"THIS IS MY BELOVED SON; LISTEN TO HIM": THEOLOGY AND CHRISTOLOGY IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK

C. DREW SMITH [email protected] Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, AR 71998

The study of the Christology of the Gospel of Mark has received a great deal of attention since the time of Wrede's monumental work on the secrecy motif in the second Gospel. A great amount of attention has been given to the theios aner concept, in which scholars find Jesus presented as a divine man patterned after the theos aner supposedly known in the larger ancient world. Along these lines, some scholars have proposed that Mark's Christology reflects a corrective Christology intended to combat a false Christology in the so-called Markan com- munity. Others have sought to discover the Christology of Mark by way

'Significant works on Mark's Christology include: William Wrede, The Messianic Secret (trans. J. C. G. Greig; London: James Clarke, 1971); trans. of Das Messiasgeheimnis in den Evangelien (1901); Johannes Schreiber, "Die Christologiedes Markusevangefiums.Beobachtungen zur Theologie und Komposition des zweiten Evangeliums,"ZTK 58 (1961): 154-183; Leander E. Keck, "Mark 3:7-12 and Mark's Christology,"JBL 84 (1965): 341-358; Vemon K. Robbins, "The Christologyof Mark" (Ph.D. diss., Universityof Chicago, 1970); Theodore J. Weeden, Traditions in Conflict (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1971); Eduard Lohse, "Apokalyptik und Christologie," ZNW 62 (1971): 48-67; Norman Perrin, "The Christology of Mark: A Study in Methodology," JR 51 (1971): 173-187; Otto Betz, "The Concept of the So-Called 'Divine Man' in Mark's Christology,"in Studies in New Testament and Early Christian Literature (ed. D. Aune; Leiden: Brill, 1972); 1=tienneTrocme, "Is there a Markan Christology?"in Christ and Spirit in the New Testament: In Honour of C.F.D. Moule (ed. B. Lindars and S. Smalley; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973), 3-13; Robert C. Tannehill, "The Gospel of Mark as Narrative Christology,"Semeia 16 (1979): 57-95; Philip G. Davis, " `Trulythis Man was the Son of God': The ChristologicalFocus of the Markan Redaction" (Ph.D. diss., McMasterUniversity, 1979); Jack D. Kingsbury, The Christology of Mark's Gospel (Philadelphia:Fortress Press, 1983); M. Eugene Boring, Truly Huma,v Truly Divine :Christological Language and the Gospel Form (St. Louis: CBP Press, 1984).

53 54 of investigating so-called christological titles used in reference to Jesus in the Gospel. And still others have utilized the methods from literary criticism to discuss the presentation of Jesus as a character within the narrative of Mark's story. What has been neglected, however, is the analysis of Mark's Christology as an aspect of the narrative's theo-logy. To be sure, a hand full of scholars has recognized the need for viewing NT Christology within the framework of theology proper.' Yet, no one to my knowledge has taken up a thorough inquiry of Mark's Christology as an aspect of Mark's theology.' My intention, therefore, is to open for investigation the presentation of Jesus in Mark's Gospel as an aspect of the presentation of God within the narrative.4 It is my view, that Mark's Christology is better

2Ina 1986 article, Leander Keck called for a renewal of New Testament Christology stating, "the time is at hand to take up again what was set aside-an explicitlytheologi- cal approach to NT Christology,one which will be informed by the history of ideas but which will deliberately pursue Christology as a theological discipline" ("Toward the Renewal of New Testament Christology," NTS 32 [1986]: 362). Keck also defined "Christology"as "a comprehensive term for the statement of the identity and signifi- cance of Jesus" (ibid.).Moreover, he argued that New Testament Christology must be exactlythat, "christologyas it appears, or is implied, in the NT" (371). Along these same lines, Schubert M. Ogden argued that the prior question to "Who is Jesus?" is "Who is God?" (The Point of Christologsr[New York: Harper & Row, 1982], 25). Ogden seems to suggest in his discussionthat the central point of Christology is to answer this prior question. In my analysisof Mark's Christology, I am followingsomewhat Keck's sugges- tions concerning the growing debate over methodological approaches to the study of Christology,as wellas Ogden's arguments regarding the theologicalquestion Christology answers. On the other hand, I am also seeking to address the christologicalquestion the- ology answers in terms of Mark's presentation of Jesus as an aspect of his presentation of God. See also Wilhelm Thüsing, "Christology and Theology: The Christologically DeterminedTheology of the New Testament," in A New Christology (ed. K. Rahner & W. Thusing; New York: Seabury Press, 1980), 85-159. 'See, however, the brief discussionby John R. Donahue, "A Neglected Factor in the Theology of Mark," JBL 101 (1982): 563-594. 'This article is a revised portion of a chapter from my current doctoral thesis. In my thesis I am seeking to investigatethe presentation of God in Mark's narrative, and how this presentation influencesan audience's understanding of Christologyand discipleship as aspects of Mark's overalltheological presentation. I wouldlike to express appreciation to my doctoral supervisor, Prof. Larry Hurtado of the Universityof Edinburgh, for his helpful guidance and insightfulsuggestions regarding both my thesis and this article.