark as Composer. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1987. A detailed analysis of the Greek text of Mark’s Gospel with the intention of isolating redactional features that come from the hand of the evangelist.

_Sidebars_website.indd 245 8/30/12 3:40 PM 245 Perrin, Norman. A Modern Pilgrimage in New Testament Christology. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1974. A collection of essays, this book focuses on the Christology of Mark and especially on Mark’s use of “the Son of Man.” Petersen, Norman R. Literary Criticism for New Testament Critics. GBS. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1978. In chapter 3, the whole of Mark’s narrative is investigated to show that Mark locates the resolution of the plot of his story in the meeting that the young man in white, following Jesus’ own words, predicts Jesus will have with the disciples in Galilee. The reader is invited to project that at this meeting, the disciples come out from under their cloud of ignorance. Räisänen, Heikki. The “Messianic Secret” in Mark’s Gospel. SNTW. London: T&T Clark, 1990. Reiser, William. Jesus in Solidarity with His People. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2000. Rhoads, David. Reading Mark: Engaging the Gospel. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2004. A collection of essays. Rhoads, David, with Joanna Dewey and Donald Michie. Mark as Story: An In- troduction to the Narrative of a Gospel. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1999. More than any other single work, this book pointed the way to a literary (narrative-critical) study of Mark’s Gospel. Following an English translation, it treats, in turn, the rhetoric, settings, plot, and characters of Mark’s narrative. Riley, Harold. The Making of Mark: An Exploration. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1989. Attempts to interpret Mark’s Gospel as a redaction of Matthew and Luke, with particular attention to his style, personal vocabulary, and reasons for inclusion or exclusion of material. Robbins, Vernon K. Jesus the Teacher: A Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation of Mark. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984. A study of socio-rhetorical criticism, this book understands Mark to have combined in his Gospel biblical-Jewish and Greco-Roman traditions and conventions. Mark’s Jesus is at once biblical prophet and Greco-Roman philosopher and teacher; he fulfills Jewish messianic expectations in a way that would capture the attention of non-Jews of Mediterranean society. Robinson, James M. The Problem of History in Mark and Other Markan Stud- ies. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1982. A collection of three studies by a leading New Testament scholar: a comparison of the Gattung (genre) of Mark and John; a study of potential gnostic influences on Mark; and an analysis of the eschatological struggle in Mark 1:1–13 and its presence elsewhere in the Gospel and early Christianity. Roscam, Hendrika N. The Purpose of the Gospel of Mark in Its Historical and Social Context. NovTSup 114. Leiden: Brill, 2004. Roth, Wolfgang. Hebrew Gospel: Cracking the Code of Mark. Yorktown Heights, NY: Meyer-Stone Books, 1988. This book examines the genre and function of Mark’s Gospel in light of ancient and modern Jewish literature. The author believes that this Gospel is an example of Jewish storytelling that reflects an intra-Jewish conversation concerning Jesus. Sabin, Marie Noonan. Reopening the Word: Reading Mark as Theology in the Context of Early Judaism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Samuel, Simon. A Postcolonial Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus. LNTS 340. Lon- don: T&T Clark, 2007.

_Sidebars_website.indd 246 8/30/12 3:40 PM 246 Santos, Narry. Slave of All: The Paradox of Authority and Servanthood in the Gospel of Mark. JSNTSup 237. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000. Schenke, Ludger. Glory and the Way of the Cross: The Gospel of Mark. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1982. A short booklet expounding the classic theory that Mark’s Gospel was written to combat a false “theology of glory” within his community. Schildegen, Brenda Deen. Crisis and Continuity: Time in the Gospel of Mark. JSNTSS 159. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998. Senior, Donald. The Passion of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1984. This book offers a detailed but eminently readable analysis of the passion account of Mark. This analysis is preceded by a chapter on the material leading up to the passion account and is followed by a chapter emphasizing the theology of the account. Shiner, Whitney. Proclaiming the Gospel: First-Century Performance of Mark. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2003. St. Clair, Raquel A. Call and Consequences: A Womanist Reading of Mark. Min- neapolis: Fortress, 2008. Reads Mark’s Gospel through the lens of an African American woman, reflecting on various aspects of discipleship and suffering and developing a model for a womanist reading of the text. Stewart, Eric C. . Matrix: The Bible in Mediterranean Context. Cambridge: Clarke, 2009. Explores the theological motivation behind Mark’s otherwise prob- lematic presentation of geography related to ministry. Stock, Augustine. Call to Discipleship: A Literary Study of Mark’s Gospel. GNS 1. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1982. The author studies Mark’s Gospel as a dramatic work bearing traces of contemporary Greek drama. He shows how Mark uses standard literary techniques to reach his reader with certain points related to discipleship. Subramanian, J. S. The Synoptic Gospels and the Psalms as Prophecy. LNTS 351. New York: T&T Clark, 2007. Examines the manner in which each of the three Synoptic Gospels treat the Psalms as prophecy. Such, W. A. The Abomination of Desolation in the Gospel of Mark: Its Historical Reference in Mark 13:14 and Its Impact in the Gospel. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1998. Sweetland, Dennis. Our Journey with Jesus: Discipleship According to Mark. GNS 22. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1987. This book begins with a study of discipleship in Mark’s Gospel and leads into a discussion of Christian discipleship today. Highlighted themes include the life of Christian community and the relationship of discipleship to Christology. Telford, William. The Barren Temple and the Withered Tree: A Redaction-Critical Analysis of the Cursing of the Fig-Tree Pericope in Mark’s Gospel and Its Relation to the Cleansing of the Temple Tradition. JSNTSup 1. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1980. A detailed exegetical study of Mark 11, including comparison of themes found here that are also in the Old Testament, in rabbinic literature, and in other New Testament books. ------, ed. The Interpretation of Mark. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985. A collection of eight essays by some of the scholars who have contributed to what the editor terms a “literary explosion” in the area of Markan studies. Any such collection necessarily gives an incomplete picture, but the essays included

_Sidebars_website.indd 247 8/30/12 3:40 PM 247 here, each in its own way, add insights into Mark’s Gospel. The introductory essay contains a good review of issues currently debated by scholars. Thompson, Mary R. The Role of Disbelief in Mark: A New Approach to the Second Gospel. New York: Paulist Press, 1989. Examines the negative realities, failures, and misunderstandings portrayed in Mark’s Gospel to explicate the evangelist’s theology as a realistic one in which faith and disbelief coexist. Thurston, Bonnie B. The Spiritual Landscape of Mark. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2008. Studies the importance of geography and place as symbols and key signifiers in the life of Jesus. Titley, Robert. A Poetic Discontent: Austin Farrer and the Gospel of Mark. LNTS 419. New York: T&T Clark, 2010. Examines the writings of Austin Farrer, which look at the book of Mark as literature, history, and scripture and, in the process, scrutinize the validity of these categories for understanding the NT. Tolbert, Mary Ann. Sowing the Gospel: Mark’s World in Literary-Historical Perspec- tive. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989. Takes the parable of the sower as the key to understanding Mark’s Gospel as persuasive literature proclaiming the gospel within a particular social-historical setting. Trainor, Michael F. The Quest for Home: The Household in Mark’s Community. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2001. Tuckett, Christopher, ed. The Messianic Secret. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983. A collection of several now classic studies on this important theme in Markan research. Upton, Bridget Gilfillan. Hearing Mark’s Endings: Listening to Ancient Popular Texts through Speech Act Theory. BIS 79. Leiden: Brill, 2006. A study in orality, focusing on the audience impact of Mark 16:18, Mark 16:9–20, and the “shorter ending” of Mark 16:9. Via, Dan O., Jr. The Ethics of Mark’s Gospel in the Middle of Time. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985. The immediate purpose of this book is to explore the ethical teachings of Mark’s Gospel and especially of chapter 10 within the context of the Markan narrative itself. The larger purpose is to set forth the implications the Markan narrative holds for faith and conduct in today’s world. Vincent, J., ed. Mark, Gospel of Action: Personal and Community Response. Lon- don: SPCK, 2006. Vines, Michael. The Problem of Markan Genre: The Gospel of Mark and the Jewish Novel. AcBib 3. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002. Waetjen, Herman. A Reordering of Power: A Sociopolitical Reading of Mark’s Gospel. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989. An interpretation of Mark from the perspective of liberation theology that identifies Jesus as announcing new power structures in defiance of political domination by a ruling elite. Waterman, Mark W. The Empty Tomb Tradition of Mark: Text, History, and Theo- logical Struggles. Los Angeles: Agathos, 2006. Webb, Geoff R. Mark at the Threshold: Applying Bakhtinian Categories to Markan Characterization. BI 95. Leiden: Brill, 2008. Uses M. M. Bakhtin’s method of studying different levels and modes of dialogue in order to examine the characters of Mark. Weeden, Theodore. Mark: Traditions in Conflict. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971. A classic study of the disciples in Mark that proposes the evangelist portrays them negatively because they represent a segment of Christianity distinct from that of his community.

_Sidebars_website.indd 248 8/30/12 3:40 PM 248 Williams, James G. Gospel against Parable: Mark’s Language of Mystery. BLS 12. Sheffield: Almond, 1985. The contention of this book is that Mark is a narrative gospel, the product of bringing together “biography” and “parable.” It sets forth the mystery of the kingdom as revealed in “the way” of Jesus, the suffering Son of Man. Wilson, A. P. Transfigured: A Derridean Rereading of the Markan Transfiguration. LNTS 319. New York: T&T Clark, 2007. Winn, Adam. The Purpose of Mark’s Gospel: An Early Christian Response to Roman Imperial Propaganda. WUNT 2/245. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008. Attempts to place the Gospel in its historical context and reads it against the back- drop of christological crisis, fear of persecution, and eschatological anxiety within Mark’s community. Wong, Solomon H.-F. The Temple Incident in Mark 11.15–19. The Disclosure of Jesus and the Marcan Faction. NTSCE 5. Frankfurt: Lang, 2009. Analyzes the temple incident in Mark to show that the Markan account reveals a dis- tancing of the Markan faction from the ideologies of other Jews including those who revolted in AD 66–70/74. Wrede, William. The Messianic Secret. Translated by J. C. G. Greig. London: James Clarke, 1971 [1901]. A classic study presenting the thesis that Mark utilizes a secrecy motif in his Gospel in order to reconcile his messianic portrayal of Jesus with the nonmessianic nature of Jesus’ actual life and ministry. Yoshimura, Hiroaki. Did Jesus Cite Isa. 6.9–10? Jesus’ Saying in Mark 4.11–12 and the Isaianic Idea of Hardening and Remnant. Abo, Finland: Abo Akademi University Press, 2010. Asks whether by citing Isa. 6:9–10 in Mark 4:11–12 Jesus was intentionally hindering a certain group from understanding his message.

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