Gospel of Mark Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Gospel of Mark is the second in the most usual sequence of printing of the New Testament Gospels. The commonly accepted range of dates for the text in its existing form are ca. AD 65, the traditional date for the death of Peter, to ca. AD 80, a terminus set by the use of purely Markan material in the Gospel of Luke.
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2 Authorship 3 Date 4 Audience 5 Characteristics 6 Losses and early editing 7 References 8 External links |
Markan priority among the Synoptics
The synoptic problem concerns the difficulty in accounting for the similarities and differences among the gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke. The most commonly accepted solution designates Mark as the first of the surviving gospels to have been written (Markan priority). An alternative and more dated (first proposed by Augustine in the 5th century CE) analysis credits Matthew with this distinction. The later theory was championed on a historical-critical level by J.J. Greisbach in the 19th century, but was dealt a near death blow by H.J. Holzmann immediately prior to the 20th. While not without its own difficulties, the "Two-Document" (Mark and Q) hypothesis proposed by Holzmann and, most famously, B.H. Streeter has held great weight among scholars (liberal to conservative) for nearly 100 years. Attempts by figures such as William Farmer to revive the Greisbach hypothesis have largely failed, as it raises significantly more problems than it solves.
It is widely (though not universally) agreed that the gospels of Matthew and Luke draw extensively from Markan textual tradition, in addition to a now-lost "sayings" gospel—called Q after German Quelle, "source". Out of a total of 662 verses, Mark has 406 in common with both Matthew and Luke, 145 with Matthew alone, 60 with Luke alone, and at most 51 peculiar to itself, according to a common concordance.
Authorship
As early as Papias in the early 2nd century, the text was attributed to Mark, a disciple of Peter who is said to have recorded the Apostle's discourses under his tutelage in Rome.
While the text of Papias' original attribution is no longer extant, it was quoted by Eusebius of Caesarea, who is generally considered to reliably reproduce his sources:
- "And the presbyter said this. Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions to the necessities [of his hearers], but with no intention of giving a regular narrative of the Lord's sayings. Wherefore Mark made no mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. For of one thing he took especial care, not to omit anything he had heard, and not to put anything fictitious into the statements."
The Rome/Peter theory is currently under serious attack. It is now conceeded that Mark's Latinizing language -- once seen as an indication of Roman provenance -- could have stemmed from many places throughout the larger Roman empire. Furthermore, Papias' comment does not make a clear that the Mark of whom he spoke is the author of our canonical gospel which bears that name. Neither does the comment in 1 Peter 5:13; Mark was a very common name in the Roman empire at the time that Peter and Papias wrote. Several passages jumble Galilean topography, indicating that the author, or his sources, were unfamiliar with the actual geography of that area (as Peter assumably would have been). Finally, the connection of the Gospel of Mark with persecution, and persection with Rome, is dubious. Persection was widespread and sporatic beyond the borders of the city of Rome. All this goes to say that we know little of the author of Mark or its geographical origin. The above arguments do not disprove that Mark and Peter were connected, but do question the traditional reasons for assuming that connection.
Date
The text of the Gospel itself furnishes us with no clear information as to the time that it was written. Comments attributed to Jesus in Mark 13:1–2 (the "little Apocalypse", see below) have been seen as a reference to the destruction of the Temple, which would place the work after AD 70. Most scholars contrast these comments with the more specific ones in Luke and Matthew, and would be hesitant to assign a date later than 70-73 CE, the latter being when Jerusalem was finally and fully sacked. Nevertheless, a great majority of moderate and conservative scholars assign Mark a date between 65 and 70 CE, although there are vocal minority groups which argue for earlier or later dates.
One possible reading of a parchment from a cave at Qumran, 7Q5, thought by some to be a fragment of Mark, presents the possibility that the Gospel was written and distributed prior to AD 68. Most scholars consider this reading, and its supposition that early Christians lived at Qumran, to be rather dubious.
Audience
Mark is a Hellenistic gospel, written primarily for an audience of Greek-speaking residents of the Roman Empire. This is evidenced by the fact that it explains Jewish usages (7:3; 14:3; 14:12; 15:42) and takes care to interpret Aramaic words and phrases which a Gentile would be likely not to understand, such as "Boanerges" (3:17); "Talitha cumi" (5:41); "Corban" (7:11); "Bartimaeus" (10:46); "Abba" (14:36); "Eloi" (15:34). Mark also uses certain Latin words not found in any of the other Gospels, such as "speculator" (6:27, rendered AV "executioner"; RV "soldier of his guard"), "xestes" (a corruption of sextarius, rendered "pots", 7:4, 8), "quadrans" (12:42, rendered "a farthing"), "centurion" (15:39, 44, 45). These usages are consistent with the hypothesis that Mark is writing in Greek, as a foreign language, for the first time.
The Hellenism exhibited is not confined to language. The description in this Gospel of how the Sanhedrin (the authorities of the Judaic religion) plotted to execute Jesus has been used to promote and condone anti-Semitism. The demonization of Pharisees, or non-Hellenized Jews, would have directed this gospel at a Gentile audience; perhaps one only partly of Jewish extraction, as at Alexandria. The audience for Mark seems to have experienced some persecution, and would have been expecting more. (See Jews in the New Testament for further discussion.)
The phrase "and straightway" occurs nearly forty times in this Gospel; in Luke, which is much longer, it is used only seven times, and in John only four times. In a more modern translation, this phrase would be rendered as "immediately" or "soon afterward". It is this immediacy which makes the gospel "a transcript of life" according to Brooke Foss Westcott. This immediacy is heightened by the frequent use of the present tense to describe Jesus' actions, although most translations do not represent this.
The repetitive use of "and straightaway" is an apparent indication that various literary forms and doublets have been loosely strung together to construct a continuous narrative; this suggests to some that Mark is not an author, but rather an editor. Cf. Matthew, which uses "and it came to pass" as a repetitive link in retelling Mark's story more eloquently and elaborately, in the exact same sequence. These links are not as evident in English translations as they are in the Greek texts.
Since the time of Papias, Mark has commonly been thought of as a rapid succession of vivid pictures loosely strung together without much attempt to bind them into a whole or give the events in their natural sequence. This pictorial power is that which specially characterizes the author, so that "if anyone desires to know an evangelical fact, not only in its main features and grand results, but also in its most minute and so to speak more graphic delineation, he must betake himself to Mark". Redaction criticism since the 1950s, however, has produced another view of Mark's gospel: one of a carefully constructed narrative with a detailed internal structure. This is especially apparent in the threefold passion prediction cycle.
Mark also has other peculiarities:
An axiom adopted by some readers, though not by professionals generally, is: "A shorter version generally means an earlier form." Judicious editing of unwanted material, however, may also produce a shorter document. The discovery of sections that have been omitted from the familiar, canonical Mark, quoted in a letter of Clement of Alexandria, is discussed in the entry for Secret Gospel of Mark.
Interpolations may not be editorial, either. It is a common experience that glosses written in the margins of manuscripts get incorporated into the text as copies are made. Any particular example is open to dispute of course, but one may take note of Mark 13:14:
The so-called "short ending" of Mark 16:8 seems to be the only empty tomb / resurrection story known to both Celsus and Origen. Origen corroborates this by a weak argument of silence. This is very odd, because Origen is familiar with all four gospels. Many believe that this reading, which ends the Gospel at the empty tomb without further explanation, is characteristic of the theme of the Messianic Secret. (See Mark 16 for a more comprehensive treatment of this topic.)
This is an Article on Gospel of Mark. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Gospel of Mark Characteristics
Characteristic of this text is the absence of a genealogy for Jesus, present (albeit in contradicting forms) in both Matthew and Luke. Mark also records with minuteness Jesus' very words (3:17; 5:41; 7:11, 34; 14:36) as well as his position (9:35) and gestures (3:5, 34; 5:32; 9:36; 10:16). He is also careful to record particulars of person (1:29, 36; 3:6, 22, etc.), number (5:13; 6:7, etc.), place (2:13; 4:1; 7:31, etc.), and time (1:35; 2:1; 4:35, etc.), which the other evangelists omit.
The underlying theme of this Gospel may be expressed in the motto: "Jesus came ... preaching the gospel of the kingdom" (1:14). Yet the Gospel also portrays Jesus as consistently attempting to hide his identity as the Messiah from the general public. This persistent theme is often referred to as the Messianic secret, and is one of the distinguishing characteristics of Mark in constrast with the other Gospels. The "little Apocalypse" of Mark 13
Exegesis is often made to show correspondences with the calamities of the First Jewish Revolt of AD 66–70. Jesus' remarks in 13:1–2, seen as a reference to the destruction of the Temple, would place the work after AD 70. The passage predicts that the Temple would be torn down completely—"Not one stone will be left upon another." Indeed, the Temple was completely destroyed by the forces of the Roman general Titus (Josephus, Jewish War VI). (The Western Wall, which still stands, was not a part of the Temple proper, but rather part of a larger structure on which the Temple and other buildings stood.) This fulfilled prophecy would place the passage before the destruction of Jerusalem, for readers who affirm the reality of prophecies; others speculate that this an example of a vaticinium ex eventu (NL, loosely "prophecy after the event"; cf. Book of Daniel).Losses and early editing
Mark is the shortest gospel. Manuscripts, both scrolls and codices, tend to lose text at the beginning and the end, not unlike a coverless paperback in a backpack. These losses are characteristically unconnected with excisions. For instance, Mark 1:1 has been found in two different forms. Half of the discovered texts contain the phrase "Son of God", while half do not. (NB: The article "the" is not present in Greek MSS; it was instead added to English translations for flow and compatibility with Church doctrine. "A Son of God" would also be a correct translation, as would the omission the article entirely.) Ending
There is some dispute among scholars as to whether verses of chapter 16, describing a resurrected Jesus, were actually part of the original Gospel, or if they were added later. The oldest extant manuscripts do not contain these verses, suggesting that they were a later addition—in fact, to date Mark has been found with nine different endings.References
External links