Compositional anaylsis of the Gospel of Mark
December 18, 2012 at 10:25 pm
(This post was last modified: December 18, 2012 at 10:42 pm by Jesus.of.Nazareth.)
I hold that the historical Jesus taught men about the imminent arrival of the Kingdom of God, that is, the Messianic Kingdom. Note here, that contrary to the Jesus Seminar and Funk, the historical Jesus did not think in terms of a "spiritual kingdom," but rather thought in terms of a material kingdom and in this sense subscribed to the common and traditional belief. I take the references to the royal "Son of God" recalls Psalm 2, likely a coronation Psalm in which subjected peoples are warned not to rebel or such would be swiftly and soundly punished. With Matthew's "Kingdom of the Heavens," we see a trend toward spiritualizing a presupposed material concept of the kingdom, due to the former failing to be realized. Thus the Christian adjustment that the kingdom of God was "within you" and the innovative distinction between a first and second coming of the Lord, shares the same concern. In so doing, they created the "Church Age" dispensation, in which the Gospel was to be preached to the entire world before the "second" coming would occur.
Acts 1:6 So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him, “Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 1:7 He told them, “You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”
This interpretation of the development of the notion of the Kingdom of God is made quite clear in the above text. So, I think it is probable that the material restoration of the "kingdom to Israel," was one that Jesus held and that here is being reinterpreted just as Matthew reinterprets it. Of course, this goes very much to the question of whether the historical Jesus was apocalyptic or not. In the context of historical Jesus research, this question is fundamental, and what the Jesus Seminar seems to agree upon ahead of time, was and tendenz toward a non-apocalyptic Jesus, very much aimed against Schweitzer's position. However, there are members who maintained an apocalyptic Jesus such as Luedemann, who thought he was an non-Messianic apocalyptic prophet.
If it is probable that Jesus did regard himself as the Messiah, confirmed by the Baptizer, that his Kingdom of God implies that he was the Messiah or King of said Kingdom. I think that there is a bias in play here that, due to religious dogmatism and politics, many are not wont to admit that Jesus did claim to be the Messiah because a notion of a material Messianic age was not realized and Jesus was wrong about himself and the imminent coming of the Kingdom. Who can face that Jesus was so fundamentally wrong? Hence, the interpretation of the historical data is biased to argue that Jesus made a messianic claim that was decidedly proven by history.
As you know, it is most probable that the historical Jesus favored the circumlocution, "Son of Man." I have also argued that it was not at all expedient that if he did think that he was the Messiah, it would only make political sense that this claim remain oblique. Thus I think that the phase was intended as a double entendre, by which he could at once say, in the third person, that he was both a "mere mortal" but paradoxically, also the apocalyptic "son of man" known especially from Daniel 7:13f.
This accords with the likely historical Jesus who taught in parables regarding the Kingdom of God. His messianic secret thus has a historical origin and is politically informed and realistic. For these reasons, I do not think that a messianic claim was a later development in which a bogus claim was imposed upon Jesus by his disciples. There is also the saying that "something greater than Solomon is here." I interpret that Jesus' reference to Solomon rests upon a historical Jesus who saw in Solomon a synthesis of sagacity and messianic royalty, which Jesus thought he himself possess to an even greater degree. In this way, he implied a messianic, historical self-identity.
Again, the texts that portray Jesus as possessing a messianic consciousness is both historical and non-fictional, not an invention of the church. As I said, I reject a certain kind of academic, Wrede-istic "bias" that the historical Jesus did not possess a messianic self-consciousness. I call this a "bias" because I think that it reflects are certain conflict between a certain dichotomy between secular intellectuals and Christian fideists.
Certainly, the Jesus Seminar was correct to include GTh in its consideration regarding the authentic sayings of Jesus. Hence Funk's title, "The Five Gospels." However, there is another question as to whether the particular implication of a non-historical Jesus can be argued from its quasi-gnostic point of view. That these texts do not share in a Jewish, messianic apocalypticism cannot be used to argue that the historical Jesus was therefore not apocalyptic. At best, it can only be noted as supporting, not definitive, evidence. This would be like claiming that the Johannine quasi-gnostic perspective argues against the historical Jesus. So I find your particular slant here not to be germane and hardly addresses my arguments that Jesus is portrayed as an Aristotlean tragic hero that I have argued in some detail, and which of course you are compelled to meet. Allow me to summarize my argument that Jesus in the PN is portrayed as an Aristotlean tragic hero.
First there are the literary-critical arguments regarding the composition of the Gospel of Mark.
- Literary criticism, or more specifically, composition criticism, is a valid and necessary method of historical exegesis. There is not doubt that ancient literature in general, and biblical literature in general, are often not unified compositions. To the contrary, both Old and Testament literature exhibits many examples where redactional modifications have been made to many texts, on the level of textual variants up to redactional conflations and expansions, be they major, as in the composition of the Pentateuch, or minor, as in the generation of certain textual variants. And such redactional manipulation is in evidence for example in the Josephus text that mentions the Christ where it is probable that certain interpolations were introduced. I should think that I hardly need to argue this point.
- I have advanced, I think, a fairly extensive argument regarding the compositional development of the Gospel of Mark. That the gospel shows clear evidence of textual insertions seems most obvious from several examples I have offered.
[center]Markan expansions of pMark[/center]
1) The insertion of the story of John the Baptizer's death:
6:7 And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits ; 8 and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff -no bread, no bag, no money in their belt - 9 but to wear sandals ; and He added, "Do not put on two tunics." 10 And He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. 11 "Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them." 12 They went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.
14 And King Herod heard of it, for His name had become well known ; and people were saying, "John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him." 15 But others were saying, "He is Elijah." And others were saying, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." 16 But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, "John, whom I beheaded, has risen !" 17 For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." 19 Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; 20 for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed ; but he used to enjoy listening to him. 21 A strategic day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee ; 22 and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests ; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you." 23 And he swore to her, "Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to half of my kingdom." 24 And she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist." 25 Immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." 26 And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and had him beheaded in the prison, 28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl ; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.
30 The apostles gathered together with Jesus ; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught.
2) Jesus' family comes to get him because he seems unbalanced:
3:20 And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. 21 When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, "He has lost His senses."
22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons." 23 And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan ? 24 "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 "If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 "If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished ! 27 "But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. 28 "Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter ; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin "- 30 because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."
31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You." 33 Answering them, He said, "Who are My mother and My brothers ?" 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, "Behold My mother and My brothers ! 35 "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother."
3) Jesus' assertion about an unknown exorcist:
9:33 They came to Capernaum ; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, "What were you discussing on the way ?" 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." 36 Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 "Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me."
38 John said to Him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us." 39 But Jesus said, "Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. 40 "For he who is not against us is for us. 41 "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.
42 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.
4) Fasting
2:18 John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting ; and they came and said to Him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast ?" 19 And Jesus said to them
,
"While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 "But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
21 "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment ; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results. 22 "No one puts new wine into old wineskins ; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins."
5) Anointing
14:1 Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away ; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him; 2 for they were saying, "Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people."
3 While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard ; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. 4 But some were indignantly remarking to one another, "Why has this perfume been wasted ? 5 "For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they were scolding her. 6 But Jesus said, "Let her alone ; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. 7 "For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. 8 "She has done what she could ; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. 9 "Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her."
14:10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. 11 They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.
6) Peter's Denials (a)
14:53 They led Jesus away to the high priest ; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together.
14:54 Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest ; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire.
14:55 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. 56 For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. 57 Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, 58 "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.' " 59 Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. 60 The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, "Do You not answer ? What is it that these men are testifying against You?" 61 But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" 62 And Jesus said, "I am ; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." 63 Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, "What further need do we have of witnesses ? 64 "You have heard the blasphemy ; how does it seem to you?" And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. 65 Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, "Prophesy !" And the officers received Him with slaps in the face.
7) Peter's Denials (b), Jesus before Pilate, Pilate's release of Barrabbas
66 As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Nazarene." 68 But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are talking about." And he went out onto the porch. and a rooster crowed.#2871 69 The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, "This is one of them!" 70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too." 71 But he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this man you are talking about!" 72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, "Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And he began to weep.
15:1 Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation ; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. 2 Pilate questioned Him, "Are You the King of the Jews ?" And He answered him, "It is as you say." 3 The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. 4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, "Do You not answer ? See how many charges they bring against You!" 5 But Jesus made no further answer.
6 Now at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. 7 The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. 8 The crowd went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them. 9 Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews ?" 10 For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. 12 Answering again, Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews ?" 13 They shouted back, "Crucify Him!" 14 But Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done ?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify Him!" 15 Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
16 The soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium ), and they called together the whole Roman cohort. 17 They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; 18 and they began to acclaim Him, "Hail, King of the Jews !" 19 They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. 20 After they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him. 21 They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus ), to bear His cross.
[center]***[/center]
In this way, I confirm the thesis of a pMark, or the redacted presence of an earlier, underlying version of the gospel. I have also argued, on stylistic grounds, for the independent existence of the Passion Narrative whose scope extends from Mark 14:1-15:39*. In particular, I have argued that it did indeed conclude in 15:39, and did not include the episodes to the burial and empty tomb. This demarcation is critical to my interpretation of the PN as an Aristotelian tragedy.
I have, or can advance, arguments that the Gospel of Mark underwent the following compositional stages.
1) an eye-witness report of the centurion
2) the composition of the PN
3) the uniting of originally independent pericopae with the PN by pMark to serve as an extended introduction to the PN. So the motto that Mark is "a passion narrative with an introduction." This is exactly correct.
4) a Markan final redaction providing the ad-quem dating for the compositional development of the Gospel (c. 70 BCE).
That the Passion Narrative has received expansions is the common critical view. For defense of this claim, see:
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/pa...young.html
Note also the consensus that the PN is dated somewhere between 30-60 CE. It is certainly a pre-Markan dating as a Markan redaction presupposes an earlier pMark.
We then come to the place of interpreting the probable original PN. Here, of course, a deliberate redaction-critical argument needs to be made and assessed. Let me here just say that the original PN contained no fantastic elements such as the fulfillment of prophecies based on Psalm 22, the supernatural darkness, or the miraculous renting of the temple veil. These too are Markan additons. Rather than going into my literary arguments concerning Mark's additions to the PN, I will simply present the results of what I think constituted it:
The Passion Narrative
14:1 Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away ; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him; 2 for they were saying, "Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people."
10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. 11 They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.
[No pMark arrest episode. Replaced by Mark's own]
53 They led Jesus away to the high priest ; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together.
Jesus before His Accusers
55 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. 56 For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. The high priest was questioning Him, and said to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" 62 And Jesus said, "I am ; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN."
63 Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, "What further need do we have of witnesses ? 64 "You have heard the blasphemy ; how does it seem to you?" And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. 65 Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, "Prophesy !" And the officers received Him with slaps in the face.
Jesus Is Mocked
15:16 The soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the whole Roman cohort. 17 They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; 18 and they began to acclaim Him, "Hail, King of the Jews !" 19 They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. 20 After they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him. 21 They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus ), to bear His cross.
The Crucifixion
22 Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh ; but He did not take it. 25 It was the third hour when they crucified Him. 26 The inscription of the charge against Him read, "THE KING OF THE JEWS." 27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. The chief priests along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, "He delivered others ; He cannot deliver Himself. 32 "Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe !" Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.
34 At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI ?" which is translated, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" 35 When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, "Behold, He is calling for Elijah." 36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, [but the rest said], "Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down."
37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. 39 When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, "Truly this man was a son of a god."
[center]***[/center]
Acts 1:6 So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him, “Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 1:7 He told them, “You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”
This interpretation of the development of the notion of the Kingdom of God is made quite clear in the above text. So, I think it is probable that the material restoration of the "kingdom to Israel," was one that Jesus held and that here is being reinterpreted just as Matthew reinterprets it. Of course, this goes very much to the question of whether the historical Jesus was apocalyptic or not. In the context of historical Jesus research, this question is fundamental, and what the Jesus Seminar seems to agree upon ahead of time, was and tendenz toward a non-apocalyptic Jesus, very much aimed against Schweitzer's position. However, there are members who maintained an apocalyptic Jesus such as Luedemann, who thought he was an non-Messianic apocalyptic prophet.
If it is probable that Jesus did regard himself as the Messiah, confirmed by the Baptizer, that his Kingdom of God implies that he was the Messiah or King of said Kingdom. I think that there is a bias in play here that, due to religious dogmatism and politics, many are not wont to admit that Jesus did claim to be the Messiah because a notion of a material Messianic age was not realized and Jesus was wrong about himself and the imminent coming of the Kingdom. Who can face that Jesus was so fundamentally wrong? Hence, the interpretation of the historical data is biased to argue that Jesus made a messianic claim that was decidedly proven by history.
As you know, it is most probable that the historical Jesus favored the circumlocution, "Son of Man." I have also argued that it was not at all expedient that if he did think that he was the Messiah, it would only make political sense that this claim remain oblique. Thus I think that the phase was intended as a double entendre, by which he could at once say, in the third person, that he was both a "mere mortal" but paradoxically, also the apocalyptic "son of man" known especially from Daniel 7:13f.
This accords with the likely historical Jesus who taught in parables regarding the Kingdom of God. His messianic secret thus has a historical origin and is politically informed and realistic. For these reasons, I do not think that a messianic claim was a later development in which a bogus claim was imposed upon Jesus by his disciples. There is also the saying that "something greater than Solomon is here." I interpret that Jesus' reference to Solomon rests upon a historical Jesus who saw in Solomon a synthesis of sagacity and messianic royalty, which Jesus thought he himself possess to an even greater degree. In this way, he implied a messianic, historical self-identity.
Again, the texts that portray Jesus as possessing a messianic consciousness is both historical and non-fictional, not an invention of the church. As I said, I reject a certain kind of academic, Wrede-istic "bias" that the historical Jesus did not possess a messianic self-consciousness. I call this a "bias" because I think that it reflects are certain conflict between a certain dichotomy between secular intellectuals and Christian fideists.
Certainly, the Jesus Seminar was correct to include GTh in its consideration regarding the authentic sayings of Jesus. Hence Funk's title, "The Five Gospels." However, there is another question as to whether the particular implication of a non-historical Jesus can be argued from its quasi-gnostic point of view. That these texts do not share in a Jewish, messianic apocalypticism cannot be used to argue that the historical Jesus was therefore not apocalyptic. At best, it can only be noted as supporting, not definitive, evidence. This would be like claiming that the Johannine quasi-gnostic perspective argues against the historical Jesus. So I find your particular slant here not to be germane and hardly addresses my arguments that Jesus is portrayed as an Aristotlean tragic hero that I have argued in some detail, and which of course you are compelled to meet. Allow me to summarize my argument that Jesus in the PN is portrayed as an Aristotlean tragic hero.
First there are the literary-critical arguments regarding the composition of the Gospel of Mark.
- Literary criticism, or more specifically, composition criticism, is a valid and necessary method of historical exegesis. There is not doubt that ancient literature in general, and biblical literature in general, are often not unified compositions. To the contrary, both Old and Testament literature exhibits many examples where redactional modifications have been made to many texts, on the level of textual variants up to redactional conflations and expansions, be they major, as in the composition of the Pentateuch, or minor, as in the generation of certain textual variants. And such redactional manipulation is in evidence for example in the Josephus text that mentions the Christ where it is probable that certain interpolations were introduced. I should think that I hardly need to argue this point.
- I have advanced, I think, a fairly extensive argument regarding the compositional development of the Gospel of Mark. That the gospel shows clear evidence of textual insertions seems most obvious from several examples I have offered.
[center]Markan expansions of pMark[/center]
1) The insertion of the story of John the Baptizer's death:
6:7 And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits ; 8 and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff -no bread, no bag, no money in their belt - 9 but to wear sandals ; and He added, "Do not put on two tunics." 10 And He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. 11 "Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them." 12 They went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.
14 And King Herod heard of it, for His name had become well known ; and people were saying, "John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him." 15 But others were saying, "He is Elijah." And others were saying, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." 16 But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, "John, whom I beheaded, has risen !" 17 For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." 19 Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; 20 for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed ; but he used to enjoy listening to him. 21 A strategic day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee ; 22 and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests ; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you." 23 And he swore to her, "Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to half of my kingdom." 24 And she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist." 25 Immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." 26 And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and had him beheaded in the prison, 28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl ; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.
30 The apostles gathered together with Jesus ; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught.
2) Jesus' family comes to get him because he seems unbalanced:
3:20 And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. 21 When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, "He has lost His senses."
22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons." 23 And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan ? 24 "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 "If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 "If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished ! 27 "But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. 28 "Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter ; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin "- 30 because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."
31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You." 33 Answering them, He said, "Who are My mother and My brothers ?" 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, "Behold My mother and My brothers ! 35 "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother."
3) Jesus' assertion about an unknown exorcist:
9:33 They came to Capernaum ; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, "What were you discussing on the way ?" 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." 36 Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 "Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me."
38 John said to Him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us." 39 But Jesus said, "Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. 40 "For he who is not against us is for us. 41 "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.
42 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.
4) Fasting
2:18 John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting ; and they came and said to Him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast ?" 19 And Jesus said to them
,
"While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 "But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
21 "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment ; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results. 22 "No one puts new wine into old wineskins ; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins."
5) Anointing
14:1 Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away ; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him; 2 for they were saying, "Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people."
3 While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard ; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. 4 But some were indignantly remarking to one another, "Why has this perfume been wasted ? 5 "For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they were scolding her. 6 But Jesus said, "Let her alone ; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. 7 "For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. 8 "She has done what she could ; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. 9 "Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her."
14:10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. 11 They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.
6) Peter's Denials (a)
14:53 They led Jesus away to the high priest ; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together.
14:54 Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest ; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire.
14:55 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. 56 For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. 57 Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, 58 "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.' " 59 Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. 60 The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, "Do You not answer ? What is it that these men are testifying against You?" 61 But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" 62 And Jesus said, "I am ; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." 63 Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, "What further need do we have of witnesses ? 64 "You have heard the blasphemy ; how does it seem to you?" And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. 65 Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, "Prophesy !" And the officers received Him with slaps in the face.
7) Peter's Denials (b), Jesus before Pilate, Pilate's release of Barrabbas
66 As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Nazarene." 68 But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are talking about." And he went out onto the porch. and a rooster crowed.#2871 69 The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, "This is one of them!" 70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too." 71 But he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this man you are talking about!" 72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, "Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And he began to weep.
15:1 Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation ; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. 2 Pilate questioned Him, "Are You the King of the Jews ?" And He answered him, "It is as you say." 3 The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. 4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, "Do You not answer ? See how many charges they bring against You!" 5 But Jesus made no further answer.
6 Now at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. 7 The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. 8 The crowd went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them. 9 Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews ?" 10 For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. 12 Answering again, Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews ?" 13 They shouted back, "Crucify Him!" 14 But Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done ?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify Him!" 15 Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
16 The soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium ), and they called together the whole Roman cohort. 17 They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; 18 and they began to acclaim Him, "Hail, King of the Jews !" 19 They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. 20 After they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him. 21 They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus ), to bear His cross.
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In this way, I confirm the thesis of a pMark, or the redacted presence of an earlier, underlying version of the gospel. I have also argued, on stylistic grounds, for the independent existence of the Passion Narrative whose scope extends from Mark 14:1-15:39*. In particular, I have argued that it did indeed conclude in 15:39, and did not include the episodes to the burial and empty tomb. This demarcation is critical to my interpretation of the PN as an Aristotelian tragedy.
I have, or can advance, arguments that the Gospel of Mark underwent the following compositional stages.
1) an eye-witness report of the centurion
2) the composition of the PN
3) the uniting of originally independent pericopae with the PN by pMark to serve as an extended introduction to the PN. So the motto that Mark is "a passion narrative with an introduction." This is exactly correct.
4) a Markan final redaction providing the ad-quem dating for the compositional development of the Gospel (c. 70 BCE).
That the Passion Narrative has received expansions is the common critical view. For defense of this claim, see:
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/pa...young.html
Note also the consensus that the PN is dated somewhere between 30-60 CE. It is certainly a pre-Markan dating as a Markan redaction presupposes an earlier pMark.
We then come to the place of interpreting the probable original PN. Here, of course, a deliberate redaction-critical argument needs to be made and assessed. Let me here just say that the original PN contained no fantastic elements such as the fulfillment of prophecies based on Psalm 22, the supernatural darkness, or the miraculous renting of the temple veil. These too are Markan additons. Rather than going into my literary arguments concerning Mark's additions to the PN, I will simply present the results of what I think constituted it:
The Passion Narrative
14:1 Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away ; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him; 2 for they were saying, "Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people."
10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. 11 They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.
[No pMark arrest episode. Replaced by Mark's own]
53 They led Jesus away to the high priest ; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together.
Jesus before His Accusers
55 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. 56 For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. The high priest was questioning Him, and said to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" 62 And Jesus said, "I am ; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN."
63 Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, "What further need do we have of witnesses ? 64 "You have heard the blasphemy ; how does it seem to you?" And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. 65 Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, "Prophesy !" And the officers received Him with slaps in the face.
Jesus Is Mocked
15:16 The soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the whole Roman cohort. 17 They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; 18 and they began to acclaim Him, "Hail, King of the Jews !" 19 They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. 20 After they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him. 21 They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus ), to bear His cross.
The Crucifixion
22 Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh ; but He did not take it. 25 It was the third hour when they crucified Him. 26 The inscription of the charge against Him read, "THE KING OF THE JEWS." 27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. The chief priests along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, "He delivered others ; He cannot deliver Himself. 32 "Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe !" Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.
34 At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI ?" which is translated, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" 35 When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, "Behold, He is calling for Elijah." 36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, [but the rest said], "Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down."
37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. 39 When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, "Truly this man was a son of a god."
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