Christ's Baptism and Crucifixion: the Anointing and Enthronement of God's
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Christ’s Baptism and Crucifi xion: The Anointing and Enthronement of God’s Son A. B. Caneday A. B. Caneday is Professor of New Introduction Matthew and Luke, has taken priority Testament Studies and Biblical Theol- If one did not already recognize it, redac- in contemporary scholarship. Early liter- ogy at Northwestern College in Saint tion criticism showed what should have ary and source critics assigned priority Paul, Minnesota. He is the co-author been obvious to all —that the Gospel to Mark as the fi rst of the four Gospels. (with Thomas R. Schreiner) of The writers play a creative role in shaping More recently the programmatic work Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theol- the theological import of their narra- of Rhoads and Michie has given fresh ogy of Perseverance & Assurance tive accounts concerning Jesus Christ. impetus to the study of Mark’s Gospel (InterVarsity, 2001). On Mark’s Gospel After the entrance of redaction criticism and to all the Gospels, an impetus that he has published two essays: “Mark’s and the emergence of literary criticism, has endured for two decades.2 Generally, Provocative Use of Scripture in Narra- New Testament scholars have focused their work continues to stimulate interest tion: ‘He Was with the Wild Animals and upon the narrative techniques of the in reading each of the Gospels as story. Angels Ministered to Him’” in Bulletin for evangelists. Literary criticism, also, has In particular, they provide guidance Biblical Research 9 (1999); and “He simply uncovered what is truly present concerning Mark’s narrative patterns and Wrote in Parables and Riddles: Mark’s within the Gospel narratives, which to story-telling techniques. Gospel as a Literary Reproduction of our shame got blurred, distorted, or even An atomistic reading of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ Teaching Method” in Didaskalia lost to Christians who thought that to or any of the Gospels, gives the impres- 10 (1999). read Scripture as literature diminished sion that the storyline consists of “a series the Bible. Rediscovery of the Bible as lit- of disparate episodes strung together erature, in the hands of Christians who like distinct beads on a string otherwise critically engage modern criticism of unconnected to each other.”3 A holistic the Bible, need not result in treating the reading, however, yields recognition of a Bible simply as any other good literature. storyline that integrates each episode into Rightly seen, the Bible is the original that a whole by way of a complex variety of classic literature has imitated. Scripture’s story-telling techniques. Mark gives struc- literary patterns and features signifi cantly ture to his story by repeating words and infl uenced great literary works far beyond phrases for literary effect and theologi- mere quotations and allusions. cal signifi cance. He uses foreshadowing Passé is the claim that the author of and refl ection. Recurrence of comparable the second Gospel “was a clumsy writer settings and events assists readers to see unworthy of mention in any history and to hear the message that escapes the of literature.”1 The same is true of the Twelve whose vision and hearing are notion that Mark was theologically art- impaired. Mark frequently wraps one less. Mark’s Gospel, formerly passed over episode around another by telling the because its contents were assumed to be beginning of one episode only to inter- incorporated into the larger Gospels of rupt it with another and then to return 70 to fi nish the fi rst.4 By so doing, Mark not earlier short studies that call attention only signals for readers a relationship to Mark’s apparently intentional use of between the two stories, but by wrapping schizō in both 1:10 and 15:38 to form an one episode around another, his arrange- inclusio yield more insights.12 Lane’s clas- ment of the two episodes makes a point sic study of Mark provocatively calls for that one episode alone would not signify. these studies by observing, “It is probably Another of Mark’s features is chiasm or signifi cant that in the preface to the Gos- “episodes in a concentric pattern,” such pel there is a rending of the sky and the as in 2:1-3:6 with the A-B-C-B1-A1 pattern.5 proclamation that Jesus is the divine Son Numerous studies show that chiasm (Ch. 1:11) to which correspond the rend- occurs at multiple levels in Mark’s Gos- ing of the temple veil and the confession pel, from the text’s smallest level, such that Jesus is Son of God in Ch. 15:38f.”13 as short proverbial statements, to the This essay seeks to fi ll out Lane’s pithy entire text, including the whole Gospel but undeveloped comment concerning the narrative.6 Yet, the complexity of Mark’s narrative and theological signifi cance of narrative arrangement yields numerous, Mark’s inclusio. if not competing, interpretive structural arrangements of several chiasms within The Literary Complexity of Mark’s a large chiasm. Some are elaborate while Inclusio others are modest.7 Van Iersel fi nds the two ends of Mark’s While reading Donald H. Juel’s A Mas- Gospel connected by way of symbolic ter of Surprise, I fi rst encountered the sug- representation, linking “desert” and gestion that Mark envelopes his Gospel “tomb.”14 Some scholars agree, identifying narrative with an inclusio.8 He calls atten- 1:2-13 and 15:42-16:8 as Mark’s inclusio, tion to what I had read numerous times treating 1:1 as a title.15 The parallels they without proper attention, that Mark uses identify, however, are primarily concep- schizō once at either end of his Gospel, in tual associations that depend heavily 1:10 and 15:38. He notes, “The images form upon an interpretive level of reading the an inclusio: A pattern that begins here text that admittedly moves beyond what at Jesus’ baptism ends with his death.”9 the text itself says.16 Careful reading Juel continues, “When the heavens are shows that stronger verbal linkages occur torn, the Spirit enters Jesus and a heavely between 1:1-13 and 15:33-39. Prominent [sic] voice addresses him as ‘son.’ At the catchwords in these two pericopes sug- moment of his death, he ‘breathed out his gest that these two portions form Mark’s spirit’ (15:37, au. trans.); the temple curtain inclusio, featuring Jesus’ baptism and tears; and a centurion—not God—makes crucifi xion as anointing and enthrone- a declaration about Jesus’ sonship.”10 ment respectively. Juel stirred my imagination by observ- With van Iersel or Wallis, one might ing, “Refl ection suggests that the relation- expect to find Mark’s “bookends” or ship between both ends of the inclusio are inclusio in 1:1-13 and a corresponding complex, not simple, and merit further portion at the end in 15:40-16:8. However, study.”11 His own work, however, simply upon reading these portions, one does not touches upon this complexity while chal- fi nd many verbal linkages between the lenging readers to advance the study. Two two. One fi nds Mark’s mention of John’s 71 camel hair garment (1:6) and the young of recurring terms, expressions, cognates, man’s robe (16:5).17 Though Mark’s men- and associate ideas that naturally link tion of clothing is admittedly unusual with 1:1-13. Motyer notes a clustering of and signifi cant within each of the two motifs that occur in Mark’s account at passages, stronger verbal linkage of the both Jesus’ baptism (1:9-11) and his death wilderness and tomb settings would (15:36-39) including (1) declaration that have made the connection unmistakable. Jesus is the Son of God (at baptism, God’s A clearer link might be the explicit men- voice; at death, the centurion); (2) a tearing tion of Jesus’ movements, in the opening of the sky and of the curtain; (3) descent scene “from Nazareth of Galilee” (1:9) of the Spirit and descent of the tear in the and at the tomb “the Nazarene” is going curtain (from top to bottom); (4) Elijah is “into Galilee” (16:7). Yet, there is little in symbolically present (at baptism, in John; 15:40-16:8 that commends this portion as at death, in the mocking of the people); the closure of the inclusio. In fact, Mark’s and (5) reception of the Spirit (pneuma) at story resists closure at 16:8. Instead, baptism and departure of Christ’s spirit “Mark’s Gospel ends with both hope and at death (exepneusen, 15:37, 39), signifi ed disappointment.”18 The fi nal two verses with the double use of the noun’s cognate end the narrative by sustaining tensions Greek verb as a euphemism.20 Do these of the story, tension “between blindness exhaust the verbal linkages between the and insight, concealment and openness, two portions? Juxtaposing the text of both silence and proclamation. The tension is portions holds promise for identifying not resolved.”19 more links. Thus, lack of strong verbal linkages By laying the two passages side by side, with 1:1-13 and lack of closure to the story even in English (but better in Greek), one in the resurrection narrative (15:40-16:8) discovers several catchwords and syn- is less than satisfying. The crucifi xion onym phrases that link the two pericopes pericope in 15:33-39 is more promising as as shown in Table 1. the closing member of the inclusio begun Mark’s narrative of Jesus’ baptism in 1:1-13, for here one discovers a cluster foreshadows the crucifixion narrative 72 with catchwords and synonym phrases.